Say NO to Peanuts for Parrots

Say NO to peanuts for our parrots!

I have this conversation with clients A LOT about feeding peanuts. Peanuts should not be in our parrots diet period. We can argue “oh but they’re in my birds food bag” or “they’re human grade.” Which I can easily say those bags with them in it market them as “complete” diet when really those seed bags with sometimes cheap pellets are some of the worst diets for your bird and are no where complete. Any avian veterinarian will agree to that statement. Human grade doesn’t still mean they are safe for our parrots.

Peanuts are grossly high in fat. Fats are great for our parrots within moderation. We have extremely lazy parrots compared to wild parrots that need those high fats. Fats should be used sparingly for the average parrot, ideally saved for training and foraging and not given in the bowl. There are better and healthier fats to give your birds like tree nuts, safflower seeds, so on.

Most importantly, they likely have a microscopic mold growing on it. See, peanuts are legumes that are gown underground. They’re not even technically nuts. While growing underground, it’s common for mold to grow on the shell primarily. But if there is damage, even undetectable to us, on the shell, it can grow on the innards as well. Even toasted peanuts does not lessen the chance of these molds still being present. If it’s in a bag of food, you are contaminating the entire bag. These molds can cause aspergillosis and liver damage in our parrots, as well as chronic fungal infections.

Any benefits from peanuts nutritionally can be given in safer and healthier ways to your bird.

It’s also a good idea to check your pellet mix for peanuts in the ingredients. I stay clear of pellets with peanuts in them. It’s a cheap fat filler companies will use.

I know with JoJo, he was on an all seed and peanut diet for 24 years in a small 1ftX1ftX2FT high cage never let out. He came in horrific shape. One thing that his diet caused was a lipid buildup on his pupils that have affected his vision. It’s gone down overtime so he can see more, but he still sees like looking through a puzzle with missing pieces. All could have been avoided with a better diet