I would like some definitive answers on exactly which foods are bad for Parrots and/or tiels. For instance I know for a fact that Avocado and Chocolate are bad but I was reading a list of poisonous plants for birds. In that included potatos, eggplant, lima beans and many other seemingly common veggies. My question is do they speak of the actual fruit or the plant.Answer:
Potatoes and tomatoes are part of the Nightshade family and their foliage is poisonous, as are potato eyes. Some toxin may be present in the potato skin itself, particularly if green. (A tomato had to actually be taken off the seed market several years ago because the levels in the fruit were too high for consumption) Beans (lima, black, etc) that are too mature can be toxic, particularly when uncooked. Dont eat the foliage either. Eggplant foliage is toxic, because eggplant is in the same family as potatoes and tomatoes (solanum). Sweet Potatoes are not related to white potatoes. While you can safely feed raw sweet potato, dont let your bird eat sweet potato vine. Sweet Potatoes are part of the morning glory family, and the vine and foliage are potentially toxic. In summary...cook the beans, cook the white potatoes, and dont let your birds graze on vegetable plants in the garden.Michele Breaux - Spottie@felix.teclink.net