|
|
|
































|


Almost
every bird enjoys chewing on the bark of a fresh tree
branch. Avian vets often recommend such chewing activity as
important occupational therapy.
A couple
of the most commonly asked questions Jo has are
1. Which
plants and branches are harmful and which are safe
2.
Substances toxic to our birds.
Weather
it be house plants, garden plants, fruit trees, wood
branches, berries, seeds, etc. that our birds come into
contact with, we need to be aware of which is safe and which
is toxic. While one part of the plant/tree/bush
may be safe, another part, be it a stem, leaf, fruit, etc.
may be toxic, which is why you may see plants listed on both
lists here. Whenever in doubt PLEASE AIR ON THE SIDE
OF CAUTION.
Please
remember any wood used for perches and toys has to be
pesticide and chemical free. Scrub well with
disinfectant, rinse and dry in the sun or on low setting in
the oven to kill any molds or bugs. If you collect
scraps of woods from lumberyards for toy making, be sure it
has not been treated with any preservatives.
|
Safe Plants
|
-
Acacia
-
African Violets
-
Africian Daisy
-
Alyssum
-
Aluminum Plant
-
Aloe
-
Areca / Butterfly Cane
-
Asparagus Fern
-
Australian Umbrella Tree
-
Baby's Tears
-
Bachelor's Buttons
-
Ballon Flower
-
Bamboo
-
Bee Balm
-
Begonia
-
Bird Nest Fern
-
Bird of Paradise
-
Black-eyed Susan Vine
-
Blue Marquerite
-
Bottle Palm
-
Boston Fern
-
Bougainvillea
-
Bromeliads
-
Bush Cherry
-
Butterfly Bush
-
Cactus (Mostly non toxic except for pencil cactus, peyote/mescaline, candelabra cactus)
-
Calendula
-
Camellia
-
Canna Lily
-
Carpet Bugle
-
Chamomile
-
Chicory
-
Chickweed
-
China Doll
-
China Aster
-
Christmas Cactus
-
Cissus / Kangaroo Vines
-
Coffee Tree
-
Coleus
-
Comfreyy
-
Coral Bells
-
Corcus (Spring Blooming)
-
Corn Plant
-
Cosmos
-
Crabapple
-
Crap Myrtle
-
Creeping Charlie
-
Dahlia
-
Dandelion
-
Day Lilly
-
Dogwood
-
Donkey Tail / Burro's Tail
-
Dracaena Varieties
-
Dragon Tree
-
Easter Cactus
-
Gold Dust Dracaena
-
Elephant Foot Tree
- Ferns:
Asparagus
(Not A True Fern)
Bird Nest Fern
Boston Fern
Brake
Ribbon
Dish
Button
Motherfern
Maidenhair
Sword
Squirrel's Foot
Deer's Foot
Fiji
Polypody
Ball
Staghorn
Elk's Horn
-
Figs
-
.creeping
-
.rubber
-
.fiddle leaf
-
Figs
-
.laurel leaf
-
Gardenia
-
Gold Dust
-
Grape Hyacinth
-
Grape Ivy
-
Hawthorn
-
Honey Locust
-
Hen and Chickens
-
Hibiscus
-
Honeysuckle
-
Huckleberry
-
Impatiens
-
India Hawthorn
-
Jade Plant
-
Kalanchoe
-
Larch
-
Lipstick Plant
-
Lilac
-
Madagascar Dragon
-
Madagascar Jasime
-
Madagascar Lace Plant
-
Madrona
-
Magnolia
-
Mango (fruit)
-
Marigold
-
Maternity Plant
-
Monkey Plant
-
Moon Magic
-
Motherof Pearls
-
Mother-In-Laws Tongue
-
Mountain Ash
-
Nasturtium
-
Natal Plum
-
Nectarine
-
Nerve Plant
-
Norfolk Island Pine
-
Orchids
-
Oregano
-
Painted Needle
-
Palms:
Areca Bamboo
Bottle
Fern Date
European Fan
Fan
Fishtail
Howeia
Kentia
Lady
Parlour
Phoenix / Date Palm
Pony Tail Palm (Not A True Palm)
Pygmy Date
Rhapis
Roebelin
Sago (Not a true palm)
Sentry Palm
-
Pansies (Purple, white & yellow bi-color blooms are safe)
-
Parsley
-
Papaya
-
Passion Flower Vine
-
Peacock Plant
-
Peppermint
-
Peperomia
-
Petunia
-
Pilea
-
Piggyback Plant
-
Piggyback begonia
-
Pittosporum
-
Pink Polka Dot Plant
-
Polygonum Baldschuanicum
-
Pony Tail Palm (Not A Palm)
-
Prayer Plant
-
Prune
-
Purple Passion / Purple Nettle
-
Purple Tiger
-
Pyracantha (Ripe Berries Only)
-
Raspberry
-
Red-Margined Dracaena
-
Rose
-
Rubber Plant
-
Rubus Odoratus
-
Russian Vine
-
Sago Palm (Not a True Palm)
-
Sassafras
-
Schefflera (Umbrella)
-
Sedum
-
Sensitive Plant
-
Snake Plant
-
Spider Plant / Airplane Plant
-
Snowberry
-
Swedish Ivy
-
Tahitian Bridal Veil
-
Thanksgiving Cactus
-
Thistle
-
Thurlow
-
Thyme
-
Ti Plant
-
Toyon Tree / California
-
Wandering Jew
-
Wax Plant
-
White Clover
-
Velvet Plant / Purple Passion
-
Yucca
-
Zebra Plant
-
Zinnia
|
Safe Woods
|
- Apple
- Arbutus
- Ash
- Aspen
- Birch
- Beech
- Citrus
(any)
-
Cottonwood
-
Crabapple
- Dogwood
- Elm
-
Eucalyptus
- Fir
(balsam, douglas, sub-apline,white)
- Guava
- Hawthorn
- Kiln
dried Pine Larch
- Madrona
- Magnolia
-
Manzanita
- Norfolk
Island Pine
- Maple
- Nut
(except
chestnut & oak)
- Oak
(clean and disinfect
thoroughly)
- Papaya
- Palms
(areca, date, fan, lady, parlour)
- Palms (howeia,
kentia, phoenix, sago)
- Pear
- Pine
- Poplar
- Prune
-
Ribbonwood
-
Sassafras
- Sequoia
(redwood)
- Thurlow
- Vine
Maple
- Willows:
Goat Weeping
|
-
Dangerous Plants /
Toxic / Poison
|
- Aconite
(all parts)
- African
Boxwood
-
Agapanthus (sap)
- Agave
- Alacia
-
Amaryllis (bulbs)
- American
Yew (nedles, seed)
-
Anthurium
- Apricot
(pits)
- Aralia
-
Arborvitae
-
Arrowhead Vine (leaves)
- Arum
Lily (all parts)
- Autumn
Crocus / Meadow Saffron (all parts)
-
Australian Flametree
- Avocado
- Azalea
(leaves)
- Balsam
Pear (seeds,outer rind of fruit)
Baneberry
(berries, roots)
- Beans:
(all types if uncooked)
Castor Horse
Fava Broad Glory Scarlet
Runner Mescal Navy Pregatory
- Birch
- Bird of
Paradise (seed)
- Bishop's
Weed
-
Bittersweet Nightshade
- Black
Laurel
- Black
Locust (bark, sprouts, foliage)
- Bleeding
Heart / Dutchman's Breeches
-
Bloodroot
-
Bluebonnet
-
Bluegreen Algae (some forms toxic)
- Boxwood
(leaves, stems)
- Bracken
Fern
-
Broomcorn Grass
-
Buckthorn (fruit, bark)
- Bulb
Flowers:
Amaryllis Daffodil
Narcissus Hyacinth Iris
- Burdock
-
Buttercup (sap, bulbs)
-
Bushman's poison
- Cacao
- Cactus
(pencil, peyote/mescaline,candelabra)
- Camel
Bush
- Castor
Bean (beans, leaves)
- Caladium
(leaves)
- Calla
Lily (leaves)
- Cana
Lily
-
Candelabra Tree
-
Carnation
- Cardinal
Flower
- Century
Plant
- Chalice
Vine / Trumpet Vine
- Challce
Vine (all parts)
- Cherry
Tree (bark, twigs, leaves, pits)
- China
Berry Tree
- Chinese
Evergreen
- Chinese
Lantern
-
Chokecherry
-
Christmas Candle (sap)
-
Chrysanthemum
- Clematis
/ Virginia Bower (all parts)
- Clivia
-
Cocklebur
- Coffee (Senna)
- Coffee
Bean / Rattlebush / Rattlebox & Coffeeweed
-
Columbine
- Common
Burdock
-
Copperleaf
- Coral
Plant (seeds)
-
Coriander
-
Corncockle
-
Cotoneaster
- Coyotillo
- Cowslip
/ Marsh Marigold (all parts)
- Crape
Myrtle
- Crinum
Lily
- Crown of
Thorns (sap)
- Croton
(sap)
- Cyclamen
- Cut
leaf Philodendron
- Daffodil
(bulbs)
- Daphne
(berries)
- Datura
Stramoniun / Angel's Trumpet (berries)
- Deadly
Amanita (all parts)
- Death
Camus (all parts)
-
Delphinium (all parts)
- Devil's
Ivy
-
Dieffenbachia / Dumb Cane (leaves)
- Dumb
Cane
- Dusty
Miller
- Easter
Lily
- Echium
- Eggplant
(Only fruit is safe)
-
Elderberry
- Elephant
Ear / Taro (leaves, stem)
- English
Ivy (berries, leaves)
- English
Laurel
- Ergot
-
Eucalyptus
- Euonymus
/ Spindle Tree (all parts)
-
Euphorbia Cactus
- False
Henbane (all parts)
- Flame
Tree
- Felt
Plant / Maternity / Air & Panda Plants
- Figs:
(if much is
eaten these plants can make a bird ill)
Creeping Edible Fiddleleaf Fig
Laurel Leaf Rubber Plant
Weeping
-
Firethorn / Pyracantha
- Fishtail
Palm
- Flamingo
Flower (leaves, stem)
- Fly
Agaric Mushroom / Deadly Amanita
- Four
O'Clock
- Foxglove
(leaves, seeds)
- Foxtail
Barley
-
Gladiolus
- Glory
Lily
- Glory
Bean
-
Glottidium
- Golden
Chain / Laburnum (all parts, especially seeds)
- Gopher
Plant
-
Grasses:
Johnson Sorghum
Sudan Broom Corn
- Ground
Cherry
- Ground
Ivy
- Heather
-
Heaths:
Kalmia Leucotho Peires
Rhododenron Mountain Laurel
Black Laurel Andromeda Azalea
-
Heliotrope
-
Hellebore
- Hemlock
(Poison in
plant & water)
(all parts, especially roots and seeds)
- Henbane
(seeds)
- Holly
(berries)
- Honey
Bush
- Honey
Locust
- Horse
Chestnut / Buckeye (nuts, twigs)
-
Horsetail
- Hoya
- Hyacinth
(bulbs)
-
Hydrangea (flower bud)
- Indian
Licorice Bean
- Indian
Turnip (Jack -in-the-pulpit) (all parts)
- Iris /
Blue Flag (bulbs)
- Ivy
(English & Others)
(leaves and berries)
- Japanese
Yew
- Japanese
Aucuba
- Japanese
Pieris
- Jasmine
/ Jessamine
- Jatropha
- Java
Bean (Lima bean) (uncooked bean)
Jerusalem
Cherry (berries)
-
Jepuirity Bean
-
Jimsonweed / Thornapple (leaves, seeds)
- Johnson
Grass
- Juniper
(needles, stems, berries)
- Kentucky
Coffee Tree
- Kaffir
Lily
- Lantana
/ Red Sage (immature berries)
- Laurel
Cherry (all parts)
- Larkspur
(all parts)
- Lily of
the Valley
(Poison in
plant & Water)
(all parts, including the water in which they
have been kept)
- Lily,
Arum
- Lima
Bean (uncooked bean)
- Lobelia
(all parts)
- Locoweed
/ Milk Vetch (all parts)
- Locusts:
Black & Honey
- Lords &
ladies / Cuckoopint (all parts)
-
Love-in-a-mist
-
Love-lies-bleeding
- Lupine /
Bluebonnet
- Malanga
- Mandrake
- Mango
Tree
-
Marijuana / Hemp (leaves)
- Marsh
Marigold
- Mayapple
/ Mandrake (all parts, except fruit)
- Meadow
Saffron
- Ming
Aralia
- Mescal
Beans (seeds)
- Mexican
Breadfruit
- Medican
Poppy
- Milkweed
/ Cotton Bush
-
Mistletoe
- Mock
Orange (fruit)
-
Monkshood / Aconite (leaves, roots)
- Moonseed
- Morning
Glory (all parts - seeds)
- Mountain
Laurel
-
Mushrooms, Amanita
- Myrtle
- Myoporum
- Naked
Lady
- Natal
Plum
-
Narcissus (bulbs)
-
Nectarine
- Nettles
-
Nightshades: (all types - berries, leaves)
Deadly Black Garden Woody
Bittersweet Eggplant Jerusalem
Cherry
- Nutmeg
- Oak
- Oleander
(leaves, branches, nectar of blossoms)
- Oxalis
- Parsley
- Parlor
Ivy (all parts)
- Peace
Lily
- peach
(pits)
- Pencil
Tree (sap)
-
Periwinkle
-
Philodendrons: (leaves, stem)
Split
Leaf Swiss Cheese Heart-leaf
- Pigweed
- Pikeweed
(leaves, roots, immature berries)
- Pine
needles & berries
-
Pittosporum
- Plum
-
Poinciana
-
Poinsettia (leaves, flowers)
- Poison
Ivy (sap)
- Poison
Hemlock
-
Poison Oak: (sap) (acorns, foliage)
Western Eastern
- Pokeweed
/ Inkberry (leaves, roots, unripe berries)
- Potato
(Roots & Eyes)
- Pothos
(Devil's Ivy) (all parts)
- Pregnant
Onion
- Primose
- Privet
- Prune
-
Pyracantha
- Rain
Tree
-
Ranunculus / Buttercup (sap)
- Rape
-
Rattlebox / Crotalaria
- Red
Maple
- Red Sage
/ Lantana
- Rhubarb
(The Leaves)
-
Rhododendrons (all parts)
- Rosary
Pea Seed / Indian Licorice (seeds)
- Sandbox
Tree
- Scarlet
Runner Beans Schefflera
- Skunk
Cabbage (all parts)
- Snake
Plant
- Snowdrop
(all parts, especially buds)
- Snow on
the Mountain / Ghostweed (all parts)
-
Snowflake
- Sorghum
Grass
- Sorrel
- Spider
Lily
- Spindle
Tree (all parts)
- Sudan
Grass
-
Spurges:
Pencil Tree
Snow-on-mountain Candelabra Crown
of Thorns
- Star of
Bethlehem
- St.
John's Wort
- Sweet
Pea (seeds and fruit)
- Swill
Cheese Plant / Monstera
- Tansy
Ragwort
- Tomato
(all but the fruit)
- Tobacoo
(leaves)
- Toyon
- Umbrella
Plant/Tree
- Vetch:
Hairy & Common
- Virginia
Creeper (sap)
- Water
Hemlock
- Wattle
- Weeping
Fig
- Western
Yew (needles, seeds)
- White
Cedar / China Berry
- Wild
Onion
- Wind
Flower
-
Wintersweet
- Wisteria
(all parts)
- Yam Bean
(roots,immature pods)
- Yarrow
- Yews
(English & Japanese seeds) Needles, seeds)
- Yew Pine
- Yellow
Jessamine (flowers)
- Yellow
Oleander
- SEEDS
OF: Apple, Apricot, Black Cherry,
Crabapple, Loquat, Nectarine, Peach,Pear, Plum
-
Information from Gary Gallerstein, Bird Owner's
Home Health and Care Handbook; Birds USA
Magazine; Birds USA Annual 1992, author Bonnie
Munroe Doane; Gillian Ward;
Parrot Chronicles, (based on the
California Poison Control System); Wade
and Carol Oliyer, Parrot Pleasures,Safe wood
products,
|
|
|

Fumes:
Because of the nature of the avian respiratory tract, birds
are extremely sensitive to chemical fumes, smoke and
environmental toxins. After common kitchen odors, paint
fumes, pesticides and smoke are the most common problem
areas. Birds should be removed for at least 24 to 48 hours
after any odor-producing chemicals are used in the home or
until all detectable smells have disappeared. For
everyday household odors, air filters can be helpful.
Lead and
Zinc: Lead and zinc poisoning are real threats to
birds. A bird's natural curiosity and strong beak make
peeling and swallowing these soft metals very easy.
Unfortunately, sources of lead and zinc can still be found
in our homes today.
Foods to Avoid Feeding
- Alcohol
-
High-fat junk food (potato chips, nachos, doughnuts,
etc.)
- Salt
- Avocado
-
Chocolate
- Moldy
Foods
-
Mushrooms (some varities)
- Raw
meat
- Raw
poultry
- Raw
onions
Miscellaneous
- Ant
Syrup or paste
-
Antifreeze
-
Asbestos
-
Aspirin
-
Bathroom bowl cleaner
- Boric
Acid
-
Camphophenique
-
Clinitest tablets
-
Copper and brass cleaners
- Corn
and wart removers
-
Crayons
-
Detergents
- Fire
Crackers
-
Furniture polish
- Galvanized metal (if galvanized coating is coming off)
-
Gunpowder
- Gun
Cleaner
-
Insecticides
- Lead
shot
-
Linoleum (contains lead salts)
- Lye
- Match
tips
- Moth
balls
-
Muriatic acid
-
Prescription and non-prescription drugs
- Shoe
polish
- Stained
glass windows (leading)
-
Silver polish
- Snail
bait
- Zinc
items
- All
lead items, foil, curtain weights, fishing weights
Potential Dangers
- Frayed
electrical wiring
- Hot
pot, pan, utensils
- Hot
water from tap
- Lit
electric stoves
- Lit gas
stoves
- Lit
wood stoves
-
Poisonous plants
-
Rotating window or ceiling fans
-
Uncurtained windows.
|
Fumes
- Aerosol
propellant
- Aerosol
ingredient
- Bleach
- Carbon
dioxide
- Carbon
monoxide
-
Charcoal lighter
-
Chlordane
-
Chlorine
- Corn
and Wart remover
-
Deodorants
- Drain
Cleaners
- Epoxy
glue
-
Fabric softeners
- Flea
bombs
- Floor
cleaners
- Floor
polish
-
Formaldehyde
-
Gasoline
-
Garden Sprays
- Hair
spray, dyes
-
Hexachlorophene (in some soaps)
-
Indelible markers
-
Kerosine
-
Lighter fluid
- Model
glue
- Nail
polish and remover
- Naphtha
products
- Oven
cleaners
- Paints,
lacquers, varnish, shellac
- Paint
remover, thinner
- Perfume
-
Permanent wave solutions
-
Pesticides
-
Photographic solutions
- Pine
oil
- Propane
-
Podenticides
-
Rubbing alcohol
-
Shaving lotion
- Spot
remover
- Spray
starch
- Smoke
-
Syrychnine
- Super
glue
-
Suntan lotion
- Teflon
-
Turpentine
- Wax
- Weed
Killers
|
Information from Gary
Gallerstein, Bird Owner's Home Health and Care Handbook;
Birds USA Magazine; Birds USA Annual 1992, author Bonnie
Munroe Doane
Please note
all photos and content are the property of Tiny Rascals Aviary. PLEASE ask
permission.
Copyright
2002 - 2006 Joanne and Louis Cormier
|
|
|