Can birds have chocolate?
You may have heard that chocolate is bad for dogs and cats, but did you know that it’s also toxic to birds? While it doesn’t take much to kill a bird, even small amounts of chocolate can cause severe symptoms, like vomiting and diarrhea, heart arrhythmia, tremors, disorientation and seizures.
Unless it’s specifically made for bird’s, chocolate and chocolate-containing foods are harmful to birds. That’s because they contain methylxanthines, or Methylxanthines theobromine and caffeine, which are highly toxic to birds.
Ingestion of too much theobromine is especially dangerous for birds because they’re small and unable to metabolize theobromine effectively, like humans. This is why chocolate should be kept out of the reach of birds and never shared with them.
If your pet bird eats a bit of chocolate, it’s important to keep an eye on him and call the vet as soon as possible. Signs of toxicity include hyperactivity, diarrhea, vomiting, heart arrhythmia, tremors and seizures, as well as dark colored droppings.
Why not offer your avian friend a piece of fruit instead? Bananas are a popular food for many bird species.
It’s better to provide your bird with fruit and veggies that are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. You can also try a sugar solution for hummingbirds, which is a simple mix of four parts water and one part table sugar.
Chocolate cake is not something you should ever give to your bird, as it contains too many ingredients that are not good for them, like sugar and milk. It’s better to serve your bird fruit or veggies, which are higher in nutrition and have a low calorie content.