Asparagus or Carnations??

[BobbieSD]

Can Cockatoos have asparagus? How about mini Carnations?

[Oscars Mom]

NO!!!!asparagus is POISINto birds . I dont know if organic carnations are ok but almost all flowers in this country are LOADED with pesticidesfungicidesetc.Most are systemic and cant bewashed off.

[ROYJOY]

no wonder i cant get my birds to eat asparagus. i'll stop trying.

[Monica]

Really? I understand about the flowers... less they are home grown from seeds in soil that hasn't been chemically fertilized... naturally? Sure.

But asparagus??? Hmm... hadn't heard.... looking up info on it, well please read yourself!
Winged Wisdom Pet Bird Magazine - Kitchen Physician III - Parrots, Produce & Pesticides. Safe foods for pet parrots, exotic pet birds - Birds, Birds, Birds
Foods, Plants & Wood Considered Safe for Birds
Friends Of Feathers Bird Rescue | Bird Rescue Vancouver Island BC Canada
Cockatiels, Foods for Cockatiels that are Healthy and Nutritious, What foods to feed cockatiels, Recommended Nutritional Foods,Avian Nutrition and Nutritional Needs of a Cockatiel,What do cockatiels eat.>
Birds

Alright, found a site that says otherwise.... bad tummy aches they say...
PETCRAFT - SAFE AND UNSAFE FOODS FOR BIRDS
And others that mentions its bad...
MIDLAND PARROTS
Safe Vs. Unsafe Foods for Avians

Something to contradict that second link....
Land of Vos - Articles - Safety Precautions for Birdkeepers


I know it's best to err on the side of caution, and well it's very rare for asparagus to even be in this house (considering that I'm the only one who likes it.... ) so I've never really fed it.... however do you know why its bad?

[sparkysmom]

Yikes I am freaking I occasionally feed asparagus.

[dwiseley]

CRAP... I have an untreated asparagus patch that I have been using to feed my young caique. She ate some, (only the tips), many days last week and this. She hasn't shown any sign of a stomach ache at all. (Unless hopping up and down and playing like a crazed maniac are signs of a stomachache... wait,no, those are signs of being a caique).

[tielfan]

This is the first time I've heard that asparagus is bad and I tend to distrust the information. There are plenty of sites on either side of the issue but the most reliable-looking ones say it's good. Those sites include:

Holistic Bird at Holistic Bird Newsletter It's a rather old article but I can't find anything on the site superseding it.

The National Cockatiel Society under 'Vegetables' at NCS - Feeding Cockatiels

Land of Vos, which recommends it as a substitute for several less desirable veggies at The Kitchen Physician Produce and Pesticides Do a word search within the page to find the references. Land of Vos specializes in ekkie issues but their general nutritional information seems to be widely respected.

Asparagus is also recommended by a bird nutrition group I belong to that tends to go overboard on caution.

My tiels have been eating it for months without any problems - in fact they seem to like it better than just about any other fresh vegetable, and they're very picky about vegetables.

P.S. In researching this issue make sure your results are talking about asparagus the vegetable and not about asparagus fern. The fern is a different plant altogether!

Carolyn
and her cockatiels:
Vlad, Shodu, Mims, Buster

[tielfan]

P.S. again: Some of the sites that give a bad rap to asparagus do the same for eggplant. That one seems a little more justified since eggplant belongs to the nightshade family and must be fully ripe to avoid a certain toxin: Nightshade family - What is it? Why avoid it? Some sites recommend it nonetheless.

The nightshade article says that green peppers contain this toxin. My birds refuse to eat green pepper anyway, but those of you with less picky birds might want to look into this more deeply.

[catschair]

Asparagus does have fairly high levels of oxalic acid, which has the potential to bind with calcium which may limit its absorption and/or form kidney stones in susceptible species. Not sure if that has anything to do with the concern some folks have expressed about it?

[Lisa B]

I am certainly not giving the ok to feed Asparagus or Eggplant, however, I have been doing it for years. Years before all this info came out stating its bad. I had an orange wing that LOVED Eggplant in red sauce, and when served, my guys liked Asparagus also. Best advice is to speak with your AVIAN vet. Since they would be your birds health provider, its best to work with them on diets. When you go for your well birdy visit ask their opinion on all the warnings that are now out. I questioned my vet on the onion thing. She laughed, and said in moderation.....its ok.