Almonds are bad?

[Brodie]

So I took scarlet to a friends house the other day to meet their male Eclectus, gilbert. They weren't too fond of each other but they were okay.
Anyway I was telling her the story about Scarlets recent 5 day tantrum over not having almonds. And she told me that her husband had read something a while about almonds being bad for Eclectus'? They couldn't remember why, but they do remember taking all almonds out of his diet completely for this reason.
Is this true? If so why? And it is just Ekkies or all parrots?
I give scarlet two every morning, so I'm a bit worried now..

 

[Featheredsamurai]

It's not all parrots, almonds have a lot of calcium and have a lot of healthy fats. For most parrots it is still a treat though. I hope someone knows why it's bad for eclectus.

 

[sodakat]

Not true. Almonds and walnuts are low fat and fine for Eclectus, within reason.

Two almonds a day along with a fresh food diet is definitely okay!

Two of the products made here in the U.S. with Eclectus in mind contain almonds: unpellet UnPellet Mix and Volkman Avian Science Super Eclectus Custom Mix Volkman Seed Company

 

[Kiwibird]

The only time I've heard of almonds (and nuts in general) being "bad" for birds is when the bird gets too many. All nuts are extremely fatty, so while they are a healthy enough treat, birds shouldn't be getting tons of them. Perhaps eclectus have different sensitivities though, so hopefully someone who knows more about their species specific diet can clarify more

 

[Oedipussrex]

I guess anything in too large an amount is bad. especially with ones with diets as picky as ekkies. I was using them as a treat when i took pickle to the vet to try and make him behave and possibly hate it less when we go back, and the vet said they are a good source of iron, but i should use smaller pieces for his treats...

Perhaps it was a local thing and they heard something bad about the producer like pesticides or the likes?

im just speculating here

 

[MonicaMc]

I've heard that some nuts may be dangerous, particularly around the holidays, because of the coating that's put onto them. It's mostly an issue with imported nuts.(?)


RE:


From the Healthy Bird Cookbook by Robin Deutsch - Ch 4-5


...........


Foods to Avoid and Other Hazards

Chocolate (contains theobromine which over time is toxic to birds as the toxic builds up)
Avocados (pit of avocado is poisonous, however flesh can become tainted with toxin)
Sugar (can lead to diabetes, yeast infections, heart disorders, high cholesterol, calcium imbalance)
Old Seeds (can contain fungus, mycotoxins, alfatoxins) NOTE: try to always freeze new seeds and only use as much needed in a week or feed from freezer (good for pellets as well)
Mayonnaise Products (can go bad in crop)
Unwashed Fruits or Vegetables (possible chance of pesticides being used on fresh foods-chance of bacteria)
Rhubarb (leaves contain chemical called oxalic acid-same with spinach, though spinach is healthy for birds so feed the spinach in small amounts)
Fruit Pits (pits contain cyanide, remove pits and cut away any discoloration around the pits, such as in peaches)
Nuts (brazil nuts/almonds-dangerous mainly around holidays when imported nuts are polished and dyed-just be careful where you get your nuts from, peanuts can spoil quickly as well)
Dairy Products (birds are lactose [milk sugar] intolerant-feed sparingly... hard cheese and cooked eggs are fine)
Mold (present on peanuts, other nuts, legumes, grains, fruits, vegetables-be sure food is fresh)
Caffeine (in coffee and sodas-can cause serious problems in birds, most notably behavior problems)
Salt (birds cannot excrete salt as humans can, result in high blood pressure)
Alcohol (birds cannot metabolize alcohol, even in small amounts)
Food Dyes (synthetic food colors sometimes derived from petroleum or coal tars... in high doses, can cause cancer, allergies, behavior disorders-try to use only natural dyes)
Sulfites (found in dried foods off the shelf’s, causes behavior problems-buy from health food store or dry your own foods)

 

[Chikoo]

Almonds are fine. I give my birds 1-2 raw organic almonds a day.

 

[antoinette]

Almonds are good for Eclectus, if offered moderation of course

Below is a link you are sure to find interesting

Nutrition in a Nutshell

 

[birdy_numnum]

Can i feed almonds and wallnuts to Alexandrines??i wonder,can any one tell me if it can be fed to my birds.

 

[DallyTsuka]

Can i feed almonds and wallnuts to Alexandrines??i wonder,can any one tell me if it can be fed to my birds.

as long as they are unsalted and unflavoured, then i dont see the problem my tiels loooove almonds, they're the favourite treat. i put them in foraging toys for my guys

 

[Jollyjess80]

Eclectus are really prone to fatty liver disease. There is a lot of fat in nuts but the almond is one of the better nuts to give. Eclectus can also become addicted to one food or nuts where they will literally refuse to eat anything but what their addicted to. I would say give 1-2 almonds a week, or use just as treats.

 

[Birdman666]

Not true. Almonds and walnuts are low fat and fine for Eclectus, within reason.

Two almonds a day along with a fresh food diet is definitely okay!

Two of the products made here in the U.S. with Eclectus in mind contain almonds: unpellet UnPellet Mix and Volkman Avian Science Super Eclectus Custom Mix Volkman Seed Company

I Agree with this advice.

 

[joshua.bradley]

Good stuff,

I have a baby Princess (about 14 weeks) who took almost a week to settle into his new home where I struggled to get him to eat anything.

Once we got him on solid foods he was much calmer and happier and a week ago I have him some almonds with an apple. All good I though.

Now he wont eat anything except almonds. Just tastes it and runs away. I assume he is still eating seed (well he is) but what can I do to get him to eat vege's again? Should I just stop giving him almonds till he's so hungry he eats?

 

[Mike17]

Our eccy Alex (and his close companion Ariel, the 'tiel) won't touch almonds and will only eat cashews, thanks very much. Occasionally they'll have macadamias but at the cost of those lovelies, they're rationed. They will also eat peanuts occasionally, Ariel especially, but while Alex was mad on the peanuts in the shell they made him sneeze.

 

[Caesar]

My Ekkie gets Almonds as treats in training.
He works for quite a small piece. Probably adds up to about 2 almonds a day.