Hibiscus flowers and tea??

[gibson2503]

I have read conflicting information about hibiscus being safe (or not) for birds. I was thinking of ordering a bag of organic hibiscus flowers to make tea. Can my birds have hibiscus tea (no sweetener of course), or even eat some of the flowers? I have a goffins cockatoo and two conures.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Most places say it's ok. Some places actually recommend it in moderation.

Anecdotally.... When I gave some dried organic hibiscus to our ekkie, his poops were so terrible that I almost brought him to the vet. It died his poop almost black, and the three parts (urine, urates, faeces) almost blended together in this dark mess. I removed it for his next meal, and his poop went back to normal.

For me, I dislike anything that so drastically changes their poop. It worries me unnecessarily and prevents me from seeing if there's something wrong. It's the same reason I limit pomegranates in his diet.

I'd recommend just trying a little bit and see how they react before fully integrating it into their diet.

(FYI, my partner also suffered from drinking the hibiscus tea, but I was completely fine) YMMV?

 

[Anansi]

I've given my birds dried hibiscus petals for years, now. But note, I use as an accent to their food, not as a main part of their meal. After putting their chop into the bowls, I sprinkle some hibiscus on top for flavoring and variety. And I also rotate the hibiscus with chamomile, calendula flowers, star anise, milk thistle, rose hips and other such accents.

Using it as an accent, my birds' droppings were not affected to the extent that charmed was describing with her Cairo.