Peanut shells

[bonitabird59]

Hi! So Im starting to train my GCC Jello as he just turned 6m old and we have built a really strong bond.
My very old amazon Bonita who passed in April was seriously obsessed with peanuts. She was 72 so I really didnt mind giving her junk food because I didnt know when she would cross the rainbow bridge- I wanted her to be happy. I bought a 6 lb bag of peanuts maybe a week or so before she passed and I havent fed them to any of my birds- just threw 'em in the yard for crows.

Today Jello discovered a peanut in his treat mix I get from our local bird store. He was OBSESSED. Moreso with cracking into the shell and destroying it. Im worried about him potentially eating the shell. Would that be bad? I have a ton that I was thinking about using as motivators for flight training. He would be fully supervised when eating/playing with them but I was just wondering if peanuts are okay for birds. I keep finding mixed responses online and figured I should ask here:
-Is there any risk with him eating the shell? Would he even try to? If he were to, should I haul it to the vet or is it more of a 'alright we're done with this' kinda thing?
-Is it okay if he shreds them supervised?
-Are there any whole in shell nuts I can give him that are safer/better? He REALLY enjoyed it. Like, I was shocked at how into it he was. He played with an empty shell while I watched like a hawk for almost an hour, just ripping it all up and tossing it in the air.

 

[clark_conure]

Parrots love destroying peanut shells. Bird will be fine.

If you look close they don't eat it they just love the destruction.

 

[SailBoat]

There is several opinions regarding peanuts and their shells and what if anything should be provided to a Parrot or maybe better stated a specific Parrot species.

With Amazons, IMHO they are a serious no-no as the peanut contribute to Fatty Liver problems.

Now specific to shells. As a food source that grows in the ground, the peanut and the shell can be a source for fungi, which are very difficult to treat. The baking or boiling process is not applied (IMHO) long enough to assure that the heat does its job in killing the fungi. There is some belief that because Parrots have a dry to semi-dry month that the fungi is not easily transferred.

As an Amazon snob, I just stay away from peanuts and their shells as they are just so problematic for Amazons. For your Parrot, that becomes a personal choice.

 

[wrench13]

Another vote for no peanuts. Aside from the high likelihood the parrot will become almost addicted to them and their high fat content, the spectre of fungus inside the shells is too scary for me. There are too many other seeds, nuts or other things that work great as training treats for me to take a chance every time Salty eats a peanut. If you do use them, I would suggest shelling them, removing the 'kernel' and cutting them up into very small pieces, so 1 nut provides the treat for many tricks.

 

[bonitabird59]

Another vote for no peanuts. Aside from the high likelihood the parrot will become almost addicted to them and their high fat content, the spectre of fungus inside the shells is too scary for me. There are too many other seeds, nuts or other things that work great as training treats for me to take a chance every time Salty eats a peanut. If you do use them, I would suggest shelling them, removing the 'kernel' and cutting them up into very small pieces, so 1 nut provides the treat for many tricks.

Ive fully got Jello off of seeds. It took me eating roudybush on the couch watching TV right in front of him, pretending I was ignoring him until he was literally screaming for me to share. Im scared to introduce seeds as training treats because I dont want him to get hooked again. Are brazil nuts okay? My amazon loved those as well. And whole in shell almonds. Sorry for asking so many questions lol I just trust this forum way more than google

 

[bonitabird59]

There is several opinions regarding peanuts and their shells and what if anything should be provided to a Parrot or maybe better stated a specific Parrot species.

With Amazons, IMHO they are a serious no-no as the peanut contribute to Fatty Liver problems.

Now specific to shells. As a food source that grows in the ground, the peanut and the shell can be a source for fungi, which are very difficult to treat. The baking or boiling process is not applied (IMHO) long enough to assure that the heat does its job in killing the fungi. There is some belief that because Parrots have a dry to semi-dry month that the fungi is not easily transferred.

As an Amazon snob, I just stay away from peanuts and their shells as they are just so problematic for Amazons. For your Parrot, that becomes a personal choice.

Aaaand the peanuts are reserved for crows! Thank god I only gave Jello two so far. Are there any nuts you recommend that are safe to serve? I was thinking maybe whole in shell almonds, or maybe a walnut? Obviously a deshelled walnut, I dont think my Jello-Bello could crack one yet. Brazil nuts?

 

[SailBoat]

Near all of the tree grown nuts are okay, but many will need to be de-shelled for your Parrot. Macs de-shell near any nut without problem. Wrench (above) recommended Pine Nuts that he uses for his Parrot for training.

 

[HeatherG]

Aaaand the peanuts are reserved for crows! Thank god I only gave Jello two so far. Are there any nuts you recommend that are safe to serve? I was thinking maybe whole in shell almonds, or maybe a walnut? Obviously a deshelled walnut, I dont think my Jello-Bello could crack one yet. Brazil nuts?

What about cracked open nuts? Halved walnuts? Brazil nuts with holes drilled into them? Jello could have fun getting the nut meat out of the shell.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

My conures love peanuts but I stopped buying them because I'm worried about the risk of aspergillosis. I got a seed mix that had star anise and that has replaced peanuts for me. They love ripping the pods up and the smell is really nice when they do it too. I also think it's healthier than peanuts for them

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