CLB Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I know I have heard time and again that birds can't feel the heat of hot peppers, thus making the squirrel proof bird seed effective and allowing our fids to enjoy the health benefits of those hot peppers. HOWEVER, has anyone ever experienced their bird responding to a hot pepper in a negative way? Lola (my 4 month old Zon) had her first Thai Chili Pepper today. She was very excite to try it out and carried it around until she finally managed to bite off the tip. Immediately after that bite, she dropped the pepper and began rubbing her beak on everything. She climbed her cage bars and rubbed her beak and tongue (yes..open mouth and all) on a fabric book. She seemed somewhat distressed and did NOT return for more pepper. :confused: Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Lol! That would be my reaction too! My amazon loves peppers, my cag, won't even go into the same room, they make her eyes water...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 I have been afraid to even give them to her...not sure I want kisses after she has been messing with those things! LOL...we don't eat any spicy food around here. I guess maybe Lola won't mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Yes a parrot can feel heat from hot food, the differance is a parrot only has about 400 taste buds compared to a humans thousand's. Don't feed them anything hotter than your willing to eat.....Maggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 Maggie...with those 400 tastebuds do you think some birds can feel the heat of the spice more or less than others? This pepper was raw and room temp. Are you saying that perhaps I should stay away from those spicey hot peppers...I know I wouldn't eat them! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Maggie...with those 400 tastebuds do you think some birds can feel the heat of the spice more or less than others? This pepper was raw and room temp. Are you saying that perhaps I should stay away from those spicey hot peppers...I know I wouldn't eat them! LOL You are 100% correct, We only feed the mild pepper.... lol...Thanks Maggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I don't like spicy peppers but Jake sure does. He digs into the Tabasco peppers, jalapenos (fresh and dehydrated), dried chili peppers, and Hungarian peppers. I have a puree I was given for him to try made of Portuguese peppers. The little bugger even likes wasabi. My skin is very sensitive to the oils in peppers so if he's having peppers I have to run and wash after he steps on me. Are they ok for him to eat even though I don't? He enjoys them so but if the heat is bad for him I'll stop buying them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Hi, Maggie writing for Jay.. Hi, the heat can affect them the same way as it does a human, after real hot peppers, check fo redness and possible blisters, if you want to feed a less hot pepper, no problem....Thanks Jay and Maggie..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 He has never shown any distress after eating any kind of pepper but now you have me worried. I've thrown away all the hot peppers and anything spicy just to be safe but what about pellets? He has the ZuPreem Avian Entrees Wild & Spicy Parrot Food and I just ordered the Harrisons Pepper Coarse. Can the pellets with peppers burn him? What about the dried peppers in his seed mix? For right now we have taken away the pellets/seed that he normally eats and just gave him some of the seed with dried fruits. He is pouting because he doesn't like that kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinsmom Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Birds dont blister when consuming hot peppers like mamals can, here is a good article written by an actual ornithologist on birds and peppers... http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1857/are-birds-immune-to-hot-pepper-enabling-them-to-eat-vast-amounts-and-spread-the-seeds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Thanks for the article. I think I will stick with mild peppers....Lola was obviously stressed by her experience with hot peppers and Shadow wouldn't touch them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinsmom Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) I think some like 'em hot, some dont but they dont pose a threat, though too many could perhaps cause digestive upset, but that goes for all foods. If I have learned anything, some days they will wolf down a certain food and then some days they wont touch it, or they like green beans but not yellow....odd little creatures. lol The article, as well as a hundred a hundred others, is clear though, they do NOT respond to peppers the same way humans do, Jake can have his peppers if he enjoys them Wingy, dont take them away from him. Edited September 4, 2012 by Darwinsmom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Spicy is about all he will consistently eat. He has never turned down raw/fresh hot peppers, cauliflower or kale. All of which have a peppery, spicy taste. I'm in another part of the house but I'm told he isn't sleeping, won't go near his sleep perch, has his back turned and is muttering to himself. It sounds like he is still having a huff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 It was good to see the clear scientific evidence, proof of what I had always believed was true. I just can't get past Lola's reaction. She is a very good eater and clearly responded to the insides of this pepper in a distinct way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) My three love peppers and I am allergic to hot peppers. My throat swells and I start to choke horribly. I have to be very careful when I cut the peppers up so I don't forget to really wash my handsafterwards. The things we do for the ones we love!! Edited September 5, 2012 by luvparrots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Birds dont blister when consuming hot peppers like mamals can, here is a good article written by an actual ornithologist on birds and peppers... http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1857/are-birds-immune-to-hot-pepper-enabling-them-to-eat-vast-amounts-and-spread-the-seeds After reading the article ,it made the 20,000 might be a limit for birds, that's a relative low dose of heat, [Arbol pepper]Scoville units. T the end of the article the group posts this statement: so accuracywise you'd better keep your fingers crossed. There has been on scientific study made on the effects on Hot Chilli peppers and captive parrots, but there are noted occasions of digestive tract problems in same parrots. So, I stick to my guns, better safe then sorry, we will only feed low temp peepers to our fids...Parrot.org says there has been no study if it's a fact that parrots can't taste capsaicin, it's more likely that with so few taste buds and a extremely bad sense of smell, they can't taste the heat... Capsaicin will and does burn a parrots skin.. The jury's still out, we feed our fids hot peppers but not for the reason to brag that,"my parrot eats jalapenos". Why do we need to feed our parrots something that might be harmful? They've only started studying about capsaicin on humans in the last few years...Our captive parrots life is so far different then a wild parrots it's not funny, our parrots are couch potatoes in comparison, their not as active they don't burn as many calories, they don't fly 500 feet after eating to help digest there food, what they eat stays in the gut far longer. Our parrots don't need Emerril, or The Top Chefs, they need a balanced healthy diet with out extremes... My opinion... Thanks Jayd Please note, what we feed our Greys today might not show up for years as a problem..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinsmom Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Lots of things *may* cause upset to them, they are all individuals, and what one likes another wont but its inaccurate to say it will cause blistering of the mouth or there is a real danger to letting them eat peppers, that simply is not true. If you dont wish to feed hot peppers, or your parrots dont like it, so be it but to scare Wingy or others into getting rid of the things his bird does like is wrong or to imply there is a danger in feeding something hotter than we would eat ourselves is unfounded. I wont even put ground pepper on my food but my faince can eat things that would make other people wither. I looked for hours and I couldnt find a thing that says hot peppers are bad or dangerous for birds but I found hundreds for articles and posts saying they were just fine and most birds enjoy them. There is very little you can buy in the average grocery store that would be so hot that it would be a danger. Its VERY important to remember a lot of information posted here is simply personal opinion and NOT fact, and one should always do research and decide for themselves. I have seen lots of outdated, inaccurate information posted here as "fact" simply because no one has bothered to look it up or contradict it. An awful lot of what applied a decade or two ago is not valid any more, specially with companion parrots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 He has never shown any distress after eating any kind of pepper but now you have me worried. I've thrown away all the hot peppers and anything spicy just to be safe but what about pellets? He has the ZuPreem Avian Entrees Wild & Spicy Parrot Food and I just ordered the Harrisons Pepper Coarse. Can the pellets with peppers burn him? What about the dried peppers in his seed mix? For right now we have taken away the pellets/seed that he normally eats and just gave him some of the seed with dried fruits. He is pouting because he doesn't like that kind. No worries on peppers affecting your grey or other parrots. They are fine and birds have been dinning on peppers for thousands of years. Both Dayo and Jake love hot peppers and have eaten them for years. Some birds just have different foods they like and dislike. Some (most) like peppers, but not all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I'm sorry, my research was correct, I've always trusted parrot.org, I couldn't find anywhere that I threatened anyone, nor say it wasn't okay to feed parrots peppers, All I stated was possibility's.....I did notice that people only read what they want, not the whole post. All this started because I gave a opinion, which was peppers can cause problem, and I made the statement, we feed mild peppers to our parrots. So, to end this, I make this statement, We feed only mild peppers to our fids, and please feed what ever you want to yours, I hope this was all worth it...Thank you Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) No worries on peppers affecting your grey or other parrots. They are fine and birds have been dinning on peppers for thousands of years. Both Dayo and Jake love hot peppers and have eaten them for years. Some birds just have different foods they like and dislike. Some (most) like peppers, but not all. As Tony Soprano would say --Fa ged about it---The drasticaly possible side effect from peppers are minimal to my birds because my birds eat italian food from Sicily with Rottelle al dente with homemade garlic bread topped off with some red wine. Excuse me for a minute, I gotta belch. Edited September 4, 2012 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 As Tony Soprano would say --Fa ged about it---The drasticaly possible side effect from peppers are minimal to my birds because my birds eat italian food from Sicily with Rottelle al dente with homemade garlic bread topped off with some red wine. Excuse me for a minute, I gotta belch. How about portebello stuffed ravioli topped with a creamy alfredo sauce and a nice mixed greens salad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 How about portebello stuffed ravioli topped with a creamy alfredo sauce and a nice mixed greens salad. I really appreciate the menu. I can see that you really care. Anything tio make them happy. You and I will meet soon and have some great expresso with a side of macaroon tarts and cannolis. Just remember, it's my grandma's recipe when she was in the old country. You're so sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Wow....all I wanted to know was if anyone ever saw their bird react to hot peppers. :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) Wow....all I wanted to know was if anyone ever saw their bird react to hot peppers. :confused: So You got your answers and some opinions, some side thoughts, a couple of food recipes, some printed articles, allergies that people have, new insight concerning others. That's what supposed to happen here and sometimes it does, even concerning small subjects. Bird food isn't a small subject though. Black and white answers with no opinions many times amount to absolutely nothing. Edited September 5, 2012 by Dave007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 I would have been disappointed if I had gotten no response...that's for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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