coffee

[mjv413]

Good morning everyone! !! So my question is about coffee.... growing up a family friend and avid bird owner had a few parrots that would enjoy a few sips ofcoffee with her in the morning. Piper always shows extreme interest in my coffee and id love to share some with her. I know that caffeine is a no-no. But would one sip in the morning really hurt? Do any of you share coffee with your feathered friends??

[danmcq]

A sip once in a blue moon is fine. But, what we do to avoid our birds wanting coffee when we have it, is we give them hot water instead and they gulp that down. It is more the hotness than anything else about the coffee that they like. Normally any food or drink that we may have, a bird will normally accept an alternate food or drink they like so they can join in on the flock feeding/drinking time.

[chelseaB]

So true Dan!! Biscotti loves his hot water fix in the morning.

[Wingy]

You are so right Dan. Jake thinks he is getting something super special if I bring him a cup full of water with an ice cube.

[Jayd]

Hi,as most of you know our belief for things that might be bad or are bad or could be bad is no, never, nada, except for a few exceptions. I found this post from the early Grey Forums that is very informative...Enjoy....Jayd

 

Lidia, guest, 06/26/07

Coffee

 

Ans,

 

Caffeine is a big no-no for parrots. Fruit teas, like rooibos are fine. Stick with the caffeine-free stuff.

As to milk: raw and even pasteurised milk should not be offered because it contains coliform bacteria. Furthermore, many caged birds are sensitive to milk sugar, which is present in milk but not in cultured milk, so you can give small amounts of yoghurt or cheese quite safely.

 

"Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine. Caffeine & theobromine belong to a chemical class of alkaloids called methylated xanthines. These are found in coals, coffee, tea & in chocolate. As a class of drugs, Methylated xanthines cause central nervous system (CNS) stimulation, diuresis (flushing of fluids through the body), cardiac (heart) muscle stimulation, & smooth muscle stimulation.

Methylxanthines are absorbed very quickly & easily from the oral cavity & intestinal tract. The liver is needed to metabolize these chemicals, & the waste products are excreted in the urine. These chemicals primarily affect the CNS & kidneys. These chemicals cause increased motor activity & also result in tachycardia (too fast a heart beat.) Because of the increased motor activity, seizures may occur. The kidneys may be affected causing diuresis & very high urine output. This may lead to dehydration. Respirations may become too rapid, & hyperthermia (too high a body temperature) may occur, resulting in death. There is NO antidote for these drugs. We may only treat symptoms with supportive care & drugs to decrease their severity.

 

Toxic dosages for birds are not well established. In dogs the toxic dose is approximately 200 mg/kg of body weight. In cats the lethal dosage is only 80 to 150 mg/kg of body weight. (higer metabolism means that less is needed to cause toxic effects.) A cup of coffee may contain 35 to 85 mg. A 12 ounce bottle of cola contains approx 50 mg. Now these levels would mean that a 1 kg (2.2kg) cat would need to drink1 1/2 to 3 colas for death to occur. However, since a bird has a much higher metablolism than a cat, & a much smaller body size than a cat, we can safely say that it would take a much smaller dose for toxic effects & possibly death to occur.

 

Since we are unsure of the toxic dosages in birds, one definitely should avoid ALL caffeine & chocolate consumption for pet birds. (theobromeine & caffeine are both found in chocolate-- this means that chocolate packs a double whammy!) I reccommend that these substances be avoided in ALL pet species."

 

(

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/caffeine.htm

)