chillies in the parrot foods.

[mandiskem]

this is news to me as i have been told not long ago.the chillies in the parrot food has to be taken out. because they can cause our beloved parrots asthma.so i have stood there and took all the chillies out of buddy and basils food bag.theres something in the chillies that makes them have asthma.

[judygram]

Where did you hear this that chillies causes them to have asthma, for I haven't heard anything about it?

[mandiskem]

the parrotrescuerefuge woman told me last night. its something that she found out. i will check on that 1 judy but i took mine out.

[mandiskem]

if u touch dried chillies and then put ya finger in ur mouth its hot apparently this is the same thing as parrots get in their throats and causes asthma. my suggestion is to take them all out and use the bell peppers and take the seeds out .

[Guest]

Some of the parrot blend foods have dried chilis in them. Can't image they would put them in their foods if they were bad. Radar has been eating them most of his life. Would like to hear more info about this, like where she read it.

 

I read also in an African grey book that the greys like them because there taste buds are not as defined as ours are & because of this they like the stronger tasting foods

[mandiskem]

she is a well known rescue centre and has delt with parrots for a lot of years.my grey has also had probs after eating chillies. i use to put them in his food but now i dont after he ate 1 he flew on his stand and just a few seconds away he flew bk on me and was weasing so i took them out n he was ok then not weased since.if u have a chilli and let ur greys tongue touch urs its very hotand thats why it can give ur grey asthma.this woman deals with big macaws too and had expirience with chillies n parrots.

[Guest briansmum]

i can honestly say i've never heard this, infact on most sites and books it lists chillies as a safe food.

brian has chillis regularly and i've never heard him wheeze. we also have some "hot and spicy chilli flavour parrot treats"

[Guest briansmum]

i found this:

 

"Capsaicin (1) is responsible for the ‘hotness’ of chilli peppers"

 

"Scientists have been investigating how the body responds to chillies. In the mouth, lips, throat, tongue and nasal cavity, capsaicin binds to the membrane at the ends of nerve cells, specifically sensory neurons, where it is recognised by a specific protein (a sensory receptor) located in the membrane. They believe that this protein (TRPV1) is important in the detection of noxious stimuli, including abrasion, heat, acids, and vanilloids."

 

"Mammals have the TRPV1 receptor and will avoid chillies.10 Scientists have exploited this ‘sensitivity’ by developing capsaicin-containing coatings for electrical cables, which deter squirrels, rats and mice from gnawing through them, and for bird seed. Birds do not have the TRPV1 receptor, so capsaicin-coated birdseed is safe for birds to eat while mammals, especially squirrels, will leave it alone. It is possible that chilli plants evolved to produce capsaicinoids as a way to deter predatory mammals, while attracting birds to eat their fruits and disperse their seeds.11 The irritating property of capsaicinoids has seen them put in: pepper sprays, used by the police to immobilise violent people; anti-mugger aerosols; and bear-repellents."

 

(taken from http://www.rsc.org/Education/EiC/issues/2006May/SpicingupChemistry.asp)

 

therefore our parrots do not have the capability to detect potency of chillies like we do and thus there should be nothing to upset their throats or nasal passageways causing asthma.

 

as well as this i have double checked many parrot websites and they do list chillies as a good food, these sites including my breeders website. parrot supply websites also sell dried chillies as a treat.

 

 

mandi can you ask your friend where she got this information?

[mandiskem]

beccy its the woman who runs the rescue centre that told me. and i will be posting a last poster as im leaving this site .

[lovemyGreys]

Beccy thanks for the information i have also checked all possible links i have & have spoke to my breeder who also is a bird rescuer.

parrots are rather partial to chillies but - luckily for them - are immune to the power of capsaicin, the chemical ingredient which produces the heat.Many foods manufacturers include dried chillies in their food mix.There is no evidence available anywhere to suggest chillies cause asthma.My breeders has been feeding chillies for over 20 years & has never come across this.

I feed chillies to my three greys who all love them.

I would say carry on feeding them & not to be alarmed by this topic, until the day we have concrete evidence from veterinary/ nutritional sources that backs up this theory.

[judygram]

Thank you Beccy and Tracy for researching this topic for us, I thought they were safe for our birds and so I will continue to give them to Josey and Sunny.

[birdgranna]

Mine love em, especially the seeds.

[eve]

i did hear of someone who mixes their own seeds that decided to omit chillies after she had an "attack" of some sort after inhaling the dust from chillies that were crushed in the mixing process (she was mixing quite a decent quantity by hand).

 

I said I "heard" i don't know the specifics.

 

Dust of any sort can cause respiratory attack, wheter that be the dust from pellets or peppers if someone is in a position to inhale large quatities.

 

i don't think one can blame peppers for asthma. my mom is asthmatic, she eats peppers like a maniac, dried, crushed, fresh. she is no more asthmatic after eating a pepper.

 

i had a reaction after eating swiss chard that made me feel like i was having an asthma attack (if i had to imagine an asthma attack)... this does not mean that swiss chard causes asthma.

 

i personally removed the peppers from seed mixes just to avoid having them get crushed up and making dust cause i always smell my seed mixture and i used to get a tickly nose until i took them out. i keep them on the side and add after. but that's just me.

 

sorry you got offended that people disagreed with you, too bad you left. i'm sure the rescue you deal with is very competant, but that does not mean that they know everything nor does it mean that everyone has to agree with them.

 

Post edited by: eve, at: 2007/11/01 06:03<br><br>Post edited by: eve, at: 2007/11/01 06:09

[mandiskem]

eve i am not offended by the fact that no one believes me i dont care who does and dont and the fact that i have left this site is because of the commitment of my parrot training and work with the rescue centre and my own health issues. if i was offended by this i would have clearly stated and would have not bothered at all. just because i left the site has purley nothing to do with this thread at all.and the other fact is with my health problems and my own parrots to contend with i just simply dont have the time anymore to come on. i worked all day yesterday on training parrots and then started on my own. so would u kindly stop saying this thread offended me cos nothing does offend me what ever ppl think of me is their opinion. what ever i do or say still dont bother me if im right or wrong. i have also left the site because of my health problems goin in and out of hospital doesnt help .i was thinking of returning to this site maybe after xmas when i wont be so busy but now i really know. sorry to disappoint u all but i will now definately not coming bk to it.so i will be missing some of the ppl i got talking too and for them i wish u the best of luck in all the parrots u may come across in your lifes. have fun mandi , buddy and basil xxxxxxxxxxx

[Falconeer]

Thanks all for the input here. I spoke to Mandi... She is not leaving the site cause she was offended by anything, it's due to personal issues.

 

One great thing about this forum is that everyone is mature enough to respect eachother for their information and not insult anyone for anything that is unconfirmed.

[danmcq]

Regarding Asthma - It is not Caused by any one thing. It is a condition people have. There are different types of Asthma and only a small percentage of any population have Asthma. You do not "Get" Asthma....

 

Peppers could possibly induce a Asthma attack in a Parrot or human simply due to them having an allergy to them.

 

Here are some facts regrading Asthma:

 

New Classifications in Types of Asthma

 

-- Although clear patterns do exist, the specific causes of asthma are far from straightforward. Until recently, the condition was divided into two clearly defined types of asthma: extrinsic (allergic) asthma and (non-allergic) intrinsic asthma. Today, asthma is divided into a number of different types: allergic, non-allergic/intrinsic, exercise-induced, nocturnal, occupational and steroid-resistant asthma.

 

Allergic Asthma

 

-- Ninety percent of all asthma sufferers have allergic asthma. Allergic asthma is triggered by allergens — substances capable of causing an allergic reaction.

 

Causes of Allergic Asthma:

 

-- The causes of allergic asthma are wide ranging. At the top of the list are specific allergens, such as pet dander, pollen and dust mites. People suffering specific allergen-induced asthma are usually very aware of the offending allergen and try to avoid it.

 

Pollutants, wood dust, smoke, irritants, chemicals, viral infections, bacteria, stress, emotion and exercise are other frequently diagnosed causes.

 

Childhood Allergic Asthma:

 

-- Most childhood asthma is considered an allergic type of asthma. Childhood asthma occurs more often in young boys than girls and out of all childhood illnesses accounts for the most missed days of school.

 

Research has concluded that maternal smoking can contribute to asthma or other impairment of infant lung function, even before the child is born. Continued exposure to cigarette smoking can irritate the respiratory tract and make infants and children particularly vulnerable to allergic asthma.

 

Intrinsic Asthma

 

--Asthma is called "intrinsic" when allergies do not play a part. Intrinsic asthma is not likely to develop in children; its typical onset occurs after age 40. Possible causes of intrinsic asthma include respiratory irritants such as perfumes, cleaning agents, fumes, smoke and cold air, upper respiratory infections, and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). Intrinsic asthma tends to be less responsive to treatment than allergic asthma.

 

Exercise-Induced Asthma

 

--At least eleven percent of the non-asthmatic population experiences exercise-induced asthma. Many of these people have allergies or a family history of allergies.

 

Exercise-induced asthma can affect anyone at any age and may be attributed to the loss of heat and moisture in the lungs that occurs with strenuous exercise. Frequent coughing during exercise may be the only symptom of exercise-induced asthma. But in cold, dry conditions exercise-induced asthma symptoms can be more severe. Some common sense coupled with prophylactic medications for exercise-induced asthma can prevent the onset of asthmatic symptoms for sensitive individuals.

 

Nocturnal Asthma

 

-- Nocturnal, or sleep-related, asthma affects people when they are sleeping and, although termed "nocturnal" (belonging to the night), asthma symptoms can occur regardless of the time of day a person is sleeping. Symptoms of nocturnal asthma tend to be their worst between midnight and 4 a.m. Nocturnal asthma can be triggered by allergens in bedding or the bedroom, a decrease in room temperature, and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), among other triggers. An estimated 75 percent of asthmatics are affected by nocturnal asthma.

 

Occupational Asthma

 

--Occupational asthma occurs directly as a result of breathing chemical fumes, wood dust, or other irritants over long periods of time. An estimated 15 percent of asthmatics have occupational asthma.

 

Steroid-Resistant Asthma

 

-- In the case of asthma medications, especially steroids, more is not better. Overuse of asthma medications can lead to status asthmaticus, a severe asthma attack that doesn't responds to medication and may require mechanical ventilation to reverse. To prevent status asthmaticus, follow your doctor's directions and take medication only as prescribed.

[lovemyGreys]

Thanks for the additional information on Asthma Dan.

 

Mandi i appreciate you were passing on information you had learnt As Adults we should come to our own conclusions & decisions with the information that is available to us regarding the chillies.

 

Mandi i know you say you have not took offensive by the replys in this topic, but if in anyway it has upset/ offended you then as Moderator of the bird food room i apologize , if this has influenced your decsion never to return that would be a shame.We wish you well with all your work & wish you good health.

[mandiskem]

no need to oppologise love there is nothing to oppologise about. just things are a bit heptic for me at the moment and i can never seem to find the time to do anything not let alone spending time with hubby thats non exsistant.

[Toni]

Bwahahaha I still cant get over what happened last night !!! I was telling my sons g/f there were chili peppers in the bird food and she goes ," I wonder if they are real?" My son said , "I dont think " he bit into one and you should ve seen his face !! It was a Kodak moment. His mouth opened, eyes teared. Hes like and,What the h--l to they put this in bird food for? Alesia said, Well I guess their real haha." I decided to look it up now and found out they are immuned to them.

[Guest briansmum]

LOL toni what a funny story.

 

i too had an attack of the chilli. bare in mind i always say i dont feed brian anything i would eat myself.... so one of the first times i gave him chillis i was sat at the side of him when i had given him a bowl of fresh veggies, i looked away to watch the TV and something hit my hand, having no kitchen paper handy i thought nothing of it to just lick off my hand what i presumed was carrot or tomato... boy was i wrong!!!!! HOT HOT HOT! i can honestely say i have never drunk a whole pint of milk before :lol:

[Toni]

Ohhh mannn.lol.

[Journeyman]

What Briansmum posted makes sense, I'm always researching information on parrot's, particularly about Greys. Maybe the adverse reaction some Grey's get could be caused by an allergy to chillies?

[sandra902]

my understanding is that since birds do not salivate the way mammals do, capsaicin does not have the same effect on them as it does on mammals.

 

years ago i'd bought some 'squirrel-away' which you mix with your birdseed to keep the squirrels out of your feeders. silly me for spending that money, i could have bought the industrial size chili powder at sam's for the same price!