grape skin toxic?

[Guest briansmum]

i just noticed in another thread it was mentioned that grape skins are toxic to our birds. and i feel this needs clearing up.

 

as far as i am aware they are not. they should be washed before feeding, as should any food. but i can't find any information that says they are harmful. i have been feeding them to brian this whole time.

 

any more info anyone?

[danmcq]

I have not seen grape skins on any toxicity list for Parrots. What I do know, is you need to wash them good to remove the Sulfur the farmers dust them with to stop Mold. Now if you didn't wash them good, the Sulfur could definitely kill them over time.

 

I don't know if your Grey eats the skin or not Beccy, but mine and also my Conure only eat the flesh inside and throw away the skin. They are are certainly nimble with those Beaks aren't they. :-)

[Talon]

I have never seen any information that says that Grape skins are toxic either. There has been a lot of research done on this forum regarding toxic food, plants, woods, etc. Grapes are not listed in any form.

 

Talon does eat the skins sometimes, and you should always wash them, even the organic ones. What is organic in one country, is not in another. Some of these grapes come from many parts of the world.

[judygram]

I believe Mario, aka, Ziggy, is the one who mentioned that grape skins were toxic, maybe he will post in this thread and tell us where he got that information from, I want to know also as does all the others here, I'm sure.

[KatB]

Oh yes, I want to know! Grapes are Oliver's favorite treat next to cheese. Actually, those are the only two things I've found that he consistently gets excited about. Since I have to be careful not to over-do the cheese, I tend to give him more grapes. I was giving him three or four a day til I heard the skin might be toxic.

[judygram]

Josey does not care much for grapes, but she does go nuts over cheese and so does my sun conure. Josey will usually not have much to do with my hubby but if he has the bag of cheese out she will do most anything to get that cheese.

[chapala]

I have never heard that grape skins are toxic for birds. Most birds as someone mentioned above don't eat the skins anyway, but just the flesh and seeds if any.

Reta

[lovemyGreys]

I have researched every book i own & viewed many sites on the internet, i am unable to find any information that suggests grape skins are toxic .Out of all the greys i know they all eat the seeds & flesh & discard the skin.

I know that grape seeds contain antioxidants that have shown some effectivness in treating feather plucking.

 

To air on the side of caution always wash the grape skin & if you are unsure whether to feed or not peel the skin

[judygram]

Since Josey does not seem to care for grapes I haven't observed her eating them and peeling the skin but I know both her and my sun conure will eat the inside out of a kernal of corn and leave the husks, and they seem to do it so effortlessly, funny little buggers.:laugh:

[KatB]

Thanks for the info, everybody. It sounds like grape skins are probably safe. I know Oliver has been eating grapes, skin and all, although I do also find partially eaten grapes on the bottom of his cage sometimes (or in the middle of my living room floor if he's in a "flinging mood"). I've been giving them to him for the past two months without any apparent ill effects. Granted, though, these guys are good at hiding health issues so you never know...

KatB

[chapala]

One thing to remember about grapes is that while the birds like them, they are not the most nutritious fruit and are high in sugar. They are fine to feed one or two several times a week, but I personally wouldn't feed more than that.

[KatB]

Yes, I save them for "atta boys". I'm always looking for new favorites, but so far he only gets excited about the unhealthy ones -- grapes and cheese. Kind of like us humans, huh? Given a choice between triple chocolate cake or broccoli, guess which one I'll choose? :lol:

[chapala]

Almonds are a good treat for Greys (in moderation of course because of the fat content). They have calcium, protein and good fats. Walnuts are good too, but not as high in calcium. Kali and our Macaw both get a few almonds and walnuts hand fed to them as treats every day. The Parrotlet needs a lower fat diet, so he gets very little in the nut department, and not every day.

Reta

[dblhelix]

Provided the grapes are well washed I dont think the skin should be problem.

 

I usually give Kip 1 or 2 grapes/day. She loves them. She also wolfs down 2 Almonds, a few pine nuts, broccoli, carrots, fresh corn, bean supreme, dried figs, green beans, a few other bits of seasonal fruits every day in addition to the seed and pellet mix she always has available.

[KatB]

Thanks for the suggestion, chapala. I've tried almonds but Oliver turns his nose up at them. I thought for sure they would be a winner, but no go. I haven't tried walnuts, though, so that's a possibility. He was loving pine nuts for a while, but he seems to be tired of them -- he just drops them immediately after I hand them to him now

 

Dblhelix, it sounds like Kip is a pleasure to feed!

[ziggy]

Well I guess I started a riot HAHAHA!!!!. Yes grape skins over time are toxic to your bird. There are acids in the skin that turn to toxic acid after digestion. Like a human that eats alot of grapes the results are having a belly ache and the runs(with alot at one time). This is from the acids in the skin that turn to toxins. It is safe to feed grapes in small amounts of for a special treat. I will get the info from the vets office and scan it for you and you can see the results. This is like the bird that died from garlic. Galic is a very good source of antioxidents for your parrot. Like all things to much of anything is no good. Lets reflect back to the garlic for a moment, the bird was 6 months old and he fed him a whole clove of garlic. Just because he died and there was garlic in his stomach that does not mean that he died from the garlic. Was there a post mortam exam done? We dont know if this was the true cause of death. But everybody here seemed to respond that they were going to stop feeding garlic( in moderation) to there grey. The skins of grapes are simular to they are toxic in large amounts. Will one or two hurt you bird, probably not but if you give him 4 to 6 2 times a day the acids will become toxic and you might have a problem with it. They need to be in limited quanity and not all the time. The skin is very hard to digest and can remain in the stomach for 2 to 3 days before it is fully digested. What happens to the skin it turns into a toxic acid mixture that lays in the stomach for days and forments there. Thats why the skin turns to toxins.

[KatB]

Thanks, Ziggy, I would love to see the article you mention. I know most fruits have a "regulating" effect on the human body and I don't give Oliver a large amount of any fruit for that reason. Don't want the little guy to get diahhrea, although the fruits may not affect birds the same way. It sounds like the article you mention says grape skins go beyond that to toxicity?

[ziggy]

Yes Kat it does it tells you all the effects it has on your bird. Its not like avacados that will kill your bird but it does have to be treated with antibiotics. I will get the article and post it for everybody to see.

[judygram]

Thanks Mario, I look forward to seeing this info on grape skins.

[shazbaby36]

mine have always had grapes got told by the breeder its ok to give them grapes

[birdmom]

From your Librarian-in-Training

 

I have read mixed info on grapes or their skins. My birds usually peel them, but a vet told me last spring to ease up on the sugary fruits, since all that sugar can prevent the good digestion of other foods.

 

I did some research and found some info about the Oligomeric procyanidins found in red grape skins, but it all seems to look like its good for people....

 

However, when I went to the ASPCA website under poison control for pets, I found that grapes are reported to cause extreme gastric upset in dogs, if they eat alot of them. No reason was given.

 

Sooo...then I found an article by Liz Wilson who is a vet tech in Philadelphia. Its all about the myths of parrot diets and human foods, entitled:LET'S TALK ABOUT NUTRITION AGAIN OR A NON-NUTRITIONIST'S POINT OF VIEW:

Is Your Parrot REALLY Eating A Good Diet?

 

This article was found at: http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/nutrition.html

 

On page four she indicates that grapes contain twice as much phosphorus as calcium, which means that for every grape a parrot eats, it has to find a source of calcium to counteract that, (since I believe it is phosphorus that impairs calcium absorption, or something like that). Anyway the article has great info on calcium vs phosphorus, and what foods have them in ratios.

 

So read it if you want theres the link. Hope that helps. She says that "one grape to a bird the size of a cockatiel [approximately 100 grams] was equal to 49 grapes to a human. And that, my friends, is A LOT OF GRAPES."

 

*Sally Blanchard recommends only using grapes as a treat, 1/2 of a grape per day eg: as a reward. birdmom

[KatB]

Oliver says to tell you that you are no longer his friend. :lol: Seriously, I'm glad you posted this. I try not to give Oliver many grapes, but I usually end up giving him a couple a day 3 or 4 times a week. In other words, if I give him one, I usually follow it up with a second. He loves them so! But I will restrain based on your research. Thank you for digging into the subject for us, birdmom.

[Tycos_mom]

well My birds don't eat te skins at all only the flesh so I guess I don't have to worry about that. I have foun that altough Tyco loves grapes, walnuts, and cheese, there is one thing that she will do absolutly anything for and thats a bing cherry I have never seen a bird love anything more if I'm eating hand full of cherry's she will actually come over to me and sit right next to me and say good eh yumyum there ya go :laugh: this is her way of saying can I have one please. She says the same thing for the other things I've mentioned but she says it from her cage or playtop she doesn't physicly come over and sit beside me for those thing just bing cherry's. Who can blame her I like a nice sweet firm bing cherry also best treat in the fridge during Cherry season. My Amazon is the same way about blueberry's I guess they all have their prefrences like we do.

[lovemyGreys]

I think most of them just eat the flesh Pat,mine all discard the grape skin. cherries are a big hit in my house too at the moment with my grey flock, while millie the macaw loves blueberries

[Trustdace]

I do not feed my grey grapes at all. High sugar and not much nutritional value. I feed it papaya, apples, and bananas. I also feed it cantaloupe melon. I did feed it strawberries before but like the grapes they are high in sugar and acidic.