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Are Peanuts Bad For Pet Birds?

If you have a pet bird you may have heard someone ask the question, 'are peanuts bad for pet birds?'. That peanuts contain many good ingredients such as protein, fiber, unsaturated fats and quite a few vitamins, minerals and amino acids, cannot be argued. So why the concern over feeding peanuts to our pet birds?

The problem with peanuts is that there are often traces of a mold found on them called Aspergillus Flavus. Peanuts are a root crop of the legume family (a plant with seed pods) and are not actually nuts but seeds. Root crops grow under ground, which is of course a dark, damp, warm environment where there is greater potential for mold and fungal growth. But the real concern with peanuts is that there is a toxic compound produced by Aspergillus Flavus called an Aflatoxin. Aflatoxins are highly carcinogenic (cancer causing) and have also been known to cause severe liver damage in most of the animal kingdom and some humans as well. Toxicity is based on several factors including size, amount of toxin ingested at one time, age, accumulation of the toxin, etc.

The USDA  inspects all peanuts sold in this country for mold and rejects any batches in which they detect contamination. The FDA has also set maximum safe levels for Aflatoxin in human food stuffs and bans product from going to market if it has more than the permissible amount. But what amount could a creature as small as a pet bird consume safely?

Thus, the question, are peanuts bad for pet birds? The answer however, must be determined by each individual according to his or her own conclusions after learning the facts. There are many bird owners and bird experts who continue to feed their pet birds small amounts of peanuts and have done so for years with no ill effects. They believe the high-energy nutritional content of the peanut, the fun foraging factor for their bird, and their birds love of this seed, outweigh the dangers.

If you are one of those who decides that peanuts are not bad for your pet bird, you may want to take as many precautions as possible to avoid the potential deadly Aflatoxins:

1) Stay up to date on research regarding pet bird consumption of peanuts

2) Feed your pet bird roasted, unsalted peanuts as the risk of Aflatoxins are lower in dried, heated peanuts

3) If you choose to feed your bird raw peanuts, be certain they have been grown, shipped and stored properly to decrease the possibility of the Aspergillus Flavus growth.

4) Keep the percentage of peanuts in your birds diet low, as in no more than 2 or 3 peanuts daily

5) Buy Valencia or Spanish peanuts if possible as they are said to be less likely to contain Aflatoxins

6) Buy human grade peanuts rather than bird seed mixes or animal feed, as they also are less likely to be contaminated.

7) Be sure you buy your peanuts from quality and reliable sources you can trust

The bottom line is that each pet bird owner, after carefully considering all the available information, must weigh the risks and benefits of feeding their bird peanuts . And in that process each person will find the answer for themselves as to whether they think peanuts are bad for pet birds.