Chinese Rice as Food

Villager

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My wife and I had Chinese food last night and against my advice she gave some of the rice to our Amazon parrot. Today he threw up violently and is acting sleepy. Does anybody know if rice is a food that birds don't digest well? Bad idea to give Chinese food to a bird, right?
 

lotosha

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I don't think that rice is forbidden for parrots. Maybe it's something else? Can you take him to vet, just to be on the safe side?
 

SandyBee

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Rice is usually fine, white rice not the healthiest but shouldn't make him throw up.
 

Terry57

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Maybe it was the salt in it?
 
OP
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I don't think that rice is forbidden for parrots. Maybe it's something else? Can you take him to vet, just to be on the safe side?

Thank you. I figured rice should be okay. It's what ingredients that might be in Chinese rice (with Gen Chao's chicken) that worried me. I'm watching our parrot. If he acts sick tomorrow, I'll take him to the vet.
 
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Villager

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Rice is usually fine, white rice not the healthiest but shouldn't make him throw up.

Thank you for your reply. It's the ingredients in rice with Gen Chao's chicken that worried me. I'm keeping a watch on him. If he still acts sick tomorrow, I'll take him to the vet.
 

hacatta

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Maybe it was the salt in it?

Has the rice been in contact with the other foods?like egg?
Not to mention you don't know where the hands of the cook have been,or how hygienic their kitchen is.
 

lquan

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Rice don't make parrot sick. It must be some other ingredients mixed with the fried-rice. My conure has a little bit of steamed rice every night before she goes to sleep. She loves the steamed rice. Try to take the rice from her while she is eating, she will get fiesty and bite. In fact around 7:00pm everyday, she flies onto the rice cooker and waits. I know she loves the cooked rice, but I still limit it to 1/2 tsp each day.

Parrot can eat rice, but it has to be washed, then steamed or cooked. Most rice imported from Asia is not organic. In fact, I don't even think any rice grown here in the States is organic. Like wheat, rice is highly prone to pests. They have to use a lot of pesticide. Rice is pre-washed and dried after de-hulled. But it is still best to wash and cook the rice to reduce the pesticide.
 

MikeyTN

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If just plain white rice there's nothing to worry about but if there's additives, it may be something that would make him sick.
 

Freespin

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Was it like fried rice or flavored? Msg is used a lot in Chinese food. That would worry me a bit. Plus you don't really know for sure what else is used. Probably onion in it too which isn't ideal...
 

crimson

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I think most rice dishes from chinese food contain soya sauce, which is extremely high in sodium & MSG.( I know this because I am have terrible migraines from very high levels of MSG)

I would give your bird some electrolytes, as the sodium may be reacting on his kidneys.

Notice the "over the charts" sodium level, if I were you, I would get your bird to an Avian Vet. Birds cannot process sodium levels to any degree.

Mods: my apologies for copying and pasting this onto here, as I was not sure if the link was the same info that I was looking at on google, but as it turns out....it was....

https://www.google.ca/#q=soy+sauce+sodium+content&safe=active

Soy sauce
Food
Soy sauce is a condiment made from a fermented paste of boiled soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds. Wikipedia
Nutrition Facts
Soy sauce, shoyu
Amount Per 100 grams
Calories 53
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.6 g 0%
Saturated fat 0.1 g 0%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.3 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 5,493 mg 228%
Potassium 435 mg 12%
Total Carbohydrate 4.9 g 1%
Dietary fiber 0.8 g 3%
Sugar 0.4 g
Protein 8 g 16%
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 3% Iron 7%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 5%
Vitamin B-12 0% Magnesium 18%
*Per cent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
 
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Birdman666

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Presently have six Greenwing Macaw (17 yo), Red Fronted Macaw (12 yo), Red Lored Amazon (17 y.o.), Lilac Crowned Amazon (about 43 y.o.) and a Congo African Grey (11 y.o.)
Panama Amazon (1 Y.O.)
My birds get brown rice, wild rice, and white rice all the time. It's one of our people staples, so it ends up becoming a bird treat as well...

In fact, when there is a lot of leftover rice, I tend to dump it in the wild bird feeders (because I'd rather feed living things than trash cans) and it's the food the wild birds seem to go craziest for...

BUT, they get the plain unsalted stuff...
 

BoomBoom

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Just backing up what everyone else has said so far. White Rice in itself is not dangerous as long as it is washed well. My sun eats boiled white rice almost everyday (sometimes mixed with red palm oil or other supplemental toppings because rice in itself is not that nutritious).

It could have been something in the rice. Who knows just how many ingredients go in there? Could also be egg. I'm really suspecting a bad egg for my sun's recent vomiting which ended up in a bacterial infection. If your bird's vomiting continues, id take him to see the vet.
 
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Kalidasa

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a lot of people are sensitive to MSG let alone parrots and I know for certain that many Chinese fast food restaurants put a lot of that stuff in all their dishes unless indicated otherwise. If he likes rice boil it yourself to be sure. Hope he feels better.
 
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How true; thanks for your thoughts. Our Amazon parrot seems better now, but the rice obviously did not agree with him. My wife learned her lesson, no more Chinese food for our parrot !
 
OP
V

Villager

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Thanks for your thoughts. Our Amazon parrot seems better now. I guess the rice just didn't agree with him. My wife learned her lesson; no more Chinese food for our parrots.
 

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