Swallowed hot food?

Today I had scrambled eggs and as soon as I put the plate down on the table my African grey parrot Sammy flew over and swallowed a big mouthful before I could even take action, the eggs were just off the stove so they were decently hot, and he swallowed a pretty big mouthful, this was really surprising since I’ve offered him egg before and he has never cared for it, and all of a sudden he’s going nuts for it! He’s acting normal, playing and talking, should I be worried? Will he be okay?
Edit: I realized I should mention the way he swallowed it was like he was eating formula, with bobbing his head up and down, which he will do with softened pellets and other foods like that but it was surprising for him to do it with egg.

I am honestly unsure.

Aside from taking him to the vet, the only thing I can think to do it to re-create the scenario (with your bird in his cage lol ) and take the temp of the eggs with a candy thermometer or something immediately after removing them from the burner (using the same pan/plate etc) to see how hot they actually would have been. I know that babies can get crop burns etc from formula that is too hot, but I am not sure at what temperature that occurs.

Maybe he swallowed it that way because of of the texture (squishy) but given the temperature, that is also a possible factor.


How old is your bird?

Welcome, hope Sammy will be just fine from his daring raid against your breakfast.

I can only echo the excellent advice posted by noodles123. The danger is burning Sammy's crop. Guessing the hazard is more acute for baby birds who may not recognize heat and attempt to purge the food. Your best veterinary advice would be a certified avian vet, though most are closed Sunday. If he begins to show signs of distress, might seek an emergency facility, one with at least some expertise with parrots.

He is two years old, I could try recreating it but I’d just be worried if it wasn’t accurate (I’m not a great cook heh) when he was a baby he’d eat everything soft like that but now he only eats softened pellets like that, he also was trying to eat it really fast so I’m not sure if that was because it was hot or if it was because he wanted to eat it before I took it away, overall I’m not really sure what to do, where I live any avian vet would be hours away and I’m not sure if I should put him thru the stress of being in a car when I’m not even sure if he’s hurt, I could call our mobile vet who comes to our house but she is more of a dog/cat vet than an avian one...

That is a really hard call. Eggs fresh off the stove may retain heat, particularly if butter or oil was used. I'd guess even a minute or two before eating once plated would cool substantially. My hunch is an adult bird would use reasonable caution when eating something scalding hot. But exactly what is the threshold for injuring crop tissue is the issue. I hope some of our members skilled with breeding and hand feeding discover this thread - they'd give you better advice!

I almost wonder if enticing Sammy to drink some cool (but not cold) liquid would be beneficial? At the same time I don't want to cross over into remedial advice without proper background - no members of this forum are veterinarians.

Superkittenkit said:

He is two years old, I could try recreating it but I’d just be worried if it wasn’t accurate (I’m not a great cook heh) when he was a baby he’d eat everything soft like that but now he only eats softened pellets like that, he also was trying to eat it really fast so I’m not sure if that was because it was hot or if it was because he wanted to eat it before I took it away, overall I’m not really sure what to do, where I live any avian vet would be hours away and I’m not sure if I should put him thru the stress of being in a car when I’m not even sure if he’s hurt, I could call our mobile vet who comes to our house but she is more of a dog/cat vet than an avian one...

Click to expand...

Birds hide illness and issues, so the only way to really know for sure would likely involve some sort of imaging technique (or a vet who knew birds well enough to figure it out by touch or perhaps some other method). I doubt a cat/dog vet will be able to do much for you in this instance, but here is another thought:
In big cities like NYC, there are CAVs who are open on Sundays/holidays...Call and say you are visiting family in the area but that your bird is stressed by travel. Explain what happened, they will relay your question to the doc and see what he/she says...(or just tell the truth and don't mention location).
I know that lies aren't great, but I totally did this on Xmas eve....I would try to get an approximate temp before calling them though, as that will help them a lot.
You can always decline to bring your bird in AFTER asking what types of tests etc they would need to do.

Ugh, Sammy behaves just like my birds ...if you really want to keep them out of things -> they will find a way.

If he is 2 years old: he is getting hormonal (adult birdy), so the headbobbing and *wanting* those eggs may have something to do with that.
(Appie my girl-CAG really goes nuts for anything protein in this period, Japie- the male- could not care less!)

Are you sure Sammy is a boy?

Because headbobbing when swallowing is more a grown-up-girl-flirt-thing.
Usually they (m/f) will head-bob and regurgitate.

I cannot tell you if he got burned of not... it al depends how much time the eggs were between pan and plate and the ambient temperature (plate, house etc.)
(and indeed how much fat/ cooking oil was involved)


whem in doubt (not eating/swallowing hard foodstuffs would be a huge hint) go CAV (if you can).

He’s been dna’d As a boy, but he’s definitely been hormonal recently though, lots of nipping and general moody-ness! I’m hoping he’ll be okay, I’ll call around certain vets offices to get opinions. So far No signs of regurgitation or anything though! Hoping for the best.

If he is hormonal, do not allow him access to dark spaces (pillows, blankets, bedding, boxes, tubes, paper piles etc). Make sure you ignore and redirect if he regurgitates for you...change the subject.
Make sure you are only petting on the head and neck..no cuddles...
Avoid squishy foods.
Make sure he is getting 10-14 solid hours of uninterrupted, dark sleep.

Just my opinion, because I'm not a veterinarian, only a breeder, but I don't think a few bites of hot eggs would pose as much risk as over heated formula as far as crop burn. I highly suggest you observe Sammy and try to contact an avian vet for their opinion, but I think you should be okay.

One if the big risks in babies with overheated formula is constant, repeated exposure. Unlike a baby, if Sammy felt that the food in his crop was too hot, he could take a drink of cool water which would stop the burning process. Even chicks can be saved from overheated formula with cool water if it's caught right away if it's only one instance.

Plus a thick liquid burns in a different way than a solid food does, as I'm sure anyone that has spent a lot of time in the kitchen can attest to. [emoji6]

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Salty loves his chop warm (( 109 deg F or so) checkd with a laser thermometer. He gulps it down like he used to eat his formula. This new batch he reakky seems to like,

Usually anything over 105 degrees is going to be sketchy for them to eat, and again the danger to a bird is not burning their throat but burning their crop, because the hot food is forced to just sit inside it,,,

Can you take your finger, wet it with some water, and move the feathers that cover his crop area to the side so that you can actually see the skin that is covering his crop? What you're looking for, in addition to him acting like he's having trouble with his crop (constantly stretching it out, shaking his head, etc.), is to see if the skin over his crop is at all an abnormal color. If it appears at all red, brown, or black, or it has any type of wound, blister, etc., then an Avian Vet is needed. If the skin over the crop looks normal and he's not displaying any other signs of crop-distress, then he's probably just fine, though you still need to watch him for the next week and check his crop at least once daily to make sure no burns or wound form...

I've seen a baby bird with a burnt crop from formula that was too hot, everything from a mild burn with the crop appearing very red and a bit swollen, to a wound burning through the crop. It's pretty easy to tell if there is a burn at all, because of how transparent the skin over their crops is...