Are persimmons good for parrots?

torrap

Member
Jun 10, 2013
494
4
CO, USA
Parrots
Marley-YSA (hen) -hatched 07/20/2006;
Simba-DYHA (hen)-hatched 06/23/2003
I go through a crazy tradition every year for about 6 years now. I dry persimmons. So, I buy a lot of them (boxes).
I cut them to the fids dishes, and they didn't care or just didn't know what it is. But today I was peeling them and birds were watching when I saw Simba upside-down reaching for the peels. So, I gave her a piece....and she can't stop eating them...and so as Marley.
I know that persimmons are full of sugar. I am sure that is exactly why they like it.
So, How much should I give them if any?
112413 Photos by minsk80 | Photobucket
 

GaryBV

New member
Nov 2, 2013
627
7
Southwestern Pennsylvania
Parrots
Pacific Parrotlets - green Beanieboy and blue Skya;
Fischer Lovebirds - Mariposa and Papillon
Hi torrap :) - I found this information about persimmons:

http://caiquesite.com/Foods/dangerous_human_foods.htm

Persimmon. There are three species of persimmon commonly sold in our markets. They are the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) and two Asian varieties, the lotus (D. lotus) and kaki (D. kaki). The kaki is the most readily available. The fruit as sold in the market is very astringent due to tannins. There are two ways to overcome this astringency. One is to allow the fruit to ripen completely. The other is to freeze it until it is completely hard and then allow it to thaw completely. Persimmons are not toxic per se, but on rare occasions they cause an rare intestinal obstruction called a phytobezoar (117). The persimmon’s tannin can polymerizes in the stomach and in susceptible individuals this leads to bezoar formation (46)Consuming the fruit’s skin greatly increases the chance of bezoar formation. A bezoar is any fibrous mass that accumulates in the intestine that results in a blockage. They can be the result of eating a large number of other high fiber foods including oranges, coconuts, berries, green beans, figs, apples, sauerkraut, brussels sprouts, and potato peels (34). It is a particular problem for young people, people who have had gastric surgery, and those who suffer from stomach ulcers (23). Phytobezoars rarely occur in birds. Nonetheless, Clipsham suggests that you should not feed persimmons so birds (25), however, there is little evidence to support this assertion. I have fed persimmon to my birds on occasion without ill effect; however, I tend to avoid feeding them because both the very ripe and the freezer treated fruits are extremely gelatinous making them difficult to cut into serving pieces. This is one instance where you should avoid feeding the fruit’s skin.
 
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torrap

torrap

Member
Jun 10, 2013
494
4
CO, USA
Parrots
Marley-YSA (hen) -hatched 07/20/2006;
Simba-DYHA (hen)-hatched 06/23/2003
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Thank you Gary,
The bigger pointy ones are very astringent. You are absolutely right, they need to be either frozen, dried or ripened. I usually dry them as you can see in the picture. It makes it into a perfect dessert for the cold winter days....:).
The smaller flat ones are sweet unless they are green still. That's the ones I was giving to my birds. Marley didn't like it as much as Simba. She couldn't have enough. And that's why I was asking. I couldn't find any info about persimmons as food for parrots on line.....:mad:
I know they are full of sugar. Simba has a very sweet tooth, so no wonder she likes it. But I hope it's good for her too.
Both birds are alive and look fine, poop looks fine too......:rolleyes:, so I think persimmons are OK for parrots....:rolleyes:
 
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