Sweet Potatoes Cause Vomitting (in budgies)

Teddscau

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Sep 25, 2015
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Ontario, Canada
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Budgies: Sunshine, Blanco, Azure; Peach-faced lovebirds: Rosie and Jaybird; YSA: Jasper (♀)
Okay, so I just thought I should let everyone know that sweet potato doesn't seem to go over well with budgies. They seem to have some sort of sensitivity to the stuff, as Samantha, who's tough as nails, is projectile vomiting orange goo all over the aviary. Ju's also feeling nauseous, and some of the others look like they might be in pain. The first batch of birdie bread they ate without a problem, but it had organic yams in it instead of sweet potato because I couldn't get organic sweet potato. This batch, which they just started eating a little while ago, has organic sweet potato in it, and several of them are reacting poorly to it.

My parrotlet, Noah, is fine, so I think this is some sort of budgie sensitivity. I know babies eat sweet potato, but upon further investigation, a lot of babies are very sensitive to sweet potato and vomit from it.
 

plumsmum2005

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Nov 18, 2015
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England, UK
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Lou, Ruby, and Sonu.
Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
Ooh not good. Had a quick read up and everyone and his dog says Sweet Pot is good for them, some even giving it raw?

Is there anything else that could be the culprit? Hoping they are OK?

If there is no other reason perhaps wait a while and then re-introduce in very small amounts WDYT?
 
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Teddscau

Teddscau

Active member
Sep 25, 2015
640
Media
2
123
Ontario, Canada
Parrots
Budgies: Sunshine, Blanco, Azure; Peach-faced lovebirds: Rosie and Jaybird; YSA: Jasper (♀)
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I know, I was under the impression that anything that has a pulse can eat the stuff, but I guess not. The only other changes in the recipe is the addition of chia, Goldenfeast's Tropic Fruit IV, and bee pollen. Nothing really jumps out at me in the Tropic Fruit IV as being the culprit, except the bee pollen. I barely put any chia in it. It's either the sweet potato or the bee pollen.

I've given them raw sweet potato many times before, but like every other root vegetable, the girls demolish it, meaning only small amount is eaten. Ju, Charlie, and Samantha have all violently vomited for a few hours (not on the same day), so maybe it is the sweet potato? I used to give them sweet potato all the time, but they only ever shredded it. The birdie bread has a ton of puréed sweet potato in it.

Apparently there's this thing that some babies have that's called Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES), which causes them to vomit, bloat, have diarrhea, etc., after eating the offending food. Sweet potatoes are apparently one of the common problems. With FPIES, the reaction is either immediate or very delayed. There's also different kinds of allergies and sensitivities. You've got ones that happen within seconds or minutes, hours, a day, or several days later.

Not to mention that Ju was basically at death's door when I was feeding him that new spray millet. It was a different kind of millet, and it was a nightmare trying to figure out what was making him so sick.

I think I'll take them off the birdie bread, then I'll cook some sweet potato, purée it, and mix it in with some flour and millet and see if it makes them sick.

Ah hah! Just checked their Goldn'obles III, and it has chia, bee pollen, and a billion other things in it, but no sweet potato! It seems like sweet potato is the culprit, since they're fine with the pellets, although they do bob their heads like they're going to regurgitate after eating them, but I'm 99% sure this is due to the pellets being so dry. I just checked, and it turns out chalk has a higher moisture content than those pellets (I'm not lying).
 
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