Peanuts: Good or Bad?

[missylynn]

So I have heard different things about peanuts. Initially, I heard they work great as training treats, so I have given small bits as rewards and no harm has come. However, I've seen a couple people on the forum mention that peanuts are bad to give to our birds. Why is that? What nuts or perhaps other treats are best to use for reward purposes?

 

[jew1187]

Ok, peanuts are fine as a treat for a conure. It should definitely not be a part of their every day diet, and they need to be a specific type of peanut which others can help you with. I have an Eclectus and peanuts and seeds are just not happening so I don't know what needs to be done, but I do know you can get them from the pet store as are and they are good to go. But seeds in generally should not be a part of your birds every day diet unless its and additive to give them a little protein. And I mean very little. Talk to you vet. He/she should be able to give you a good idea about it. Also, I know you will get lots of comments on here abou it.

 

[Ratzy]

Bad. For me and parrots. A type of fungus grows in the shell, and I'm allergic.

 

[Pionus]

I believe you need to get peanuts that are specifically processed for birds as well as ones that are already shelled. Hopefully someone with a little more research will fill us in

 

[antoinette]

Nuts that are healthy for birds are as follows
Cashew Plain
Walnuts
Pistachios White
Pecan Nuts
Brazil Nuts
Almonds
Macadamias
Raw Peanuts
All the above must be plain, unsalted and given in moderation

 

[Spiritbird]

Here is some information on the peanut debate. You make up your own mind after reading.
Aspergillus – Are Peanuts Safe for Parrots | Parrot Parrot

 

[mellykyitus]

my friend has a derby parakeet with Aspergillosis. he has to be nebulized for 4 hours a day.

 

[akparrots]

A couple of things to add here, parrots eat seeds in the wild, they play in the dirt, eat bugs, nest in rotten trees etc. Wild parrots can't go to PetsRus and buy a bag of pellets, pellets are not necessarily the best diet by themselves either. A well rounded diet of seed, fruits, veggys & pellets is what I recommend. As far as peanuts go our birds have them every day, both human unsalted types and the ones from seed mixes. Your parrot will be fine eating peanuts as long as the rest of his diet is balanced. As far as Aspergillus, if your bird is in poor health then there is some risk but that is true about many other illness's also, avian and human etc.

 

[Spiritbird]

Here again is a debated topic. If I were you and asked this question about peanuts I would do research myself. Most of us here on the forum are not avain nutritionist or vets, myself included.

Here is yet another article on peanuts quoted from Ezine web page:

Feeding your parrot shelled peanuts is one of the most common nutritional miss-habits in bird care. A lot of popular diets contain peanuts among their ingredients, but they fail to specify that these should be raw, stripped peanuts of good quality. The reason why shelled peanuts are so dangerous is that they can easily produce Aspergillus Fungus, a disease that will cause serious problems to your parrot's respiratory system. In addition, shelled peanuts can be toxic, as they produce aflatoxin, a powerful carcinogen (a substance that can produce cancer

So why take a chance?

 

[Mondos Parents]

A type of fungus grows in the shell

I had heard that in Winter the chance of the fungus is less then summer. More hear say... I use shelled Peanuts as treats, along with Almonds and cashews, Mondo likes to open Pistachios and throw the nut!

 

[MikeyTN]

Ive been giving peanuts as treats for years. Im gonna stick to my routine.... their eyes light up seeing the peanuts coming....

Akparrots, pellets are debatable.... I feed mine pellets but I've had problems in the past. So I agree with ya there....

 

[Rattlerjake]

A couple of things to add here, parrots eat seeds in the wild, they play in the dirt, eat bugs, nest in rotten trees etc. Wild parrots can't go to PetsRus and buy a bag of pellets, pellets are not necessarily the best diet by themselves either. A well rounded diet of seed, fruits, veggys & pellets is what I recommend. As far as peanuts go our birds have them every day, both human unsalted types and the ones from seed mixes. Your parrot will be fine eating peanuts as long as the rest of his diet is balanced. As far as Aspergillus, if your bird is in poor health then there is some risk but that is true about many other illness's also, avian and human etc.

Well said. But lets add to that. There is nothing wrong with using raw peanuts if they are clean, and shelled. If you are worried about Aspergillus then simply wash the peanuts before feeding, or you can wash bulk peanuts and dry them outside in the sun - sunlight kills most fungi, especially those that prefer damp soil. I have an old trampoline that I dry seeds and peanuts on in the summer before storing for my birds; this will also kill the eggs and larvae of grain beetles and moths in your other seed. (NOTE: If drying seed and peanuts outside make sure you protect it from wild birds and squirrels). You can also put desiccants in the container with your seed and peanuts to absorb excess moisture. Secondly, do as the parrots do in the wild, provide your parrot with fresh raw clay. In the wild parrots visit areas that are known to have clay deposits where they can eat the clay to purge their system, much like humans who ingest bentonite clay to remove toxins. Luckily I can dig this clay on my property, then dry it until is is like a brick, then I drill a hole in it and bolt it to their cage. They will chew on it for the clay and wear their beak down too.