Tamarind- safe or not ?

[Boysmom]

Hi all, I purchased some Tamarind for our sugar gliders at the farmer's market this weekend. Is it safe for our parrots ? The gliders love it in small quantities and it is an excellent source of calcium for them.

 

[Mike17]

Hi all, I purchased some Tamarind for our sugar gliders at the farmer's market this weekend. Is it safe for our parrots ? The gliders love it in small quantities and it is an excellent source of calcium for them.

Hi Boysmom,
I know tamarind can cause diarrhoea in humans when it's taken in excess. What "excess" constitutes is the point. I've seen 10g/day suggested as a maximum. My wife uses the paste extensively in cooking so I'm sure it's safe, question is, how much is safe for birds? Probably a small amount would be beneficial, a small portion of a pod, perhaps. I'd have no doubt that eccies encountering a tamarind tree in the wild would partake of its fruit- and this would undoubtedly occur as tamarinds are common trees throughout Indonesia, and they are even found (for reasons that are obscure) around the northern Australian coastline, including the area where the Oz subspecies is found.