Halloween Holiday Heath Alert

October Halloween Safety Tips

There are still some residential neighborhoods and areas that have giggling happy Trick-or-Treaters show up at their front doors.  Or maybe you have some little Trick or Treaters who enjoy Trunk-or-Treating at supervised locations or gatherings bringing home some sweet treats. 

If you do still get a few of those tricky visitors, be sure to keep your bird safely away from open doors, scary costumes, and boisterous children (and sometimes even adults).

Sometimes I hear comments that chocolate must not be really toxic to birds because their bird ate a chocolate chip cookie, or some other chocolate treat and was fine.

I cringe when I hear these comments as yes, chocolate really IS toxic.  However not all chocolate is equal.  The dark cocoa found in Dark Chocolate Squares, Bittersweet, and Baker's chocolates are the most toxic and many people do not realize they contain caffeine which is also bad for your bird.

Chocolate in any form should not be fed to birds. Yes, Bittersweet, Baker's and Dark Chocolates are more toxic than Milk Chocolate, but are you willing to take the chance that your bird has no problem?

It's not just chocolate treats either.  Those yummy sugary candies are no-nos too.  One candy corn may be a great sugar treat for a child, but that's a whole lot of sugar for a bird, especially a small one.


Also, there is a artificial sugar substitute used sometimes in sugar-free sweets that is deadly to your dog.  The name is xylitol and it may be found in candies, gums, and other sugar-free items.  I'm of the opinion that if something is deadly to my dog, then it's not something I want my birds to have either. 

So keep the people treats for the people, and if you want your bird to share in the Halloween fun, pick up a few birdie treats, or even better, bake up some healthy bird treats of your own.