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Well, up until a few days ago, I didn't know that tea was bad for birds - apparently there is an ingrdient called theobromine in it - tho I dont know what it is or what it will do to birds..
Sky absolutely LOVES her tea!
she pulles the cup away from me so that she can have some!! To date, nothing bad has happened to her.
I went to check the box of tea we have, but it doesn't list that as an ingredient.. mmmm, 5 Roses tea (not sure if you have it where you are)..
What do you guys think?

These birds will try anything that they see you eating. I was drinking a glass of ice water, and left it on the table. PeeGee sat on the edge of the glass, stuck her head right in the water, and started eating the ice cubes! Swear to God!

Theobromine is not an ingredient, so it wouldn't be on the list. It's a natural chemical compound found in the tea.

This is also the chemical compound found in chocolate which makes it toxic for animals.

wow!!!
I didnt know that!!
Does it make them sick or does it just kill them?
People in my family still let Skye drink their tea.. Now what??

First step in training a pet: train the people that interract with your pet first.

Let them know that tea is off-limits to Skye. Let them know everything you know about the toxicity of theobromine.

The theobromine would need to reach a certain level in an animal before becoming lethal, but it can kill. The maximum an animal can tolerate depends on the animal's weight. So a mastiff dog can handle more M&M's than a chihuahua. But none at all is best.

Birds are much smaller creatures and have a MUCH more effecient digestive system than dogs, as well as a much quicker metabolism.


It is advised to limit an animals theobromine intake to zero.

So no tea for Skye. Offer Skye water or freshly made (not bought) veggie juice instead.

This chemical does not have to kill to cause problems. "Signs of [theobromine] toxicity include: hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, heart arrhythmias, seizures, dark colored droppings and death." ( Toxicoses in Birds by Blake Hawley, DVM)

I know I wouldn't chance it.

Thank you so much for this info - makes lots of sense..
Just a quick question tho - is ALL tea made with that chemical?
I have heard of people that give their bird only herbal tea's..
Any thoughts on that?

According to Plant Bioactives Research Institute, green tea does not naturally contain theobromine.

But the USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) states that green tea, black tea, kucha (a Chinese tea) and tea in general all contain theobromine.

Again, theobromine is a natural chemical compound, it is not added to tea or chocolate (cacao)- it's already there.

Here I'm willing to believe the USDA because they were specifically searching for caffeine and related compounds.

thank you so much for the info!
Any suggestions what to give Skye to drink (something nice and warm) instead of teas?
Silly question, I know.. sorry!

*goes to research*

I've never looked for warm drinks birds can have. 0.0

...

I could not find anything offhand. I'll keep a lookout for something. But you can try mashed sweet potatoes, they can be fed warm. And are very healthy. ^_^

I don't think Camomile tea has theobromine in it. I know when my mom's quaker gets really restless during the "spring season" a little bit of camomile calms him down really well.

I know it's a flower based tea and not rerrived from tea leaves, so it doesn't have caffeine either. He seems to love it tho.

thank you so much for the info!
Definately going to try the chamomile!

vortmax wrote:I don't think Camomile tea has theobromine in it. I know when my mom's quaker gets really restless during the "spring season" a little bit of camomile calms him down really well.

I know it's a flower based tea and not rerrived from tea leaves, so it doesn't have caffeine either. He seems to love it tho.

I was going to post something to that effect. I happened to be reading something totally unrelated and it just popped into my head. It's the tea leaves that have the theobromine so strictly herbal teas would be safe. It was a duh moment for me, lol. Camomille (sp?) is an herb.

You could also try just plain old warm milk? My Chook loves warm milo but he only gets it when my son sneaks it to him. Don't know if Milo contains that stuff. Not really chocolate.

Dairy is suppose to be just as bad... dairy, tea, chocolate and avacado.

I know Boo loves shredded cheese and I give her some. Drinking until we puke isnt good for us either but having a shot here and there is fine. I apply this principle except for chocolate and avacado.

Moderation is the key. Like I may chose to take a shot and feel not so good, she chooses to dive her head in the cheese bag. Nothing she loves more. So, I let her get her cheese on.

Chook is such a bugger if I don't allow him a sip of milk. He will do anything to get to it. He will even lick the milk bottle because he can see it inside! He also likes to attack cheese.

Sadly mikela I wish I could say I agree with you. Your notion on moderation is okay maybe in some cases apparently the digestive system of a bird is not cut out for breaking down dairy i.e. they can’t digest it whether it is cheese, milk or buttered toast they find it difficult to digest I mean the example you gave about the shots of vodka here and there maybe ok at the time but no matter what it does all ad up and can damage your liver whether it be in excess or moderation. Obviously we all indulge in things that aren’t good for us or fround upon we get a certain rush out of doin stuff like that maybe the birds mentality works the same.

I thought I mentioned the birds dont digest well, thereby needing to be moderated because we OBVIOUSLY arent going to stop letting them have a bite.

If I banned Boo from all cheese she would take her own life via sliding glass window, no doubt in my mind.

That is where the alcohol analogy fell in

Chook would commit hari kari too if I banned him from everything he shouldn't eat and actually made him eat 'bird' food. He thinks he is so much better than the other birds because he eats human food