Ask any parrot owner how they view their friend’s place in the home and they’re likely to tell you that they see their birds as an important part of their lives. Thanks to their impressive cognitive abilities and tendency to enjoy social interaction with the people they live with, parrots are often viewed as less of a pet and more of an important member of the family. In the US and many other parts of the world, this time of year is a time where family and friends gather to celebrate and enjoy the holidays. 

In this blog post, we’ll specifically look at the Thanksgiving holiday and some ways to keep our feathered family members safe and comfortable. We’ll also look at some ideas about how to include them in our festivities.

Ways to Celebrate With Them

If you can safely do so, your bird might enjoy it if you include them in your Thanksgiving plans. Here’s a few fun ideas!

Let Them “Help” You Prep: Most birds really enjoy sitting parallel to us and watching as we perform our daily tasks. While prepping for your Thanksgiving meal by chopping up food and other kitchen duties, give them a special perch to sit on while you do so. I like to talk and sing to them while they watch me prep and do things like wash dishes and organize my kitchen.

Give Them a Tasty Treat

Birds that are able to partake in some special Thanksgiving food (keep in mind those with special nutrition needs) will love to try out some of your cooking. Here are some safe options to give your bird. It’s best to give table food in moderation, but perhaps a special celebration calls for a special treat?

Sweet Potatoes: Most birds love sweet potatoes. They’re full of beta-carotene and their skin is loaded with nutrients (though birds will usually avoid the skin and go for the soft, sweet stuff). You can steam them in the microwave or serve them some after you’ve baked them. It’s best to avoid giving them sugar and butter if you can, so preparing their potato separately would be best if you’re making a sweet potato casserole.

Cranberries: Cranberries are a delicious treat loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants. Their deep red color is attractive to most parrots and some even enjoy rolling them around before they eat them. (Keep in mind, what goes in red will come out red and your bird’s poop will look a bit frightening if you forget you gave them cranberries!) You can give the berries to them whole or mash them up with some cut up veggies or sweet potato to make a Thanksgiving chop.

Nut Mixes: Some common nuts found on the Thanksgiving table are pecans, almonds, and walnuts. Many people have a mix of shelled nuts sitting around for the holidays. Parrots love deshelling and eating nuts and so they can be a great treat to add to their Thanksgiving meal.

Fresh Veggies & Fruit: Take some of that Thanksgiving salad and offer some to your bird for a healthy food option. A mix of leafy greens and bright, colorful veggies offer a balanced and delicious meal.

You can serve these foods on their own or you can also mix them up with some of our delicious Bird Street Bistro! Some good flavor choices to pair with the foods listed are our Appleberry Feast on the Fly or Cinnaspice Delight bistro mixes.

The Thanksgiving Holiday and Parrot Safety

Someone that has parrots in their home has likely learned about and implemented ways to keep their birds safe around their house. They know they can’t use nonstick cookware around birds and that they can’t have ceiling fans turned on among other things. But anytime we invite people into our home, or we switch up our routine in a meaningful way, we’re increasing the likelihood that accidents can happen if we aren’t prepared and don’t take certain precautions. Let’s examine some of the risks associated with Thanksgiving.

Avoiding Accidents:  Any time we invite people into our home we are also inviting a certain amount of unpredictability. Make sure that if you have your birds out with guests in the house that you make people aware of them. Make sure doors and windows aren’t left open and that people know to leave all ceiling fans turned off. If your bird is easily frightened, or they aren’t used to new people, it might be a good idea to leave them in their cages while there is extra activity around to prevent them from hurting themselves by panic flying. Children might also get excited about a bird and not be as careful as they should, or a bird might get stepped on by them if they are running and having fun and not paying attention. 

Cooking and Serving Food: As always, make sure pots and pans are covered and that birds do not have access to open flames. Guests that aren’t used to having birds around might not think to keep everything covered at all times, so a reminder is important. Make sure that if you are serving food that could be harmful to birds, like avocado, that the bird cannot get into it.

Chemicals: There’s a few chemical dangers to be aware of in the kitchen around the holidays. We all know nonstick chemicals are extremely dangerous for birds, but they aren’t only found in cookware. They can also be found in things like oven liners (mats that are placed at the bottom of an oven to catch drips) and in appliances such as air fryers. It’s also important to know that the plastic bags that are used for cooking turkeys can give off fumes that can kill a bird. As far as I am aware, there are no safe options for these plastic bag products when it comes to birds.