Budgie · Snacks & drinks
Can budgies eat chocolate?
No. Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which can cause heart rhythm problems, seizures and death in birds. A budgie is so small that even a little is dangerous.
- Sugar
- 24 g / 100 g
- Fat
- 42.6 g / 100 g
If your budgie already ate some
Call an avian vet or an animal poison control line straight away, even if your budgie seems fine, and have the packaging ready so you can say what type and roughly how much was eaten. Watch for restlessness, regurgitation, diarrhoea, trembling, rapid breathing and seizures. Do not try home remedies or try to make your bird bring food up.
Why
Risks. Theobromine and caffeine (methylxanthines) overstimulate the heart and nervous system, causing hyperactivity, a racing or irregular heart, tremors, seizures and potentially death. Dark chocolate and cocoa powder contain the most. A wild kea parrot died of methylxanthine poisoning after eating dark chocolate.
Questions owners ask 2
How much chocolate is toxic to a budgie?
No safe dose has been established for birds. Because budgies are so small, even a small piece could be significant, so any amount is a reason to call your vet.
Is white chocolate safe for budgies?
White chocolate contains very little theobromine, but it is still fatty and sugary, and it is easy to misjudge what a product contains. Do not feed it, and call your vet if your budgie ate chocolate of any kind.
Chocolate: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 1.4 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 598 kcal |
| Sugars | 24 g |
| Fat | 42.6 g |
| Protein | 7.8 g |
| Fibre | 10.9 g |
| Calcium | 73 mg |
| Phosphorus | 308 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.24 : 1 |
| Sodium | 20 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 2 µg |
| Caffeine | 80 mg |
| Theobromine | 802 mg |
“Chocolate, dark, 70-85% cacao solids”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 170273). Public domain.
Sources & method 7
The sources below discuss chocolate for budgies (or for pet birds generally). Confidence: high. Rated on the JOMIZOO Feeding Scale; when good sources disagree we choose the more cautious level.
- Feeding Budgies — VCA Animal Hospitals
- Nutritional Diseases of Pet Birds — Merck Veterinary Manual
- Foods Toxic to Pet Birds — Lafeber Company (Christal Pollock, DVM, Dipl. ABVP-Avian, with Laura Doering)
- 10 Everyday Items That Are Toxic to Birds — Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics (avian and exotic practice of Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP Avian; practice blog, no individual byline)
- Death by chocolate: a fatal problem for an inquisitive wild parrot (Gartrell BD, Reid C. N Z Vet J. 2007;55(3):149-151) — New Zealand Veterinary Journal (PubMed record)
- Food Hazards — Merck Veterinary Manual (Pet Owner Version)
- People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
