Parrot Articles

Good and Bad Plants

Safe House and Outdoor Plants

Good and bad plants are something you need to know for your parrot’s health. If your plant isn’t on here you should check with your vet or search on Google and try to find it before you introduce it to your parrot. 

Acacia Aloe
African Violet
Baby’s Tears
Bamboo
Begonia
Bougainvillea
Chickweed
Christmas Cactus
Cissus/Kangaroo Vine
Coffee
Coleus
Corn Plant
Crabapple
Dandelion
Dogwood
Donkey Tail
Dracena Varieties
Ferns (asparagus,birdnest,boston,maidenhair)
Figs (creeping, rubber, fiddle leaf)
Figs (laurel leaf)
Gardenia
Grape Ivy
Hen’s and Chickens
Herbs (eg oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Jade Plant
Kalanchoe
Marigold
Monkey Plant
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue
Nasturtium
Natal Plum
Pepperomia
Petunia
Pittosporum
Prayer Plant
Purple Passion/Velvet Nettle
Schefflera (Umbrella)
Sensitive Plant
Spider Plant
Swedish Ivy
Thistle
Wandering Jew
White Clover
Zebra Plant


Trees and Bushes:

Apple
Arbutus
Ash
Aspen
Beech
Birch
Citrus (any)
Cottonwood
Crabapple
Dogwood
Elm
Eucalyptus
Fir
Guava
Hawthorn
Larch
Madrona
Magnolia
Manzanita
Norfolk Island Pine
Nuts (except chestnut and oak)
Palms (areca, date, fan, lady, parlour)
Palms (howeia, kentia, phoenix, sago)
Pear
Pine
Poplar
Sequoia (Redwood)
Willow

Always wash plant down before putting them around your parrot for safety.

Harmful Plants Keep These Away From Your Parrots:

Alacia
Amaryllis – bulbs
American Yew
Apricot
Autumn Crocus/Meadow Saffron
Avocado
Azalea – leaves
Balsam Pear – seeds, outer rind of fruit
Baneberry – berries, root
Beans – all types if uncooked
Birch
Bird of Paradise – seeds
Bittersweet Nightshade
Black Locust – bark, sprouts, foliage
Bleeding Heart/Dutchman’s Breeches
Blue-green Algae – some forms toxic
Bloodroot
Boxwood – leaves, stems
Bracken Fern
Broomcorn Grass
Buckthorn – fruit, bark
Buttercup – sap, bulbs
Caladium – leaves
Calla Lily – leaves
Candelabra Tree
Cardinal Flower
Castor Bean – also castor oil, leaves
Chalice Vine/Trumpet vine
Cherry Tree – bark, twigs, leaves, pits
Chinaberry Tree
Christmas Candle – sap
Clematis/Virginia Bower
Coral Plant – seeds
Cowslip/Marsh Marigold
Crown of Thorns
Croton
Daffodil – bulbs
Daphne – berries
Datura – berries
Deadly Amanita
Death Camas
Delphinium
Deffenbachia/Dumb Cane – leaves
Eggplant – fruit okay
Elderberry
Elephants Ear/Taro – leaves, stem
English Ivy berries, leaves
English Yew
Euonymus/Spindle Tree
False Hellebore
False Henbane
Ficus (weeping)
Firethorn/Pyracantha
Fly Agaric Mushroom – Deadly Amanita
Four O’Clock
Foxglove – leaves, seeds
Glory Bean
Golden Chain/Laburnum
Ground Cherry
Hemlock – also water the plant is in
Henbane – seeds
Holly – berries
Honey Locust
Honeysuckle
Horse Chestnut/Buckeye – nuts, twigs
Horsetail
Hyacinth – bulbs
Hydrangea – flower bud
Indian Licorice Bean
Indian Turnip/Jack-in-Pulpit
Iris/Blue Flag – bulbs
Ivy
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Japanese Yew – needles, seeds
Java Bean – lima bean – uncooked
Jasmine
Jerusalem Cherry – berries
Jimsonweed/Thornapple
Johnson Grass
Juniper – needles, stems, berries
Kentucky Coffee Tree
Lantana – immature berries
Larkspur
Laurel
Lily of the Valley – also water the plant is in
Lobelia
Locoweed
Lords and Ladies/Cuckoopint
Lupines/Bluebonnet
Mandrake
Mango Tree – wood,leaves,rind-fruit safe
Marijuana/Hemp – leaves
Mayapple – fruit is safe
Mescal Beans – seeds
Mistletoe – berries
Mock Orange – fruit
Monkshood/Aconite – leaves, root
Morning Glory
Moonseed
Mountain Laurel
Mushrooms – several varieties
Narcissus – bulbs
Nectarine
Nettles
Nightshade – all varieties
Nutmeg
Oak – acorns, foliage
Oleander – leaves, branches, nectar
Peach
Peanuts – raw
Pencil Tree
Periwinkle
Philodendron – leaves and stem
Pigweed
Pikeweed
Pine needles – berries
Plum
Pointsetta – leaves, roots, immature
Poison Ivy – sap
Poison Oak – sap
Pokeweed/Inkberry – leaf,root,young berries
Potato – eyes, new shoots
Pothos
Privet
Prune
Rain Tree
Ranunculus/Buttercup
Red Maple
Rhododendron
Rhubarb – leaves
Rosary Peas/Indian Licorice – seeds
Sandbox Tree
Scarlet Runner Beans
Skunk Cabbage
Snowdrop
Snowflake
Snow on the Mountain/Ghostweed
Sorghum Grass
Sorrel
Sudan Grass
Sweet Pea – seeds, fruit
Tansy Ragwort
Tobacco – leaves
Vetch
Virginia Creeper – sap
Water Hemlock
Western Yew
Wisteria
Yam bean – roots, immature roots
Yello Jasmine
Yew (Amer,Engl,Japan) – needles, thistles


Sources: Birds USA Magazine; Gillian Willis; Wade and Carol Olyer, Parrot Pleasures, Safe wood products
Thanks to these sources for all the parrot lovers and owners