Cheese Ingestion: Not Okay for Birds?

Can birds eat cheese?

Birds should not eat cheese, as it can be harmful to their health. Mozzarella cheese, commonly found in foods like pizzas and lasagnas, is particularly dangerous and is often surgically removed from birds at The BIRD Clinic Veterinary Corporation due to its high gum content, which can obstruct their intestinal tract and lead to death within 48-72 hours. Additionally, soft “white” cheeses such as Jack cheese can cause proventriculitis, an inflammation of the stomach lining that may lead to secondary bacterial or fungal infections, with the bird’s prognosis depending on the success of surgical and medication interventions to manage the inflammation and subsequent secondary toxemia.

Why Dairy Products Are Harmful to Birds: Understanding Lactose Intolerance and Digestive Risks

Products that contain dairy are not recommended for our pet birds. Yes, it has different side effects depending on the amount consumed. One of its reasons is that the avian’s digestive tract is incapable of digesting the lactose contained, which causes severe inflammatory reactions, obstructions, or death. Generally, all birds are highly “lactose-intolerant.”

Foods that contain dairy are foreign to birds since birds do not feed on milk; instead, all the nutrients that the bird needs are already within the egg itself before it hatches. Logically, birds do not have enzymes that can digest dairy products.

Here are some common questions you may want to ask:

My bird likes cheese; is it alarming?

Not everything that tastes good is safe for our pet birds. For example, you can resist the delightful taste of chocolate. Still, this food has already killed many animals, specifically on Valentine’s Day, where chocolates are rampant and most commonly used as a gift to a loved one. Hence, cheese is not safe for your birds.

How come my bird ate cheese and did not become sick?

The effect varies on how your bird ate a lot of cheese. Commonly, the cheese’s type, frequency of intake, and other cheese components, such as gum or other chemical derivatives, worsen the effects. It is similar to alcohol consumption, the reaction will not cause a little while, but if you wish to drink a little more, it could make you drunk, or there’s a tendency that alcohol might cause poisoning and death.  

Why do cheese and lactose affect my bird? 

Birds cannot break down the lactose; the gastrointestinal tract of a bird is the one that initiates the reaction to the product. It can lead to mind inflammation with no clinical signs, mild symptoms such as diarrhea in moderate cases or a total blockage/ enterotoxemia in extreme cases. Mild symptoms are usually overlooked or incorrectly diagnosed when the frequency and quantity of indigestion increases. The inflammatory process tends to lead to secondary bacterial/fungal infections, diminished gastrointestinal motility, or complete functional/foreign body obstruction, toxemia and toxins death. 

Cheese is the most serious problem, can you tell what types of cheese are? 

Mozzarella cheese is the number one recovered surgically from birds at The BIRD Clinic Veterinary Corporation. Pizzas, lasagna and other terms including “string cheese” can be found on these. Mozzarella has a high gum content and a very high risk that will obstruct the intestinal tract within 48-72 hours; its death will occur. 

Jack cheese and other soft “white” cheeses usually cause proventriculitis (gastritis) with secondary bacterial/fungal infections. The prognosis is determined by whether surgical surgery (clean-out) and medication therapy can manage the inflammatory process and subsequent secondary toxemia.

Keeping track of your bird’s diet is essential for them to be healthy and active, especially when you need someone who can bird sit while you’re away. In Bird Sitting Toronto, we have the safest place for your conures, providing them with the diet they need. We are keen on their diet restrictions because your bird’s health is our top priority. For more information, you can reach us at (647) 490-7156.