Almond on budgies.

[Tom&Jerry]

So, I was wondering if my budgies could have almonds, they are NOT the sweet type tho. My mom said to soak them before "I" ate to get rid of whatever toxin was in them, but I was thinking there would still be this so called toxin in the almond, enough to hurt my birds not me. So is it alright for my budgie to have small amounts(1/4 of almond each) of the bitter almond that I soaked for 10 hours in water to get rid of some of that toxin?

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Where do you get your almonds? My birds eat a tiny amount of almonds a few times a week, and I eat them every day. I buy organic, unpasteurized almonds from a farm not too far away. What are the bitter type?

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I just looked it up, I would say no.

 

[tka]

Do not risk it. You're dealing with a substance that the body breaks down into cyanide. Budgies - and parrots in general - are so small compared to humans that I would be incredibly wary of giving any at all to a bird. 5-10 bitter almonds can kill a child, so I wouldn't risk feeding any to a little 35g budgie. I have not heard of soaking as a way of neutralising the cyanide compound.

 

[Sparkles99]

Where are these bitter almond?! I've never heard of them & freely admit to consuming a lot of almonds practically every day. They must not be sold in food stores?

 

[Tyrion]

I have never heard of almonds being bad for parrots ..They are highest in protein, calcium and dietary fiber of the nuts ..I feed soaked human grade almonds weekly to my Grey and Amazon and have for years without any issues ..

 

[tka]

I have never heard of almonds being bad for parrots ..They are highest in protein, calcium and dietary fiber of the nuts ..I feed soaked human grade almonds weekly to my Grey and Amazon and have for years without any issues ..

There are two varieties of almonds. Sweet almonds (Prunus dulcis var. dulcis) taste wonderful and are enjoyed by both humans and parrots - I use almond slivers as rewards for my two.

However, bitter almonds (Prunus dulcis var. amara) contain compounds of hydrogen cyanide and must be treated before consumption. Bitter almonds are not cultivated in the US so you probably won't have heard of them before. You've only encountered sweet almonds which pose no risk.

Rest assured though, bitter almonds are very very bad and untreated bitter almonds have caused human deaths.

 

[Tyrion]

WOW..ok never heard of the bitter ones ..I always buy natural no salt almonds from the bulk store..

 

[tka]

Where are these bitter almond?! I've never heard of them & freely admit to consuming a lot of almonds practically every day. They must not be sold in food stores?

They're not cultivated in the US so I imagine would be hard to find in Canada. They're used in some traditional recipes in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. We don't eat them raw! Instead, they have to be processed in some way, often by baking or roasting them.

Here you go, Americans and Canadians who are just discovering this fact

How Almonds Went From Deadly To Delicious

In a new study, researchers pinpoint the genetic mutation that transformed almonds from toxic and bitter to tasty and sweet.

www.npr.org

 

[Hankmacaw]

Here is what I found on Bitter Almonds. It is not legal to sell then in the US, but other countries still use them. THEY ARE A DEFINITE NO FOR OUR BIRDS.

"Unlike sweet almonds, bitter almonds need to be processed in order to extract a sweet almond flavor. Without processing or cooking, raw bitter almonds can be lethal.


The Danger of Bitter Almonds
Bitter almonds are a variety of regular, sweet almonds. Bitter almonds contain traces of prussic acid—also known as hydrocyanic acid—in its raw state. Hydrocyanic acid is a solution of hydrogen cyanide and water. The byproduct is an organic version of the well-known poison, cyanide. The worst symptoms of eating bitter almonds can include your nervous system shutting down, breathing difficulties, and even death.1 As few as seven to 10 unprocessed bitter almonds can kill a child, and roughly a dozen to 70 nuts can kill a 150-pound adult. The exact number depends on the size of the nuts. "

Why Bitter Almonds Can't Be Sold Raw in the U.S.

Cooked bitter almonds are used to make almond extract, marzipan, and cookies outside of the U.S. But they cannot be sold unprocessed in the United States due to their toxicity when raw.

www.thespruceeats.com