Are oysters ok for parrots? Also, are you taking care not to give the bird too much fat in general? I personally would maybe give one a day at most.

Hi! Captain Buzzkill here! Before I responded to your posting, I trolled my list of parrot experts about oysters and fats in a parrot's diet. I had some concerns but wanted to see if I was just being a worrywart or not.

A worrywart I was not.

An occasional small piece of fried oyster (once a month, no more than once a week) might be OK.

The concerns:

1) Oysters are sponges for environmental toxins, man-made (heavy metals, PCBs) and biological (red algae comes to mind), even if they are farm-raised. Pacific Coast oysters, natural and farmed, and better off than their East Coast or foreign cousins.

2) Oysters are high in cholesterol, zinc, selenium, and, on the plus side, Omega 3's. They are NOT a naturally-occuring food for African Grey parrots, so their long term effects are unknown.

3) Any added fat in a parrot's diet is NOT a good thing, even mono-unsaturated and "safe" fats. Calories are calories. heck, parrots on an all-seed diet rich in "good" fats frequently suffer (and perish) from fatty liver disease.

Bottom line OPINION: do what you want, but oysters are a HUGE question mark, and the fats they are cooked in are a known hazard for pet birds.

Even canned tuna (sea food in general) has a problem for humans in regards to mercury and PCB contamination, which seems to be worldwide.

Some of the safest fish is Alaskan WILD salmon, and it is packed with Omega 3 fatty acids. I give my flock poached, fresh salmon when I have it.