Q: Is it safe to feed uncooked pasta to my birds?
-Julie B., Syracuse, NY
A: It is fairly common knowledge that pasta is safe for parrots. However, most people would no sooner think to serve it to their birds uncooked than they would eat it that way themselves.
Dried pasta is has a couple of distinct advantages. It is firm and holds its shape making it ideal as a safe vessel for foraging or as a plaything. Additionally, even though it’s food, it does not collect bacteria while dry making it safe to leave in the cage for longer periods.
The concerns about dry pasta (as well as dried grains) stems from two thoughts:
1) Broken pasta pieces are sharp and might be dangerous to swallow, and
2) Pasta and grains expand in moisture and if a bird ate enough of it, the expansion could kill them
Let’s look at each idea separately…
I have never actually seen a bird eat dried pasta. I wonder if they don’t consider it more of a toy than a food item. My birds will chew it into oblivion and drop it to the cage bottom. But that does not mean that some birds will not eat it understanding that it is food.
Before I began writing this post I went into my pantry and popped a piece of uncooked ziti into my mouth. When I bit into it, it did not break into life threatening shards but into manageable pieces with little effort. I swallowed them without incident.
Given a birds much more powerful bite pressure, I feel pretty certain that they would have no trouble whittling dried pasta into safe pieces. I do not believe this to be an issue because I don’t think a bird would purposely swallow something too sharp any sooner than something that is too large.
(I must add that some bird have been known to do strange things such as swallow nut shell pieces or toy parts. If your bird is known to eat unsafe or inedible things, there are many precautions you need to be taking aside from avoiding dried pasta.)
With regards to the concerns with over-expansion in stomach fluids – it is a myth. This may have roots in the urban legend about the horrific, stomach exploding deaths wild birds supposedly suffered after eating the rice thrown during weddings. It never happened.
For starters, bird have been eating wild dry grains forever, a food that would not have remained in the natural diet of birds if it were dangerous to them.
It is true that grains and pasta expand in moisture, but they do so very, very slowly. When we cook pasta or grains, it is subjected to intense heat that speeds the absorption rate up enormously. A bird’s body will digest these foods long before they could expand to a degree where a bird was in danger.
I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that dried pasta is safe for birds.
Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
FAQs
When we cook pasta or grains, it is subjected to intense heat that speeds the absorption rate up enormously. A bird's body will digest these foods long before they could expand to a degree where a bird was in danger. I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that dried pasta is safe for birds.
Can birds eat dry pasta? ›
Pasta. No matter whether it's cooked or uncooked, birds love pasta. The good thing is, it's full of energy-enhancing carbohydrates!
How long is dry pasta safe to eat? ›
Dry Pasta. Pasta won't spoil easily because it's a dry product. You can use it well past the expiration date, so long as it doesn't smell funny (egg pasta can produce a rancid odour). Generally, dry pasta has a shelf life of two years, but you can typically push it to three.
Is it safe to dry pasta? ›
Fresh pasta can be dried, refrigerated or frozen for future use. The storage method you choose depends on how long you want to keep your pasta.
Is pasta safe for birds to eat? ›
Plain, cooked pasta and rice is a popular choice and a great source of carbohydrates. Just make sure that they are not coated in sauce or cheese. You can even provide wet or dry dog or cat food for birds! You will need to break up and soak dry foods though, to prevent birds choking.
Can birds digest pasta? ›
Cooked plain pasta or rice is a great source of carbohydrates for birds. Wash thoroughly to remove any oil or salt and cut into small pieces. As with cheese, no mouldy or rotten meat should be given to birds.
Why does dry pasta go bad? ›
Like we said, dry pasta doesn't really go “bad.” It won't harbor bacteria, but it canlose its flavor over time. Use your best judgment based on appearance, texture and smell: If the pasta is at all discolored or smells rancid, toss it.
Does dry pasta need to be sealed? ›
To keep your dry pasta fresh, transferring it from the original packaging to an airtight container is a good idea. This will help to protect it from moisture, pests and other contaminants. Glass or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids work well for this purpose.
How do you know if dry pasta has gone bad? ›
Signs boxed pasta has gone bad
The more likely scenario, as long as the dried pasta has been appropriately stored, is that small changes in texture will manifest as dryness and brittleness.
Why does dry pasta taste so good? ›
The low and slow process preserves the flavor of the wheat and texture of the pasta. You will only find this characteristic in pasta made the artisan way. The gentle drying is what gives artisan pasta a distinctive “al dente” bite. Dried pasta traditionally takes longer to cook than fresh pasta.
As for serving dried pasta, it is more porous and absorbs sauce better, making it the right choice for tomato, pesto, and olive oil-based sauces (which are the sauces required for many favorite Italian dishes). Plus, it's got a better cooking yield.
What is one food that is highly toxic to birds? ›
Dried Beans. You really don't want to put uncooked beans on your bird's menu, either. While cooked beans are a healthy supplement to your bird's diet, raw beans contain a poison called hemagglutinin, which is very toxic to birds.
When should you stop feeding birds? ›
Some people prefer not to feed birds in the spring and summer when there is abundant food. However, leaving your feeders up year-round is not a problem as long as you keep a few things in mind: If bears live near you, you should not keep feeders up during the warmer months.
What to feed birds when you run out of seed? ›
Other bird seed alternatives to offer to birds include fruit and vegetable seeds, dried fruits, peanut butter and/or jelly, apples, pears, nuts, and unbuttered popcorn.
How to feed birds cheaply? ›
Buy Bird Seed in Bulk
Instead of buying small bags of seed mix, you can get more for your money by purchasing large bags of black-oil sunflower, cracked sunflower, safflower seed or nyjer seed. Most of the popular backyard birds actually prefer the pure seeds instead of mixes.
Can birds have dried bread? ›
Please don't give wild birds bread, crackers or other human snack foods. Bread has zero nutrition for wild birds. In fact, bread, crackers, chips and other human snacks are, in some ways, WORSE than feeding birds absolutely nothing.
Does dry pasta attract bugs? ›
Flour bugs — also called pantry weevils, rice bugs, wheat bugs, or flour worms — are actually tiny beetles that feed on the dry food in your pantry. Flour, cereal, rice, cake mixes, and pasta are all favorites of these miniscule foodies.
