can i feed basil to my parrot?

[spiral71]

what dou guys think?

[marie83]

I did have various herb plants along my windowsill, basil being one on them because I read in a certain birdy magazine that it was parrot safe.

Now I'm not so sure after reading this on the caiquesite.com

"Basil. Basil (Ocimum basilicum) contains estragole. This compound gives basil its distinctive taste, but it is also a potent carcinogen in rodents. This compound also occurs in tarragon, majoram, cumin, star anise, and other herbs and spices. The amount of the carcinogen in these herbs, however, is hundreds of times less than that needed to induce tumors in rats. However, the essential oils distilled from these herbs contain very large amounts of estragole and you should avoid providing these to your bird or consuming them yourself. "

but plenty of other sites say it is safe. I think I may have to research this properly even though I never replaced the herb plants.

[GreenWing]

As far as I understand, feeding sweet basil is okay.

[Pajarita]

Mine get it every now and then. I use the organic one or the one I grow in my garden during the summer, chop it and sprinkle it (very sparingly) on their soft food.

[spiral71]

As far as I understand, feeding sweet basil is okay.

thanks greenwing i grew some organic sweet basil myself so ill give her a try on it. she likes brusell spouts at the momement which i was not expecting.

oh and by the way your new grey looks amazing i am pleased for you

[Pajarita]

Be careful with Brussels sprouts, they can only be fed to birds sparingly because they are high in oxalic acid.