Aloe

[Nokota]

My budgie, Peeper, has developed a strong attraction to my Aloe Vera plant. They are both native to Australia so I am guessing it may be natural for birds of his type to chew on Aloe and it doesn't do any major damage to the plant - Should I put a stop to this? Can the Aloe hurt him?

[Cage Cleaner]

I would google this and definitely consult a vet. We may be able to speculate but you would want something definite as an answer.

[liz]

My cockatiel, Charlene RIP, was partial to my mother's Christmas Cactus and ate a part of it every day.

[pfinarffle]

I only wish our bird would eat aloe. It's quite a medicinal treat for animals. When our Sennie had enteritis, we were told to syringe feed him the aloe gel as it's quite soothing to their GI tracts. Meanwhile the outside part of the leaves has fiber. I've heard it do miracles for ailing parrots. Just make sure no fertilizer or insecticide is on the plant.

[Cage Cleaner]

I only wish our bird would eat aloe. It's quite a medicinal treat for animals. When our Sennie had enteritis, we were told to syringe feed him the aloe gel as it's quite soothing to their GI tracts. Meanwhile the outside part of the leaves has fiber. I've heard it do miracles for ailing parrots. Just make sure no fertilizer or insecticide is on the plant.

Being medicinal, aloe in unnecessary quantities is toxic. Given that it is an -alternative- medicine, most vets wouldn't be able to tell you what this quantity is. Therefore, free access to aloe plant would be a risky concept.

[GlassOnion]

I pour a teaspoon of Aloe water to the birds' water dishes every once in a while. Aloe helps cleanse their livers and kidneys.

[pfinarffle]

I only wish our bird would eat aloe. It's quite a medicinal treat for animals. When our Sennie had enteritis, we were told to syringe feed him the aloe gel as it's quite soothing to their GI tracts. Meanwhile the outside part of the leaves has fiber. I've heard it do miracles for ailing parrots. Just make sure no fertilizer or insecticide is on the plant.

Being medicinal, aloe in unnecessary quantities is toxic. Given that it is an -alternative- medicine, most vets wouldn't be able to tell you what this quantity is. Therefore, free access to aloe plant would be a risky concept.

Technically even water in excess is toxic (eg, it can cause your sodium level to go dangerously low). Doesn't mean we should stop drinking water. Aloe is definitely amongst the safer of the alternative medicines out there. Not saying let your pet eat it all day every day. But a leaf to nibble on per day shouldn't be toxic by any stretch of the imagination. Know that the leaves do contain fiber, though, so if your bird has diarrhea and is eating aloe, that might be where it's from and/or making things worse. Also, like I said, it's got to be *organic* aloe. Any inorganic fertilizer or pesticide can seriously hurt your pet if eaten. The teaspoon of gel in water is also a great idea. I've seen birds get a lot of benefit from this plant.

[Cage Cleaner]

I only wish our bird would eat aloe. It's quite a medicinal treat for animals. When our Sennie had enteritis, we were told to syringe feed him the aloe gel as it's quite soothing to their GI tracts. Meanwhile the outside part of the leaves has fiber. I've heard it do miracles for ailing parrots. Just make sure no fertilizer or insecticide is on the plant.

Being medicinal, aloe in unnecessary quantities is toxic. Given that it is an -alternative- medicine, most vets wouldn't be able to tell you what this quantity is. Therefore, free access to aloe plant would be a risky concept.

Technically even water in excess is toxic (eg, it can cause your sodium level to go dangerously low). Doesn't mean we should stop drinking water. Aloe is definitely amongst the safer of the alternative medicines out there. Not saying let your pet eat it all day every day. But a leaf to nibble on per day shouldn't be toxic by any stretch of the imagination. Know that the leaves do contain fiber, though, so if your bird has diarrhea and is eating aloe, that might be where it's from and/or making things worse. Also, like I said, it's got to be *organic* aloe. Any inorganic fertilizer or pesticide can seriously hurt your pet if eaten. The teaspoon of gel in water is also a great idea. I've seen birds get a lot of benefit from this plant.

Technically, yes. Water is toxic in excess. And no, it doesn't mean you should stop drinking water. However, you should not drink it in -excess- quantities, as evidenced by the fact that it is toxic only in -excess- quantities. The same, unsurprisingly, applies to aloe.

Aloe is indeed one of the safer alternative medicines, made obvious by the fact that it is commonly used in over the counter topical gels as well as sold as juice. However, this isn't saying much. Consider the fact that the spectrum of alternative medicines ranges from a ripened banana to cinnabar, myrrh, and bat feces--among other things, some banned some not. Yes, aloe is definitely one of the safer alternative medicines.

However, as I said in my last post, "free access to aloe would be a risky concept." This holds true as aloe -can- cause numerous symptoms, diarrhea being one of them. This has been clinically proven as well as documented in many medical books regarding herbs.

Further, your assessment of fiber causing diarrhea is incorrect. Fiber is not a laxative. It simply bulks up the stool. It has nothing to do with causing diarrhea. Diarrhea is caused by the increased motions of peristalsis, which cause the stool to move faster than water can be absorbed, hence resulting in diarrhea. Fiber does not increase peristalsis, nor does it hinder in water absorption in the intestines. Hence, it does not cause diarrhea. If your bird (or you, for that matter) has diarrhea, it is absolutely -not- because you have too much fiber.

[pfinarffle]

Technically, yes. Water is toxic in excess. And no, it doesn't mean you should stop drinking water. However, you should not drink it in -excess- quantities, as evidenced by the fact that it is toxic only in -excess- quantities. The same, unsurprisingly, applies to aloe.

Aloe is indeed one of the safer alternative medicines, made obvious by the fact that it is commonly used in over the counter topical gels as well as sold as juice. However, this isn't saying much. Consider the fact that the spectrum of alternative medicines ranges from a ripened banana to cinnabar, myrrh, and bat feces--among other things, some banned some not. Yes, aloe is definitely one of the safer alternative medicines.

However, as I said in my last post, "free access to aloe would be a risky concept." This holds true as aloe -can- cause numerous symptoms, diarrhea being one of them. This has been clinically proven as well as documented in many medical books regarding herbs.

Further, your assessment of fiber causing diarrhea is incorrect. Fiber is not a laxative. It simply bulks up the stool. It has nothing to do with causing diarrhea. Diarrhea is caused by the increased motions of peristalsis, which cause the stool to move faster than water can be absorbed, hence resulting in diarrhea. Fiber does not increase peristalsis, nor does it hinder in water absorption in the intestines. Hence, it does not cause diarrhea. If your bird (or you, for that matter) has diarrhea, it is absolutely -not- because you have too much fiber.

Technically diarrhea is medically defined as either an increase in frequency or volume of stool. So yes, fiber in excess does cause diarrhea. (Try eating just 2 Fiber One bars and tell me otherwise.) I'm not going to rehash everything above save for the fact that I don't believe anyone here is letting their pet free range graze on aloe all day every day. For the purposes of what most posters here have described, aloe is perfectly safe and shouldn't be shunned for the possibility of a little diarrhea. I just don't want people freaking out if their pet got a hold of some aloe is all.

[Cage Cleaner]

Technically, yes. Water is toxic in excess. And no, it doesn't mean you should stop drinking water. However, you should not drink it in -excess- quantities, as evidenced by the fact that it is toxic only in -excess- quantities. The same, unsurprisingly, applies to aloe.

Aloe is indeed one of the safer alternative medicines, made obvious by the fact that it is commonly used in over the counter topical gels as well as sold as juice. However, this isn't saying much. Consider the fact that the spectrum of alternative medicines ranges from a ripened banana to cinnabar, myrrh, and bat feces--among other things, some banned some not. Yes, aloe is definitely one of the safer alternative medicines.

However, as I said in my last post, "free access to aloe would be a risky concept." This holds true as aloe -can- cause numerous symptoms, diarrhea being one of them. This has been clinically proven as well as documented in many medical books regarding herbs.

Further, your assessment of fiber causing diarrhea is incorrect. Fiber is not a laxative. It simply bulks up the stool. It has nothing to do with causing diarrhea. Diarrhea is caused by the increased motions of peristalsis, which cause the stool to move faster than water can be absorbed, hence resulting in diarrhea. Fiber does not increase peristalsis, nor does it hinder in water absorption in the intestines. Hence, it does not cause diarrhea. If your bird (or you, for that matter) has diarrhea, it is absolutely -not- because you have too much fiber.

Technically diarrhea is medically defined as either an increase in frequency or volume of stool. So yes, fiber in excess does cause diarrhea. (Try eating just 2 Fiber One bars and tell me otherwise.) I'm not going to rehash everything above save for the fact that I don't believe anyone here is letting their pet free range graze on aloe all day every day. For the purposes of what most posters here have described, aloe is perfectly safe and shouldn't be shunned for the possibility of a little diarrhea. I just don't want people freaking out if their pet got a hold of some aloe is all.

Which medical book says that?