FINCHforum

My zebra finches love to play with the dried flowerheads of chives. I don't know if they eat the seeds, but they like pulling them apart. I know wild goldfinches eat thistle. Can I give my zebra finches thistle seedheads to play with and pick out the seeds from?

limechiffon

I have offered wild thistle seed heads to my birds, they didn't show too much interest really.

limechiffon wrote: My zebra finches love to play with the dried flowerheads of chives. I don't know if they eat the seeds, but they like pulling them apart. I know wild goldfinches eat thistle. Can I give my zebra finches thistle seedheads to play with and pick out the seeds from?

You really should avoid giving your birds chives... they are in the same family as onions, garlic, leeks and they can if ingested can cause red blood cells to burst .... rule on the safe side and find something else for them to play with.... avian hemolysis/avian hemolytic anemia

https://www.petcha.com/onions-garlic-birds/

http://bestbirdfoodever.com/home/wp/ind ... -or-leeks/

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) - the lavander-pink pom pom flower is actually composed of many small florets. Flowers have a mild onion flavor.

Oh man, I didn't know that. I was going off the list of foods to give in moderation on finchinfo.com. Thanks for the warning!

Many foods are harmful if given too much but can be given in moderation. Overfeeding of just about anything will cause trouble--if I was forcefed McDonald's cheeseburgers every day, I'd probably die too! Use common sense when feeding your birds.