# Eucalyptus leaves - poisonous?



## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

Hoping someone can help me. We put some small eucalyptus branches from our garden in my pigeon's coop today, thinking she might like to "play" around them. I certainly did not expect her to eat them, but it seems that she did... Late this evening she regurgitated the contents of her crop, which smelled of eucalyptus oil, and then threw up a small quantity of green liquid. Otherwise she did not seem ill - she was moving around and preening herself as normal. It is now about 11pm and she has now settled down on her perch. She seemed to be closing her eyes more than "usual", but I don't often go out to her this late so it could just be that she is tired and ready to sleep.

Does anyone know if eucalyptus is poisonous to pigeons, or just something that will make them vomit? I am desperately hoping it is the latter, and that she has vomited enough to get the eucalyptus oil out of her system.

Thanks for any help.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Hi NomesB, sorry to hear about this. There is a footnote note on Avianweb stating that eucalyptus oil is toxic to birds

http://www.avianweb.com/essentialoilslungs.html

In the future, just a suggestion, before giving anything new to you bird, whether it be something "natural" or perhaps a supplement of some sort. Take a few minutes to Google what you have in mind doing, and see what turns up, sometimes you would be surprised, in that something you though was kind of innocuous, may actually be injurious to a bird.

Good luck with her,

Karyn


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to most animals but not sure if it would be poisonous enough to kill

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Eucalsp.htm

If the pigeon continues to show signs of discomfort, take her to the vet please


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Sreeshs, makes a very good point that I should have included and that is if she does not at least show signs of being stable, get her into a vet, especially if she seems like she is not drinking, eating is not a huge concern, drinking is, as if she becomes dehydrated, she could go down hill very fast.

Karyn


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

I was looking for first aid for the same but couldn't find anything...


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

Thank you, Karyn and Sreesh, for your advice - I will certainly check everything carefully in the future. She is a rescued feral, and it never occurred to us that she would attempt to eat the leaves. We are in Australia, and eucalypts are everywhere, so we thought she would "recognise" them as not being food. A foolish assumption on our part!

I have just checked on her again - it has been nearly 1.5 hours since she last vomited, and she has not been ill again since. There was nothing unusual in her behaviour, she seemed alert and in no distress. However, I will continue to monitor her.


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

Hi Karyn, she does not normally come down from her perch to drink after dark - and since this has all happened late in the evening, she has not had anything to drink since being ill. Should I encourage her to drink tonight, regardless? Her condition appears to be stable.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Yes, please encourage her to drink, especially since she has already vomited, so she may need re-hydration. The curative power of the flushing of their system when ill (not all ills, but many) can not be understated.

Karyn


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

That makes good sense. What is the best way to get her to drink? I have held her water bowl up to her several times, but she has not been interested. Should I try dipping her beak? I am hesitant to "force" her...


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

No, do not force her, but if you could gently guide her beak into a dish of room temperature water she might drink. If not, if there is a way you could have water just at hand, so she does not have to move to drink, please do this. Measure the water (see where the water line is in the dish) to see if has gone down a bit later/morning. Please keep a good eye on her, watch to see she is producing droppings. If for any reason she does not start to drink, or has stopped producing droppings, in a normal time frame, she should be considered critical and taken to a vet ASAP to be checked.

Karyn

PS: Also, please keep water in her regular place, as they are creatures of habit.


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

Success - after much coaxing, she drank 5 or 6 times by herself. Not large amounts, but I think enough to get some fluid into her. She also produced a dropping, and there is now nothing in her behaviour or appearance to indicate that she has been ill. I will continue to keep an eye on her, but I think she might be OK.

I'll put a small cup of water near her, and leave her main dish in its regular place.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

NomesB said:


> Success - after much coaxing, she drank 5 or 6 times by herself. Not large amounts, but I think enough to get some fluid into her. She also produced a dropping, and there is now nothing in her behaviour or appearance to indicate that she has been ill. I will continue to keep an eye on her, but I think she might be OK.
> 
> I'll put a small cup of water near her, and leave her main dish in its regular place.


Excellent! Thanks for posting right away. Sometimes, inadvertently I am sure, people forget to post such things right away. This now allows us to be a little less fretful for her. Please keep us updated.

Karyn


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

*Update*

Things are looking good this morning - she is active and alert, and is eating and drinking without hesitation. Her overnight droppings were very watery (I presume because she had not digested any seed last night?), but appear to be becoming firmer. She did attempt to vomit again before I fed her this morning, but it was much less forceful than last night and she did not expell anything. In all other respects, her behaviour is completely back to normal.

I'll be going out to check her every half hour or so, and watching her through the window more regularly. If there is any change in her condition we will be taking a trip to the vet, but with any luck she will continue to be fine.

Thanks again for your concern and assistance.
Naomi


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

She might appreciate being given edible, nutritious, fresh Greens...Kales, Endives, Cilantro, baby Letuces...cut up very tiny for her...

Pigeons and Doves will sometimes unwittingly eat Toxic Plant Leaves or shoots, if no proper Greens are available to them.

Tender types of Greens, they can usually peck off litle bites...others, it is probably best to cut them up into tiny bites for the Bird.


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

I have been wondering about giving her greens - thank you for the advice! Are things like spinach and silverbeet (chard) also suitable?


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

First really normal dropping of the day, passed without difficulty. Tremendous relief!


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Spinach is fine so long as it is a secondary accompanyment to other fresh Greens, or not too much sort of thing.

Spinach contains some Acids which many Creatures do not do well with, but they can manage small quantities just fine.


The Kales, Endives, Chards, supple tender Baby Lettuces, Rugula, Cilantro, fine Parseleys, those are all good, and they can eat all they like of them.

My only worry, is that a small Bird might tear off and eat an inconveniently large shred, which could maybe not pass well.

So I feel the urge to suggest the Care Giver make sure the Greens are tender sorts, for the Bird to tear off tiny bits themself, or, to cut or Scissor the Greens into tiny bites for the Birds.


In Nature they will brouse various low bitter Weeds or other small Plants or Shrubs, eating tender Buds or small Fruiting Bodies or smaller shoots or new tender Leaves.

I have seen them entirely denude Wild or even Potted Plants, also, leaving only the bare 'Stems' remaining.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Sounds good, thanks for the update!

Karyn


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Woo-Hoo!


Palpate and feel between finger tip pads, for any Eucalyptus Leave pieces whose size or shape may have delayed or prohibited passing through the Crop...

Probably are none, but, if you can feel any, see if you can somehow gently, when the Crop is "empty" and has low to no fluids present...and if there are any, see if you can gently massage and work the pieces up and out...


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## NomesB (Mar 11, 2010)

I palpitated her crop as best I could (new to this), and couldn't feel anything that seemed like a piece of leaf. She was not too impressed with my efforts, though! I will try again a little later in the day just in case I have missed anything.

I will have to look up some of those greens you mentioned - I think they may have different names here. Might have to plant a few in a "pigeon veggie patch" so I can be sure that they are fresh.


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