Dear Parrots magazine,
Avocado stones
I have lost count of the number of times I have heard that avocado pears are lethal for parrots and can actually end up in the loss of a bird.
What I am puzzled about is that for many years, I have given my African Grey our discarded avocado stones, which are quite large. I have drilled a hole through them and hung them up on a skewer and my Grey takes great delight in destroying them, without any ill effect. So is avocado in fact, that bad for them and what is it that is toxic?
William Smith, by email