By
Alicia McWatters, Ph.D.

Peanuts, which are a legume, are a healthy addition to the diet of most parrots and complement a diet of fresh foods. They contain more than 25% protein and while they are high in fat, almost 50%, this fat is mostly unsaturated. Peanuts are rich in niacin and other B vitamins, and also contain appreciable amounts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. Just as with any food, peanuts should be fed in moderation as a component of a well-balanced diet. I feed my birds a human-grade self-mixed seed/nut/grain mixture, which consists of 5% peanuts. They generally receive one or two a day.

A little history about peanuts: Peanuts are thought to have originated in South America. They migrated to Africa with Spanish and Portuguese explorers and were later brought to North America by slaves in the eighteenth century.

One potential problem with peanuts is their susceptibility to aflatoxin. Aflatoxin comes from the mold Aspergillus flavus and this substance has the ability to cause cancer and it can be deadly if consumed in significant amounts. Actually this mold can appear on just about any grain, legume, vegetable, or fruit, but peanuts, corn, rice, wheat, cottonseeds, soybeans, Brazil nuts, pistachios, and barley are more susceptible than other types of foods because they tend to be grown in warm, humid climates. Rain which has fallen on crops left to dry may also develop aflatoxin-producing mold. Additionally, any stress, such as poor nutrition, insect damage, or unseasonable temperatures may increase the growth of this mold in growing plants. The FDA has set a maximum permissible level for aflatoxin of 20 ppb and the USDA inspects peanuts for signs of mold and will ban any food with detectable contamination.

I recommend either Valencia or Spanish peanuts as they have the lowest level of aflatoxin.

Note: Low-grade animal feed products are more likely to be contaminated with aflatoxin than those products sold for human consumption.

Roasting helps to dry nuts and may inhibit the formation of mold. We prefer to feed our birds raw peanuts, however, and have not experienced a problem. Peanuts must be grown, shipped, and stored properly to decrease the chance of the development of aflatoxin-producing mold. Be sure you purchase your peanuts from a reliable source.

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