Australia is very lucky to have gum trees readily available (mostly in your own back yard) so birds can be supplied with branches, flowers, nuts & leaves they want all year round as well as making bird toys for them.
There are still some rumours going around that say eucalyptus is toxic to parrots or they can only have very limited leaves & branches but not flowers & nuts. This is untrue & I am not sure where this information keeps coming from. Eucalyptus branches, leaves, flowers & nuts should be readily available to your birds on a daily basis. there is no part of a Eucalypt that is toxic to parrots.
The leaves contain flavonoids & essential oil, rich in eucalyptol & cineole.
Eucalyptus combats bacteria, has anti fungal & anti viral powers as well as acting as an decongestant. It is also effective in respiratory treatments. The flavonoids lower blood sugar levels & eases aches & pains by increasing the blood flow.
There is occasionally some debate on whether Eucalyptus should be used as chew branches for Eclectus parrots. Eucalyptus is a hard wood & Eclectus cannot chew through them. This is said to discourage them from chewing. While this is actually true it doesn't mean you should discard Eucalyptus all together. Some eucalyptus are harder than others so try finding the softer one. Thinner branches & twigs of any Eucalyptus can easily be chewed. Tree stands are recommended to be made out of eucalyptus as they're strong & leaving the bark on eucalyptus means you parrot will have access to the oils when chewed which is a good health tonic for parrots. Eclectus thoroughly enjoy chewing eucalyptus leaves, flowers & nuts.
Eucalyptus is a readily available in Australia & branches should be made available to any parrot.
Crushing fresh gum leaves gives you the eucalyptus oils.
Dried or fresh crushed gum leaves or fresh can be used for nesting materials to keep away mites. This is particularly popular for budgie breeders.
Hang gum tree branches full of leaves, nuts & flowers in your birds cage & on their stands. They will always benefit from having them & can never get too much.
Parrots & Cockatoos in the wild have been seen to strip bark of gum trees & put holes into the trees to access the sap on a regular basis. The birds often return to these wholes reuse them over & over again.
Gum tree branches are also a very safe, natural, irregularly size branch to use for perches.
Never use gum branches, flowers, nuts & leaves from a florist. They're sprayed with insecticides.
Eucalyptus oil from the leaves has medicinal properties which stimulates your birds immune system & can promote a strong natural resistance to disease & parasites.
