Are there any articles about parrot or general bird ownership and Judaism? If, for example, I kept a species of bird that needed to rely on foods that weren’t kosher for Passover to live, how can I reconcile that?
Hi there!
Thank you for writing in. Such a fascinating question. And you couldn’t have messaged a better Tumblr-user. I happen to be a parrot owner (for over twelve years) and a rabbinical student! This answer will be directed towards all sorts of folks who are thinking about Passover and their pets– especially bird owners.
If you are concerned about making sure that your pet has Kosher for Passover food, you also might want to consider purchasing them Kosher food for the rest of the year. I’m not sure if they make Kosher for Passover, or Kosher in general, treats and pellet/seed mixes for our feathered friends.
Do not change your parrot’s diet for Passover. To live, healthy parrots need to have a diet that is 1/3 your food, 1/3 fresh vegetables and fruits, and 1/3 mixture of pellets/dried fruit/ seeds. Although you can guarantee that 2/3 of their diet are Kosher, the last third might not be. (And please note that if you give your parrot both meat and dairy foods for ‘1/3 your food.’ you would technically need two separate bowls if your goal is to keep a kosher parrot) Additionally, to be a truly Kosher for Passover cage, you would need to physically kasher the entire cage every Passover. (That involves giving it a deep clean and physically dropping each part into boiling water and/or baking them in the oven. I’m not sure if this would ruin your cage- but it sounds like it might.)
I’m not sure what literature specifically exists for bird owners on Passover, but my suggestion is to just maintain your parrot’s normal diet throughout the holiday. He or she is not bound by Jewish Law!I hope that this helps!Have a great night,
PJ