• Question: is it true that if you feed a pigeon rice it will explode?

    Asked by steve823 to Pete, Rebecca, SallyB, Sally, Sian on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Sally Fenton

      Sally Fenton answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      I have heard this before…I am not sure though :s. Maybe we should try and do that experiment here to find out and solve the mystery!

    • Photo: Rebecca Randell

      Rebecca Randell answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      I did some online research and apparently this is a myth. I have believed this all my life- oh dear!!

    • Photo: Sian Lawson

      Sian Lawson answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      No. Why would they explode? Because it expands? No, it doesn’t expand that much!

    • Photo: Sally Barber

      Sally Barber answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      I remember someone saying this too me once. I think the rice has to be raw and then when it expands in the pigeons stomach the stomach isn’t big enough. I can’t imagine its an explosion. It probably just kills the pigeon.

    • Photo: Peter Styring

      Peter Styring answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      No, it’s a myth. For it to explode it would need to give off a huge volume of gas in the stomach. Apparently seagulls are also fine if you feed them Alka-Seltza, which reacts with stomach acids to give off CO2. There’s lots of burping and farting involved but no explosions. Just don’t test this at home!

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