# Grit; useless?



## TielTide (May 26, 2011)

Snagged some cockatiel grit from the pet store about a month ago. I keep a little thing of it in the cage, but no one eats it. They mostly just use it as a litter box(Whisper does, anyway. She is a very odd bird). 

I don't see anyone else keeping this grit - is it useless? I wasn't going to buy another box of it _anyway_, because whether or not it's "useful", my birds think it's a toilet. And that is what I buy paper towels for.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Tiels don't need grit, they have it naturally I believe in their digestive tract. It could actually cause impactions if they did eat it. Its only other birds, like finches and stuff that need it to grind up food.


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## TielTide (May 26, 2011)

Then why do people even market grit specifically for tiels? That's like advertizing an avacado seed supplement for cats...


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Because people don't know anything about tiels and just figure that since other birds need grit tiels do too and of course tiel owners who just buy their birds without any research think that they're birds need it because the pet store says so and so these companies make money off of a totally useless product.


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## TielTide (May 26, 2011)

Well dang. That's just bordering on evil if you ask me. lol

I'm one of those people that will buy anything for my birds once(if it's labelled -for- cockatiels). More if they love it, less if they ignore it. I should write a disapproving letter. LOL


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

yeah grit isnt good for parrots. any parrots (that includes budgies, tiels, and lovebirds too) cant have grit. non-psittacine birds like finches, doves, and canaries need it to grind up the seed in their crops. parrots remove the shell so there's no need for it. and sick birds especially over eat grit which causes problems. generally its not for parrots despite what pet stores say


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## Lilly (Dec 2, 2010)

My bird vet recommended grit...


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## Petra (May 29, 2011)

I don't give anything to my birds but they do get GRIT 
And yes they do eat it..

Shingle grit and Stomach: Stomach Pebble are small stones that one day or 5 in the stomach of the parakeet remain. Here crushing the seeds so that they properly digested. The are like the teeth of the parakeet. Is also important to provide grit. It contains many minerals that are important for the parakeet. Here the parakeets a mixture of gastric gravel, grit and oyster shell grit, the latter containing extra calcium for young and parakeets for breeding flocks. From this mixture they get a teaspoon per bird per week.


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

They don't need their seeds crushed, they dehull them.. there is nothing to crush. Minerals can be provided via other means such as fresh food, pellets or cuttlebone. They don't need the minerals from grit if they have other dietary supplements either. My boyfriend was sucked into buying grit when we first got Arnella but we don't give it to them at all. I have never given any of my other cockatiels grit. I never even heard about giving grit to parrots, not until Jacob went to the petstore without me lol... it honestly makes me cringe... someone said that it's the amount you give them that's the problem but I just can't bring myself to even give them a little.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

Petra said:


> I don't give anything to my birds but they do get GRIT
> And yes they do eat it..
> 
> Shingle grit and Stomach: Stomach Pebble are small stones that one day or 5 in the stomach of the parakeet remain. Here crushing the seeds so that they properly digested. The are like the teeth of the parakeet. Is also important to provide grit. It contains many minerals that are important for the parakeet. Here the parakeets a mixture of gastric gravel, grit and oyster shell grit, the latter containing extra calcium for young and parakeets for breeding flocks. From this mixture they get a teaspoon per bird per week.


How is grit important? There is plenty of other foods that can provide them with what they need without grit. Too much grit may also lead to obstructive gastritis.

Please remove the link from your siggy too, it is not aloud.


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## Petra (May 29, 2011)

Why must i remove the link?
I see many links in siggy 's?


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

its kind of like you are advertising spam almost as we have to install something and join something.... and solace is a moderator, she knows the rules best.

if you read in the rule section you can post certain links.


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## Petra (May 29, 2011)

Oow no nobody has to do nothing its just a program so you can see my birds trough a ip camera i have here in the Netherlands no spam inserted , cross my hart.
And i don't push anyone to do it? It's free cost nothing.
I hate spam myself so why should i do that? 
Greetings Petra.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

A *DIRECT* link should be used. The link you have is not a direct link to the web cam. If this can't be done, then it needs to be removed.


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## Petra (May 29, 2011)

Oke i will remove it. i don't understand the problem....


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Rather than have the signature you have why don't you make your own website or use an online album service, such as www.photobucket.com to show your birds.


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## Petra (May 29, 2011)

I am trying to make a website but it is a bit difficult.
But i started one but there is to do a lot of work til its ready 

And i will make some pictures of my birds to


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Grit is controversial. Captive parrots can digest their food well enough without it, but wild parrots eat plenty of it. There have been some cases where pet birds died of an impacted crop after eating too much, but these were sick/malnourished birds who were desperately trying to get minerals into their bodies. Overconsumption normally isn't a problem with healthy birds, but it's a good safety measure to limit the available quantity so that eating too much isn't an option. It's probably best to not provide grit to breeders with babies in the nest - someone on another board lost a whole clutch of chicks because the parents fed grit to the babies and it impacted their crops.

What you mostly hear on the internet is "don't provide grit". However there are some famous people (Rosemary Low and EB Cravens) who advocate the sensible use of grit, and Australian breeders seem to have a much more favorable attitude toward it than North Americans. Here are some articles from these sources plus an avian veterinarian:

http://www.parrots.org/pdfs/all_abo...n/Minerals and Grit - of Vital Importance.pdf

http://www.parrots.org/pdfs/all_abo...trition/Views on Mineral Grit for Parrots.pdf

http://www.parrots.org/index.php/forumsandexperts/answers/ask_an_expert1/

http://eclectusparrots.net/grit.html

http://www.petpublishing.com/birdtimes/articles/grit.shtml


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## TielTide (May 26, 2011)

Tielfan - now THAT was a very helpful and informative post.  Thanks!

My birds don't use it so I probably won't buy any more, but those links were an informative read and I really appreciate it.


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## pink.snootchies (Jan 23, 2011)

TielTide said:


> Snagged some cockatiel grit from the pet store about a month ago. I keep a little thing of it in the cage, but no one eats it. They mostly just use it as a litter box(Whisper does, anyway. She is a very odd bird).


LOL, i got a big container of it as well because my mother insisted Petrie Needed it, but all he did was throw it... maybe i should try to get him to use it as a litter box, lil poop machine. Heh.

I am a silly sucker and used to buy anything that had a tiel on it, and ended up with a snuggle blanket type thing that well.. hes double the size of so... i quit using that tactic heh. goodness... silly pet marketers.


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