Shell grit for parrots?

Question

hi was just wondering about shell grit for my quaker. before we started adding it to her food she had a very rough looking beak, i now add a little bit to her seed every night and it seems to have worked wonders but im unsure on how much to give her, it doesnt say on the packet and my local pet shop says its a waste of time. it says on the packet it has lots of nutrients so im wondering if i should be giving more or less. or giving it just by itself, at the moment i just ad a pinch to her seed every night, she also drinks a lot more now that ive added it to her diet. any info would be great. she also gets a lot of fresh fruit and vegies everyday and the occasional bit of pasta and brown rice. thanks everyone.

Answer 1

I second John's answer.

As a zookeeper and a parrot-owner myself, I strongly discourage you from giving your parrot grit of any kind. Soft-billed birds, such as finches and doves, swallow seeds whole and need grit to help digest the seed shells. Parrots peel off the hard shells before swallowing the seed inside, thus making it unnecessary for grit to be in their diet.

Your quaker will get all her nutrients she needs from her food. It looks like you're doing a great job with food variety. Definitely offer some wooden toys or a cuttle bone to help with the beak problem.

Answer 2

All birds require a certain amount of Grit,to aid in their digestive process.

But what I suggest you get your bird is a good Cuttle-bone and a Mineral Block.

Most grits contain Oyster Shell and do have quantities of Salts in them so that is why it could be drinking more than usual.

The fruit and veg are all good for your bird ,but never feed it Lettuce.

Answer 3

If she's better for it, then by all means, keep doing what you're doing.  This is a controversial subject having mane "experts" on both sides.  Shell grit offers a lot of fiber along with trace amounts of manganese, salt, iron, copper, zinc, cogalt, and some calcium. Sounds like though she's getting everything she needs in her diet (another pat on your back!).  Could be she's using the grit to hone her beak.  But as I said before, if she seems to be better in whatever way than before you started adding the grit, by all means continue giving her the small amount she's getting now.

Answer 4

PLEASE listen to this answer, because I have a Quaker and have researched this subject in great depth.

*DO NOT* give any grit to your Parrot!! All Parrots have digestive systems and stomach muscles that are strong enough to digest any food without the use of grit. Grit is needed for finches and other non-Parrot birds who need the grit in their gizzards to grind up the food.

More importantly, grit can become impacted in your Parrot's digestive tract, which can be fatal!! It is true that this condition is more common with silica grit , but it is not worth the risk. Many times even an Avian Vet cannot help if a Parrot gets severely impacted!

Parrots will eat grit, it is true. But they will also ( if allowed) consume a diet made entirely of sunflower seeds, which can lead to Fatty Liver Disease! Just because he eats it does not mean that it is good for him!

Give your Parrot hardwood toys to chew on to help the beak  condition. The wood will help smoothe the beak, and it is natural for Parrots to chew wood. If the beak is extremely rough you can take the Parrot to a vet , or even smoothe it lightly yourself with an emory board or diamond file. Just make very sure that you know how much to file so that you do not injure your bird.

Please do a quick search on the internet for "parrot grit" to confirm what I have told you here. Your bird's life may depend upon it !!

Good luck to you and your Quaker.

Answer 5

give it about one or two tablespoons  of grit one day and throw out whats still there a week later. put it in its own bowl. also make sure that your bird has a cuttle bone available in the cage and put veggies in the cage every day as well, but don't forget to take the uneaten fresh foods out of the cage a few hours after feeding them to your bird. feed your bird fruits about twice a week because even though they are good for your bird and fruits are a big part in your pets diet, if given too often it is bad for their diet because of all the sugar that is inside fruit. well, good luck and i hope i helped! =D