Cuttlebone for male budgies?

[Birdiemarie]

I give all my birds Manu.
Manu Mineral Block Provides Essential Minerals For A Healthy Bird

That's the one I have.

 

[Lady Jane]

I just read in the Phoenix Landing Parrot cookbook that most sources for cuddle bones are contaminated. The author also states that the mineral blocks and cuddle bones are ineffective. What do you think?

 

[Gen120]

I have cuttlebones & used to use them- now I feed a super varied diet so I don't think they need it anymore- also if they don't eat them when they're hanging, you can get a knife & scrape it off & put it in birdie bread- done this myself. Haven't used Cuttle bones in probably 2 or more years, & my flock seems healthy- they eat mash, birdie bread, veggies, fruit, cooked grains etc, plus are on Roudybush so I think they're fine. hope this helps!

 

[Tweeky]

I also provide Ova-Aid when Jazz is laying. It's a powdered calcium supplement.

 

[Anna M]

I have a cuttlebone and a mineral block that contains some mealworm with my two males. It has taken some time for them to get used to the mineral block, but I now see one of ours with it quite a bit. They also use the cuttlebone. I figure they know what they need, in terms of minerals. I use seeds and a lot of greens. They haven't really taken to fruit, yet.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Thanks Anna.

 

[Lovebird Lady]

Interesting information from everyone. I will try cuttlebones for my Budgies, because they refuse to touch pellets no matter how hard I've tried

 

[martins99]

Yes, you do.

Cuttlebones are great for budgies, and my cockatiels love them too. They offer them a great way to get calcium into their diets which strengthens their bones and talons and beaks. Their rough texture also helps wear down their beaks a little to keep them from over-growing. If you don’t like the idea of a cuttlebone, you can always use mineral blocks or even perches made out of minerals. Birds have very individual tastes so if you try it one way and you don’t notice the cuttlebone being used at all, try scraping some directly into their food dish. One website even suggests turning them sideways next to a perch or even sticking them through the cage bars.

 

[Sylvester]

I don't think any bird is going to overdose on calcium. I got cuttlebones because I assumed they helped in keeping my parakeet's beak from overgrowing.

 

[Ripshod]

I just read in the Phoenix Landing Parrot cookbook that most sources for cuddle bones are contaminated. The author also states that the mineral blocks and cuddle bones are ineffective. What do you think?

Agreed!
The calcium in cuttlefish bones is in the wrong form to be useful to the bird, it just goes straight through and comes out the other end. The only thing they're useful for is polishing the beak.
Mineral blocks have similar problems, and some of the chemicals used can be considered toxic above certain levels. Just give your budgies a well balanced diet.

*EDIT* This thread has been resurrected from 2014. Someone has been doing a LOT of reading

 

[Lady Jane]

The old threads are sometimes the better ones! There is much wisdom buried in AA archives.

 

[Zara]

The only thing they're useful for is polishing the beak.

Agreed. I give my birds them every now and then to buff their beaks on. None have them right now. I collect them from the beach and clean them. I don´t buy them. A waste of money and I don´t want to think the fish was killed for that.

 

[Gribouille]

A waste of money and I don´t want to think the fish was killed for that.

The cuttlefish was killed for its flesh, the bone is a leftover. I would love to be able to pick theim from the beach if there was any. But I would be afraid they'd be full of toxins from pollution and of medicines from the fish farms around..

 

[Ripshod]

The old threads are sometimes the better ones! There is much wisdom buried in AA archives.

That is true. I never read that far back when I first came here. These little nuggets are great.

 

[Gribouille]

That is true. I never read that far back when I first came here. These little nuggets are great.

I guess if you go by key word, you can dig up some old ones without meaning it.