Eating Pinecone and Bark

[eculiny]

Hi all, recently one of my birds has started eating non-food things. Firstly it was bark which I then took away, but now he's eating pinecone too. I know for a fact he's eating it because I can see it in his poop, little solid bits. At least I know it's coming out and not getting stuck in his system, or some of it anyway. He doesn't seem to otherwise be behaving differently, seems normal and healthy, even his poop looks good other than the solid bits in it when he eats these things.
I've seen some people suggesting that birds do this when they aren't receiving enough nutrients/food, however my boys have Harrisons pellets and plenty of fresh fruit and veggies every day, so I don't think it's that. I could take away the pinecones too but I'm worried he'll just start eating something else, like wood which seems more dangerous due to the sharpness, and his brother doesn't eat these things and loves to chew them so its taking away his toys. We're getting the pinecone/bark as part of toys made at a local parrot specialty store, I'm not sure exactly what type of bark it is but I've been assuming all their stuff is parrot safe as they're a pretty good store.
I was hoping for some advice on what to do here. am I correct in assuming this is dangerous for him to eat these things? What could I do to stop him from doing this besides taking the things away. Could it perhaps be okay, something they do in the wild? He's an Alexandrine if that helps any.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Shezbug]

I guess if there is significant amounts being consumed it could be a serious problem by causing impactions and lessening the amount of food eaten among other issues such as damage to gut etc.
We have a member who had a bird with pica so I’ll tag her and hopefully she will share her thoughts on the best thing to do. @Hankmacaw

 

[Hankmacaw]

My GW female had PICA, which is the eating of non-food items. Her world got smaller and smaller as she got older and she expanded her PICA diet. By the time she died (not from PICA) she was restricted to very few toys, be cause she would eat most things.

She became badly impacted twice and only through lengthy treatment was she able to recover without very risky surgery. Please remove all non-food items that your bird is eating and don't give her access to them. That is the only solution known at this time. Believe me impaction of their digestive system can be deadly.

You can consult with your vet as to if there are other causes such as vitamin deficiencies - but sometime there is no apparent cause.

 

[eculiny]

I’m sorry to hear about your birds problem, sounds like it can get very serious so I’ll be removing the pinecones. Hopefully it ends there.
would anyone have ideas for toys that are safe for them if ingested? I know paper/card isn’t going to be good if eaten but it shouldn’t get stuck like solid things right? Maybe more outside the box things like dried pigs ears or cooked bones?

 

[Shezbug]

If your bird ingests things that it should not then it needs toys it can not break parts off or that are totally digestible. Pigs ears I would personally say no to, I wont even give them to my huge dog anymore. Maybe try more foraging activities such as food treats wrapped in seaweed or rice paper- both are totally digestible (just check ingredients to ensure they are totally bird safe ingredients)