Question...are cuttlebones a must?

[Evelyn]

I was wondering about this, I have heard they aren't as long as nutrition is good, but I want to do the right thing for Noel..As we do not know her background the past 2 years of her life, I don't know if she has ever had one..but if she should have it , I will get her one..

 

[jamie]

If she is getting plenty of calcium in her diet then you can skip the cuttle bone, however she might enjoy chewing on it. I'd go ahead and get her one or even consider getting a mineral block- that will also help keep her beak in good shape.

Is she eating pellets, seeds, vegetables? Broccoli is a good source of calcium I grind up egg shells when I make bread for my birds as a source of extra calcium. I put the shells in a blender with vegetables and water and puree everything together until it's smooth. I use this as the liquid in the bread mix.

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Squeeky has a cuttle bone and mineral block and he just loves it!!

 

[birdlover82]

I have one in with Gwen but she rarely ever touches it. I also have a mineral block in there too which I don't think has ever touched.

 

[Babybreau]

Birds seem to know what they are missing. If you offer it, they may or may not enjoy it. It also helps them wear their beaks down so they don't get overgrown.

 

[Prince Toasty Buns]

I try to always keep cuttle bone in the flights of my cockatiels especially and periodically give it to all my other flock members. My Tiels will run to it when put in their flights (if they have been without for a short time), even before they will go for the fresh food, treats or water that I just changed. My advice is to keep it in the cages/flights, make sure you keep any debris scraped off it.

I buy it by the 25 lb. box since I have a large flock.

 

[birdlady]

My parrotlet Kiwi loves hers! She goes through them like crazy. For her since she loves running around on the bottom of her cage, I just keep one or two down there and she goes to town!

 

[atvchick95]

I can't remember where i read it - i'll try to find it in a bit

but the article said something along the lines of

cuttle bones are not absorbed by the birds in a way that it gives them any calcium or at least not the amount they need. They're more of a shredder toy to the birds

but even with that saying it was pretty much pointless to give them a cuttle bone - all mine get them anyway and to be honest I don't know if they consume any of it i know they make a huge mess with them but they get fed Zupreem Fruit blend Pellets, leafy greens, veggies, cooked foods. and some seeds. So even if they're not actually absorbing/consuming the cuttle bones I know they are still getting their calcium in other ways.

some of mine do nothing but stand on it and rub their beaks on it - others devour them - this why i'm thinking they're not consuming it I have several birds that will go through a big one in a day and that is 2 birds in one cage not a lot of birds to one cuttle bone lol but i had some who wouldn't look at it, then about a year later they were devouring them - guess they knew what was needed and decided it was time to use it. they haven't stopped devouring them since lol

 

[Prince Toasty Buns]

Why I am pretty sure it does do birds good to eat cuttlebone is because I also give my Tiels (other birds too sometimes) Zupreem Fruit Blend pellets, along with leafy greens, brocolli, etc. and even with those foods they still run and consume the cuttlebone. I do feel birds know instictively what they need when they need it - just a matter of having what they need available to them at all times or periodically at the very least.

My Tiels definitely do not use the cuttlebones as shredder toys at all, they consume them but I do agree that some birds do use them as you say.

 

[Welshanne]

All the cages with us have a cuttle bone tied up on the bars and also a mineral block.
The cuttle bone can be there for months and then suddenly it is eaten and attacked at a fair rate of knots and suddenly gone.
I think also it is when their bodies need it they go for it, and always keep a few spare in the store cupboard to replace them when this happens.
The mineral blocks have a lot of scrape markings over them so obviously used from time to time.
think if they are there then they have the choice rather than going without.The cuttle bone I drill two holes through and thread some string and tie it to the bars. Bit fiddly to do but worth the effort.

 

[atvchick95]

All the cages with us have a cuttle bone tied up on the bars and also a mineral block.
The cuttle bone can be there for months and then suddenly it is eaten and attacked at a fair rate of knots and suddenly gone.
I think also it is when their bodies need it they go for it, and always keep a few spare in the store cupboard to replace them when this happens.
The mineral blocks have a lot of scrape markings over them so obviously used from time to time.
think if they are there then they have the choice rather than going without.The cuttle bone I drill two holes through and thread some string and tie it to the bars. Bit fiddly to do but worth the effort.

we do ours similar we drill a hole in and use Picture wire (SS) to tie it to the cage bars

we buys ours in bulk so they don't come with hangers lol

 

[Beatriz Cazeneuve]

As previously stated by other posters, cuttlebone is not only for calcium (I'll go into that below) but also for sharpening/buffing the beak and to satisfy their chewing needs (chewing alleviates stress) so, even if your birds did not need the calcium in them, they can still enjoy the chewing.

As to calcium, unless you are exposing your birds to direct sunlight (not through windows) for a minimum of 30 minutes a day so they can produce their own vitamin D3, they can get no benefit out of the calcium in cuttlebone, mineral blocks or any food rich in it (like broccoli) because the body needs vit D3 to be able to absorb the calcium. There are sources of vit D3: any animal product (only animals produce vit D3, not plants), vitamin supplements, enriched food (like pellets), calciboost (avian liquid calcium), etc. The biggest problem with D3 is that is a fat soluble vitamin and it was never meant to be ingested but to be produced by the body so, when you feed too much of it, the body cannot get rid of the excess so it ends up stored in the liver in the form of fat which will, in turn cause hepatic lipidosis (aka fatty liver disease).

I give my birds cuttlebones but more for the entertainment value than anything else because I take care of their calcium needs otherwise.

 

[Prince Toasty Buns]

Bea,

Thanks for supplying that info.

Do you know how long Vitamin D3 in foods like pellets or whatever, actually lasts? How fast does time degrade the vitamin (even when in a sealed bag) or exposure to air, humidity, etc.? Thanks.