Cuttle bone?

Do Senegals need a cuttle bone?
or is it across the board that all birds need a cuttle bone?

maybe its a dumb question since no one bothered to answer me on another board? (hope you guys respond)
if it is, just tell me......

OF COURSE ALL BIRDS NEED CUTTLE BONE!

thanks,
Joan & Marnie

You know, I have no idea....I actually don't use them but feed a varied diet. I read somewhere about toxins in them, although I can't remember exactly what the problem was????

Cuttlebone is a good source of calcium so are esp good for breeding hens. I'm sure I read somewhere there are negatives with them but I can't find where I read it. I don't have them in the cage all the time but I give ground up egg shell regularly mixed in the food so they get calcium there and from the heaps of green veges

Hi Marnie, sorry to hear that you had problems getting answers on another board, great bunch of folks here, sure you'll do much better as well as feel at home here, as to cuttlebone, birds don't need cuttlebone, they do however need calcium in thier diet for such things as blood clotting properties,bone strengthing and the help in preventing egg binding in females just to mention a few, thus the use of cuttlebone, its high in calcium, on the other hand, to much calcium in the diet is not a good thing either, if your senegal is on a pelleted diet he or she may be getting enough calcium already, most manufacturers add a good ratio of calcium to pellets today, as mentioned (washed) crushed egg shell is another good source, I stoped using cuttlebone years ago after seeing a Jacques Cousteau special featuring the cuttlefish from which they get cuttlebone, smart little squid like critters, thought to myself, what a waste to kill them just for cuttlebone.....oh well thats just me.
take care and have fun here........Bob.

I put a cuttlebone in Max's and Jade's cages the first week each of them came home. Both of them just pulled it down and dropped on the floor of the cage. Now I give them a varied diet and crushed eggshells about 2x month.

As for toxins, pretty much anything commerically processed has toxins...the trick is managing the levels. So, if you can ensure your birds are getting enough calcium through diet and eggshells, it's probably better for your flock.

Marnie said:

Do Senegals need a cuttle bone?
or is it across the board that all birds need a cuttle bone?

maybe its a dumb question since no one bothered to answer me on another board? (hope you guys respond)
if it is, just tell me......

OF COURSE ALL BIRDS NEED CUTTLE BONE!

thanks,
Joan & Marnie

Click to expand...

Hi Marnie, remember to question is a dumb question, if you don't know the answer !!!!
Below is a fantastic link pertaining to cuttlebone

Mishka, my AG only bit into the cuttle bone, when it was attached to toys, in between the wood. On it's own, she stayed well clear.
I make sure she gets enough vitamns in her mixes etc. Twice a month, she gets eggs + the shells.

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird-talk/archives/articles/bird-nutrition-2004-02-27-1237.aspx?cm_sp=InternalClicks-_-RelatedArticles-_-bird-magazines/bird-talk/archives/articles/bird-nutrition-2004-02-27-1237

Hope this is helpful

I do not use cuttlebones. My bird eats Harrisons pellets which are loaded with vitamins. Once in a while I will mix in the egg shells with other foods. I once put a cuttlebone in the cage and she did not touch it at all. I figure if she needed it should would have bitten into the bone.

thanks everyone. she is not mych into her pellets anymore so i'll put the cuttle bone in there to see if she has any interest.
yes, i understand about killing the cuttle fish for their bone, but thats the way humans are i guess. we kill things to get what we want/need.
its always been that way and won't ever change.

My birds get cuttlebones.

I don't use oyster shell because most beds are contaminated and I don't use crushed eggshells because I can't get the 'good' kind of eggs all year round. I also don't feed pellets (by the way, Spiritbird, I know of several hens that became eggbound on Harrison's pellets) but I do feed a VERY varied diet with lots of stuff high in calcium and they do get direct sunlight as well as artificial UV light for the vit D3 without which all the calcium in the world is useless. And I also give them avian liquid calcium (very sparingly) but, during breeding season, I find the only way to maintain a good balance between the sexes is to give them cuttlebones.

antoinette said:

Marnie said:

Do Senegals need a cuttle bone?
or is it across the board that all birds need a cuttle bone?

maybe its a dumb question since no one bothered to answer me on another board? (hope you guys respond)
if it is, just tell me......

OF COURSE ALL BIRDS NEED CUTTLE BONE!

thanks,
Joan & Marnie

Click to expand...

Hi Marnie, remember to question is a dumb question, if you don't know the answer !!!!
Below is a fantastic link pertaining to cuttlebone

Mishka, my AG only bit into the cuttle bone, when it was attached to toys, in between the wood. On it's own, she stayed well clear.
I make sure she gets enough vitamns in her mixes etc. Twice a month, she gets eggs + the shells.

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird-talk/archives/articles/bird-nutrition-2004-02-27-1237.aspx?cm_sp=InternalClicks-_-RelatedArticles-_-bird-magazines/bird-talk/archives/articles/bird-nutrition-2004-02-27-1237

Hope this is helpful

Click to expand...

Thanks for this link, according to this cuttlebone contains no toxins because it's a natural product - unlike man made mineral blocks. For birds such as mine who flatly refuse to eat pellets and in Argyle's case won't touch egg cuttlebone seems a good inexpensive source of calcium, however for pellet fed birds it is probably unnessesary - perhaps even dangerous to add cutlebone.

I have no reason to believe cuttlebones have any dangerous toxins - if they do this would be news to me. However the argument that they are a natural product rather than man-made therefore they are safe is .... foolish (that's the kindest word I could give to it).

Most of the most toxic things on the planet are "natural". Natural almond flavor is not from almonds, it's benzaldehyde extracted from peach pits which also contain cyanide - and a measurable amount of cyanide comes with it. Artificial ("man-made") almond flavor on the other hand is simply synthetic benzaldehyde - no cyanide.

"Natural" is the greatest sales gimmick in generations. It in no way implies something is safe - occasionally it is quite the opposite.

AD, I know what you mean. I've bought some things in the past, labeled as 'natural'. Of course, I bought them with good intentions; but looking at the label... it said otherwise. Shopping intentionally should mean looking at all the ingredients listed on the container. Sorry about straying away from the topic.

Anyway, cuttlebone is certainly a resource commonly found that can truely be labeled as 'natural'. I've never heard of man-made cuttlebone.

I only put the cuttlebone in my keet's cage for a few days per month since she's on a pellet diet. However my tiel needs it 24/7 because I'm in the process of converting him from seeds, and plus, he's clumsy. LOL The calcium can give him stronger bones in case he takes a bad fall, which he does sometimes.

No! you do not need to use Cuttlefish. it's just an easy way of having calcium available at all times.
I always have a few pieces around for them. As well as Mineral block.
Roxy after her egg laying absolutely got stuck into the Cuttlefish. Don't worry I also put four crushed egg shells in the treats.
The others do not touch it that much, but have the odd nibble. So I take it Roxy was aware of her own needs. Good girl.
If you were to pick Cuttlefish from the foreshore, then you would have to sterilize it.

I always push 'Natural is Best' And I never mention about a poison that a tribe use on the points of their spears. It kills in 10/12 seconds. 100% Natural.
So yes you still have to know what is what.

Oyster shell I would not use as I understand it may have sharp edges. this is with my Tiels that is. Tiels do not need grit as such, as they break the seeds open to eat.
In saying that, I do notice my Tiels will now and again, pick things out of the pot plant soil.

As said above you will not go past sunlight, exercise and good varied diet, for good health.

Hello, i have a budgie not more than 3 weeks and he will not touch anything but his seeds, i cant find cuttlebone fish in the pet-stores where i leave but i am fishing sometimes cuttlefishes, and i am wondering what procedure does the bone need to be ready for my budgie.
Any advice would be highly appreciated.

asvestomix said:

Hello, i have a budgie not more than 3 weeks and he will not touch anything but his seeds, i cant find cuttlebone fish in the pet-stores where i leave but i am fishing sometimes cuttlefishes, and i am wondering what procedure does the bone need to be ready for my budgie.
Any advice would be highly appreciated.

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Can i use a bone that i took straightly from a cuttlefish? or that would be bad for the Budgie?