Atwee921
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Are flavored cuttle bones bad for birds?
Are flavored cuttlebones worse than plain cuttlebones?
- Thread starter Atwee921
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- Aug 20, 2009
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When I attened classes on bird care it was said by multiple instructors that cuttle bones and mineral blocks are ineffective. A waste of money. The birds should be getting there minerals an calcium in the diet.
Pedro
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I guess that would depend what they use as flavors. I have never seen them in Aust.
I think i would stick to the plain cuttlebone myself. I do know it's good for tiels. Especially a egg laying hen.
I think i would stick to the plain cuttlebone myself. I do know it's good for tiels. Especially a egg laying hen.
MikeyTN
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Its effective enough that when my hens are laying they chomp on them exclusively. If its not effective, why does the hens eat them? Only when laying....other times they don't... so that part can be debated. I've never seen flavor added cuttle bone???
MikeyTN
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Well geeze Pedro....you got it in before I did...lol
Rio Mom
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The cuttlebone Rio has is chille flavored, he doesn't pay too much attention to it, once in a while grabs at it.
OP
OP
Atwee921
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- Thread starter
- #7
Well as you can see from my signature Im getting a cockatiel and its my first bird! I'm just wondering if they are bad for birds. Here is a link to them: PETCO Flavored Cuttlebones at PETCO
MikeyTN
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"Dixie"LSC2, and "Nico" Scarlet Macaw.
I would stick to plain. If they need it they will eat it. It does not have to be flavored. All my female birds tend to know what it is during egg laying season. I give it to them plain. If your getting a male tiel, really no need to buy it. Mineral block, fruits and veggies is sufficient.
Pedro
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That's strange Spiritbird because if i didn't use these products when i breed, some of the chicks would surely be calcium deficient. Not to mention the parent hen becoming deficient as well. I have had 20years of breeding & have found that is does work. I also can't keep up with the cuttlebone when my birds are breeding so i figured they knew what was good for them.
That said the bird would have to eat the correct amount from their diet to do any good. They need adequate levels of Vit D3 which helps the absorption of calcium by the intestines. Birds kept indoors without exposure to sunlight will not form enough Vit D3.
Spiritbird what were you advised to give in the form of calciun especially for a breeding hen feeding chicks???
That said the bird would have to eat the correct amount from their diet to do any good. They need adequate levels of Vit D3 which helps the absorption of calcium by the intestines. Birds kept indoors without exposure to sunlight will not form enough Vit D3.
Spiritbird what were you advised to give in the form of calciun especially for a breeding hen feeding chicks???
Ratzy
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I wouldn't go with coloured ones, natural is fine.
As for the calcium stuff, it's great, but my budgies usually just destroy it and don't eat much, so I use liquid calcium as well.
And they can't immediately convert it so it is used for bones and stuff, so it's not so good for egg binding ( off topic, but Marigold survived and is doing well in the aviary!!! ). With that you have to crop needle or syringe feed liquid calcium straight in!
As for the calcium stuff, it's great, but my budgies usually just destroy it and don't eat much, so I use liquid calcium as well.
And they can't immediately convert it so it is used for bones and stuff, so it's not so good for egg binding ( off topic, but Marigold survived and is doing well in the aviary!!! ). With that you have to crop needle or syringe feed liquid calcium straight in!
- Aug 20, 2009
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Since none of here are bird experts I would ask your avain vet. Just because a bird may peck on these things does not mean they are effective.
Rio Mom
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I had thought that Rio would use the cuttlebone to help wear down his beak, is there something to use for this instead of the cuttlebone?
- Aug 20, 2009
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Pedro I am relaying what I was taught in the multiple nutritional classes I attended at Phoenixf Landing classes. They may not have been talking about breeding times but as a routine supplement. The last word in this of course is the avain vet where one takes their bird.
Irissama
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My vet told me that mineral blocks and cuttlebones are a good thing to have. As for the cuttlebone, I never used any "flavored" one, besides one that had a big yellow part around it that smelled like banana.
I stopped using it when my birds started all having yellow or pink faces.
I stopped using it when my birds started all having yellow or pink faces.
- Aug 20, 2009
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Oh well, guess I am over ruled on this one. That is ok, I can take it.
- Aug 20, 2009
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They make beek buffers now that are designed to clean and buff the birds beak.
MikeyTN
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Its really not needed if your not breeding or egg laying hen.... mineral block would be good enough to grind and polish beak. Sand perch does the trick too!
Pedro
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Found this link to be a good source of information.
Avian Health Care
All that said i remember something said at a bird club meeting years ago that calcium wasn't absorbed by parrots I really don't know what the true answers are but the only source of calcium I use for my birds is cuttle bone or the blocks as well as a balanced diet. However i do know that we can overdose on the liquid calciums. My Vet recommends powdered calciums over the liquid.
Avian Health Care
All that said i remember something said at a bird club meeting years ago that calcium wasn't absorbed by parrots I really don't know what the true answers are but the only source of calcium I use for my birds is cuttle bone or the blocks as well as a balanced diet. However i do know that we can overdose on the liquid calciums. My Vet recommends powdered calciums over the liquid.
