Mineral Block vs. Cuttlebone

[Inger]

Hey all! I've always had a cuttlebone in Bumble's cage, and she ignores it until she molts, at which time she devours it. Yesterday I was watching a bird person on TikTok (Bumble loves to watch the bird videos!) who seems pretty knowledgeable and mostly says things I know to be true about bird care. Anyway in this particular video, she mentioned that mineral blocks are better than cuttlebones for a variety of reasons, including having more than just calcium in them, cuttlebones can apparently become brittle with age and cause crop impaction, and (probably this one hit me the hardest) cuttlefish are over-harvested and of course we need to be aware of that.

I've always resisted mineral blocks because most of them I've seen seem to have a lot of artificial color and who knows what kind of flavor, but now I'm wondering if I should change my stance. I'd love your thoughts (and if you have a specific mineral block you/your fids love a recommendation would also be appreciated). Thanks!

 

[Caecilius est in horto]

At the parrot store I work at, we sell mineral blocks that include dried bugs too, and the owner says they're good for parrot's health. Perhaps try finding one of those? I think they usually use the bugs for colour in them

 

[Jcas]

I use cuttlebones but my birds don’t go through them very quickly. From the research I’ve done, both cuttlebones and mineral blocks work just fine. The only thing I would do is try to avoid blocks with artificial colors or flavors if possible. That’s the main reason I’ve personally chosen to stick to cuttlebones; they’re just more natural. If you feel better about switching to a mineral block then go for it

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Thank you for this information! I use both cuttlebone and blocks. The birds enjoy destroying the cuttlebone, so I frequently have to replace them. I find they will nibble the blocks as they need.