Salt-addicted cockatiel?

[trafficcones]

Hi! I´ve been unable to find an answer to this odd question I have, so I *just* registered to ask here ^_^
My cockatiel, Squid, really likes eating salt. He will sit on my table and eat the crystal chunks out of the dish. There is a cuttlebone in his cage + he has access to fresh water and drinks it all the time (even has a glass of his own when hes downstairs)
Do I just have a weird bird?? He will try and steal salty crackers out of my mouth too

 

[LaManuka]

Hi! I´ve been unable to find an answer to this odd question I have, so I *just* registered to ask here ^_^
My cockatiel, Squid, really likes eating salt. He will sit on my table and eat the crystal chunks out of the dish. There is a cuttlebone in his cage + he has access to fresh water and drinks it all the time (even has a glass of his own when hes downstairs)
Do I just have a weird bird?? He will try and steal salty crackers out of my mouth too

Welcome to the forums, @trafficcones and salt-loving Squid! I would have to recommend you get him to kick his salt habit, as it can be bad for his health, just the same way that too much sodium can be bad for people too. Many parrots do seek out mineral clay in the wild, which does contain some amount of sodium at much lower concentrations, so perhaps that's what your bird is craving? Some bird food manufacturers make products to mimic those found in the wild, Hari make a product called Clay-Cal, so perhaps you could try supplementing his diet with that instead

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My budgies love salt but I try to keep them away from it. I allow them an occasional taste. Your bird sound normal but try to limit it as much as you can.

 

[rheashard2]

Salt is something birds, dog people and more love and become addicted too. My first CAG would remove salt crystals from crackers. He and I loved salty foods. I cut back on my salty foods to guarantee he didn't have access to salt. Find a bird safe substitute that you both can enjoy. I switched to pure, dried, spicy peppers. Jalapeno, cayenne, crushed red and habanero are just a few easy to find.

 

[trafficcones]

Welcome to the forums, @trafficcones and salt-loving Squid! I would have to recommend you get him to kick his salt habit, as it can be bad for his health, just the same way that too much sodium can be bad for people too. Many parrots do seek out mineral clay in the wild, which does contain some amount of sodium at much lower concentrations, so perhaps that's what your bird is craving? Some bird food manufacturers make products to mimic those found in the wild, Hari make a product called Clay-Cal, so perhaps you could try supplementing his diet with that instead

Thank you! I'll look into it haha. I hid the salt dish this morning and he was looking all over for it