I dont know if anybody remembers or not but two weeks ago i posted a topic called runny poo or something equally silly. basically saying that my budgie had had dioreagh for a bit and then was beginning to get a lump on her bum.

 

well i finally managed to get him down to the vet today (dont panic it wasnt an emergency as such so he wasnt left in distress) The vet said it isnt a lump just swollen from having liquid poo for so long. She said apart from that he was fine, healthy as anything. We discussed his diet which is all fine (except i have to stop giving him veggies for a little while to see whats what) she asked have i been giving him grit and i said no as i read on a post here (cant remember who said what sorry) that it isnt good for budgies to give them grit and they didnt need it.

well anyway the vet said that was wrong and maybe what was causing mattie to have the problems. can anyone tell me if they know what is going on with the grit. my vet is consulting her "expert" in the field for me for further advice on the matter so i can fill you in tomorrow. So mattie is fine phew. (shame i cant say that for my rat who has to have an operation tomorrow to remove a lump wish me luck!!!!

my my my you do like opening a can of worms i personly give grit 24/7 but i think most people on here dont

my my my you do like opening a can of worms i personly give grit 24/7 but i think most people on here dont

hehehe i know what you mean.

i dont personally give grit, because i have always been told grit is to aid with digestion when seeds are swollowed whole as budgies dehusk their seeds is it nessacary? at college they mix in grit with their seeds "to trick" them into eating it. this i dont agree with. as for allowing access to grit i belive it is a personal choice. see what works for your budgie. this has probaly helped in no way what so ever sorry hehehe

ATD

MY Opinion: Budgies hull their seeds and so don't need grit. Many birds will easily over-consume it, one side effect of which is gravel build-up in the crop. This slows the rate at which the crop empties, which can lead to sour crop at best, crop impaction and death at worst. It also can impact the digestive system. That being said, I have given grit in the past to birds I had when I first began keeping them. Current thinking then was that all birds needed it. I have since changed my opinion.

 

I don't give my birds grit. They do have bird-safe cement perches in their cages which they use to wipe their beaks after meals, as well as calcium perches they can chew on if they wish. Here are a few links to read if you'd like.

 

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww58eii.htm

 

http://www.quakerville.com/qic/grit.asp

 

http://www.lovinghands.com/Birds/truth_about_grit.htm

 

http://www.tuxford.dabsol.co.uk/masterbree.../chap5grit3.htm

 

http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/articles/bird_grit.html

I stick to grit because they say it best for the bird to help digest there seed because they don't have a very good digestive system

my my my you do like opening a can of worms i personly give grit 24/7 but i think most people on here dont

Yes, hath, I agree.

I do give my budgies grit.

Lots of people say that budgies dont need girt as they have dehusked the seed.

I don't give my budgie grit for the reasons Rainbow mentioned. My boy also has a cement perch and calcium. We had grit in our cage and he wouldnt touch it so it's a waste of money in my case. Our vets advised against it. Personal choice i guess.

Again this seems to differ in different parts of the world. I take the middle option and offer oystershell at all times. This gives calcium and I have been told by a breeder that it is needed in the crop to aid the bird to dehusk their seed and grind it up. It has always been a question which many people differ on and I don't personally know whether it's right or wrong.I do know that both budgies make use of the oystershell as did the one I had which lived to be twelve and never once had to see a vet!?!

Julie

Budgies hull their seeds and so don't need grit

 

yes budgies do hull there seed but they also have a gizard like all birds and i belive that this can become ulcerated if grit is not given, i also believe the hens use the grit to help with the chicks when feeding them so they can produce the different consistencies the different ageed chicks need

i better put some more grit in that breeding cage. For when the babies hatch.

Edited January 13, 200520 yr by jack&ben

this is only my opinion

oh blimey!!!! thank you everybody for that... i see what you mean about can and worms hath!!! (Laughing out loud).

 

I guess it is a personal opinion very much across the board so i shall have a good think. just so you know my vet phoned me today and said that her professional vet who specialises in birds laughed when she told him what i had said and said that it is becoming a very difficult topic as new thinking is no they dont need it (haha) but that he believes himself that it is needed but he has also told my vet to give mattie some extra goodies to aid him in recovery, just some added nutrition to get him back on the mend properly. so it all worked out well.

I stick to grit because they say it best for the bird to help digest there seed because they don't have a very good digestive system

Untrue. Natural selection would dictate mother nature would make short work of a species that didn't have a good digestive system...

 

I'm glad your bird is feeling better, dozybeak.

hmmmm well i offered it with my other birds cos they ate seed. both tim and chiisai eat mainly pellets, along with fresh stuff (somtimes) and nutriberries, so they no longer need it. i offered it about every 2 days because my hen would eat it obsessively or spill it everywhere if she didnt eat it. i also have cuttle bone and a kaytee mineral block, but chiisai doesnt do anything 'cept poop on them.

my budgie has access to grit all the time. Its in a pot next to its seed. I have seen him take some every now and then.

i dont offer grit as my vet gave me a printout and it said that grit is not neccessary for parakeets and budgies. it can be provided (so long as the bird doesnt down it obsessively) but it is not a neccesity.

 

i think oystershell is a good idea though julie - as a source of calcium as well as aiding digestion. i may well give that a try.

I dragged this back to the top of the pile again because I searched on "grit" while trying to find out what others thought. So here is the can of worms - opened again. :(Laughing out loud):

 

When evaluating issues like this I always fall back on:

 

"What happens in the wild"?

 

Because that will give you a guide.

 

In the wild there is plenty of fine dust in grass roots and other ground ingested food so this probably satisfies some sort of "crop grinding paste" - (if TRULY needed) and is probably where the mineral requirement is satisfied.

 

In the wild UNHULLED seeds are passed in the poop and are a means that plants use to scatter seed beyond the normal drop range of the plant.

 

In my mind a cuttle probably satisfies the mineral and dust requirement. An occasionally ingested whole seed is probably of no harm - like in the wild.

 

As I've read that grit - even "healthy" oyster shell type - can cause impaction - I think grit is not needed. My four bouncing birds don't seem to be any the worse for not getting it. I don't find many whole seeds in the poop. I think they are pretty good at hulling seed correctly.

Edited February 9, 200520 yr by graemesmith

BUT!...................I can probably say the same about my two and they DO have oystershell!!!

I agree with your philosophy about recreating what would happen in the wild-that's the way I try to treat mine as far as possible,to that extent I have read that wild budgies will pick up tiny bits of gravel/stones etc to help grind their food. :book:

Who Knows?!?

 

Julie