Question About Grit...

[Tocahcetan]

Hi! I'm fairly new here and at the end of this month (March 08) I will be getting a Crimson-bellied Conure baby. Everything is ready! The only thing that bothers me is grit. I have been reading a lot of conflicting statements about this. Does a Conure need grit or not? Can anyone help me please? Thanks! Blue

[Anneka]

You have everything you need; don't worry about grit. It is not needed and in fact, based on what I read, can only cause problems.

[Ashling]

I don't use grit- just newspaper changed daily. Less mess plus you can see the poop clearly incase there's something wrong with your birdy cause poops's a good health indicater ;D Welcome and congrats on your new baby on the way!

[svolk]

Parrots should not need grit because they hull their seeds. My understanding is that grit is sometimes needed for birds who consume the entire seed, and the grit aids in digestion. But since parrots hull their seed there should be no need for an aid in digestion.

I would incorporate, in addition to seed, a variety of foods into your conure's diet though, such as healthy fresh foods like vegetables (no avocado, chocolate, caffeine, processed foods/foods high in sugar/sodium).

[Tocahcetan]

Thank you all so much for responding to the 'grit' question. I haven't used it for any of my birds in the past but happened upon sites that spoke of it. Since this is my first Conure I just wanted to make real sure. In response, I do use newspapers on the bottom of the cage and definitely feed veggies and fruit as well. What brand of pellets does everyone use? Seed mix? Blue

[ROYJOY]

all the bad press about grit is urban myth, all birds use grit, parrots included. if you've ever observed birds in the wild, they all eat dirt. in fact your bird will live longer given fine sand. it took millions of years to evolve the gizard to use grit to grind food, whether it be seeds, nuts, meat, or vegetable matter. guess i will get the normal feedback from this.

[Freedomoflight]

Royjoy is right to an effect. All birds in the wild do use grit- the sand from the clay licks acts as grit as well as a detoxifer to the system.

BUT- our commercially available grit is not like the wild, natural grit. Too much commercially available grit can cause an impacted crop, among other things. Birds who hull their seeds are able to break down their food without the aid of grit. Birds like doves, who swallow seeds whole, need grit to help their body break down the seed into something that can be absorbed and digested.

[ROYJOY]

impacted crop is rarer than choking on a piece of steak, and hardly ever caused by grit, its just assumed. a few instances were blow out of proportion, and panic prevailed. cut open any gizzard and its full of sand. its supposed to be. commercial grit is also full of oyster shell shards, very pointy, but clean fine sand is good.