The Truth About . . . . GRIT

[Budgiekin]

Date Written: March 6, 2006
Author: Budgiekin

Please note: This article presents the argument against providing grit and does not necessarily reflect the views of the author.
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If you were to search on the internet, or in books about budgies for information concerning grit, don't be surprised if you find conflicting advice about whether or not you should be offering it to your precious pet budgie. Now is the time to settle the conflict once and for all!

Did you know that there are actually two types of grit? One form is soluble and the other is insoluble. Cuttle bone is an example of soluble grit. It actually gets dissolved by the acids in your budgie's digestive tract and can be an excellent source of calcium and other minerals. Since this type of grit dissolves, there is very little danger that it will accumulate in your budgie’s digestive tract and cause problems such as obstruction of your bird’s crop.

Soluble grit dissolves in your budgie's digestive acids (e.g. cuttle bone).

Insoluble grit is a sand-like substance that aids in the digestion of in tact seeds. This type of grit is necessary for birds such as pigeons, doves and ostriches as they consume whole seeds.

Comparatively, insoluble grit generally takes the form of silica (sand) and is thought to aid in the digestion of food. However, this is true only for birds that consume intact seeds, such as pigeons, doves and ostriches for example. In those cases, the grit aids in removing the fibrous outer shell around many types of seeds consumed by those types of birds. Budgies do not fall into this category since they hull their seeds before consuming them.

You may be wondering about the diet of wild budgies in the Australian outback and think to yourself that these budgies eat some form of grit, so therefore your pet budgie should be doing the same. What you should realize is that the diet of those wild budgies is much different than that of your pet budgie. Wild budgies must resort to whatever food is available, and not all of this food is easily digestible since many of the seeds have tough outer shells. Grit helps them break down those outer shells. Since pet budgies are generally fed seeds that can be easily hulled by their beaks, the seed portion that is eaten is easily digestible. As a result, no grit is required.

In fact, when budgies are offered grit, there is always the possibility that they will eat too much of it if it is made available to them. This is particularly true if their diet is lacking in nutritional balance. Nutrient-deficient budgies will often consume rather large quantities of grit, which can lead to quite serious, and even fatal conditions.

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So why shouldn’t you give your budgie grit? The answer is quite straightforward. Not only do budgies simply not need it to break down the foods they eat, grit can actually irritate your budgie’s digestive system. As well, more serious problems can develop from consuming it, such as the development of a blockage in the digestive tract (in the crop, ventriculus or proventriculus). At the very least, a blockage would make your budgie very sick, but even worse is the fact that your budgie could die if the blockage is severe enough.

The key to proper food digestion for your budgie is to provide your budgie with an easily-digestible and nutritionally-balanced diet that includes not only seeds (which your budgie hulls) and pellets, but also fresh vegetables and fruit. Grit is a completely unnecessary addition to your budgie’s diet.

References:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=1835&articleid=2652
http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/20facts.html

[Dave]

Nice article. Thanks for submitting.

[Amy]

Very interesting!

[ETAHoffman]

Yes, there ARE two schools on this issue. The "Non-usage" of grit is a fairly new one. I have been feeding my budgies grit for 50 years and plan to continue doing so. I've always had very healthy, big birds. I use only the best blends of seeds and other supplements. Plus, of course, I provide cuttlebone AND mineral blocks.

[Amy]

I provide a cuttlebone and mineral block but I have never even thought of using grit and I won't, but I do use oyser and egg shell.

[Mistyoriline]

I only provide the good grit:)

[brendayoung]

i have always used grit but not sure if i should stop it brenda

[ally and flock]

amy oyster sheel is just as bad as grit.

[Babyluv12]

I've never used it either for the reasons mentioned in the article..Budgies hull their seeds.

[BUUZBEE]

I have always used grit and always will... i am not going to get into a debate about this again. the fact of the matter is any bird that dies from "crop impaction" (and there aren't many) has an underlying problem, causing it to overeat the grit that soothes their insides. I have always said, follow the directions, they are very clear. I only offer grit for about 5-10 minutes a few times a week. I have seen enough birds naturally pick up sand and stone and eat it, helping them digest and process the seeds. My granddad was a bird keeper all his life and taught me how to care for them, he never had any birds die from impaction. I follow his directions taught, and I too have never had a problem.

Now is the time to settle the conflict once and for all!
this will never be settled!

[Meghanxx4]

I think grit is fine occasionally, but everyday i don't think it is neccasary. I personally don't give any of my birds grit. But i don't think a very little amount is bad for them occasionally. I think people just abuse it and blame it on the grit. It is really your own preference though. It is such a high debate. Strong believers of the 'no grit' rule even say that cuttlebone is bad because it contains a small amount of grit, and instead of cuttlebone 'manu' should be given. I give my birds cuttlebone, always have always will. But Cuttlebone is a whole new debate so ill stay on topic. and rest it at that.

[colcol]

i provide cuttle-bone, mineral-blocks and ground oyster shell...

[xxxIcarusxxx]

I don't use grit. Even the canaries don't get it. And they are doing great.

[Sabine]

Nope no grit here either but I have a cottle bone and a mineral block.
But my birds show little interest for either one.

[Romiles]

All birds have gizzard. a horny, tough muscular organ with very strong lining. Its purpose is to grind down larger food particles both by its muscular action and by its gstric enzymes.

An imperative inclusion in the gizzard is the presence of the soluble and insoluble grits without which the lining of the gizzard breaks down and ulcerates thus gives rise to secondary diseases.


Nature has designed this organ to contain grits to function well.

I've always included grits in our aviaries and never had encountered any problem with it in our birds for many years.

[Squeak_Crumble]

cool article

[colcol]

I've always included grit in our aviaries

in my opinion grit is essential...

[redgirl]

I stopped using grit a while back when the debate was on about it, however I use it now and then and my birds seem fine, wondering now though whether to use it again :S

[Budgiekin]

I am of the belief that offering grit as an occasional treat is not a bad thing, unless your budgie has some kind of health condition that would make this a bad idea. I'd watch for budgies who consume copious amounts of it as this can indicate an illness in the digestive system.

[colcol]

i've also heard that powdered charcoal can be beneficial aswell...

[BUUZBEE]

I'd watch for budgies who consume copious amounts of it as this can indicate an illness in the digestive system.



You hit the nail on the head. With the few cases of crop impactions studied, they over ate the grit to soothe their digestive system caused by other illnesses.

As i've always guided, DONT leave a grit source in the cage/aviary 24/7. Offer it for 10 minutes max and then remove it. With my gang in the aviary. I keep the grit in the bird bath stand. The saucer is removable for washing, and the base is almost all sand with about an inch of grit on top. They are only allowed access when i am washing the saucer. They know it time, fly down and go nuts with it!

[Jet Blue]

Well i use grit and i have had no problems!

[Budgiekin]

It is certainly true that many people have safely used grit with their budgies. Again, it is important to make sure budgies aren't consuming copious amounts of the stuff as this can often signal a nutritional deficiency which can lead to health complications. ;)

[colcol]

Well i use grit and i have had no problems!

nor have i, they just take it as and when needed, which is quite rare anyway...

[Squeak_Crumble]

amy (or anyone) never give your birds egg shells!!!!! then if they have eggs its likely they will eat them(it happens with most birds)

[BudgieBudgie]

This is the article that made my mind up about grit. From Holistic Bird.org

Grit

Hookbills neither require or naturally seek out any source of grit, whether it be silica based or soluble mineral based. Do not confuse this with the needs of certain macaws who eat clay to supplement lacking minerals in their native diets.

In my humble opinion, grit of any nature does not belong anywhere in the parrot diet or environment. They are simply not equipped physiologically to process it. With the documented problems of GI impaction and irritation, why should this even be a consideration? From the perspective of soluble mineral grits, the overriding factor should be if the bird suffers from a deficiency in these minerals. If so, supplementation would be the logical and sensible alternative. I personally can see no reason to ask for problems. Patrick Thrush

Almost all Australian parrots have access to grit. This probably horrifies all you North Americans. But before you get me up before the animal cruelty groups, we NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, see any problems with grit. My vet, President of the Australian chapter of AAV, has only ever seen two instances of impacted crops in 15 years of practice.

One was a tiel with a crop full of human hair from over preening his owner, and the other a lorikeet which had gone crazy with mango (understandable) and had a crop full of mango fibres. It is one of the great mysteries of aviculture why North American parrots are apparently so willing to get their crops full of grit and suffer impaction, while Australian birds never get this problem.

My own theory is that our birds are just more intelligent!<G> I do know that every parrot I have autopsied has had some grit in its gizzard, and I believe that grit does help the bird to more efficiently grind up the seed in the gizzard, thus reducing physiological stress. Also all wild parrots apparently have been found to have some grit in their gizzard, and I don't think they would swallow it if they didn't find it useful. I do acknowledge that grit is not essential, but I do believe it is useful. So, grit is a mystery, even RHH comment on the paradox, and the latest edition of Australia's text on bird health, "Everybird" 1994 edition, still recommends that grit be made available, which we do without problem.

I must start out by emphasizing that my comments refer only to those species of parrots I am personally familiar with, that is the Australian parrots, Lovebirds, and Asiatics. Unfortunately Macaws, Amazons, and many other species of non-Australian parrots are extremely rare here in Australia, and outside my price range to keep.

I can assure those doubting that wild parrots intentionally consume grit that, from my own observatons, they do deliberately pick up and swallow grit. I have watched flocks of Corellas, Galahs, Major Mitchells, budgies, and other species, deliberately land on sand banks in dry inland river beds and peck away and swallow sand grains. It is a deliberate action on their part. In addition we all know the incredible ability of parrots to manipulate even very small seeds with their beak and tongue, while husking and then swallowing the seed. Given that ability, it is highly unlikely that a wild parrot would accidentally swallow grit.

What is surprising is the large amount of grit usually to be found in the gizzard of an autopsied wild parrot. A Rosella for instance might have up to 50 grains of grit in the gizzard. These range in size from perhaps white French millet size, down to almost microscopic size - presumably reflecting the amount of wear that the grain has undergone. At a recent Parrot Convention held in Grafton that I attended, one talk was by an avian vet, and was a demonstration of how to autopsy a parrot. The "victim" was a road kill Galah, and it's gizzard had a pile of grit in it - almost half filled!

Birds that do not hull their seed such as finches, doves and quail have to have grit to properly digest their seed. Finches will die from starvation if they don't have grit in their gizzard. As for how the practice of giving grit to parrots started, I would think it far more likely that it was as a result of both watching wild parrots and seeing what was in the bird's gizzard when wild parrots were dissected.

Actually when an autopsy is done on a seed-eating parrot, it is surprising just how much seed seems to be swallowed unhusked. Some birds might have 20% or more of the seed in their crop which is unhusked, particularly the smaller millets and pannicums.

Parrots can certainly live their whole lives without grit. The question is whether having a significant amount of grit helps that bird to have a less-stressed (= more efficient) digestive system. I believe that it does. Anything that makes it easier, and more efficient for the bird to grind up the seed before the digestive system gets to work must be a help to the bird.

This idea that a sick bird will gorge on grit is a common one in the USA - all I can say is that I have never, ever, come across such a case. I have never seen an autopsied parrot with a gizzard full of grit and never seen grit at all in the proventriculus. I also find it incredible that a single vet in Florida sees hundreds of grit impaction cases a year, while Australian vets see none! Something is wrong here. Perhaps with USA vets not having exposure to wild parrot autopsies, they are not used to the large amount of grit that can occur in healthy wild birds. What they are diagnosing as gizzard impaction, to Australian vets might be a healthy and normal grit load for a bird.

My mention of crop impaction was solely because no case of gizzard impaction was seen, although some of the list stories from the USA do refer to crop impaction due to grit being a problem.

One could get speculative here, so here goes! While parrots can digest their food without grit, perhaps birds have indeed died from "grit deficiency". Perhaps, as some later replies have alluded to, an absence of grit might lead to a long term digestive system problem due to inefficient absorption of nutrients due to inefficient grinding of seed. Such a deficiency may never show up as a primary cause of early death, but may result in a depressed immune system, and result in a bird having an earlier death than it should have. One could speculate in all sorts of directions here, but it will remain purely speculation. Even designing an experiment to test that hypothesis is daunting, never mind funding the 20 year lifespan of a project which would involve hundreds of birds!

Some comment has been made about possible compositional differences in the grit provided. I don't believe that is of any relevance. The grit used by Australians tends to be whatever is handy. As long as it is small (about millet size) then it doesn't seem to matter, if it is quartz, crushed volcanic rock or any other rock. Some use river sand, others beach sand, and others quarry crushings. My mix - a local river sand sold by landscape yards - is probably about 75% silica, with the rest being a real mixture. As I mentioned previously, crushed shell grit is useful only as a calcium source, it dissolves too quickly, and is too soft, to be of value in gizzard grinding.

While I am happy and relaxed about giving my birds unlimited access to grit, I neither encourage nor discourage anyone else to provide grit. It is a choice that has to be made by each individual, like the choice to feed pellets or seed (or neither!). And, as always, if in doubt - DON'T.

cheers, Mike Owen Queensland Australian Rep. World Parrot Trust.

Most avian veterinarians and aviculturalists in the U.S. no longer recommend feeding grit to birds. No one is even sure that birds in the wild "purposely" consume grit, even though small gravels and sand have been found in the contents of the proventriculus and gizzard of various wild parrot specimens. Some think that these gravel and sand particles could be debris that was stuck to food eaten from the ground or other surfaces.

The original idea of offering grit to parrots is thought to have been borrowed from poultry. Chickens and turkeys do need small bits of sand to grind off the hard outer coatings of seeds in order to digest them but parrots crack the seeds they eat before swallowing them. Not only do parrots use their beak and tongue to crack seeds and prepare them for digestion, they have hard ridge-like structures on the base of the upper beak and inside the mouth to aid in crushing hard food.

Birds have one stomach divided into two sections. The proventriculus is the "true" stomach and it adds digestive juices to the food. The second part is the gizzard (ventriculus)--a muscular stomach that grinds and pulverizes the food as it moves through the organ. Considering that so many birds have lived their entire lives without ever consuming grit and without developing digestive problems, the gizzards of parrots that crack their seeds obviously are capable of accomplishing their task without the benefit of grit.

As Mike said, Dr. Harrison wrote about the fact that the feeding of grit is controversial and he wrote that it is "viewed with disfavor in the U.S. but frequently offered to companion birds in Australia with few ill effects". He goes on to say that birds fed "formulated diets" (pellets) are unlikely to need grit. He further states that as a compromise, a Cockatiel-sized bird can be offered five grains of grit biannually and a Cockatoo-sized bird can be offered a half-teaspoon of grit biannually. Dr. Gary Gallerstein recommends that smaller softbill species such as Canaries and Finches get two pieces of grit per week.

The most serious problems of feeding grit to parrots occur when a bird that is sick, and therefore has an abnormal or "deranged" appetite, has access to unlimited grit. Dr. Joel Murphy, holistic vet of Tampa, Florida and author of HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR PET BIRD, says that he treats hundreds of cases of grit impaction every year at his clinic. He said that whenever a parrot has a case of "indigestion", and a bowl of grit is available, the bird usually eats enough grit to fill the gizzard and often the proventriculus too. He said that he doubts that a parrot in the jungle would find that many small rocks to consume at once if they had a similar digestive upset, and that the effect of eating this large amount of grit is like a person eating enough gravel to fill his stomach, and often results in death. He recommends not feeding grit at all but says that if you do, you should not give more than two pieces of grit to a bird in a six month period.

Since Mike's vet in Australia has seen only two instances of impacted crop in 15 years of practice, I am very curious about the difference in numbers between Dr. Murphy's "hundreds of cases a year" and Mike's vet's experience. It would be interesting if we could poll Avian vets in both countries. I have a feeling that neither of these numbers are "average". Maybe there is a difference in the type and/or size of grit fed in the U.S. and Australia. Obviously, something is different! Could we be talking about two different parts of the anatomy? Mike mentions "crop impaction" while U.S. literature mentions proventricular and ventricular impaction.

A parrot owner who worries about grit impaction might keep in mind that parrots can and do digest their food without grit. There are many Avian medical problems that we cannot prevent, but this is a problem that can be avoided. Also, it is worth noting that while birds have died due to crop or gastrointestinal impaction, no birds have died of a "grit deficiency". This should be of some comfort to those bird owners who are uncomfortable with the idea of offering grit to their birds. If one does decide to feed grit, soluble grit is said to be preferable since it eventually will dissolve and pass out of the bird's system. Impaction of the gizzard will frequently resolve on its own with the help of X-rays and endoscopy for diagnosis of the problem, and supportive care and antibiotics. Surgery of the gizzard is difficult and is considered only after all other treatment modalities fail.

Dr. Robert Linville, DVM of Vallejo, California states, "Birds that hull their seeds do not require grit. Although they seem to enjoy picking at it, overeating grit can irritate and even obstruct the gastrointestinal tract. If grit is used, it should be provided in very small amounts. A few grains of grit a week is more than enough. We recommend a firm no-grit policy (exception is passerine birds such as Finches and Canaries)."

Since the benefits of feeding grit are an unknown, and the chance for impaction is a known risk, it seems that free choice feeding of grit to the larger parrot species might not be justifiable. Perhaps a happy medium could be reached by using only the vet-prescribed amounts of grit for the specific bird species detailed above, rather than the free choice feeding of grit for all parrots. Carolyn Swicegood

Maybe there is a nutritional link in the grit problem. Australian birds, on the whole, are fed very differently to American birds and as Mike pointed out many Australians use sand on the bottom of their cages.

Using sand as a grit source would provide silica. Speaking as a naturopath (because I'm definitely not a bird expert), silica is the mineral that controls the distribution and absorption of calcium (which is why re-mineralizing formulas for arthritis contain silica). Silica is also the mineral for "removing pathogenic waste".

A bird that became impacted from over-indulging in sand/grit could be instinctively trying to normalise it's mineral balance.

Children (and animals) that eat dirt are treated with the Celloid mineral Calc. phos. or homoeopathic Calc. carb. which would again imply a link with the calcium/mineral balance.

I wouldn't discard nutrition as a cause of excess grit intake. I wonder what the diet is of these birds that suffer impaction from grit? Do birds that receive mainly a seed diet have the same incidence of this?

Carole Bryant (Naturopath),

Carole, Thanks for the info. on silica. I did not even think of sand as being a source of anything :( So I will have to do some reading. I have been sprinkling it in the flights but it was more to keep the poop from sticking to the concrete...or the steel floor in one flight. Aside from that quite a bit always gets blown in and they're down there pecking at it. The breeding cages also wind up with sand in food and water in small amounts daily. When I empty the water there is always a little grittiness to the bottom. So nature has obviously been taking care of the birds needs :)

Today I spent a lot of time in and out of the back door which resulted in tracking in quite a bit of sand. The house birds all have babies right now including a new hatch today...which in watching them they randomly picked at the sand. I let a few of the parent birds that are in the dining room flight and they went foraging in the sand build-up. They've been doing this for years with no ill effects to the babies or themselves...I just never thought about it before.

Another thing the house pets go nuts over is when I take out a tub of margarine or butter for toast for me...they attack the margarine/butter like vultures and shove each other out of the way. Which got me to wondering what is in there? Many tiel babies have been fed margarine (small amounts) from the parents, again with no ill effects. The only thing that I could think that would generate this response is possibly *lecithin* which I believe is used as the thickener/stabilizing agent. I think *choline,* which cockatiels tend to have a higher need for, is one of the active (??) ingredients of lecithin. So that is on the *To Do* current study list....and sources such as saturated (animal-egg) or polyunsaturated (vegetable) I do know that hardboiled eggs are looked at as a take it or leave it thing. So I think I'll be looking at plant sources I can possibly grow that elicit such a response.

Susanne
Holistic Bird.org (http://www.holisticbird.org/pages/dgrit.htm)

[lilifield]

No expert here and I don't buy it myself, but I think in moderation they must need it, I'll tell you why. At least once a week all of our birds fly down to the carpet and peck and eat "something", I don't know for sure but I have strong suspicion it's tiny dirt particles that are trecked in from outside. I keep the carpets pretty clean, but we live in a woodsy type area where you can't help but treck a little of it in the house. They stay down there about 10-15 minutes pecking away. If I just vacuumed they will fly across the room near the mudroom and peck the floor there.

[colcol]

although i have certainly offered (oyster-shell) grit in the past and there is still a little left in their cage. i have noticed over time that they haven't ventured towards it and used some for ages, similar thing with the cuttle-fish bone. though, i will obviously continue to supply the c/f bone, but not the grit.

[ETAHoffman]

Again, I use grit and will continue to do so. In addition, I have a cuttlebone always hanging AND a calcium block in each cage/aviary. I keep a small dish of grit available at all times. Occasionally, I actually see a bird at the grit bowl. Apparently their bodies tell them when they need it............. Again, no problems.

[trixa]

so is mineral block more advisable than cuttlebones?:) just asking..:D

[Rebeccaveggie]

I use grit and cuttle bone.

[trixa]

i use both mineral block and cuttlebone..:P i think a mineral block contains cuttle bone in it..:D

[BudgieBudgie]

Mineral block and cuttlebone are two different things, nutritionally... Probably safer to keep both. Also, do you have an iodine block? Iodine blocks are very important to birds on a seed diet. 'Though I don't know if yours are converted to pellets yet. :o

[budgie_first_ti]

mine love there iodine blocks and cuttle bone must get some more mineral block though