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Fluffy Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10063
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Permission to place this article was obtained by a member of the Dutch forum. (To place it on the Dutch part of the site)
I assume it may be placed here too!
WARNING!! --- The Dangers of Grit in a Parrot's Diet
By Sybil Erden, November 2004
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Many birds arrive at The Oasis with a box filled with seed, pellets, toys ...
the things the bird had used in their former home.
Homer (name changed) is a Citron cockatoo who arrived with, among other things, a bag of grit.
Grit is generally a calcium fortified sand, rock and/or shell mix.
Grit is an important aid in helping certain birds digest food but NOT parrots!!
Birds such as finches and canaries (Passerines) and even chickens, must have
access to grit or sand to help digest seed, as their system does not have the powerful
muscles that the parrot's (Psittacines) system has. Passerines also have a larger opening
to pass these non-digestable particles out into the intestine. Parrots have strong muscles
to grind their foods internally, but a small exit opening, so that rocks, sand and shell can
remain trapped within the bird.
Homer's blood tests prior to his arrival at The Oasis six months ago appeared normal.
However, we noticed he displayed faint neurological problems. His neurological problems
intensified over time. A few days ago it was obvious something was seriously wrong and
we realized that he had begun to lose weight and was quite thin. We immediately took
him to our veterinarian in Phoenix, Dr. Todd Driggers who did new bloodwork on him and
took x-rays of the sick bird. The diagnosis was not good. Homer, fed this long-term diet of grit, is impacted ...
He cannot get enough nourishment to sustain himself. Food is not properly digested.
He cannot even get enough fluids to keep his kidneys functioning properly. As his kidneys
became involved, and high uric acid levels were released, calcium began to be deposited
throughout his body, attaching to his spine, fusing vertebrae.
Homer is in foster care at our Veterinarian's office, on life supporting gavage feedings and fluids.
We do not know what his prognosis is at this time; i.e., we are not sure whether the grit will
pass through and the kidneys will regain full use.
Homer may die ....
We ask you to take note! If you are feeding your parrots grit, throw it away. If your bird -
including little ones like Parakeets and Conures - no matter what the "pet store" told you - has
been on this diet for any sustained period, please take him to your avian Veterinarian for an exam and,
if necessary, an x-ray.
The life you save may be the life of the bird you love!
________________________________________
Copyright © Sybil Erden, Director - The Oasis Sanctuary.
Permission to re-use any part of this text
(whole or in part) must be obtained from the author. |
Monday August 21, 2006 1:28 pm |
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Lynzi Marie
Flying tumbler
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 2052
Location: Utah |
oh that's good I saw this!!! I just bought some calcium grit stuff for my CAG........
whew...I haven't tried it out yet on him....
that's good....I'll get rid of it.... |
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Friday December 1, 2006 7:35 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7401
Location: Canada, Toronto |
I've read too many bad things about grit. I don't even give it to my doves anymore. |
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Sunday December 3, 2006 12:16 am |
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cheekie_birdy
Experienced flier
Joined: 08 Jul 2006
Posts: 1719
Location: Canada |
oh Im soo glad you posted that Sue. Most people belive all that stuff about grit and that you should feed it to parrots. I read in a budgie book called Barron's pet care or something, it reccomended grit!!! Just imagine all the birds that are put at risk, just by writing about grit! 
I
had
grit at one time for fig, until, a great bird store owner did a talk on diet and housing at my birdclub, and told us the truth of grit.
He also reccomended Caged Bird Charcoal. It is supposed to help parrots out with digestion.
Haley |
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Sunday December 3, 2006 2:11 pm |
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Jrmno1
Flying tumbler
Joined: 28 Aug 2005
Posts: 2310
Location: Ohio, USA |
quote:
Originally posted by cheekie_birdy
He also reccomended Caged Bird Charcoal. It is supposed to help parrots out with digestion.
Haley
Please tell us more Haley, I have never heard of this. I am always interested in making our birds life better..
John |
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Sunday December 3, 2006 4:46 pm |
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cheekie_birdy
Experienced flier
Joined: 08 Jul 2006
Posts: 1719
Location: Canada |
Its charcoal stuff ground up into little bits..I think Its more for little birds, but it is supposed to help digestion and you can give it everyonce and a while. I have a little bag of it.
This is a link to the brand of charcoal..except the bag I have is blue..
http://www.petpeoplesplace.com.....ductid=589 |
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Sunday December 3, 2006 6:56 pm |
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