Parrots benefit from having many things in their diet, but is grit one of them?

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on February 03, 2014 at 12:00 PM, updated February 13, 2014 at 12:43 PM

Diet is an important topic no matter the species when you're talking about pets. It's one of the most oft-approached topics when I'm contacted by a reader via phone or email. What a pet eats directly impacts their well-being, so it's no wonder. Everyone wants their companion animals to live out healthy lives.

Those who have exotic birds — especially those in the parrot family — all have very different ideas about what their feathered friends should be eating.

Those that I know all vary from or between prepared avian diets specifically formulated for the species, seeds and nuts, fresh fruit and vegetables (many of these can be fashioned into a foraging toy) and even some lightly cooked warm food.

One aspect of the captive avian diet always lends itself to a bit of controversy: The idea of including grit.

It was once a firmly-held belief that these lovely zygodactyls must have grit in order to survive. Now that idea is questioned, and even frowned upon by some.

The two types of grit – soluble and insoluble — are very different.

Soluble forms of grit include cuttlebone and oyster shell, and is dissolved by acids as it makes it's way through the bird's digestive system. For this reason, the chance of it accumulating in the digestive system or causing an obstruction in very low. It is a source of calcium and other minerals, so in that way, it's beneficial.

Insoluble grit is most commonly in the form of silica, and accumulates in the gizzard, a muscular portion of the stomach that helps to grind up food.

It's not uncommon to see wild birds eat grit, after all, they need to eat whatever they find. Grit aids in removing the outer fibrous shell around some seeds (think something like sunflower seeds) if the seeds are eaten whole and not removed by the beak prior to going down the hatch.

Captive parrots face a much different scenario, and even though they eat seeds and nuts (which are often easy to separate), these birds are quite adept at removing the hulls and shells from these food sources with their beaks (and it's fun to watch them do so!).

Some parrots may eat too much grit if it's made available. This leads to irritation of the digestive system and in some cases, can cause an blockage of the crop, gizzard, or proventriculus.

On a side note, captive birds that are fed a poor-quality diet may also consume too much grit in an attempt to balance their nutritional requirements.

This all begs the question: Should grit be offered at all? It really depends on your bird.

The bottom line is that grit isn't necessary for parrots for survival. But, in taking into consideration the parrot's physiological and nutritional needs, a bit of grit offered every other week seems to be what most experts feel is helpful. Unlimited access to the soluble form is discouraged, to avoid the possibility of ingesting too much and damaging the digestive system.

As always, consult your avian vet for advice on your feathered friend's specific dietary and health needs.
