Cuttlebones

[danielle]

Do you lovebirds usually like the? My birds wont go near it, i turned it sideways and moved it, I know that Jill needs it b/c she keeps scrathing her beak on her perch. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Buy A Paper Doll]

My birds go through phases where they won't touch their cuttle bones for weeks, then suddenly they start scraping away at them. My sister reports the same thing with her budgies.

It seems like they know when their bodies need the extra minerals.

I would suggest giving your bird some more time, perhaps she hasn't figured out what it's for yet.

[bubble]

my birds love cuttlebone...what i do is i remove the back (the really hard part) of the cuttlebone and cut it into very small pieces and put it with their food. they even fly to me when they i am in the process of cutting it :rofl:

[kimsbirds]

My birds can't be bothered with their cuttlebones UNLESS it's breeding season. All the calcium they need they get in their fresh veggies (collard greens, broccoli, kale) plus we offer cooked grains and nuts every day. All this in addition to their regular pellet/seed blend and their calcium levels are met naturally.
You say you know your bird needs it because she's scraping her beak on the perches, but infact, this action she's performing is simply a way to clean her face/beak after eating or if it feels uncomfortable to her. All my birds do this, especially after a messy warm meal LOL
If your vet determines your birdies need a calcium boost, you can scrape cuttlebone dust into our birdiebread recipe http://www.lovebirdsplus.com/community/showthread.php?t=190 and they will get some that way. I just scrape the surface of the cuttlebone with a butterknife and it flakes easily.

Hope this helps !!

K

[shylevon]

Birds will only use a cuttlebone for calcium when their bodies require it. It is therefor good to have it in the cage at all times so they can nibble when they need it.

Rubbing their beaks on the perches is a cat of another color. They typically do this to clean off their beaks, or if they have an itchy cheek. It has nothing in common with cuttlebones.

[Susan27]

My lovies LOVE cuttlebone. Yep, they love to figure out how to get them off, and love it when they crash to the bottom of the cage!!! (I need to invest in a cuttlebone company, I am giving them ALL their business!)

I have noticed what you all are advising. My lovies like them one week, not the next. Same with the mineral block I have in their cages. Today was a mineral block day, there was purple dust in a pile under Touki and Kiko's cage this afternoon. They haven't touched that in a month or two (they CAN'T get those off!)

[Ducky]

I've never seen mine so much as look as his. I've tried the plain ones and the ones with the flavored mineral stuff around the edges. No bite. I'm not even sure he knows its food.

Since he mostly just eats pellet/seed mix (doesn't eat veggies, though I've been trying) I've taken to just scraping his into his food mix. That way I know he's getting enough, and any extras won't hurt too bad.:)

[michael]

I've tried the small pieces test to see if Goof might get interested in one of the many cuttlebones I've got him, good thing their cheap, and so far its a no go. As far as beak rubbing and scraping, he'll rub his beak clear across the couch like a dog rubs its face across the lawn. And all over me too! Usually after a bath or sticky food munchies. Its really cute and funny to watch him do this.......Michael and the Goofy

[Chiappone]

I've only seen my guys at the cuttlebone once maybe twice so far that I've had them, (about 2 months now) but they make good use of the mineral block that's in the cage for them and it has some calcium in it so I'm not too concerned... My birds scrape their beaks too, but that's just their way of getting the mess off their face when they decide to finally eat something softer than their seed/pellet, or more recently after Lime gets done feeding Tequila.