Grit is basically coarse bits of rocks that are meant to aid digestion in birds. It is usually fed to chickens, pigeons, and doves whose feed primarily includes seeds and grains. These birds do not dehull their seeds and therefore it makes sense for them to have grit in their diet.
However, grit is not needed in a parrot’s diet. A healthy diet for parrots primarily consists of soft foods like pellets, fruits, and veggies with seeds being in moderation. Also, parrots typically dehull before eating so they do not need grit to aid their digestion.
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What Is Grit?
Grit refers to tiny pieces of rocks that help birds digest their food. There are two main types of grit – soluble and insoluble.
Insoluble grit: Insoluble grit is made of crushed granite or other stones. This type of grit does not get digested in the stomach. It gets stored in the gizzard and helps in pulverizing the hard seed hulls that the bird has swallowed.
Soluble grit: Unlike insoluble grit, soluble grit dissolves in the digestive system. It is finely crushed pieces of minerals like calcium, crushed oyster shells, or cuttlebone. Soluble grit not only aids digestion but also provides essential minerals that birds need.
According to the Handbook of Avian Medicine, soluble grit does not last as long in the gizzard thereby, aiding the digestion when fed in moderation. On the other hand, insoluble grit collects inside the gizzard and may stay there for years before it is expelled.
How Does Grit Help Birds In Digestion?
Most birds swallow seeds whole along with their outer shells, which can slow down the digestion process for them.
When a bird swallows its food, it first goes down into its crop, where it is stored and softened.
From there, the food travels to the proventriculus, where the digestive enzymes break it down. It then moves to the gizzard, which is the muscular part of a bird’s stomach.
This is also the part where the grit is stored. Grit that birds consume does not get digested, rather, it is collected inside the gizzard.
The gizzard is the part of a bird’s digestive system that makes up for the absence of teeth in the bird’s mouth.
As the muscles of the gizzard contract and relax, the grit helps grind the ingested food into smaller pieces.
The gizzard with the help of grit grinds and mixes the food and sends it to the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed.
Grit essentially helps speed up the digestion process in birds by pulverizing the hard bits of food that would otherwise take longer in the gizzard.
Do Parrots Need Grit?
Grit is not necessary in a parrot’s diet. As discussed above, the primary function of grit is to break and grind tough foods such as unhulled seeds that some birds eat.
However, it is not needed by parrots because they typically dehull their seeds. Also, parrots do not swallow everything whole as most other birds do. In fact, parrots are capable of breaking hard foods such as nuts and seeds with their beaks.
This means they can already take care of hard foods by crushing them with their beaks so that their digestive system does not have to work more.
Furthermore, a captive parrot’s diet does not include many hard foods. Seeds and nuts make up a small portion of a parrot’s diet. So they do not need help in digesting their food.
Do Parrots Eat Grit In The Wild?
Many species of parrots that forage on the ground do eat grit in their natural habitat. Some of these parrots like cockatoos and macaws eat gravel while searching for food on the ground.
However, some parrots prefer less coarse grit. These parrots visit clay licks, which are deposits of soil near riverbanks. They eat clay, which is fine soil that helps in digestion and also protects them from toxins.
However, not all wild parrots eat grit. Lorikeets, eclectus parrots, and many others only forage for food on trees.
Why Is Grit Bad For Parrots?
A major risk for parrots consuming grit is crop impaction. If a parrot eats too much grit, it can accumulate in their crop, which can lead to blockages. This happens because the grit does not pass through the crop to the digestive system.
Some parrots can even develop gizzard impaction. This happens when too much grit gets accumulated in the gizzard. Insoluble grit does not get eliminated for a long time. Even soluble grit does not digest easily, so parrots can always be at the risk of eating more than they need.
A parrot may also overeat grit when its diet does not offer proper nutrition. Parrots on a poor diet tend to overeat to make up for the lack of nutrients.
When Can You Offer Your Parrot Grit?
You should only offer your parrot grit when your avian vet recommends it. If your parrot has issues with digestion or is suspected of lead poisoning, the vet may advise you to include soluble grit in your parrot’s diet. Soluble grit is often used by veterinarians to help parrots with minor blockages in the stomach.
How Can You Safely Offer Grit To Your Parrot?
Always consult your veterinarian before feeding grit to your parrot. Although soluble grit gets digested in their stomach, there have been numerous cases of crop impaction due to overfeeding.
Grit is not something that you feed every day to your parrot. You can serve about half a teaspoonful of soluble grit to your parrot. The grit should be included in the parrot’s diet and not offered separately.
If you keep grit in your parrot’s cage, they may eat too much of it. While choosing the soluble grit for your parrot make sure the product is high quality and does not include any pieces of gravel.
