by KimberlyAnn » Sat Jan 11, 2014 11:06 pm
I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude. Yes, you are right...parrots eat clay in the wild to detoxify with some of the foods they eat. Pet parrots may need some of this clay for nutrition, it does have healthy minerals, but they do not need grit. Grit is for birds who eat their seeds whole. Parrots can get impaction with sand and grit and substances that are not digestible or cannot pass through their crop. If eaten in excess by a bored bird, this can be a danger, especially if you can't tell if they are eating it. I would not be able to tell if my parrot was eating it because she's out when I'm home. If she was eating the paper towel on the bottom of her cage, I would see the missing bits right away.
In reptiles, I would not use this bedding either. It would cause an impaction with my snake. This is why I use a non-pine wood bedding and do not feed in my snake's tank.
I stay away from this type of bedding for both my animals because of the impaction issue. It's just too risky. Plus, I would not be able to see if there is a problem with droppings. On the light wood bedding my snake is on and the paper towel my bird has lining her cage, I can tell if there is an issue right away. This is more important for my parrot because they don't show signs of sickness until they are very sick.
Yes, the walnut granules might look nice in a pet shop, but there are safer and cheaper alternatives.
My family: "Emmi" Green Cheek Conure (12/15/2012), One husband, two step kids, and one baby boy born in January 2015!