Canary Food: Grit
As you provide canary food for your canary you must know what's good and what's bad and what's somewhere in the middle...
On one side of the fence...there are those that subscribe to the theory that your canary needs the grit in his gizzard to help digest the canary seed.
On the other side of the fence...are those that insist that your canary does NOT need grit. These people say the grit is unnecessary because your canary hulls his seeds before swallowing. In fact many think that eating a bunch of grit is unhealthy for your canary and may result in a premature death.
And then there is me. I'm sitting...ON the fence. As far as I know there have been no published studies on this debate and so I guess no one knows for sure whether canaries need grit or not.
Lets ask the canary...
- If you put some grit in the cage will the bird partake? Yes!
- Will the bird partake of the grit if he has no use for it? I don't know but he's eating it. So...
I prescribe a moderate approach. I give my birds grit about half the time. I'll put the grit in for a week then remove it for a week then put it in for a week then remove it for a week.
Simply put, "Every other week."
"Can't we all just get along?"
Forti-diet Pro Grit is great as a nutritional supplement to canary food. It includes calcium and phosphorous and so, is useful whether your canary needs grit or not.
***Low Maintenance Tip***
Put a small canary food dish inside his cage as a permanent piece
of furniture. You can use it whenever you offer a snack (some canary
food such as egg food can't be clipped to the bars) and once every
couple of weeks you can add a thin layer of grit. He'll consume the grit
until it is gone. This way you don't have to worry about taking the grit
out. Just let him use it till its gone then in a week or two add a
little more.
***End Low Maintenance Tip***
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