Birdie Tip: We use and recommend water bottles because they are more sanitary and provide clean, fresh water at all times to our birds. Birds are very easy to switch to a water bottle.
Bird Brain Information: Parrots and many other birds have a muscular gizzard or proventriculus that grinds the food. The lining of the ventriculus, called koilin, is hard and textured to aid in grinding the food. Most birds do not need grit. The only birds that need grit are those that swallow food whole, particularly hard foods such as seeds and corn, for example the chicken and pigeon. Parrots and other seed eating birds, such as finches, shell their seed and have no need for grit in the gizzard. Pet birds on pellet diets grind their food to a powder before ingesting and would not need grit either.