"Raw" cuttlebone?

[Pureblood]

Hey guys,

does cuttlebone need to be somehow processed to be able to be given to parrots? My friend caught a cuttlefish and said she saved the bone for me (she knows I have parrots) so I wonder can I give it to the birds "straight out of the fish" or does it need to be cooked just in case or something...?

Thanks!

 

[TiredOldMan]

Interesting question. Looking forward to the answers.

 

[Owlet]

did a bit of googling and couldn't find anything about the process they go through after initial harvest, curious if anyone knows anything.

 

[Banana]

I have no clue either... I have something else to research! Do you mind if I ask the same question to see if I get any answers? If I do I'll share them with you...

 

[EllenD]

Actually you can buy fresh cuttlebone that has been simply removed from the fish and plopped inside of a bag. If you go to most Asian countries, they actually give their birds the cuttlebone part of the fish without even cleaning it. So no, you don't have to "process" the cuttlebone, the ones you buy in any pet shop or grocery store are simply the porous "bone" section of the cuttlefish cut out, cleaned, shaped and sized, and put into a box and sold. So if you catch a live cuttlefish or you find a dead one on the beach, etc., you can simply remove the "bone" section, clean it (I'd clean it, lol), and there ya go...(lots of people eat the "bone" part of the cuttlefish too, they add them to smoothies and health-shakes, just throw one in the blender...)

A lot of people also use the bone portions for metal-casting and other hobbies/trades that require a mold to be cut. It's a pretty versatile material...

 

[Terry57]

I have no clue either... I have something else to research! Do you mind if I ask the same question to see if I get any answers? If I do I'll share them with you...

Please don't post the same question again, that doesn't mean there will be more answers if there are 2 posts for the same question.

Thank you to the OP for bringing this question up, I never even thought about whether cuttlebones are processed in any way.

 

[EllenD]

By the way, just as an FYI, my mom is an artist/art teacher, and she orders fresh, uncut/shaped cuttlebones to use in making paintings and such (like you use a sponge)...She can't use the ones that you buy in the pet shop/grocery store because they're already cut/shaped and are too small/thin for her to do what she wants with, so she orders ones that come right out of the fish and are shipped so that she can shape/cut them the way she wants to. That's the only reason I know about cuttlefish bones, lol..

 

[Pureblood]

Excellent! I can perhaps cook it just in case, but good to know I can use it!

 

[Cardinal]

One of my friends who keeps African lovebirds, recommends giving cuttle bone as it is after you have procured it from a beach, may be just removing any dust off.
He says a wash, especially with hot water or a rigorous one with normal water may wash off all the good minerals.

Don't know how correct his assumption is.

 

[EllenD]

One of my friends who keeps African lovebirds, recommends giving cuttle bone as it is after you have procured it from a beach, may be just removing any dust off.
He says a wash, especially with hot water or a rigorous one with normal water may wash off all the good minerals.

Don't know how correct his assumption is.

That's exactly how they have been doing it in Asian/Pacific countries forever, they just collect them off of the beach and give them to their birds..

Cuttlebones aren't just about Calcium, but as you mentioned, they contain many different vitamins and minerals that are good for birds, people, etc.

 

[Pureblood]

One of my friends who keeps African lovebirds, recommends giving cuttle bone as it is after you have procured it from a beach, may be just removing any dust off.
He says a wash, especially with hot water or a rigorous one with normal water may wash off all the good minerals.

Don't know how correct his assumption is.

That's exactly how they have been doing it in Asian/Pacific countries forever, they just collect them off of the beach and give them to their birds..

Cuttlebones aren't just about Calcium, but as you mentioned, they contain many different vitamins and minerals that are good for birds, people, etc.

Hmmm so cooking would be a bad option then?

 

[EllenD]

One of my friends who keeps African lovebirds, recommends giving cuttle bone as it is after you have procured it from a beach, may be just removing any dust off.
He says a wash, especially with hot water or a rigorous one with normal water may wash off all the good minerals.

Don't know how correct his assumption is.

That's exactly how they have been doing it in Asian/Pacific countries forever, they just collect them off of the beach and give them to their birds..

Cuttlebones aren't just about Calcium, but as you mentioned, they contain many different vitamins and minerals that are good for birds, people, etc.

Hmmm so cooking would be a bad option then?

I hadn't caught your post about "cooking" them...No, you definitely don't want or need to "cook" them...think about what happens when you "cook" vegetables as far as their vitamin/mineral content, same thing here..plus, I'm not exactly sure what cooking them would do to the bone itself. They're very porous, and cooking them may actually change/alter their constituency...Either just give it the way it is to your bird, or simply "clean" it by rinsing it in warm water...