Bird grit
Grit does a job for birds that teeth do for most other animals — it sits in the gizzard and grinds down whole seed and grain during digestion. This aisle covers grit sold specifically for cage and aviary birds, offered as a separate dish rather than mixed into feed.
Why birds need grit at all
Birds swallow seed whole, and without teeth, that seed needs something to break it down mechanically before digestion can properly happen. Grit held in the gizzard does exactly that, grinding whole grains the way chewing would for an animal with teeth — without it, some seed can pass through largely undigested.
Products like Happy Pet Bird Grit and mixed grit blends such as Jondo Mixed Poultry Grit or Mr Johnson's Poultry Grit combine mineral grit with small amounts of shell grit or charcoal, each doing a slightly different job in the digestive process rather than one single ingredient covering everything.
How to offer it
Offer grit in its own small dish separate from food and water, so a bird can take it as and when needed rather than having it forced into every meal. Birds generally self-regulate grit intake well when it's freely available, taking small amounts regularly rather than large amounts all at once.
Keep the grit dish topped up but not overflowing, and replace it if it becomes damp or fouled, since grit sitting in a wet dish can clump and stop being useful. A weekly check alongside general cage cleaning is usually enough to keep on top of it.
In this section
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Supa Chick Flint Grit
A fine flint grit for baby chicks and growing birds, to aid digestion, 1LTR
£4.99
Supa Oystershell Grit
An oystershell grit for chickens, to support calcium and eggshell quality, 1LTR
£5.25
Mr Johnson's Oyster Shell Grit
1kg of soluble oyster shell grit, providing calcium for bird bones and egg shells
£2.30
Johnson's Clean 'N' Safe Birds Disinfectant
A 500ml disinfectant spray for bird cages, aviaries, lofts and feeding equipment
£4.99
Supa Wild Bird Peanut Feeder
A 12-inch wire mesh peanut feeder, sized up to cut down on refills over winter
£5.99
Happy Pet Wooden Bird Ladder
A wooden ladder for cage or aviary birds, to encourage play and exercise
From£3.15
Happy Pet Wooden Bird Perch
Natural wood bird perches, a pack of two 12-inch perches, in a choice of sizes
From£2.59
Rosewood Recycled Wild Bird Seed Feeder
A 1.2 litre wild bird seed feeder that fixes to a wall, post or drainpipe
£15.00
Supa Wild Bird Feeder
A compact 7-inch wire mesh peanut feeder, a low-cost way to start feeding peanuts
£4.49
Rosewood Recycled Wild Bird Bottom Seed Feeder
25cm recycled bird seed feeder, washable, for small to medium birds
£9.00
Happy Pet Cotton Bird Perch
A cotton bird perch for cages, sold across sizes to help keep beaks and nails trim
From£4.19
Common questions
- Do all cage birds need grit?
- Most seed-eating cage and aviary birds benefit from access to grit, since they lack teeth and rely on the gizzard to grind down whole seed. Species that eat mostly soft food or pellets rather than whole seed generally need less, so it's worth checking what's typical for your particular bird.
- How much grit should I give my bird?
- Rather than measuring a fixed amount, offer grit freely in its own small dish and let the bird take what it needs, since most birds self-regulate their intake well. Keep the dish topped up and check it regularly rather than trying to control the exact quantity.
- Can too much grit be harmful to a bird?
- In practice this is rare when grit is offered separately and freely, since birds tend to take only what they need rather than overeating it. It becomes more of a concern if grit is mixed directly into feed in large amounts, which is why offering it in its own dish is the better approach.
- What's the difference between mineral grit and shell grit?
- Mineral grit does the mechanical grinding work in the gizzard, while shell grit also provides a source of calcium alongside its grinding action. Many grit blends combine both types along with other minerals so a bird gets more than one benefit from the same dish.
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Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.