Things You'll Need
- Fork or knife
- Bird toys
Instructions
Provide your bird with plenty of other toys it can chew on if it doesn't use the cuttlebone right away. The toys will help keep the bird's beak from becoming overgrown.
Use a fork or knife to scrape a little of the cuttlebone into your bird's food dish if it hasn't used it within a month. Adding crushed eggshells to your bird's food also works. In the meantime, keep encouraging your bird to use the cuttlebone.
Purchase a fresh cuttlebone. Older cuttlebones become too hard for some birds to use.
Flip the cuttlebone around so the other side is facing the cage. Cuttlebones have a soft and a hard side that you can identify with your fingernail. Most birds prefer the soft side; but some prefer the harder side.
Move the cuttlebone to a different location if your bird does not use it after a week or two. The cuttlebone should always be placed where your bird has easy access to it.
Turn the cuttlebone sideways. Some birds avoid cuttlebones because they are intimidated by their size. Turning the cuttlebone so it looks narrow can eliminate this problem. Most pet supply stores sell clips that will hold a cuttlebone sideways in a cage.
Soak the cuttlebone in water for about eight hours. Some cuttlebones have a fishy residue that makes it taste bad.