Hello, haven't been on in a long time. I moved and my girls are doing wonderfully well, although one turned out to be a (noisy) boy!
Anyway neither of my Budgies have been interested in cuttlebones for as long as I've had them. They are always offered, but always thrown out unused.
Recently my girl has started to destroy the entire thing, including the hard part! Is this normal? I don't think she is eating it since there is a pile of crumbles at the bottom of the cage daily, but half of the entire thing is gone. I thought they leave the backbone and eat the soft part?

ruh rhoe sounds like your female could be getting hormonal and wanting to breed...watch for signs...dont know if you want babies but if you dont id remove anything shreddie..mirrors...reduce her gormet meals to straight seed no veggies and reduce the amount of daylight for her to 8 hrs till she reverts back to normal...and

REMOVE the male to a different cage ...that way if she still continues at least the eggs wont be fertile...have you caught them copulating and are you there all day to catch them if they do?

whats her cere look like is it getting extra crusty there LMB??

and ..welcome back

Hello, thnx for the response.
Yes, she is hormonal, crabby, & with crusty brown cere. Luckily she does not like the male and ignores all of his advances, will chase him away, bite/nip him, and prefers to be alone. I have been allowing her 12-14 hours of sleep in darkness, and separate them often during the day/evening - I do work from home. I don't allow mirrors except on their play gym, and baths and wet food limited during hormonal times. Luckily she has not laid any eggs in the nearly 4 yrs I've had her.
Is the destroying of the hard part of the cuttlebone normal? I thought they were just supposed to eat the soft part.

well im ruling out a molt seeing im sure you know about some being crabby during that time also and if she is going through maybe both at the same time ...could be the extra with the temper tantrums...i still recommend more darkness than what she is getting also...to 16hrs..with no ill affect to her...

is that cuttlebone flavored by any chance and do you also use a mineral block? If you do is she touching that? Mineral blocks are better too than a cuttlebone...but from what your saying she is destroying and not eating the hard part ..thats some bite on that little girl to be doing that...geeeeeeeesh.

I also still say separate them because something is frustrating her to all get out and where you say she would rather be alone maybe she is telling you something here..is her beak ok? Not extra long or anything?

im not sure whats normal for HER giggle at this time...myself ive never heard of a bird doing that not to say some dont...just ive never heard of it. Most wont even touch their cuttlebones. But here is a thought...if she is hormonal ...she wants to shred something for sure and if she doesnt have anything else to shred seems like she found something to appease that desire.

id say remove the cuttlebone and get or leave a mineral block in there...and try some powder or liquid calicum for awhile just till she forgets about this ...and no brocolli or parsley or spinach those are calcium inhibitors.

sorry i cant think of what this may be all about other than what ive mentioned. Its got me stumped..other than to make those suggestions.