# Pigeon who likes to eat cigarette ash?



## Billy-jake (Jan 17, 2010)

Hi
My pet pigeon loves to eat ash from the ashtray...
We don't smoke around him, and I don't GIVE it to him, but when we first got him he would dive on an ashtray and gobble it up! 
It's not really a problem since he doesn't have much access to ash anymore, as we only smoke in the kitchen where he isn't normally allowed.
Although if he sneaks in when I open the door he will still try and go for any ash flakes... 
I am just curious and wondered if anybody else has experienced this?
I would think it is not very healthy for him, but I wonder whether he can get nicotine from the ash and this is why he craves it?
I have heard pigeons like charcoal, but he isn't interested in that, only cigarette ash!
Any thoughts on why a pigeon loves cigarette ash so much?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi

Have to admit that's a new one on me 

I wonder if it is because he is actually needing some minerals/trace elements that he is not getting? 

Even with a good varied diet, and pigeon grit, there are things which still may not be contained in what they get. For instance, we provide our pigeons with a 'mineral cake' about once a week - this is a block which can be crumbled into dishes, and which contains essential minerals. Our pigeons just go nuts for it! One of them even clings to the wire when we approach the door and 'asks' for it 

John


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## LovesPijjies (May 21, 2010)

Hubby rolls his own cigarettes ad I am constantly stopping Vanilla from pecking the tobacco remnants out of the ashtray.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

http://zachary.avianavenue.com/BirdSafety.html


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Pigeons do eat ash and they won't mind if the ash is from a cigarette or from burned wood but I am not sure what is the difference between both and associated health issues if any


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

John_D said:


> Hi
> 
> 
> I wonder if it is because he is actually needing some minerals/trace elements that he is not getting?
> ...


Yup...that'd be my take on it too. Ashes are gritty...grit is gritty...that's what the pigeon is looking for...Grit...(not ashes).

Get some grit. And make sure he doesn't start hitting the Bourbon in the liquor cabinet !

(but seriously...ashes are terribly toxic for your pal).


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## shawn arnold (Nov 9, 2009)

Mine started doing the same thing a couple days ago. Now they follow me around and peck at the ash while I'm watering.


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

Jaye said:


> Yup...that'd be my take on it too. Ashes are gritty...grit is gritty...that's what the pigeon is looking for...Grit...(not ashes).
> 
> Get some grit. And make sure he doesn't start hitting the Bourbon in the liquor cabinet !
> 
> (but seriously...ashes are terribly toxic for your pal).


What I have noticed is that as long as ash is available, they will go for it too, despite the fact grit is available or not.


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## NYBOY (Sep 15, 2009)

What kind of cigarettes are you smoking?


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Get some good Pigeon type Grit...

Mine used to eat Cigarette Ashes also, long ago...and once I began providing Pigeon Grit, they stopped.

I have seen them eating Wallboard, and White mineral accumulations on out door Walls from Water Sprinklers also at times...possibly looking for Potassium and or Calcium compounds.


There is no Nicotine in Cigarette Ash.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*Charcoal*

*Feed this bird grit and oyster shell, a good grit should have small bits of charcoal in it. Birds eat this Charcoal as it helps clean out toxic elements from their system.*GEORGE


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## Billy-jake (Jan 17, 2010)

Hi
Glad to know he is not the only one! I have always thought he was a bit of an oddball lol.
He would go for the ash even though he had plenty of grit available.
I stopped the grit a couple of months back, because he had a HUGE coughing fit one morning and was bringing up showers of grit, I thought he was choking so I took him to the vet who advised to stop the grit as this may have been the cause/contributed to it.
He hasn't coughed since, but I intend to get a replacement for missed out vitamins/minerals, or a better grit for him, since he seems to miss it.
Maybe a grit with more shell/charcoal and less pebbles?


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Was it a purpose mixed pigeon grit you were giving him? 

John


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## Billy-jake (Jan 17, 2010)

I don't think so, it was from a local pet shop. I think it was a bird-general mix. It had oyster shell and pebble fragments mainly.


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## Billy-jake (Jan 17, 2010)

Oh, I have heard cuttle bone is good for them. I want to get some for him, might be a better option and is easy to get hold of.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

If the fragments were small it should've been OK, and oyster shell is good. Cuttle bone would be OK if it were well crushed. They eat crumbly grit. 

This is a pigeon-specific grit

http://www.everythingforpets.com/category/use.dept.84/

Scroll down to Beyers Pigeon Grit Extra


John


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