I feel like an idiot

Mamanda said:

What's the difference between zupreem & Harrison's?

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lexx510 said:

Mamanda said:

What's the difference between zupreem & Harrison's?

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Zupreem (along with most of the other pellet brands carried by big chain pet shops) is full of crap, basically. It mostly consists of a few filler ingredients (such as soy meal) mixed with a bunch of preservatives and synthatic vitamins that are known to be toxins and carinogens. If you're able to dicipher the ingredient list, you'll be amazed at what you discover. It's pretty much like feeding your bird fast food with a mixed in multi vitmain for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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nofearengineer said:

lexx510 said:

Mamanda said:

What's the difference between zupreem & Harrison's?

Click to expand...

Zupreem (along with most of the other pellet brands carried by big chain pet shops) is full of crap, basically. It mostly consists of a few filler ingredients (such as soy meal) mixed with a bunch of preservatives and synthatic vitamins that are known to be toxins and carinogens. If you're able to dicipher the ingredient list, you'll be amazed at what you discover. It's pretty much like feeding your bird fast food with a mixed in multi vitmain for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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I'm going to have to call shenanigans on this post, lexx. You make some big statements about Zupreem that are pretty unscientific.

I dug up the ingredient lists of two comparable Zupreem and Harrison's pellets:

Zupreem Fruit Blend:
Ingredients: Ground Corn, Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Vegetable Oil, Wheat Germ Meal, Sucrose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Ground Fruit (Bananas, Oranges, Apples and Grapes), Iodized Salt, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, L-Lysine, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Colors, Artificial Flavors, Canthaxanthin, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin K Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Biotin, and Vitamin B12 Supplement.
[FONT=&quot]Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein: 14.0% min, Crude Fat: 4.0%, Crude Fiber: 2.5%, Moisture: 10.0%[/FONT]


Harrison’s Adult Lifetime Super Fine:
Ingredients: *Ground Yellow Corn, *Ground Hulless Barley, *Ground Hulled Millet, *Ground Soybeans, *Ground Shelled Peanuts, *Ground Shelled Sunflower Seeds, *Ground Lentils, *Ground Rice, *Ground Green Peas, *Ground Alfalfa, *Ground Toasted Oat Groats, Chia Seed, Calcium Carbonate, Montmorillonite Clay, Ground Dried Sea Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Sea Salt, Spirulina, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.
*CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENT
Guaranteed Analysis: Crude protein (min.) 14%, crude fat (min.) 6%, crude fiber (max.) 4.5%, moisture (max.) 10%.

I'm not knocking Harrison's at all. I'm sure it is a fine product. I do frequently see a bit of Harrison's snobbery though. I think certified organic is good. However, it can also be abused as a marketing tool.

The reality of the situation is that if you're feeding your parrot properly, your pellets are just supplemental filler anyway. Fruits, nuts, fresh and frozen veggies, and whole grains should be what they're eating, with the pellets making up the difference.

Let's let our elitist snobbery only apply to those feeding seed diets (I do it too ).

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TOP Organic Bird Pellets

100% Organic Pellets are an excellent addition to your birds diet!



Exceptional Quality All ingredients are Human Grade and Certified Organic.

For All Size Hookbills

Readily Accepted by Many Birds!

All Natural An all natural source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients for a happy and healthy bird.

Naturally Preserved with Rosemary, Rose Hips, Lemon and Orange Peel

No Artificial Anything No Artificial Preservatives like BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin. No artificial colors or flavors. No artificial vitamins. No sucrose/sugar added.

No Animal Products or animal by-products.

No GMO No genetically modified organisms.

Product Information and Ingredients

Suggested Use: TOP pellets are an important part of a complete diet. Feed approximately as much as your bird will consume in a day. Some days birds will eat more than others so the amount will fluctuate. Discard the remainder and feed fresh pellets each time. Consult your avian veterinarian if you have any specific diet related concerns. Although an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals, we believe that no pellet can provide 100% of a bird’s nutritional needs. Please be sure to feed vegetables, fruits, nuts, and some seeds for a varied diet.

Certified Organic Ingredients: Rice, barley, sunflower seed hulled, alfalfa leaf, sesame seeds unhulled, quinoa whole, buckwheat hulled, millet hulled, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, purple dulse, rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemary whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, and nettle leaves.

Guaranteed Analysis: Protein 15% Max, Fat 6% Min., Crude Fiber 6% Max.

Pellet Processing: Designed by avian nutritionists to be the best diet on the market today. TOP pellets are cold-pressed (not extruded or baked) to keep natural enzymes, vitamins, and other nutrients intact.

Storage: Store in a cool, dry place, free from insect infestation. Refrigeration is not required. Pellets can be frozen to extend shelf life. Once opened, please reseal in original or similar container.

Ingredient Highlights

BROWN RICE: Is a nutritious, wholesome staple food containing a sizable quantity of minerals. Its 8 amino acids are so proportionately balanced that it has the highest protein digestibility among staple foods.

SUNFLOWER SEEDS: One, if not the most, nutritious and healthy foods to be found in the dried fruits sector. They have a high content of healthy unsaturated fatty acids, contain important nutrients like vitamin E, selenium, copper, zinc, folate, iron and phytochemicals, plus are a rich source of proteins and fibers.

ALFALFA LEAVES: Loaded with health-building properties. Their contents are not only balanced for complete absorption, but they help assimilate protein, calcium and other nutrients.

SESAME SEEDS: Loaded with minerals, especially high in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, and are so high in vitamin E that its oil or meal is often used as a preservative. Contains all amino and essential fatty acids known today.

QUINOA: A perfectly balanced ratio of amino acids and is rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements. 4.3% of those are Alpha - Linol acid, an essential fatty acid which is, otherwise, only found in fish

MILLET: A complete food, rich in minerals (especially calcium) and vitamins, particularly lecithin, which is important for the formation of healthy feathers.

DANDELION LEAVES: A rich source of beta carotene, vitamins D, B complex and C. They have a very high potassium content, as well as numerous other minerals, like the bone, nail and feather-strengthening minerals calcium, boron and silicon. Dandelion leaves are good for a sluggish liver, to remove toxins from the liver and gall bladder and to help cleanse the blood.

CARROT POWDER: One of the top rated vegetables, providing protein, calcium, iron, and the vitamins A, C, and B, the phytochemicals alpha carotene, p-coumaric, clorogenic acids and the carotene complex.

NETTLE LEAVES: Helps the blood break down proteins, making it a natural kidney and adrenal cleaner.

SPINACH LEAF POWDER: An excellent source of beta carotene, vitamins C, E and K, calcium, potassium, iron, sodium, sulphur, folic acid and oxalic acid. They contain more protein and chlorophyll than most vegetables.

PURPLE DULSE: A sea vegetable that is a natural source of essential minerals, especially iodine, vitamins, ions, sea salt and roughage.

ROSE HIPS: Contain an extremely high amount of natural vitamin C, and are, therefore, a great antioxidant and strengthener of the immune system. They are also very rich in beta carotene, vitamin B-complex, E and rutin.

ROSEMARY: A stimulant for the circulatory system and strengthen the nervous system. Used as a heart tonic, for respiratory ailments, gout and rheumatic pains.

CAYENNE AND RED CHILI PEPPERS: High in vitamin A, C, iron, calcium and contain vitamin G, B-complex, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur. It is a harmless internal disinfectant, increases the effect of other herbs, cleanses the blood, wards off and equalizes blood circulation, increases heart action but not blood pressure, and helps prevent strokes and heart attacks.

Why we don’t have soy, peanuts or wheat in our pellets.

SOY BEANS
There is more and more disturbing data found about soy beans and products. Soy beans in their natural state contain large quantities of natural toxins and there is data that soy is cumulatively toxic when fed to animals. For example, The PARROT SOCIETY NEW ZEALAND claims that soy products in bird food have caused such problems as immune system breakdown, failure of organs and multiplication of the birds' own benign bacteria.

PEANUTS
It seems that more and more birds develop allergic reactions to peanuts, so we view them as a great treat for birds that are not allergic to them, but not part of their daily diet.

WHEAT
Wheat is a common allergen and contains about 80 different components that can cause a negative reaction. The number of people that are allergic to wheat and wheat products is raising daily in alarming amounts. If that is the case for humans, and we are not sure how it acts in birds, better safe than sorry.

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Spiritbird said:

Harrisons does have the highest percentage of fats and I know with zons you have to be careful with that. Rosie eats about 20 - 25 large pellets per day, snacks and her mash at night. You should see her after she eats he mash. Cannot even see her beak. That is why she says dirty beak.

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