BirdTricks pellets?

aether-drifter

New member
Jan 12, 2013
437
0
Portland, OR
I have conflicting feelings in general about BirdTricks.com; on the one hand, I know they've borrowed most of their ideas and training methods from more respected behaviorists. I don't like how everything they sell has to be a big, expensive kit or bundle or a whole "system." On the other hand, I do like some of the content on their blog, and the YouTube videos that Jaime does are nice.

But, I digress! I'm just curious as to whether or not anybody has tried their pellets. BirdTricks.com Products
They claim they are 100% natural, organic, and provide energy NOT from fat, carbs or sugar. I'm highly suspicious of that claim, considering just about everything grain-like in any way is a carb, but I'm curious about the ingredients (which are not disclosed on the site). It could be that they are similar in quality to TOPs, but more readily accepted, and if that's the case I might be tempted to try them.
 

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
I never knew they sold products. Sounds like they really know how to make a profit for themselves! Selling kits or 'whole systems', basing training methods off other behaviorist's expertise and capitalizing on it... Using TOPS as their own? The company must get a cut if that's true? Hmm, thinking of what business I can start - they make it sound too easy LOL!

Anyway, I don't know too much about them, just basically who they are- Womach brothers and one's wife. They seem pretty fortunate. I know a lot of bird people don't care for them.
 
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DallyTsuka

New member
Mar 19, 2011
1,331
1
Ontario, Canada
Parrots
Dallas and Tsukasa (Cockatiels)
Mango and Munchlax (Peach Faced Lovebirds)
i'd be leery if they dont even post the ingredients online. what do they have to back up ANY of the claims they are making? i dont know, i'd look into a different, more reliable pellet. like, the real TOPS? i hear great things about them!
 
OP
aether-drifter

aether-drifter

New member
Jan 12, 2013
437
0
Portland, OR
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From what I know, it is tops pellets rebranded

Haha...I should have guessed!

I never knew they sold products. Sounds like they really know how to make a profit for themselves! Selling kits or 'whole systems', basing training methods off other behaviorist's expertise and capitalizing on it... Using TOPS as their own? The company must get a cut if that's true? Hmm, thinking of what business I can start - they make it sound too easy LOL!

Anyway, I don't know too much about them, just basically who they are- Womach brothers and one's wife. They seem pretty fortunate. I know a lot of bird people don't care for them.

i'd be leery if they dont even post the ingredients online. what do they have to back up ANY of the claims they are making? i dont know, i'd look into a different, more reliable pellet. like, the real TOPS? i hear great things about them!

Agreed on all counts. ;)

I tried TOPS once and my birds wouldn't eat them, but maybe I should try again. Though I know they don't contain vitamin D3, so I would feed them in a pellet mix only. My tiels eat really well so I don't mind giving them their Fruity Zupreem, but for my overweight and more picky galah, I'm trying to balance finding things she will actually eat with finding things that are the healthiest.
 

jakrob4

New member
Mar 24, 2013
34
7
Melbourne, VIC Australia
Parrots
Abby - Hahns Macaw
Lulu - Lovebird
Ziggy - B&G Macaw
Their ingredients are stated here "Rice, hulled millet, barley, alfalfa leaf, sunflower seed hulled, sesame seeds unhulled, quinoa whole, buckwheat hulled, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, purple dulse, kelp, rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemary whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, nettle leaf." Feed Your Flock Pellets ? The Best Out There They are tops pellets no doubt about it. Tops seem like great pellets, they seem to make the only pellet that gets its nutrients from real food rather than the same chemicals used in multivitamins or cheaper feed grade versions.
The only problem is when you look at their ingredients in order of what quantities are used and the fat level they look like they are mostly cheap grains and alfalfa. For them to be only 7% fat the sunflower and sesame quantities would be quite low meaning anything on the list above them would make up the majority of the pellet. I also have a problem with their Sea kelp and purple dulse quantities. Sea kelp contains massive amounts of iodine and should be used very sparingly and purple dulse also contains fairly high amounts. They either have too much sea kelp in the recipe or anything lower than it on the ingredient list is in extremely low quantities. Excess iodine can cause thyroid problems. I haven't heard of any thyroid problems from eating tops pellets so it might not be an issue.
If you give your bird:
As much unfiltered sunlight as possible for Vitamin D3,
sweet potato,mango etc daily for Vitamin A,
sunflower seeds daily for Vitamin B1 (thiamin),
Kale daily for calcium Vitamin K and D,
and some hardboiled WHOLE egg weekly for B12, D and E,
along with tops pellets as a staple they shouldn't have any problems with deficiencies.
Food sources of Vitamin D are quite poor in comparison to sunlight unless using supplements.
I'm guessing tops would be deficient in many nutrients but mostly vitamin E, D, B1, B12 and calcium by looking at the ingredients. The vitamins most sensitive to the pelleting process are vitamin A and vitamin E from fat-soluble vitamins, and vitamin C, B1 (thiamin), and folic acid from water-soluble vitamins.
Vitamin E itself or in its complex form is quite unstable during pelleting and even in storage, as majority of their ingredients already don't contain much E it would be pretty non existent by the time it is eaten. They also contain no sources of B12 and very low amounts of D and calcium. I live in australia so never tasted them myself, just going off their description. They could be using large amounts of purple dulse to boost calcium levels but that would just raise the chances of iodine overdose even more.
Can anybody taste them and tell me if they taste like seaweed or if the chili and cayenne quantities are high enough for them to taste spicy?
 
OP
aether-drifter

aether-drifter

New member
Jan 12, 2013
437
0
Portland, OR
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  • #7
I bought some TOPs and started mixing them in with my birds' other pellets. They're not super crazy about them but will eat them.

I tasted them and they aren't very flavorful; they smell a bit like rabbit food because of the alfalfa. They have a nice, crumbly texture though. I've heard they aren't a "complete" pellet so I'm not feeding them exclusively. They're still getting Zupreem and Harrison's as well. The tiels also get seed and Nutriberries and my galah gets a Nutriberry a day as a snack. Also fresh foods.

Which foods are naturally high in vitamin E?
 

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
Since birds have dry mouths and different tongues from mammals, they are said to not have as acute of a taste perception. That's why the super hot peppers don't bother them.

I have one budgie with a weight disorder (despite he used to be housed with the normal weight one). He eats Harrison's lifetime formula. My avian vet says that additional iodine might help kick his thyroid into gear and help him metabolize more efficiently. I know he doesn't mean overdose : )
 

EltonNoway

New member
Jan 26, 2020
2
1
South East USA
Parrots
Amazon Blue Front
Their ingredients are stated here "Rice, hulled millet, barley, alfalfa leaf, sunflower seed hulled, sesame seeds unhulled, quinoa whole, buckwheat hulled, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, purple dulse, kelp, rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemary whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, nettle leaf." Feed Your Flock Pellets ? The Best Out There They are tops pellets no doubt about it. Tops seem like great pellets, they seem to make the only pellet that gets its nutrients from real food rather than the same chemicals used in multivitamins or cheaper feed grade versions.
The only problem is when you look at their ingredients in order of what quantities are used and the fat level they look like they are mostly cheap grains and alfalfa. For them to be only 7% fat the sunflower and sesame quantities would be quite low meaning anything on the list above them would make up the majority of the pellet. I also have a problem with their Sea kelp and purple dulse quantities. Sea kelp contains massive amounts of iodine and should be used very sparingly and purple dulse also contains fairly high amounts. They either have too much sea kelp in the recipe or anything lower than it on the ingredient list is in extremely low quantities. Excess iodine can cause thyroid problems. I haven't heard of any thyroid problems from eating tops pellets so it might not be an issue.
If you give your bird:
As much unfiltered sunlight as possible for Vitamin D3,
sweet potato,mango etc daily for Vitamin A,
sunflower seeds daily for Vitamin B1 (thiamin),
Kale daily for calcium Vitamin K and D,
and some hardboiled WHOLE egg weekly for B12, D and E,
along with tops pellets as a staple they shouldn't have any problems with deficiencies.
Food sources of Vitamin D are quite poor in comparison to sunlight unless using supplements.
I'm guessing tops would be deficient in many nutrients but mostly vitamin E, D, B1, B12 and calcium by looking at the ingredients. The vitamins most sensitive to the pelleting process are vitamin A and vitamin E from fat-soluble vitamins, and vitamin C, B1 (thiamin), and folic acid from water-soluble vitamins.
Vitamin E itself or in its complex form is quite unstable during pelleting and even in storage, as majority of their ingredients already don't contain much E it would be pretty non existent by the time it is eaten. They also contain no sources of B12 and very low amounts of D and calcium. I live in australia so never tasted them myself, just going off their description. They could be using large amounts of purple dulse to boost calcium levels but that would just raise the chances of iodine overdose even more.
Can anybody taste them and tell me if they taste like seaweed or if the chili and cayenne quantities are high enough for them to taste spicy?
Great information - Thanks! FYI: Birdtricks made some changes on their website. Just adding this reply as an update for link your provided to
Feed Your Flock Pellets: The Best Out There
 

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