reeb
New member
I thought this might be interesting to chat about. By "products" I guess I am referring to your pellet/seed mixes or treats, as opposed to your fresh foods, sprouted seeds, egg-food or "chop".
Living in South Africa, I don't have access to all the beloved brands like Harrisons, Higgins etc. It would be insanely expensive to import them here, and even so I think there has been quite strict import taxes applied on a lot of pet food products.
Instead, I feed Versele-Laga, a European brand that is available in most exotic pet shops here. I use their food that is made up of both small enriched pellets and seeds, and my birds have thrived on it for years (along with their fresh veggies and fruit and what not). There are a bunch of mixes that are catered to specific species. I use both the Premium Prestige Budgie mix and the Premium Prestige Cockatiel mix.
I often feel bad because I don't feed pellets in isolation (without seeds), because it's been drilled into me that SEEDS ARE ALWAYS BAD, but there are really very little options here, especially for smaller species. There are very few local brands that even make pellets for smaller birds like budgies and cockatiels, and Versele-Laga does but for some reason their smaller-pellet brands aren't really imported here. If you have a larger parrot, it is much easier to get a great pellet brand here.
So yeah. I trust this brand, it has kept my birds healthy - and even though it is not a complete pellet mix and does contain seeds, I still think that it is enriched with all the good stuff.
Anyway, I'm just curious about what is available in different countries and what not! So for any non-US members, what products/mixes/brands do you feed your birds?
P.S. I don't want negativity and people coming and saying hurtful things about the fact that my birds are not on a full-pellet diet. The diet they are currently on is approved by their avian vet, and they are very healthy and happy little birds! There is more to their diet than this mix of course - they get fresh foods daily, as well as boiled egg/egg food every now and then, and I have always been very careful with their diets. I would rather feed them a diet that has been specifically designed and formulated for budgies and cockatiels, as opposed to somehow trying to make a larger pellet brand not suited to their needs work. Positivity please!
Living in South Africa, I don't have access to all the beloved brands like Harrisons, Higgins etc. It would be insanely expensive to import them here, and even so I think there has been quite strict import taxes applied on a lot of pet food products.
Instead, I feed Versele-Laga, a European brand that is available in most exotic pet shops here. I use their food that is made up of both small enriched pellets and seeds, and my birds have thrived on it for years (along with their fresh veggies and fruit and what not). There are a bunch of mixes that are catered to specific species. I use both the Premium Prestige Budgie mix and the Premium Prestige Cockatiel mix.
I often feel bad because I don't feed pellets in isolation (without seeds), because it's been drilled into me that SEEDS ARE ALWAYS BAD, but there are really very little options here, especially for smaller species. There are very few local brands that even make pellets for smaller birds like budgies and cockatiels, and Versele-Laga does but for some reason their smaller-pellet brands aren't really imported here. If you have a larger parrot, it is much easier to get a great pellet brand here.
So yeah. I trust this brand, it has kept my birds healthy - and even though it is not a complete pellet mix and does contain seeds, I still think that it is enriched with all the good stuff.
Anyway, I'm just curious about what is available in different countries and what not! So for any non-US members, what products/mixes/brands do you feed your birds?
P.S. I don't want negativity and people coming and saying hurtful things about the fact that my birds are not on a full-pellet diet. The diet they are currently on is approved by their avian vet, and they are very healthy and happy little birds! There is more to their diet than this mix of course - they get fresh foods daily, as well as boiled egg/egg food every now and then, and I have always been very careful with their diets. I would rather feed them a diet that has been specifically designed and formulated for budgies and cockatiels, as opposed to somehow trying to make a larger pellet brand not suited to their needs work. Positivity please!
