Cockatoo seed/pellet diet question.

Matt_Sassy · May 17, 2020

(This is a food/diet related question, i'm new to the forums and not sure where to put this, so remove/delete it if it doesn't fit in this section)

Hi all, before I went out and bought my cockatoo, I did alot of research. Clearly even that wasn't enough... and here I am finding myself learning new stuff every single day...

Her previous owners fed her what i'm currently feeding (Which is a seed mix) her minus the fresh fruit, veggies and cockatoo friendly cooked food.

Tonight I found out that peanuts are a big NO-NO due to the fungus that their shells can contain when you break them open which set me into sort of a panic because Sassy LOVES peanuts and i've been putting them in her foraging toys very scarcely. On average she eats maybe 2-3 a day. I've also noticed that 99% of parrot specific diet seed mixes include both sunflower seeds, uncooked corn and peanuts, which makes me curious as to whyu

Can anyone recommend me a good, trusted brand? I'm split between a pellet only diet or finding/creating a mix that doesn't have all the bad stuff or the inedible stuff that ends up on the floor anyway. I also want to buy in bulk. Any advice/thoughts would be helpful.

Thank you!

Ivan.Vanca · May 17, 2020

Matt Sassy, also harisson pellets are made also from peanuts, I think.... Peanuts could contain aflatoxins, but you would see that. I recommend you to choose a good brand of seeds, I buy them from Germany. Not VErsele laga or some other prestige, they are more fat that they should be. Of course, pellets producers will tell you that seeds could get mold, aflatoxins, and you should buy pellets. No, you should not.

Flboy · May 17, 2020

Hi again! As to the why in the mixes? Cheap! And the average Joe will buy it! Even roasted, shelled peanuts pose a risk! Human grade too! There is a standard for spore count, but a few days in a warehouse screws that up! There are several excellent stores on your side of Florida to check out! For pellets, I avoid soy and corn!
An excellent source for seed and pellets is TOPS! Food grade and USDA inspected!
https://topsparrotfood.com/?gclid=C...6pMotxA-e5pmEdcYxWzWbUOVGWmt3g0BoCkaAQAvD_BwE
FYI, ANY pellet or seed will mold if it isn’t stored correctly! Buy a loaf of bread and keep it on the counter for three months!

Matt_Sassy · May 17, 2020

Flboy said:
Hi again! As to the why in the mixes? Cheap! And the average Joe will buy it! Even roasted, shelled peanuts pose a risk! Human grade too! There is a standard for spore count, but a few days in a warehouse screws that up! There are several excellent stores on your side of Florida to check out! For pellets, I avoid soy and corn!
An excellent source for seed and pellets is TOPS! Food grade and USDA inspected!
https://topsparrotfood.com/?gclid=C...6pMotxA-e5pmEdcYxWzWbUOVGWmt3g0BoCkaAQAvD_BwE
FYI, ANY pellet or seed will mold if it isn’t stored correctly! Buy a loaf of bread and keep it on the counter for three months!

Thank you for this great info, I keep my seed mix in a 5 gallon homer bucket with the sealable lid... I've gone through 3 lids due to someone chewing on them. Can I feed her just the seeds from that site or should I go with pellets because I know if I mix pellet and seed she'll just eat the seeds. Once I find the perfect seed or pellet diet I'll start weaning her off the unhealthy stuff.

noodles123 · May 17, 2020

I do a mix of seeds and pellets (because mine came to me as a "seed addict"-- no sunflowers and no peanuts, avoid corn and fillers..In terms of peanuts--specifically I worry most about the ones in shells (because my bird doesn't even like them out of the shell and won't eat the nuts) BUT I think OP was referring to the aspergillus (sp?) risk w/ peanuts and that is a risk associated with the shells mostly, but also the nuts out of the shell. That having been said, the aflatoxins thing is legit as well, so it is best to avoid peanuts.

Volkman Super Hook-bill used to be a better, cheaper seed mix, but they started adding peanuts (out of the shells) and it also contains some corn. My bird doesn't eat either but I would like a better blend myself-- that having been said, it still seems like it's one of the better seed blends out there within the lower price-range (despite the fact that it contains 2 less-than-desirable ingredients). If your bird is pretty healthy, you could probably pick out the peanuts to some extent...with an immuno-compromised bird, I would not suggest that (in case aspergillus sensitivity is high). It's certainly not IDEAL, but for me, it was way better than anything else I could find on Amazon or in my area.

^If you can get Tops seed blends, they are better than Volkman. For a long time, I couldn't order Tops in my area.

Matt_Sassy · May 17, 2020

noodles123 said:
I do a mix of seeds and pellets (because mine came to me as a "seed addict"-- no sunflowers and no peanuts, avoid corn and fillers..In terms of peanuts--specifically I worry most about the ones in shells (because my bird doesn't even like them out of the shell and won't eat the nuts) BUT I think OP was referring to the aspergillus (sp?) risk w/ peanuts- but the aflatoxins thing is legit as well. Avoid peanuts.

I was meaning to refer to both aspergillus and the alfatoxins. What pellet and seed mixes do you use?

noodles123 · May 17, 2020

I use Volkman Super Hookbill, but I dislike the fact that they started adding peanuts (out of the shell) and that it contains corn. My bird won't eat either anyway, but they are in there and most birds like them, plus, there is still a slight risk of aspergillus even in peanuts out of the shell (although this fungus is present in the environment all around us, it can be more risky when they shove their face in a bowl of it and it is a bigger issue in the shell, but also can be present on the nuts themselves).

I would suggest Tops if you can get it because, while mine is decent (and better than many) it isn't perfect and Tops is better. I usually pick out the peanuts, but again, I am not saying that is without risk if you are talking about things on a spore level..but it's been okay for me thus far. Avoid them if you want to be safe---especially because your bird likes them. Mine does not.

The pellets I use are also far from perfect, as they contain dyes and some added sugar. If my bird would eat anything else, I would try something "healthier", but the brand I use is still considered reputable and is pretty respected, despite the fact that it's like the bottom tier of high quality pellets....Kind of like a state school vs Ivy League lol.. It's Zupreem tropical blend---it's not the best, but it's not the worst either. IF YOU CAN get your bird to do a more natural/healthy pellet, DO. This is just better than nothing and it's decent, but not ideal.

I mix the pellets and seed mix up and that's what she gets in her cage (with cooked bird-safe food 2x daily and some veg etc). I give her more cooked food because she tends to eat the instead of her pellets and I do not want her filling up on seeds, so I provide a lot of added food/nutrition, but leave the dry mix in for when she gets hungry. Some cockatoos are ALWAYS eating-- mine is on the thin to average side and has been for many years, so I fear that removing seeds would cause her to drop too much weight -at the same time, I don't want her eating them to fill up (and to lose out on nutrients) so I provide other options. She wouldn't eat enough without the seeds...even though they aren't the healthiest...but if left to her own devices, she would likely just eat seeds and then have issues.

Matt_Sassy · May 17, 2020

noodles123 said:
I use Volkman Super Hookbill, but I dislike the fact that they started adding peanuts (out of the shell) and that it contains corn. My bird won't eat either anyway, but they are in there and most birds like them, plus, there is still a slight risk of aspergillus even in peanuts out of the shell (although this fungus is present in the environment all around us, it can be more risky when they shove their face in a bowl of it and it is a bigger issue in the shell, but also can be present on the nuts themselves).

I would suggest Tops if you can get it because, while mine is decent (and better than many) it isn't perfect and Tops is better. I usually pick out the peanuts, but again, I am not saying that is without risk if you are talking about things on a spore level..but it's been okay for me thus far. Avoid them if you want to be safe---especially because your bird likes them. Mine does not.

The pellets I use are also far from perfect, as they contain dyes and some added sugar. If my bird would eat anything else, I would try something "healthier", but the brand I use is still considered reputable and is pretty respected, despite the fact that it's like the bottom tier of high quality pellets....Kind of like a state school vs Ivy League lol.. It's Zupreem tropical blend---it's not the best, but it's not the worst either. IF YOU CAN get your bird to do a more natural/healthy pellet, DO. This is just better than nothing and it's decent, but not ideal.

I mix the pellets and seed mix up and that's what she gets in her cage (with cooked bird-safe food 2x daily and some veg etc). I give her more cooked food because she tends to eat the instead of her pellets and I do not want her filling up on seeds, so I provide a lot of added food/nutrition, but leave the dry mix in for when she gets hungry. Some cockatoos are ALWAYS eating-- mine is on the thin to average side and has been for many years, so I fear that removing seeds would cause her to drop too much weight -at the same time, I don't want her eating them to fill up (and to lose out on nutrients) so I provide other options. She wouldn't eat enough without the seeds...even though they aren't the healthiest...but if left to her own devices, she would likely just eat seeds and then have issues.

I will check out those, thank you! I just ordered a 5 pound bucket of nutriberries since they have overnight shipping and I've heard alot of good about those. I'm going to use those to get her off her unhealthy diet and then when my tops seed and pellet diets come in the mail in a week i'm going to ween her off of the unhealthy seed entirely.

noodles123 · May 17, 2020

Matt_Sassy said:
noodles123 said:

I use Volkman Super Hookbill, but I dislike the fact that they started adding peanuts (out of the shell) and that it contains corn. My bird won't eat either anyway, but they are in there and most birds like them, plus, there is still a slight risk of aspergillus even in peanuts out of the shell (although this fungus is present in the environment all around us, it can be more risky when they shove their face in a bowl of it and it is a bigger issue in the shell, but also can be present on the nuts themselves).

I would suggest Tops if you can get it because, while mine is decent (and better than many) it isn't perfect and Tops is better. I usually pick out the peanuts, but again, I am not saying that is without risk if you are talking about things on a spore level..but it's been okay for me thus far. Avoid them if you want to be safe---especially because your bird likes them. Mine does not.

The pellets I use are also far from perfect, as they contain dyes and some added sugar. If my bird would eat anything else, I would try something "healthier", but the brand I use is still considered reputable and is pretty respected, despite the fact that it's like the bottom tier of high quality pellets....Kind of like a state school vs Ivy League lol.. It's Zupreem tropical blend---it's not the best, but it's not the worst either. IF YOU CAN get your bird to do a more natural/healthy pellet, DO. This is just better than nothing and it's decent, but not ideal.

I mix the pellets and seed mix up and that's what she gets in her cage (with cooked bird-safe food 2x daily and some veg etc). I give her more cooked food because she tends to eat the instead of her pellets and I do not want her filling up on seeds, so I provide a lot of added food/nutrition, but leave the dry mix in for when she gets hungry. Some cockatoos are ALWAYS eating-- mine is on the thin to average side and has been for many years, so I fear that removing seeds would cause her to drop too much weight -at the same time, I don't want her eating them to fill up (and to lose out on nutrients) so I provide other options. She wouldn't eat enough without the seeds...even though they aren't the healthiest...but if left to her own devices, she would likely just eat seeds and then have issues.

Click to expand...

I will check out those, thank you! I just ordered a 5 pound bucket of nutriberries since they have overnight shipping and I've heard alot of good about those. I'm going to use those to get her off her unhealthy diet and then when my tops seed and pellet diets come in the mail in a week i'm going to ween her off of the unhealthy seed entirely.

It's smart of you-- just wean off the stuff she's used to with caution- if you don't have a scale, you should consider getting one. They can starve out of stubbornness...LOL..only a parrot...well...nearly..aside from humans lol.

Flboy · May 17, 2020

Funny, I never mix seed and pellets! There is always a bowl of each in JoJo’s cage! I keep a different brand pellet on his play/hang stand!

Scott · May 17, 2020

For dry food, used to feed my cockatoos a mixture of seeds and Zupreem Fruit Blend pellets. Seed was obtained from a bird store large enough to mix their own varieties in adjacent warehouse. I'd buy in 25lb bags and freeze until needed, helping to preserve freshness and kill off the nasty insect larvae.

In more recent years, I switched the entire flock to Harrison's Adult Lifetime Course pellets. Followed their conversion protocol and 2 weeks later all was well. Best advice if you wish to attempt pellets is to obtain samples if possible. Pellets are expensive, and Sassy will quickly determine what she doesn't like. I'm sharing the conversion info not because of product pushing (I have no interest) but because it should work with any brand of pellet: https://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/using-our-foods/large-bird-conversion/

Matt_Sassy · May 17, 2020

Flboy said:
Funny, I never mix seed and pellets! There is always a bowl of each in JoJo’s cage! I keep a different brand pellet on his play/hang stand!

I don't know why I never considered this, I will definitely be doing this instead of mixing foods. Maybe its because of the "bird sterotype" that is ingrained in my head from movies?

noodles123 · May 17, 2020

I mix mine because it's more likely that she will eat a pellet when combined-- if it was just a bowl of seeds, the pellets would never even get a single visit....

Matt_Sassy · May 17, 2020

noodles123 said:
I mix mine because it's more likely that she will eat a pellet when combined-- if it was just a bowl of seeds, the pellets would never even get a single visit....

Good point, i'll have to see what works for her.

Flboy · May 17, 2020

FYI, it’s worthwhile getting on TOPS mailing list!

Flboy · May 19, 2020

Hey, I just remembered a place I stumbled onto! Just4birds! They have a crazy selection of bulk food mixes, and the carry Tops at a reasonable price! For my 3 lb bag, I have paid everywhere from $14 to $36! They are $23! They are a bit north of you, but worthy drive for the selection of seed mixes!
https://g.page/just4birds?share

For really great prices on toys, the Oldsmar Flea market houses a mega bird supply store! Everything Birds,
Everything Birds | Oldsmar Flea Market
But not the place to buy Tops! That’s where I paid so much!
FYI, I just placed an order directly with Tops for two 3lb bags, $40 total! Not too bad!

Matt_Sassy · May 19, 2020

Flboy said:
Hey, I just remembered a place I stumbled onto! Just4birds! They have a crazy selection of bulk food mixes, and the carry Tops at a reasonable price! For my 3 lb bag, I have paid everywhere from $14 to $36! They are $23! They are a bit north of you, but worthy drive for the selection of seed mixes!
https://g.page/just4birds?share

For really great prices on toys, the Oldsmar Flea market houses a mega bird supply store! Everything Birds,
Everything Birds | Oldsmar Flea Market
But not the place to buy Tops! That’s where I paid so much!
FYI, I just placed an order directly with Tops for two 3lb bags, $40 total! Not too bad!

Looks like I found a new favorite store. It looks AMAZING in there judging by the pics.. I'll have to take sassy in on a weekend and let her pick out some stuff.

Matt_Sassy · May 20, 2020

Great news, sassy is completely off her unhealthy seed diet. I cannot believe it.. within only 3 days. I'm assuming she's had them before.

Cockatoo seed/pellet diet question.

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