Conflicting advice-Ive been told seed is better??

[charlie006]

Hi,

Im a bit confused as im getting conflicting information. I just phoned the Aviary/Breeders who i got Sonny from to ask if they sell Conure Pellets and was told that they are much better on Seeds and she has never managed to get her Parrots to eat the Pellets (her words were that they would rather starve than eat them)
I said that my online research showed that they are healthier on a Pellet diet (with daily fruit and veg) but she disagreed.
Im sure they would prefer a seed diet but from what ive read Pellets are much healthier for them (give a child a choice of chocolate or someting healthy and which are they going to choose?)

Am i right in thinking Pellets are best for my feathery friend??

Thanks,
Charlie

 

[Oedipussrex]

A lot of people here will be pro-organic pellets. My breeders told me the same thing. It seems some [quite a few] people argue against pellets in the same way people argue that supplementing vitamins should not be necessary. There are definitely some crappy pellet brands out there which probably aren't too healthy for your bird.

and as an ekkie owner i wouldnt advise a TOTAL pellet diet, but pellets with fruit and veggies and some nuts, possibly using come seeds occasionally for foraging or treats is an absolutely ok diet for any parrot.

 

[artemis]

The problem with seed mixes is that birds generally pick out their favorite seeds and leave the rest behind, so they don't get balanced nutrition. They can't do that with pellets. The general consensus these ays is that pellets plus fruit and vegetables should be the base diet, with seeds being served in small amounts as a treat.

 

[charlie006]

The problem with seed mixes is that birds generally pick out their favorite seeds and leave the rest behind, so they don't get balanced nutrition. They can't do that with pellets. The general consensus these ays is that pellets plus fruit and vegetables should be the base diet, with seeds being served in small amounts as a treat.

Thanks, that's what i thought but wanted to check. Kinda sad the Aviary are giving out inaccurate advice, they sell a lot of Conures too.

 

[dishgal1]

My GCC hates pellets but will eat them first thing in the morning BUT.....he gets a lot of fruits and veggies during the day ......gradually try things such as rred bell peppers, steamed broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
But when mine was very young I almost starved him he got so skinny trying to make him eat pellets. I would leave him on a good seed diet and gradually introduce fresh veggies to find which ones he will take to. It takes a while to get them to like them. He gradually started eating a few pellets.
Pellets are to insure they get everything they need.

I have different foods in different places. (he doesn't stay in cage much)
A feeder on his morning potty stand has pellets, a table in the den has fresh fruits and veggies, seed in another area. MIne eats pellets first thing after he potties in the morning.
As long as you can get him to eat veggies and fruits I personally think they are getting a balanced diet, (some don't agree). Once he started eating the veggies and fruits he cut way down on seeds. I WOUld say 50% of his diet is fresh or cooked veggies and fruit, 25% pellets and 25% seed.
Just don't take his seed away until he learns to like other foods.

 

[KatherineI]

Definitely what Oedipussrex and Artemis said. Pellets ensure that the birds get a balanced diet, as opposed to seeds and fresh foods, because many birds pick out their favorite food/seed and leave the rest, leaving major gaps in their diets.

My GCC hates pellets but will eat them first thing in the morning BUT.....he gets a lot of fruits and veggies during the day ......gradually try things such as rred bell peppers, steamed broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.
But when mine was very young I almost starved him he got so skinny trying to make him eat pellets. I would leave him on a good seed diet and gradually introduce fresh veggies to find which ones he will take to. It takes a while to get them to like them. He gradually started eating a few pellets.
Pellets are to insure they get everything they need.

I have different foods in different places. (he doesn't stay in cage much)
A feeder on his morning potty stand has pellets, a table in the den has fresh fruits and veggies, seed in another area. MIne eats pellets first thing after he potties in the morning.
As long as you can get him to eat veggies and fruits I personally think they are getting a balanced diet, (some don't agree). Once he started eating the veggies and fruits he cut way down on seeds. I WOUld say 50% of his diet is fresh or cooked veggies and fruit, 25% pellets and 25% seed.
Just don't take his seed away until he learns to like other foods.

I disagree (no offense). My GCC actually decided within DAYS of my bringing him home that he'd rather have pellets than seeds. He started leaving the seeds and eating the pellets and then acting like he was still starving. With my Vet's go-ahead, I stopped giving him seeds as his base diet and just gave him straight pellets. He makes the funniest little noises when he's happy and he makes them in abundance when he's fed, particularly his pellets. Perhaps he doesn't like the type of pellet you're feeding him? Have you tried others?

While I know that some birds fight transitioning to pellet's tooth and nail, sometimes it's because the guardian hasn't found the type they like. Sometimes it's because they aren't particularly fond of change. Also, not all pellets are created equal, which you need to keep in mind. There's some not-so-good pellets out there! It is also important to transition the bird from an all-seed diet to pellets. The transition my Vet told me was to start at around 5-10% pellet and the rest seed. That it would take a good month to transition a majority of birds from all-seed to pellets. Speak to your Avian Vet about how they recommend transitioning.

I give my guys fresh stuff daily, but until they start eating more of it, pellets make up way more than 50% of their diet. You can't say to give the birds 50% fresh foods when there is no guarantee that they'll eat what's given to them. That's why I think, as my Vet has also stated, once they've transitioned from seeds, it should be 50% Pellets, 40% Fresh foods and 10% seeds - as seed should be treats only. Again, this is MY opinion, what MY Avian Vet prefers and what I go with.

 

[Echo]

Conures need seeds in their diet. I TOTALLY agree with dishgal. 50% fresh food and 25% pellets and 25% seeds is also what I do. I offer weaning babies soft pellets (soaked in hot water) and they accept it well that way. I gradually soak them less time so they are served harder over time.

I am a GCC breeder and that is the diet I encourage.

 

[Oedipussrex]

*** just also gonna add, weigh them in the morning before you feed them while you are changing their diet. just to be sure they aren't losing weight
you should weigh them reasonably regularly anyway.

 

[wenz2712]

Conures need seeds in their diet. I TOTALLY agree with dishgal. 50% fresh food and 25% pellets and 25% seeds is also what I do. I offer weaning babies soft pellets (soaked in hot water) and they accept it well that way. I gradually soak them less time so they are served harder over time.

I am a GCC breeder and that is the diet I encourage.

I totally agree with the above!

 

[Echo]

I am not saying that Avian Vets are not knowledgeable, mine is wonderful but unlike many, she has chosen to be an Avian Vet ONLY. She ONLY sees birds. She also owns different species of parrots so she has the life experience as well.
I strongly disagree with vets who encourage pellets only diet.

The best diet for each species is to try and recreate the diet they would get in the wild in their respective country. I can assure you there are no pellets there. Parrots will eat the seeds available, fruits in season, nuts, berries, blossoms, vegetable matter typical to that country. People dedicate their life to researching each species life and diet in the wild. I trust these people more than any city Avian Vet.
Of course, we don't always have access to the food so freshly abundant in far exotic places, so we supplement with a man-made pellet to ensure our parrots will get what we can't provide naturally.

What do parrots do to forage in the wild? Why is foraging so important? It's essential to their well-being to be mentally stimulated. They forage constantly to feed. A big part of foraging in the wild comes from cracking nuts and de-hulling SEEDS. Seeds especially can be tiny and intricate to de-hull hence a great foraging experience. IN MY OWN OPINION removing seeds also takes away that naturally mentally stimulating and rewarding part of foraging.

 

[dishgal1]

I am not saying that Avian Vets are not knowledgeable, mine is wonderful but unlike many, she has chosen to be an Avian Vet ONLY. She ONLY sees birds. She also owns different species of parrots so she has the life experience as well.
I strongly disagree with vets who encourage pellets only diet.

The best diet for each species is to try and recreate the diet they would get in the wild in their respective country. I can assure you there are no pellets there. Parrots will eat the seeds available, fruits in season, nuts, berries, blossoms, vegetable matter typical to that country. People dedicate their life to researching each species life and diet in the wild. I trust these people more than any city Avian Vet.
Of course, we don't always have access to the food so freshly abundant in far exotic places, so we supplement with a man-made pellet to ensure our parrots will get what we can't provide naturally.

What do parrots do to forage in the wild? Why is foraging so important? It's essential to their well-being to be mentally stimulated. They forage constantly to feed. A big part of foraging in the wild comes from cracking nuts and de-hulling SEEDS. Seeds especially can be tiny and intricate to de-hull hence a great foraging experience. IN MY OWN OPINION removing seeds also takes away that naturally mentally stimulating and rewarding part of foraging.

Totally agree with the above and bears repeating. NO pellets in the wild.
Pellets are useful for people who don't supply all of the necessities for their bird. It is a lot of work and time but well worth it for our babies to supply them with fresh food.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Thanks for making a thread about this! My bird is a store bought bird, on a mixed diet of seed and pellets. I want to switch to primarily pellets, but I can tell that he is sort of not all about his pellets, so now I have to come up with a clever way to interest him. (right now it's the Zupreem fruit pellets). We got lucky with his temperament, but I knew that with the store I was getting him from. It's the food thing that needs work!

 

[cdog]

I breed green cheeks and I find it is very easy to wean them onto pellets. And for the adults that were fed seeds prior to you getting them I like this method of switching them to pellets...
Only offer seeds for one hour in the morning then take it away and in the same dish offer pellets until bed time. Then offer seeds for one hour at night and take it away replacing it with pellets. Do this until you see them eating some pellets then gradually lessen the amount of time you offer seeds. Make sure you are keeping track of their weight while converting them though to ensure they are still eating.
You can't offer seeds and pellets at the same time because your bird will just pick out what it likes, the seeds. After they are converted I only offer seeds(no sunflower seeds) twice a month and I give fresh fruits and veggies everyday with pellets making up 50 percent of their diet.

 

[wenz2712]

I offer seeds and pellets mixed together.. Codie likes both and it also gives her variety! but, she also has alot of different types of Fruit and Veg!

 

[amysaviary]

I breed GCC like others and I feed pellets in a bowl 24/7. They r always available to them. They get a seed mix,( I mix it) of seeds, dried fruits and veggies also other snacks I throw in. This mix is given as a treat and not in the cage all the time. I give tons of Fresh fruits and veggies along with many other cooked things for them. I think a bird needs everything but the problem is birds r like us and will pick what they like. They will eat the unhealthy seeds first most the time and leave the healthy stuff behind if u let them. Being on a pellet diet u know they r getting what they need and not picking at the seeds and not getting all the vitamins and minerals they need.

 

[Grenage]

I'm currently putting 3-4tsp of Harrison's high potency in with some seed/grain, and he'll devour it all (there were no issues with the introduction). The breeder recommended a seed only mix, and told me that pellets were a waste of time; everyone has an opinion. There's always a big pot of mixed vegetables available - I just wish he didn't like curly kale so much, that stuff stinks.

While pellets probably aren't necessary, I seriously doubt that most owners give such a rounded and natural diet that it contends with a forest's offerings. Required, no; a bonus, sure.

There are people out there who, due to food phobias, live on nothing but cheese and crisps - to a good age! I think that most animals are quite adaptable, to a point.

 

[PetoftheDay]

There are people out there who, due to food phobias, live on nothing but cheese and crisps - to a good age! I think that most animals are quite adaptable, to a point.

Actually there was a teenager in the UK who recently made the news as she lived only on chicken McNuggets since she was a 3-year-old, and was quite seriously ill and malnourished as an 18-year-old!

I am a human with food allergies and some intolerances, but manage to get a fairly balanced diet anyway - just take some creative shopping and eating!

I am glad there's a good range of opinions here, it is always better to have civil discussions, and every bird is different anyway!

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

I am not saying that Avian Vets are not knowledgeable, mine is wonderful but unlike many, she has chosen to be an Avian Vet ONLY. She ONLY sees birds. She also owns different species of parrots so she has the life experience as well.
I strongly disagree with vets who encourage pellets only diet.

The best diet for each species is to try and recreate the diet they would get in the wild in their respective country. I can assure you there are no pellets there. Parrots will eat the seeds available, fruits in season, nuts, berries, blossoms, vegetable matter typical to that country. People dedicate their life to researching each species life and diet in the wild. I trust these people more than any city Avian Vet.
Of course, we don't always have access to the food so freshly abundant in far exotic places, so we supplement with a man-made pellet to ensure our parrots will get what we can't provide naturally.

What do parrots do to forage in the wild? Why is foraging so important? It's essential to their well-being to be mentally stimulated. They forage constantly to feed. A big part of foraging in the wild comes from cracking nuts and de-hulling SEEDS. Seeds especially can be tiny and intricate to de-hull hence a great foraging experience. IN MY OWN OPINION removing seeds also takes away that naturally mentally stimulating and rewarding part of foraging.

Totally agree with the above and bears repeating. NO pellets in the wild.
Pellets are useful for people who don't supply all of the necessities for their bird. It is a lot of work and time but well worth it for our babies to supply them with fresh food.

It is a senseless statement for someone to justify a see only diet by stating that there are "no pellets in the wild"! That is a given!

I wonder if that same person would ever try to justify not "clipping" because a bird is meant to fly and yet, still hold that same bird captive???

There is no possible way we can fully recreate a birds "wild" diet when in captivity. The entire purpose of pellets is to provide all the vitamins and nutrients that a wild bird requires and make it available to a captive bird. As others have stated, birds must be weened off seed and onto pellets if one wishes to go that route. Additionally, if you are feeding your beloved pet a to brand pellet then you should not supplement with additional vitamins! Doing so will not make the bird healthier but will likely make it sick due to a toxic level of some vitamin levels.

 

[Echo]

Read the post again, maybe you'll understand it better the second time around. I don't advocate a seed ONLY diet. I feed pellets as well. I disagree on completely removing seeds from a birds diet. Don't get into wing clipping, it is not relevant to the subject here.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Generally smaller birds should receive a little bit of seed in their diet because they eat it in the wild, while almost all medium to large parrots shouldn't receive any seeds at all unless it's a occasional treat. Nuts are generally a better alternative treat though(not peanuts)