Amber
New member
- Jun 1, 2011
- 408
- 3
Pellets seem to be what most feed as a staple here, supplemented with seed and treats and fresh fruit and veg. While I think thats fine and a good diet for most birds of moderate activity, I have my own musings based on the advice of my vet for not using them as a staple for my boy (and keep in mind I am no professional on this, this is what just works for us, under professional guidance!), we were having some weight problems, and Alex was not digesting the bulk of the pellets... He wasn't 'geared' for the soy, flavourings, etc. in many of them that he would not encounter in the wild, and it was causing problems for us. He was also having an issue with the preservative ethoxyquin found in almost all pellet mixes (which, incidentally is also a carcinogen)
I don't think seed is bad, when factored into a diet appropriately. The way I had it explained to me (by my vet) was like this. A low activity bird confined to a cage eating a traditional seed mix is a terrible idea. It's the equivalent of feeding someone confined to a wheelchair Maccas 24/7. No vitamins or anything good, just a whole bunch of fat. Sure you can survive on it, but it's not good at all. But a high energy bird (ie, one surviving in the wild) needs that fat as energy.
In the wild a 'typical' parrot (lorikeets and so on will differ) would consume seeds and nuts in moderate to high amounts (depending on availability) to meet their fat and energy needs. But, they use A LOT more energy to forage for food, find mates, raise chicks, etc then our pets do, and they seeds and nuts they eat are a wider variety then what we supply. For example, when was the last time you saw someone giving their sulphur cockatoo gum nuts, a staple of their (and many aus parrots) diets year round? Our guys don't fly for kilometres every day, or have to forage for their food! But they still need some fat for energy and energy storage, but nowhere near what thair wild counterparts need. It's a matter or research, evaluating and consulting with your vet. A seed mix should not be what you pick up at the supermarket, that bag of sunflower, canary seed, corn and wheat/oats. It should be something geared to your bird. Alex's mix I make myself to the instructions of his vet from a mix of a traditional seed mix, pellets, oats, rapeseed, almonds, dried fruit, etc.
The other major component of a wild parrots diet is of course various fruits, edible leaves (green and veg matter), even the occasional insect for protein sometimes, etc. We have gallahs on the farm that will scavenge meat off dead sheep in drought when they cannot feed elsewhere! Parrots are resourceful!
I think when trying to create a balanced diet the individual birds energy levels and nutritional needs need to be taken into consideration. I think nutrition and diet should go beyond pellets. While they are a great east staple, supplication with fruit and veg can cause deficiencies in the minerals in the pellets (bird favours eating fruit, is full, as a result does not eat enough pellet to gain, say, enough iron). Whenever you feed a 'complete' diet such as pellets, you are diluting that by offering other foods. That said, pellets are much better then a seed only diet.
Personally it goes something like this for me
-A natural 'wild' diet (not possible in many cases in captivity, usually only zoos cater to this)
-A reconstruction of that diet as instructed by a vet/expert using nutritionally similar things that are easily avaliable (x amount of 'seed mix' geared to the individual x ammount of these fruit and veg x amount of this additional food etc) usually contains some pellets.
-A pellet-traditional seed mix as treats-fruit mix approximation of the above
-A pellet staple, supplemented with fruit and veg and treats (seed, birdy bred etc)
-A pellet only diet (See- most lab birds. While this diet may be more nutritionally complete then a pellet staple supplemented one, it is very bland for the bird)
-A seed staple fruit supplemented diet
- A seed only diet.
I really think that while pellets are great (My bird gets then in his seed/pellet/fruit mix) their needs to be more research into how to provide for parrots nutritionally without feeding them ethoxyquin and carcinogen laced foods, soy and other 'unnatural' based (to them in their wild state) foods. A good percentage of popular pellets I looked for Alex at were merely glorified soy based feeds with added vitamins and colours. Others were just traditional seed mix ground up into pellet form with dye and a binder to be sold at a premium. Zupreem and Roudybush were two of the few that were acceptable and not filled with soy or other 'filler' ingredients (empty cheap ingredients to bulk out the product), along with a product made by science diet (possibly the best by far) which is hard to acquire as it does not sell as well as the other two.
I don't think seed is bad, when factored into a diet appropriately. The way I had it explained to me (by my vet) was like this. A low activity bird confined to a cage eating a traditional seed mix is a terrible idea. It's the equivalent of feeding someone confined to a wheelchair Maccas 24/7. No vitamins or anything good, just a whole bunch of fat. Sure you can survive on it, but it's not good at all. But a high energy bird (ie, one surviving in the wild) needs that fat as energy.
In the wild a 'typical' parrot (lorikeets and so on will differ) would consume seeds and nuts in moderate to high amounts (depending on availability) to meet their fat and energy needs. But, they use A LOT more energy to forage for food, find mates, raise chicks, etc then our pets do, and they seeds and nuts they eat are a wider variety then what we supply. For example, when was the last time you saw someone giving their sulphur cockatoo gum nuts, a staple of their (and many aus parrots) diets year round? Our guys don't fly for kilometres every day, or have to forage for their food! But they still need some fat for energy and energy storage, but nowhere near what thair wild counterparts need. It's a matter or research, evaluating and consulting with your vet. A seed mix should not be what you pick up at the supermarket, that bag of sunflower, canary seed, corn and wheat/oats. It should be something geared to your bird. Alex's mix I make myself to the instructions of his vet from a mix of a traditional seed mix, pellets, oats, rapeseed, almonds, dried fruit, etc.
The other major component of a wild parrots diet is of course various fruits, edible leaves (green and veg matter), even the occasional insect for protein sometimes, etc. We have gallahs on the farm that will scavenge meat off dead sheep in drought when they cannot feed elsewhere! Parrots are resourceful!
I think when trying to create a balanced diet the individual birds energy levels and nutritional needs need to be taken into consideration. I think nutrition and diet should go beyond pellets. While they are a great east staple, supplication with fruit and veg can cause deficiencies in the minerals in the pellets (bird favours eating fruit, is full, as a result does not eat enough pellet to gain, say, enough iron). Whenever you feed a 'complete' diet such as pellets, you are diluting that by offering other foods. That said, pellets are much better then a seed only diet.
Personally it goes something like this for me
-A natural 'wild' diet (not possible in many cases in captivity, usually only zoos cater to this)
-A reconstruction of that diet as instructed by a vet/expert using nutritionally similar things that are easily avaliable (x amount of 'seed mix' geared to the individual x ammount of these fruit and veg x amount of this additional food etc) usually contains some pellets.
-A pellet-traditional seed mix as treats-fruit mix approximation of the above
-A pellet staple, supplemented with fruit and veg and treats (seed, birdy bred etc)
-A pellet only diet (See- most lab birds. While this diet may be more nutritionally complete then a pellet staple supplemented one, it is very bland for the bird)
-A seed staple fruit supplemented diet
- A seed only diet.
I really think that while pellets are great (My bird gets then in his seed/pellet/fruit mix) their needs to be more research into how to provide for parrots nutritionally without feeding them ethoxyquin and carcinogen laced foods, soy and other 'unnatural' based (to them in their wild state) foods. A good percentage of popular pellets I looked for Alex at were merely glorified soy based feeds with added vitamins and colours. Others were just traditional seed mix ground up into pellet form with dye and a binder to be sold at a premium. Zupreem and Roudybush were two of the few that were acceptable and not filled with soy or other 'filler' ingredients (empty cheap ingredients to bulk out the product), along with a product made by science diet (possibly the best by far) which is hard to acquire as it does not sell as well as the other two.
Thought I'd just share what I've researched/discovered myself. The most interesting bit was the whole 'complete food' issue with pellets. 
