Pellets in diet?

[SilverSage]

Also, I challenge you to read the ingredients list, most people would look at the ingredients of most pellets and notice that a lot of the ingredients are things that most of us see in seed mixes which are proclaimed to be mighty unhealthy! Also, keep in mind that most pellet bags are labeled according to size, not species. I say again, do a cockatiel and a conure (a canopy feeder from South America, and a ground feeder from Australia) have the same dietary needs? Absolutely not, yet the "pellet people" tout their pellets as a complete diet for both; idiotic, that's what I say. Now, is a completely pellet diet better than a completely seed diet? The evidence says yes, depending on the quality of the pellet and seed involved. Those of us who feed fresh do a lot of work to make. Sure our birds are getting the widest variety possible,many there are plenty of tricks up our sleeves for getting "picky eaters" to eat what's good for them.

I have to agree with Stephen that your accusations are deeply insulting, especially coming from someone who is shouting such a party line themselves. No, I'm not a vet, but unlike a vet I have only a few species to study. Want to know about how much I trust vets? My last three vet experiences with three different vets involved one vet not knowing what was going on with my birds until I told him (at which time he stopped scratching his head, agreed with me, and then prescribed the same treatment that my mentor, a breeder, already had),a vet KILLING a bird with a procedure she insisted was safe (geez wasn't that embarrassing for her!), and a vet insisting hand feeding chicks should always be done by crop tubing (hard on the bird and really bad for the, developmentally), and insisting that I should stop feeding formula as soon as the baby was able to eat on his own (we call this force weaning, and anyone who knows a little about birds knows it is bad). So yeah, I'm not a vet, or a scientist, and neither are you. You are welcome to state your opinion, but so are we.

 

[skylala]

This is what gets me. People know better then vets (vets are not trustworthy), they know better then scientists (Also not trustworthy) and they know better then zoological facilities (Not trustworthy either).

This reminds me of the whole vaccinate your kids vs anti-vax people argument. A lot of opinions and 'personal experience'.

Feeding dogs a RAW food diet is also more 'ideal' then purchasing 'chemical' dog food, but only when it is done right! Too often Vets see dogs come in on a completely un-balanced RAW diet and they are sick and dying.

Too often I see "DON'T EVER FEED YOUR ECLECTUS PELLETS". Often from people who don't even have eclectus parrots, chiming in because they read something on the internet or heard something from a friend or person. Or from people who do have eclectus, but have never even given their birds pellets. People on this forum and others who do use pellets are shunned, spoken down to and made to feel horrible about their choice. (Kind of like right now) Many, many times I have seen it, and this is downright dangerous. You have people reading this, getting scared, and so choosing to avoid pellets all together and give their bird an awful unbalanced 'fresh' diet without the proper vitamins because they believe it is actually a better alternative.

My bird does get fresh fruit and veg every day, thank you.. All pellets recommend. But like I said, he is a picky eater! Yes I have tried chop! I have tried lots of things since the day I got him and continue to try.

Do you believe his diet would be better if all he ate every day were kiwi fruits, passion fruits, peas, corn, capsicum, pomegranate, sprouts and apples? Because this is about the extent of what he will eat. I know he is getting everything he needs in pellets, so he gets those every day too.

Here is the thing: People who have never fed their eclectus pellets can and do still get toe tapping, wing flipping, poor feathers, screaming and feather plucking and whatever else people blame pellets for. Correlation does not imply causation.
If people see these symptoms, they instantly demand: DOES YOU PARROT HAVE PELLETS?! THAT IS THE CAUSE. NEVER FEED PELLETS" If they actually are using pellets, pellets are immediately blamed and once again through no scientific approach at all, pellets are evil.

When people discover pellets are not in the diet, then everyone urges to make a food diary, eclectus are so sensitive. Remove corn! Remove this and that!
If the parrot was never given pellets, how can pellets be blamed? Some other food did, or some other reason. Have you not considered that these birds who are having a bad effect from something as innocent as CORN (my bird can eat corn just fine by the way without it causing any issue), may have also had issues being on pellets? Maybe because it wasn't the pellets that were causing the issues, but some ingredient that isn't sitting well with that particular individual? CORN is in fact an ingredient in pellets. Some birds are sensitive to corn apparently, but it is not a species-wide issue.

 

[Anansi]

People are not automatically shunned for embracing pellets or supplements. In fact, there have been a few members who have advocated using them, responsibly, whose thoughts on the matter I've greatly respected.

My problem isn't with your view so much as your approach. We don't have to agree. But you definitely don't need to insult me in the process of making your point.

You talk about people being spoken down to? Take a look in the mirror. You have become what you believed you beheld.

Implying that people who advise caution before using pellets are spreading hysteria is not arguing the merits of your case. It's basically name calling under the guise of discussion.

Look. You advocate listening to avian vets. Fair enough and, in some cases, quite sound advice. But you seem to believe that all AV's are on the same page as you. But that is not the case. Fact is, some vets know more about ekkies than others. Some avian vets are better than others. Some advocate pellet-based diets. Others advocate fresh. Yet you continue to paint all of your characterizations with an astonishingly wide brush.

There are methods to convince finicky ekkies to eat. But yes, some are easier to get onto a fresh diet than others. You also make the point that some ekkies develop toe-tapping and wing-flipping from regular foods rather than pellets. This is true. Ekkies are sometimes sensitive to certain foods, no doubt.

Might there be instances of crossover, in which ekkies who were sensitive to your given example of corn are sensitive to pellets due to their corn content? Again, sure. What's your point? The pellets are still causing the issue, there. And I'm sure you couldn't possibly be implying that every pellet issue experienced by eclectus parrots is due to crossover, right?

You've found a pellet brand that works for your bird. I salute you. Doesn't give cause for all the condescension that was oozing from you earlier.

Tell you the truth, I prefer when there are a variety of takes on a particular issue. Gives people looking for answers different avenues to one shared goal: the health of their birds. Why can't we all respectfully discuss the merits of our different approaches?

You're feeling shunned? Why not look back over this thread starting from your earlier post, and go through everything with a less jaundiced eye. I think you'll find the entire combative tone actually began with you.