Pellets vs. Seeds

[knarfwhite]

I will try the fruit juice on the pellets. As for Mondo, if your bird eats sunflower seeds and peanuts for 25 years, the pellets look very foreign. I have been buying the mixes that have a lot less sunflower seeds and what looks like pellets or monkey chow. My bird tosses the pellets. I think I'm going to try keeping only pellets in the cage for most of the day, then giving some seeds at night so he doesn't starve. When I got my bird I don't remember pellets existing.

 

[Colorguarder08]

when I was switching my birds to pellets I had orignally mixed them in with the seeds until the seeds were gone then I added water to soak them and make them kinda like a mush then I got tired of doing that so just stuck the pellets in the bird cage and no problems there I have just bought them zupreem all natural pellets though and when I get lower on the pretty bird pellets will mix them together until it's just the zupreem pellets.

 

[knarfwhite]

Well I tried wetting the pellets and mixed in some small pieces of apple and he finally started eating the pellets. I did that for a couple of days and now I have been giving only dry pellets and he's eating them. When I tried mixing seeds with pellets all he did was search for seeds and wait for me to add more. So now I'm not giving any more option of seeds. It does feel a little cruel but I think hunger is the only way to force them to change and its worth it.

 

[MikeyTN]

I do feed my parrots pellets and I changed them from seeds to all pellet diet along with treats and such. BUT I do have mixed feelings with pellets and some breeders out there feel the same way I do. It goes back many years ago when I used to breed parrots and I had them all on pellet diet with treats and such. THIS part is what is IMPORTANT why quarenteen your birds. I trusted a lady that I got one of the parrots from. It looks like she took great care of him, they took him to the vet and had his wings repaired when he broke it. The family was really nice and wanted him to have a good home. I placed him with my flock and within few days my birds were dropping like flies and I took them to my vet and they had a virus that was killing them. I had to give them each meds on a daily basis and placed everyone in a very warm room with a running humidifier. They were all skin and bones NOT putting on any weight. I started handfeeding everyone high protein diet that I made. That was helping but they're still not gaining any weight back. I talked to quite a few breeders and they all suggested that I start feeding them seeds. Within a week they all put on weight and back to their normal self and I did not have to handfeed any longer. I still mix their food with pellets at that time. So I was kinda stuck inbetween on my beliefs. Now days I do feed my parrots strictly pellets with seeds as treats along with fruits, veggies, and such. I DO see the difference how they look. But what happened to me years ago is still stuck in my mind....

 

[patterson]

any of u guys heard of nutribird p19 pellets?

 

[vedwed]

Well I am attempting to make the switch, to my surprise he actually likes the ZuPreem Fruit Flavor Blend, this surprises me because he hasn't touched anything but seeds since we brought him home.

 

[Mondos Parents]

he actually likes the ZuPreem Fruit Flavor Blend, this surprises me because he hasn't touched anything but seeds since we brought him home.

The same with Mondo,gave him the same pellet's, he just started eating them, he doesn't like the green or yellow. He picked all the big red flaky ones, tossed them in the bottom of the cage, then ate them from there? Hes a nut!

 

[vedwed]

Thats funny, Oliver tosses the yellow ones too, the purple grape shaped ones seem to be his favorite, he will actually dig out all the seed to get to the purple ones I put at the bottom of his bowl

 

[Lesleybird]

Hi, I feed my birds the Kaytee Exact rainbow colored pellets. Lesley

 

[Lesleybird]

Which one of these two pellets is better,

Kaytee Exact Rainbow Parrots & Conures Pellets

Kaytee Exact Natural Parrot/Conure Diet: Premium daily nutrition at Drs. Foster and Smith

Is the natural one worth the extra amount of money???

also, what about these pellets

ZuPreem AvianMaintenance Natural Large Parrot

Hi, My parrots eat the Kaytee Exact Rainbow (mine all eat the chunky size because I have a couple of bigger cockatoos and a large macaw also). I think that the parrots like the different shapes and colors. Don't think that just because it says natural that it is better. Lesley

 

[Pedro]

I have to say that i am not a fan of pellets at all. I do buy them sometimes but find they really do much better on a fresh fruit & veggie diet with sprouted seed mix a few raw nuts. I never give dried fruits either. Seed is also fine because they can benefit from some of the oils in those seeds. Parrots will eat seeding grasses in the wild, also bugs. My birds love a whole sunflower head with all those fresh milky seeds. I throw out the uneaten seed & grow fresh seed sprays for them. Everything in moderation though.

IMO companion parrots should have a very healthy balanced maintinance diet. I tell all my customers to not go overboard with the food because most companion parrot owners feed their birds to much so they are kept in breeding condition all year round. Sometimes a cause of behavior problems especially in a mature bird.

 

[MikeyTN]

Pedro, I feel the same way!!! But I do give them to a certain extent... I've had problems with pellets in the past..... and I was feeding zupreem and another formula that contains no coloring.... I ended up took all my birds off pellets completely when that happened. Didn't start using pellets again until 7 years ago.