Best type of birdseed?

[mdjmsmith2]

Question: I’m getting a Goffin Cockatoo… what type of bird seed is best for them? Also, where do you get it?

I know fruits and vegetables are part of their diet but for traveling and quick food source, bird seed comes in handy.

Any advice is appreciated!

Joanna

 

[Minor_Arcana]

Seed should actually only be a very small part of a parrot's diet (I'd say less than 10%) because of the high fat content. It's just unhealthy and can lead to a number of long-term health issues, including obesity and fatty liver disease, to name a few.

You are absolutely right about fruits and vegetables—they should make up the majority of your bird's diet—but I can understand where you're coming from when you say that fresh food can be a bit of a hassle.

So, I raise you: pellets! Although seeds are far too unhealthy to be a main part of a bird's diet, pellets are great for them! They are nutritionally sound and should be the staple of your bird’s diet, along with fresh fruits and veggies.

Some good brands of pellets include: TOPS, Harrison's, Roudybush, and Lafeber’s. Zupreem pellets are also pretty good, and are favored among many of the members of this website.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your Goffin’s!

 

[zERo]

The best seed mixes are Dr. Harveys, Goldenfeast, and TOPs, it should still be a very small part of the diet.

 

[mdjmsmith2]

Thank you for the advice! I bought a four pound bag which includes a mixture of hulled seeds, fruits and vegetables, legumes, hulled nuts… it’s called Hagen Tropimix…. We will be traveling eight hours and I need something mobile! At home I can pull out fresh veggies but on the road is much harder.

This would be for the return trip home, I’m picking them up in person… (don’t trust the internet.. scammers). So I needed some advice.

Again thank you…

 

[Terry57]

Thank you for the advice! I bought a four pound bag which includes a mixture of hulled seeds, fruits and vegetables, legumes, hulled nuts… it’s called Hagen Tropimix…. We will be traveling eight hours and I need something mobile! At home I can pull out fresh veggies but on the road is much harder.

This would be for the return trip home, I’m picking them up in person… (don’t trust the internet.. scammers). So I needed some advice.

Again thank you…

I use Tropimix, it's a great brand and mix. Safe travels and I'd love to see pictures when you get back home with them.

 

[Scott]

Congratulations having chosen a Goffins, Joanna! Sweet, adventurous, hardy little toos!! I used to feed seeds and used safflower-based mix, no sunflower or peanuts. Transitioned to Harrison's pellets and have served fresh veggies and fruits aka "chop" since birth. Looking forward to hearing about your lovely new bird!

 

[SailBoat]

Resulting from individuals that feed cheap 'wild Bird seed, specific Parrot species developed serious medical issues. The sad reality is that a quality seed mix targeting healthy seed, which there are a large number of is a great 'part' of a well-round diet.

The brands above are great and will support your needs.
It is important to remember that Parrots require a well balanced diet of Fresh foods, that include fresh Veggies a bit of fruit, a wide spectrum of seeds, grains and nuts with quality Pellets. Avoid peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Cheers.

 

[moxxiethecockatoo]

Seed should actually only be a very small part of a parrot's diet (I'd say less than 10%) because of the high fat content. It's just unhealthy and can lead to a number of long-term health issues, including obesity and fatty liver disease, to name a few.

You are absolutely right about fruits and vegetables—they should make up the majority of your bird's diet—but I can understand where you're coming from when you say that fresh food can be a bit of a hassle.

So, I raise you: pellets! Although seeds are far too unhealthy to be a main part of a bird's diet, pellets are great for them! They are nutritionally sound and should be the staple of your bird’s diet, along with fresh fruits and veggies.

Some good brands of pellets include: TOPS, Harrison's, Roudybush, and Lafeber’s. Zupreem pellets are also pretty good, and are favored among many of the members of this website.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your Goffin’s!

I just recently bought some Lafeber pellets, Moxxie the cockatoo has been a picky boi due to what he was fed in his previous home but I have started to get him to eat some of the pellets he is given.

 

[moxxiethecockatoo]

Resulting from individuals that feed cheap 'wild Bird seed, specific Parrot species developed serious medical issues. The sad reality is that a quality seed mix targeting healthy seed, which there are a large number of is a great 'part' of a well-round diet.

The brands above are great and will support your needs.
It is important to remember that Parrots require a well balanced diet of Fresh foods, that include fresh Veggies a bit of fruit, a wide spectrum of seeds, grains and nuts with quality Pellets. Avoid peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Cheers.

I don't wanna get anyone upset but I wonder about the peanuts and sunflower seeds.
I saw for the sunflower seeds that they're high in fat, I give them to my cockatoo but only in moderation as a trainer treat.
Now my cockatoo doesn't eat any nuts whatsoever, he is picky af but I saw for the peanuts that they have a fungus in their shell so I assume that you can deshell the nut.
Plus not to mention I've seen deshelled peanuts in some parrot toys.

 

[moxxiethecockatoo]

Resulting from individuals that feed cheap 'wild Bird seed, specific Parrot species developed serious medical issues. The sad reality is that a quality seed mix targeting healthy seed, which there are a large number of is a great 'part' of a well-round diet.

The brands above are great and will support your needs.
It is important to remember that Parrots require a well balanced diet of Fresh foods, that include fresh Veggies a bit of fruit, a wide spectrum of seeds, grains and nuts with quality Pellets. Avoid peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Cheers.

Now I make sure that I'm including healthy foods for my cockatoo, I'm working on getting more fruits and veggies into him along with pellets.

 

[HeatherG]

I don't wanna get anyone upset but I wonder about the peanuts and sunflower seeds.
I saw for the sunflower seeds that they're high in fat, I give them to my cockatoo but only in moderation as a trainer treat.
Now my cockatoo doesn't eat any nuts whatsoever, he is picky af but I saw for the peanuts that they have a fungus in their shell so I assume that you can deshell the nut.
Plus not to mention I've seen deshelled peanuts in some parrot toys.

If you take the peanut out of the shell they are still quite contaminated with fungus. In fact lots of peanut butter is contaminated too. Yum yum.

I don’t feed sunflower in seed mixes but I do use it for treats because it’s just the right size. But too much sunflower or other fatty foods predisposes some parrots to fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis.

 

[moxxiethecockatoo]

If you take the peanut out of the shell they are still quite contaminated with fungus. In fact lots of peanut butter is contaminated too. Yum yum.

I don’t feed sunflower in seed mixes but I do use it for treats because it’s just the right size. But too much sunflower or other fatty foods predisposes some parrots to fatty liver disease and atherosclerosis.

I actually bought a food mix loaded with sunflower seeds once, I stayed up all night one night sorting through the entire bag, I picked every single sunflower seed out of the bag and put it them all in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag.

 

[HeatherG]

I actually bought a food mix loaded with sunflower seeds once, I stayed up all night one night sorting through the entire bag, I picked every single sunflower seed out of the bag and put it them all in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag.

I’m going to do that with a big bag of cockatiel seed because I need treats for my Quaker. Then I want to add a small amount of seed back into his diet. I wasn’t able to find one pound of sunflower seeds as I would have liked.