do i have to use harrisons pellets within 4-6 weeks?

[Sarvesh]

i notice on the bag it says use within 4-6 weeks after opening, and 1 bag of harrisons last me at least a couple months... is this another one of those gimmicks? talk about how using pellets is less waste and brag about no preservatives, but then throw away a half of bag of pellets after 4-6 weeks? right now im feeding my budgie harrisons pellets that have been opened like 2.5 months ago...is that ok?

 

[JerseyWendy]

How do you store the pellets? I personally wouldn't go much past the recommended date. Is there an expiration date on the bag? That should give you pretty accurate info as to how long it's good/usable.

 

[Sarvesh]

How do you store the pellets? I personally wouldn't go much past the recommended date. Is there an expiration date on the bag? That should give you pretty accurate info as to how long it's good/usable.

the expiration date says use before july 2016, but on the back of the bag it says use within 4-6 weeks after opening :S It comes in a dark bag and i just keep it in a cool/dark area...also when i close the bag i squeeze all the air out.

 

[Flboy]

It is the oils you want to protect. Store the majority in the freezer. This will also slow down on the bugs hatching

 

[Mimsy01]

I move mine to tupperware and I do go over the time frame for using them. But Foo still never finishes them. Usually after a couple of months I mix them into my rats mix and they eat the rest in a week-or I'll toss into our front yard under the bird feeders and the neighbors chickens, doves and pigeons eat it.

I would love to be able to get smaller bags.

 

[Bandespresso]

Usually after a couple of months I mix them into my rats mix

I do the same thing ! Zoë also gets leftover breakfast and toy bits that are too small for Espresso. Rats living with parrots are very spoiled

Definitely freeze the pellets that will help some. Do you know of any other parrot owners in your area? Maybe go splitsies on the next bag so you don't waste any. Also, you mentioned he isn't eating the pellets. Have you tried other pellets? What is your conversion process like? Does he eat fruits and veggies?

 

[RavensGryf]

If it goes over the expiration date, the optimal amount of nutirents will start to go out. I don't think it's a big deal if it's a little bit over, the nutrients don't all go 'poof' at the expiry date, and it's not going to do anything adverse to your birds, it's just that the maximum nutrition fades as time goes on, so best to use within the date.

It is the oils you want to protect. Store the majority in the freezer. This will also slow down on the bugs hatching

Right.... except there are no bugs in Harrison's organic pellets . I've heard that works for seed.

I move mine to tupperware and I do go over the time frame for using them. But Foo still never finishes them. Usually after a couple of months I mix them into my rats mix and they eat the rest in a week-or I'll toss into our front yard under the bird feeders and the neighbors chickens, doves and pigeons eat it.

I would love to be able to get smaller bags.

Harrison's says they use their special packaging for a reason. They recommend using the original packaging to assure that it stays fresh until the expiration date. I save the 1lb empty bags and sometimes use that to put a pound in at a time, since the 5lb bag can be awkward. I wish they sold a 3lb.

I know ordering online can be a pain, but the smaller bag is available online .

 

[Mimsy01]

I order online. I don't think they sell it anywhere near me. I have to drive a ways to get to an avian vet. 1 lb is too much for Foo. Only having one small bird which eats it makes it last too long. I move stuff to tupperware cause the starling likes to poke holes in everything. That goes for human, bird, rat food. Also fruit needs to be fridged or we get holes poked into it. I used to be able to keep apples and bananas out, but Zeki showed Foo how to get to those, so those go in fridge now too. Defrosting things must go in microwave, or someone sticks their beak in it. All things small and possibly swallowable goes into tuperware or someone will steal it or eat it. I also use a lot of wicker baskets with lids.

With that in mind though, I'll try and remember to drop the whole thing, bag and all into the tuperware.

 

[RavensGryf]

I order online. I don't think they sell it anywhere near me. I have to drive a ways to get to an avian vet. 1 lb is too much for Foo. Only having one small bird which eats it makes it last too long. I move stuff to tupperware cause the starling likes to poke holes in everything. That goes for human, bird, rat food. Also fruit needs to be fridged or we get holes poked into it. I used to be able to keep apples and bananas out, but Zeki showed Foo how to get to those, so those go in fridge now too. Defrosting things must go in microwave, or someone sticks their beak in it. All things small and possibly swallowable goes into tuperware or someone will steal it or eat it. I also use a lot of wicker baskets with lids.

With that in mind though, I'll try and remember to drop the whole thing, bag and all into the tuperware.

That is HILARIOUS !! Holes poked into EVERYTHING hahaha! Actually though it sounds funny, I am sure it's not funny really... You have to be so careful with a Starling around . What a pain, lucky he's so cute lol!

 

[Mimsy01]

He's very lucky that he is adorable! haha Ya we've changed a lot of things since we are sharing a home with him. We have hand towels clipped to the backs of all the computer monitors. There are towels on every high shelf in the house (places I didn't use to dust often).

On the good side this house always had a massive spider issue and I had to clean a lot of cobwebs, to only find more. Zeki has cleaned out the spider population. He's like a cat, and will stalk and pounce them and search every crevice he thinks one is hiding.

 

[RavensGryf]

Cleaned out the spider population LOL . Well that's nice!

People talk about bird proofing their house especially with certain parrot species, but sounds easy compared to having a Starling wow.