Good seed blend?

[Rico_Tiel]

Hallo! So, Cricket, my budgie, is going onto pellets soon, and I am thinking about trying to set her onto a good blend of seeds as well.

I would absolutely LOVE to get the Witte Molen seed blend, as it’s good quality, but paying 15$ for 1LBS (0.45KG) is absurd…

At the moment, she is on Kaytee (I know, it’s a really bad brand, but it was the only one available at the time), but she has had Sweet Harvest… which they don’t sell at petzoo anymore… and petco doesn’t carry it :/

I’m considering:
Sunseed Vita Prima
Sleek and Sassy
Higgins Sunburst


But idk if there are better ones… recommendations are very much appreciated!! Thank you, Tschüss!

Also, Crick pic

for birb tax, ofc

 

[Birdgirl24]

I think I pay about 15$ for a pound of Harrison's pellets it doesn't seem terribly absurd but maybe that's just cuz I've been paying it for so long and even the one-pound bags seem to last forever. But cute burbbbb waaaay to cute.

 

[zERo]

Hm, I’d say the best brand out of those 3 would be the Sleek and Sassy. I love the Sweet Harvest brand too, it’s just so hard to find!

 

[Birdgirl24]

Oh something i did for awhile is because i couldn't find a seed mix i liked i made my own and mixed it myself

 

[azul_thebluemacaw]

Depends on the seed brand but you shouldn't be feeding seeds at all anyways.Weather it be a small budgie or large Macaw, no bird should be on a seed diet.An all seed diet ,even if your feeding pellets can sill cause you bird fatty liver disease and other health related issues.They should always remain as treats only.Not only will this help you with training sessions but it will lead to a longer lived healthy bird over all.You should be feeding a healthy nutritions chop recipe in the mornings and as you said, pellets in the evenings.I don't want to sound rude or too straight forward, it just that I speak from personal experience.As when I fist got into birds it was an impulse buy, I had not researched anything, the cage was not of appropriate size, and I fed a low quality all seed diet.I was very young and even though I loved them dearly I simply did not have the knowledge to take care of them properly.After those poor birds passed away, I finally educated my self and I simply don't want you to make the same mistakes as I did.I know your trying and its awesome that your looking for information

P.s - Your bird IS SO CUTE ,reminds me of my Lily back in the day.

 

[Jcas]

Cricket!!!! So cute .
I’ve always fed my budgies the Sunseed Vita Prima along with daily fresh veggies and they seem to do well on it. I switched JJ to the Vita Prima cockatiel/ lovebird blend from his old mix and I feel like that has been a good switch for him, too. I like that the Vita Prima has whole grains, dried fruits and veggies, pellets, and probiotics. It also doesn’t have artificial colors and junk like that. The reason I put them on that brand is because we had started feeding our guinea pigs the Vita Prima guinea pig food and noticed a huge positive improvement in their health, energy, coat etc. So I guess I do feel like the brand in general is pretty good. That’s just my opinion for what it’s worth . And a picture of Fay and Cooper for double birb tax!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Depends on the seed brand but you shouldn't be feeding seeds at all anyways.Weather it be a small budgie or large Macaw, no bird should be on a seed diet.An all seed diet ,even if your feeding pellets can sill cause you bird fatty liver disease and other health related issues.They should always remain as treats only.Not only will this help you with training sessions but it will lead to a longer lived healthy bird over all.You should be feeding a healthy nutritions chop recipe in the mornings and as you said, pellets in the evenings.I don't want to sound rude or too straight forward, it just that I speak from personal experience.As when I fist got into birds it was an impulse buy, I had not researched anything, the cage was not of appropriate size, and I fed a low quality all seed diet.I was very young and even though I loved them dearly I simply did not have the knowledge to take care of them properly.After those poor birds passed away, I finally educated my self and I simply don't want you to make the same mistakes as I did.I know your trying and its awesome that your looking for information

P.s - Your bird IS SO CUTE ,reminds me of my Lily back in the day.

She’s going onto pellets, I think I mentioned that in my post? Maybe I didn’t…

I’ve been doing research for I think 6 or so years? And I’ve got an avian vet book, which does cover diet.

As of right now, veggies are ridiculously expensive again, as they are out of season, so looking for good Pellets and seed blends, and providing safe veggies when we have them is the best I can do for them.

I do appreciate the advice and the time you took to reply though!!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I think I pay about 15$ for a pound of Harrison's pellets it doesn't seem terribly absurd but maybe that's just cuz I've been paying it for so long and even the one-pound bags seem to last forever. But cute burbbbb waaaay to cute.

I’ve got two gremlins who would burn through that in no time. And shipping on Harrison’s has become absurd

She knows she’s cute, she uses it to manipulate me xD, she’s really taking after Rico

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Hm, I’d say the best brand out of those 3 would be the Sleek and Sassy. I love the Sweet Harvest brand too, it’s just so hard to find!

I figured as such. Noted! Thank you!
Right? Like, why they gotta be so elusive it’s obnoxious how some places carry them on and off too… fantastic brand, but jeez more businesses need to carry them more lol

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Cricket!!!! So cute .
I’ve always fed my budgies the Sunseed Vita Prima along with daily fresh veggies and they seem to do well on it. I switched JJ to the Vita Prima cockatiel/ lovebird blend from his old mix and I feel like that has been a good switch for him, too. I like that the Vita Prima has whole grains, dried fruits and veggies, pellets, and probiotics. It also doesn’t have artificial colors and junk like that. The reason I put them on that brand is because we had started feeding our guinea pigs the Vita Prima guinea pig food and noticed a huge positive improvement in their health, energy, coat etc. So I guess I do feel like the brand in general is pretty good. That’s just my opinion for what it’s worth . And a picture of Fay and Cooper for double birb tax!

Cricket is very cute! She is also a master manipulator xDDDD

I see, interesting… imma have to compare the ingredients between the Sunseed and the Sleek and Sassy lol
Bye bye, Higgins

Awww omg they are so precioussss!!! My heart melted by looking at their cute little stinky faces!

Give them a treat and tell them they are very good birbs for me, please!

 

[Birdfriendly]

She’s going onto pellets, I think I mentioned that in my post? Maybe I didn’t…

I’ve been doing research for I think 6 or so years? And I’ve got an avian vet book, which does cover diet.

As of right now, veggies are ridiculously expensive again, as they are out of season, so looking for good Pellets and seed blends, and providing safe veggies when we have them is the best I can do for them.

I do appreciate the advice and the time you took to reply though!!

Yes, you said you were switching to pellets. I know how hard it is to get parakeets to switch diets, so you'll have no choice but to feed seed as you gradually wean off to using it as 20% of the diet.

I'm not sure if this is the Molen parakeet mix you said you'd love to have but cost was $15 lb. I found this Molen mix on Amazon for $22. It's 3 lbs. I hope that's what you wanted. That's just over $7, per pound (if it's the one you had in mind).

You've got to do the best you can. Don't feel bad about not being able to feed vegetables at times. Birds go through droughts in the wild. Budgies survive on whatever they find.

You sound like you've researched and coming here for advice proves to me that you will do the best you can.

One trick I do is when I eat salad, I take a tiny amount out for Byrdie. When I cook raw vegetables, I chop a Tablespoon up of each veggie for Byrdie and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. I don't have to buy veggies specifically for him. I use what I have. Same with fruit. I take a sliver off my apple or orange and he gets that added to the chopped stuff OR, he joins me as I eat. I offer him a few bites on what fresh fruit I'm eating at the time, then I eat the rest of that piece myself. He eats a little on my second piece, I eat the rest. By the time I'm done, so is he.

Enjoy your beautiful bird. You're doing fine! I attached what I found on Amazon.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Yes, you said you were switching to pellets. I know how hard it is to get parakeets to switch diets, so you'll have no choice but to feed seed as you gradually wean off to using it as 20% of the diet.

I'm not sure if this is the Molen parakeet mix you said you'd love to have but cost was $15 lb. I found this Molen mix on Amazon for $22. It's 3 lbs. I hope that's what you wanted. That's just over $7, per pound (if it's the one you had in mind).

You've got to do the best you can. Don't feel bad about not being able to feed vegetables at times. Birds go through droughts in the wild. Budgies survive on whatever they find.

You sound like you've researched and coming here for advice proves to me that you will do the best you can.

One trick I do is when I eat salad, I take a tiny amount out for Byrdie. When I cook raw vegetables, I chop a Tablespoon up of each veggie for Byrdie and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. I don't have to buy veggies specifically for him. I use what I have. Same with fruit. I take a sliver off my apple or orange and he gets that added to the chopped stuff OR, he joins me as I eat. I offer him a few bites on what fresh fruit I'm eating at the time, then I eat the rest of that piece myself. He eats a little on my second piece, I eat the rest. By the time I'm done, so is he.

Enjoy your beautiful bird. You're doing fine! I attached what I found on Amazon.

Thankfully, cricket does anything Rico does. She has tried eating his pellets which are too big for her…. And Rico isn’t super fussy about pellets. I could just convince him to eat some pellets and introduce it to her that way. 20%? I’ve always heard no more than 10%… maybe budgies are different? Specifics on species aren’t thoroughly covered in my vet book.


Holy snizzle! Thank you!!! I wasn’t even aware it was on Amazon! Ahhh thank you so much!


That’s very true! Also, I appreciate the understanding! If this were on any other platform I’d get torn to pieces lol


Yep! Knowledge is power and it never hurts to know more!


I get terrorized by Rico whenever I eat fruits or veggies, so I’m sure cricket will follow suit too. She’ll be eating salads just like him! And I never thought of that!!! Man, you’re smart! Haha

I will!! She is super pretty!

And oddly menacing… look at her scowling back there….

She was plotting. Scheming. Getting evil ideas, and sinister plans. (She took the nutriberry and threw it on the floor lol)

 

[Birdfriendly]

Thankfully, cricket does anything Rico does. She has tried eating his pellets which are too big for her…. And Rico isn’t super fussy about pellets. I could just convince him to eat some pellets and introduce it to her that way. 20%? I’ve always heard no more than 10%… maybe budgies are different? Specifics on species aren’t thoroughly covered in my vet book.


Holy snizzle! Thank you!!! I wasn’t even aware it was on Amazon! Ahhh thank you so much!


That’s very true! Also, I appreciate the understanding! If this were on any other platform I’d get torn to pieces lol


Yep! Knowledge is power and it never hurts to know more!


I get terrorized by Rico whenever I eat fruits or veggies, so I’m sure cricket will follow suit too. She’ll be eating salads just like him! And I never thought of that!!! Man, you’re smart! Haha

I will!! She is super pretty! View attachment 55118
And oddly menacing… look at her scowling back there….

She was plotting. Scheming. Getting evil ideas, and sinister plans. (She took the nutriberry and threw it on the floor lol)

Thank you for the compliment!

 

[Free as a bird]

Depends on the seed brand but you shouldn't be feeding seeds at all anyways.Weather it be a small budgie or large Macaw, no bird should be on a seed diet.An all seed diet ,even if your feeding pellets can sill cause you bird fatty liver disease and other health related issues.They should always remain as treats only.Not only will this help you with training sessions but it will lead to a longer lived healthy bird over all.You should be feeding a healthy nutritions chop recipe in the mornings and as you said, pellets in the evenings.I don't want to sound rude or too straight forward, it just that I speak from personal experience.As when I fist got into birds it was an impulse buy, I had not researched anything, the cage was not of appropriate size, and I fed a low quality all seed diet.I was very young and even though I loved them dearly I simply did not have the knowledge to take care of them properly.After those poor birds passed away, I finally educated my self and I simply don't want you to make the same mistakes as I did.I know your trying and its awesome that your looking for information

P.s - Your bird IS SO CUTE ,reminds me of my Lily back in the day.

So real seeds are no good for seed eating birds but pellets which are made from seeds are fine?

Im so tired of this misinformation it makes no sense, defies logic and has been refuted by the avian vet I recently saw.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

So real seeds are no good for seed eating birds but pellets which are made from seeds are fine?

Im so tired of this misinformation it makes no sense, defies logic and has been refuted by the avian vet I recently saw.

My avian veterinary book covers why an all seed diet isn’t good for your bird.

Pellets have added vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients that you can’t get much of from all seed diets.

I’m not saying you should condemn seeds entirely, but I am saying it should not be their primary diet.

 

[Free as a bird]

My avian veterinary book covers why an all seed diet isn’t good for your bird. View attachment 55122View attachment 55124View attachment 55125View attachment 55126

Pellets have added vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients that you can’t get much of from all seed diets.

I’m not saying you should condemn seeds entirely, but I am saying it should not be their primary diet.

That is an opinion which the avian vet I seen recently disagrees with. He said adding pellets to a seed diet is fine but replacing seeds for pellets is not.

That theory sits on the unfounded assumption that birds eat as much as they do in the wild, that they eat more energy than they burn. If that was true them I would of seem fat budgies and tiels but I never have.

In that literature that i just quickly read I couldnt find anywhere that says to replace seeds with pellets anyway. Budgies and cockatiels are granivores, they eat mainly grain/seeds, that's a fact. Adding pellets and other foods to the diet is fine but replacing real seeds for processed seeds is a joke that is cruel to the bird

 

[azul_thebluemacaw]

So real seeds are no good for seed eating birds but pellets which are made from seeds are fine?

Im so tired of this misinformation it makes no sense, defies logic and has been refuted by the avian vet I recently saw.

It's true that it can get quite complicated and frustrating when your looking for information.But what I meant was seed blends that are unhealthy for your birds.Things like Kaytee and similar brands.They are made of low quality, high sugar and fat seeds that your bird would not be constantly consuming in the wild.And to be clear, not all pellets are healthy.You have to research the ingredient list and make sure they are healthy all natural and nutritious ingredients for your bird.You wouldn't raise you child on fast food because its cheap and easy would you? So why should you do the same for your bird.A point that should also be made is that in nature birds are flying and foraging for their food and they are naturally healthy.No matter how much time they spent out of their cage, it will never compare to endless sky.Birds in the wild have continues exercise helping them burn fat aswell. In captivity birds will never have that amount of exercise so its up to us to provide them healthy foods.And what I believe is that if you cant afford to make the effort and get out of your way to feed your bird what it needs to shouldn't own a bird.Because diet is gonna be the least of your problems.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

That is an opinion which the avian vet I seen recently disagrees with. He said adding pellets to a seed diet is fine but replacing seeds for pellets is not.

In that literature that i just quickly read I couldnt find anywhere that says to replace seeds with pellets anyway. And that theory that Australia had no seeds for them to eat is laughable. Budgies and cockatiels are granivores, seed eating birds and no excuses can change that

My apologies for the late response, I was going for a snack run.

I was using that section to point out why all seed diets aren’t good. It said how all seed diets are not nutritious, and are high in fats- both of which aren’t good for birds. Fatty liver and malnutrition are extremely harmful.

And it wasn’t saying there wasn’t seeds in Australia, it said: “However, agricultural crops were not planted in Australia until some 200 years ago so the grains found in commercial seed mixes are not indigenous to the natural habitat of Australian parrots. In fact, many of these grains originate from the American continent and thus are not natural food items for African or Asiatic species either.”

It said that many of the grains and seeds commonly found in commercial seed mixes aren’t native to Australia, as they come from America.

If you want the full nutritional section, I’ll show it here:

 

[Birdfriendly]

So real seeds are no good for seed eating birds but pellets which are made from seeds are fine?

Im so tired of this misinformation it makes no sense, defies logic and has been refuted by the avian vet I recently saw.

Before there was internet or Google, the breeder I got my first parakeet from told me how to finish hand feeding him.

She had over a 100 healthy parakeets, so I considered her a good source. She told me to get a cuttlebone and seed after he was weaned. I did as she instructed. He lived to be 15.

I never took my bird outside for fear of something getting him.
As a teenager I witnessed a snake stuck in a parakeet cage hanging from a tree. The snake had eaten the bird, then couldn't get out because of the big lump in his belly. It was traumatic for me, and even more for the girl who loved the bird.

Now I feed fruits, veggies, boiled egg, egg food, and seed. He has a UV light, and free flight all day. My bird may outlive me.

If he dies before I do, I'm going to regret feeding fresh veggies, etc. I'm doing it, but I know for a FACT my first parakeet ate nothing but seed, and it was the cheapest I could find...probably Kaytee. I was blissfully ignorant.

He had no sunlight, but he had lots of attention. He even talked. I hope the experts are right about the diet thing. In 15 years they may realize parakeets live longer on seed alone. If my bird gets sick or dies, my NEXT one will be fed like my first one!!!

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from fresh veggies, egg, fresh fruit, and 20% seed. I'm complying with what vets are telling us to do. BUT, if my current bird dies before me...I'm going to be ticked!

 

[Birdfriendly]

My avian veterinary book covers why an all seed diet isn’t good for your bird. View attachment 55122View attachment 55124View attachment 55125View attachment 55126

Pellets have added vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients that you can’t get much of from all seed diets.

I’m not saying you should condemn seeds entirely, but I am saying it should not be their primary diet