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I'm making the change to pellets...wish me luck


Tias

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I have read so many things that about pellets, I have seen the difference first hand between pellet food and seed food. Both my AG and my Mini macaw are on seed food because I was reluctant to change EVERYTHING....Now they are dry and irritated...My mini macaw will not even allow my to go near running water with him....My AG would prefer a nice cold cup to bathe in...I have seen how well the AGs at our local pet store happy and NOT dry;) I have decided that pellets are gonna be the way to go....Wish me luck as my mini macaw was COMPLETELY spoiled when he came to me INCLUDING Pop, Tea, Crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...just to name a few of the laundry list of things he was fed before I got him home...Since he has been home I have gradually weaned him off of the deadly foods.....and instead offered healthy choices...now I am adding the pellets, hopefully I keep all my fingers next time I get him out ;)

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I never thought my cockatiel would ever switch to pellets. We were given different samples by the vet & he chose one he liked. I think I have heard that some companies will send out samples.

 

If your birds refuse the pellets, don't give up, just try another.

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I know that when I had to switch my senegal to a pelleted diet pet store was feeding him seed...I started out by going to zupreem fruit and then switched to roudybush...this may be a useful method...most birds will take to the zupreem fruit faster...that's just how I did it!

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This is just my opinion but I prefer foods without artificial colorings for 2 reasons. 1. The artificial coloring does pass through the digestive system and alters the color of poops, an early indicator that your fid is unwell or stressed. 2. Many fids will choose a color for the day and either ignore or fling everything else. This causes expensive waste but more importantly doesn't give you a good picture of how much your bird ate during the day, another indicator that your fid is unwell or stressed.

 

This isn't true at all. Healthy droppings will take on the color of the food being eaten and it has nothing to do with any type of health problems. Give a grey a nice fresh cherry or some red chili peppers and the droppings will be red. Give a nice fresh piece of banana and the dripping will be a very bland yellow color. Give a grey nice fresh dark veggies and the droppings will be green. Give a grey some pasta in tomato sauce and the droppings will be red. As far as picking out favorite things, well, fill a bowl with a variety of mixed veggies, and more than likely, the bird will pick out it's favorites and flip or ignore the rest. The same applies to pellets. That doesn't mean that the bird isn't getting a good veggie diet or pellet diet. It may be true that more money is spent but loads of grey owners are told that learning what a grey will eat is an expensive trial and error period until the bird finally settles on something. Hundreds of greys won't eat veggies. Hundres of greys won't eat pellets. Hundreds of greys won't eat parrot mix. Hundreds of greys will eat all those items. Not eating or eating those things won't cause a grey to be ill or stressed.

What a bird eats or doesn't eat doesn't cause stress or illness. What WILL cause stress or illness is not feeding a bird anything--In other words, starving to death.

The only thing that a person needs to worry about is how the urates and feces are separated.

Edited by Dave007
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My fids are not real good pellet eaters. I mainly keep pellets in their cages only to make sure my parrots always have something to eat. Zupreem Veggie Blend Flavor is the pellet that my fids all will pick at. Louie, I believe actually does eat some. Sterling Gris tosses it around and Ana Grey munches the pellets into fine grain and leaves it in the bowl. I give my birdies lots of "real" food and it makes us all happy.

Edited by luvparrots
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Thank You for all of your input! I have tried pellets, and it didn't work out too well...So I am for now just going to stick with their seed diets mixed with frest fruit and veggies. So far they seem happy and it seems to be working ok...I also added a humidifier to the mix...I have also been able to get Tia to at least go to the bathroom while I shower, she sits on the hamper, and I shut the door while I shower to get it nice and steamy for her.

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I would also suggest soaking the pellets in juice. I get the Gerber's juice from the baby aisle in the grocery store and use that to cook veggies instead of water. The white grape juice seems to be a favorite with all three fids! The eat the vegetables much better when cooked this way. I use the baby juice because I think it has less sugar than other juices. It might be worth a try.

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Tias, you may want to look into sprouting. It is easy and inexpensive (even for 100% organic). It is a way to make the most of the seeds nutritional potential.

 

http://www.bestbirdfoodever.com/index.php/2010/07/29/why-feed-sprouts/

 

This is a great starter kit:

http://sproutpeople.org/birdkit.html

 

My guy gets a dish every night and loves them...

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Organic Harrison's is the pellet eaten by my birds. So many of the pellets have ingredients, like corn, that are likely genetically modified. Some studies have found deleterious effects from GMO ingredients and I do not wish to experiment on my cherished pets. Harrison's is organic and so is guaranteed to be GMO free. Pellets are a convenience and not a substitute for fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. I serve two bowls: one with pellets and the other with a seven layer salad of sprouted seeds, and whatever is organic and seasonally available. I add chia seed and red palm oil to the soft foods.

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