High quality pellets?

[2birds]

I have a question? I am sitting here looking at the ingredients of a bag of pellets for parrots that I bought. These are supposed to be top of the line, good for your bird pellets and I've noticed that a lot of people agree (including avian veterinarians) with this which is why I bought them. They are not cheap either.

Everyone agrees, for the most part, that a diet high in sunflower seeds is not good for your bird. I am looking at the ingredients on the bag and the #1 ingredient is sunflower seeds. There is a whole list of things here that would seem to be good for your bird but it's still mostly ground sunflower seeds. I am not trying to start a debate, just wanting to know why these are so popular. Why is it different than giving your bird hand fulls of sunflowers seeds for a meal?

[birdhouse]

Debating & discussion is good! The more sides to anything we can understand, the better. We have had some truly informative debates where everyone played nice & stayed respectful even while they disagreed. So never be afraid to stir the membership up about something that interests you. Particularly because the odds are, other people want to know, too.

 

I am also less than convinced about what passes for a healthy diet where avian pellets are concerned. I'm not afraid to say that feeding things like sunflower seeds, corn & peanuts daily flies in the face of just about everything I've learned. I could also rant a little about the dyes & chemicals. But I wont ...this time. ")

 

That was a big part of why I eventually switched to fresh feeding. Although to be fair, the staple of my fids' diet is mash which I make w/fresh ingredients & freeze. It saves time & assures they're always getting a fully balanced diet. Then they also get whatever fresh ingredients are "around" & lots of it. I just don't have to monitor everything all the time all that as closely.

 

Fresh feeding is a topic that floats to the surface here on a regular basis. There's lots of info on the Bird Food Forum. And given GF's turn over rate, maybe its time has come again. So I for one think it's a really good question & I'm glad you asked. :cool:

Edited June 26, 2014 by birdhouse

[SRSeedBurners]

We learned a lot from the breeder where we got our last bird. She fed four types of pellets outside of the fresh fruits/veggies. She even had us buy some of the colored brand that is specifically blended for african birds. The little bird we got from her will practically eat any of these pellets along with his fresh veggie mix. I think it's probably a good thing to get them eating a variety and let their natural instincts choose what they want to eat that moment.

[birdhouse]

I forgot to mention that I do still feed my guys some pellets for various reasons. Among other things, I live in an area that's a little vulnerable to natural disasters. I've been w/o power for as much as a couple of weeks & that's an even bigger problem w/a fresh diet. So, they get Totally Organics TOP pellets. You might check them out if you're looking for a different type of pelleted diet for your fid.

[2birds]

My guys that I have now get a lot of fresh food but there are times when that can't be given. A couple of days a week I get up at 430 and leave the house at six. I don't want to disturb them so I will give them a parrot mix with low sunflower in it and pellets the night before. On those days I will give them fresh food in the evening but they aren't as interested in it at that time. I just don't want the fresh stuff to sit there all day. I'm looking for something that is dry that is actually good for them. The food I was referring to is organic and has a lot of good stuff in it but sunflower is the first ingredient. That doesn't sound so good.

[birdhouse]

Food spoiling is a very valid concern. Convenience (read necessity where it applies) is a big reason for having dry foods in a fid's diet. One thing that might help balance their diet a little more is if you switch the night feeding of pellets & the AM seed mix. They're more likely to eat more of whatever's offered in the morning while they're hungrier than later in the day when they're starting to get their fill.

 

There are mixes w/safflower instead of sunflower seeds which are apparently better general nutrition & less addictive. But commercial seed mixes still tend to be lacking nutritionally. There's also no real way to make them balanced because most fids pick out their favorite types of seeds & leave the rest or pitch them.

[2birds]

I'm wondering that if in these pellets most of the oil is removed so it doesn't contain so much fat.