Alexandrines

[zooman]

IM glad both of you are having such good luck and your birds are looking tip top shape. I know about the alex's smooth look tiago looks that way to it almost seems like hair then feathers it hard to explain where the greys have this armor look.

 

Question I know you both use different pellets harrisons and zupreem. since getting them on harrisons has failed and cost too much $ in food to bother anymore. What is the best food you've heard is the best for parrots. The store gave me a sample of zupreem pellets and it was fruit shaped and flavored and they both seem to love it, im just not sure if its the flavor or what. Im more curious than anything i feed them both the hagen lifetime pellets and the vet thought it was good, course tried to get me to try harrisons and i did but they waste it.

 

Foods they eat of mine....EVERYTHING..haha Sometimes one likes it and the other doesnt but always they want it. I of course make sure its not terrible for them first. If i had to pick out one thing it would be squash for tiago and any kind of potato for zuri

[bettyboop]

Pat , I know what you mean about the floresent green glow .That is exactly how Zsa Zsa looks . I hate to say this but I allowed myself to run out of Harrison's pellets . I thought I had another bag in the fridge and I didnt .Well I order on line and it was going to be at least a week , so at the grocery store I purchased a bag of Hartz Parrot food .I know , trash , trash , I hated the idea . Anyway , it has all of these dried veggies , different shapes , nuts ,seeds, etc... smells like orange . They loved it , and they have been eating it for about two weeks and refused the Harrisons . So now , I'm looking at these guys and honestly they look better than ever . Zsa Zsa just went through a mini molt and she is glowing .Both of their attitudes have changed for the better , and they are all lovey dovey acting . They say diet improves their disposition . Well , I can't believe but Hartz has been around for a long time and I can only judge by how my birds look . There has been a great improvement in their over all apearance.So Zooman you may want to try Hartz. It is much cheaper than Harrisons , and right at my Grocery store.

[Tycos_mom]

I feed my birds harrisons also but they don't eat to much of it I know that. I also buy Katee select ithas all the dried fruits veggies and nuts in it also. I trie a new one out the last time I went to the bird store its called tropical carnival this stuff has everything you can imageine in it pasta pretzels pellets Every kind of nut and seed you could think of it says on the bag a nutrious food thats also a treat. well My birds love it Its alittle pricey but copared to the harrisons its cheap. a 5lb bag is about 27.00 but its got so much stuff in it and the birds look just awesome like I said Ive never seen Fergie look so beautiful she actualy glows.

[bettyboop]

Pat , as they say the way a bird looks says it all .So , I guess Hartz and Katee have some wisdom in that cheaper priced food .The hartz I buy is 14.99 a bag and you know that's a bunch cheaper than Harrison's.... I am glad we found it and our birds are BEAUTIFUL !

M

[Tycos_mom]

I had my birds on the zupreem fruity maintanance pellets and they really liked it for quite a while but then I tryed to switch them to harrisons and no and a couple of my birds are okay with it. None of them dig in to it and really enjoy it though. I think that most birds like the zupreem fruity pellets and its got all the stuff that birds need to stay healthy in it. So if your birds love the fruity Zupreem I would say its an excellent choice and it will keep them getting all the nutrition they need.

[bettyboop]

My brds won't eat Zupreem , I have tried it twice. So that won't work for me .

They are funny , Zsa Zsa likes moist food more than the dry stuff , so I usually prepare soft wet food and sprinkle the dry store bought stuff on top . She loves yogurt , sprinkled with pellets .Strange but true .She drinks a lot of water also , so on occasion , I drop some liquid vitamins in her water , maybe every other week . I try to make sure they get something green , orange , red and purple everyday .They do really good with puree made in the blender of frozen , thawed berries .Then I add cereal and make this chunky stuff and they love it .<br><br>Post edited by: bettyboop, at: 2008/12/09 11:20

[zooman]

hmm guess different birds different tastes. They both gobbled up the zupreem pellets and pretty much ate the whole bag. I compared the labels and they are quite similar so maybe ill give them a shot. Zupreem is a good company right? It is more expensive but if they want a change i cant see too much harm, i guess looking at me i wouldnt want to eat the same thing everyday, besides all the fresh stuff and treats that they get of course. Ive noticed a decline in the pellets they were eating at least. Thats soo funny how that worked out for you with the Hartz food, hmm i havent seen that kind of food up here, I have seen hartz parakeet food in the store but it was all millet and seeds so i always heard that they can get addicted to it, but sounds like you got more balanced feed. In any case like you both feed your birds soo well besides the pellets with vitamins and fresh food no wonder they are such beauts! that it wouldnt matter what kind of pellets they get all the rest from the different foods.

I give thema fruit and veggie bowl daily and try to mix it up its trial and error gave them pineapple and zuri told me to eat it and tiago found it too sour so oh well. I ate the rest well what wasnt in their bowl of course..lol

[bettyboop]

My birds wouldnt eat pinapple the first few times I offered it and now they love it , so keep trying .My guys do not like anything cold .

If the store you shopped at carries Hartz parakeet then you can ask them to order the Parrot food . Stores are usually pretty coperative at adding what the customer ask for . That also tells you they have an account with Hartz.

Yes , I do give my birds a lot of different healthy foods , but I can tell a big difference since they have had the Hartz food added to the diet , like Pat said they glow , Zsa Zsa does , Sammy looks groomed and smooth.

I also buy a cereal that has no sugar in it . I look in the health food section and the brand I found was Ezekiel. It has tons of good stuff in it . I add alot of dry stuff to the pellet seed mix . Zsa Zsa has to have her seeds , it is a natural food in the wild , she demands it , ha ha ha.

Zupreem should be a good food ....I think I used it for a short time when Z was a baby , not sure .

[Tycos_mom]

Zooman I think if you look in Superstore they carry hartz bonanza for hook billed parrots and I think walmart carries it also. I buy the small hookbill for my conures when I'm out of food and need somthing in a hurry I do perfer a slightly higher quality seed and nut mix usually but in a pinch it's not to bad. Like I said I tried this new food I found at petsmart its made by Browns and its called tropical carnaval for hookbills I have never seen so much stuff in a parrot food in my life it has tons of different kinds of deied fruits and veggies, every kind of nut and seed you think of, it has pasta and pretzels and all kinds of stuff including pellets of all different shapes sizes and colors My birds just love it and my birds are looking just gorgous. the best part is that there is hardly any waste because they eat mostly everything thats in it.Its also a little pricey a 5lb bag is about 27.00 but they love it so I don't mind.

[bettyboop]

No waste , that says something . I am going to look for Browns at my pet smart store . Thanks Pat

[zooman]

Thanks for the tips. I will look for both and kinds and try them if i can find them. I think im going to buy a special lamp for tiago i think you both have that and since its been so glum out snowing and raining i have hardly seen the sun so im sure it helps as well. It came to me when i was on the net i have some extra aquarium lights fluorescent type and ill buy the bulbs that have the UV and hang over them during the morning while i sleep so maybe it'll give them a shine boost.

 

and no waste sounds veryyyy good to me..haha i know we've said this al before but i think in the wild all ground animals would die without birds feeding them..

[bettyboop]

The light is a great idea, I use one everyday , even when the sun is shining. My birds love it.

[zooman]

thanks im just trying my best to give them every chance on having the best. I dont want them to get ill and say well i shouldve done this or that you know?

 

The expense wont be much either just a new light bulb thats all, no biggie. With christmas coming ive been spending too much already.

[bettyboop]

Yes , now that we are adding two new Grandkids to the list , the Christmas account has stretched even farther . Glad we can do it , they are cuties .

You are a great Bird Dad , doing a great job . Pat yourself on the back .

M

[zooman]

I went to the local walmart and saw the hartz food it was called bird bonanza and it was $9 something for a bag of it. It did look pretty complete and im glad it works for you. I was going to buy it but it seemed to have too many sunflower seeds for me. Tiago is a drug addict with those and zuri doesnt care for them at all so i use them as a treat for tricks for tiago. But i was suprised on how it had a lot in it though.

 

I ended up buying a bag of zupreem pellets at petsmart. and looked for that otehr food with the pretzels etc but they dont carry it something similar. So i spent $20 on that bag its expensive geeze for 3lbs of it. I see why you bought the hartz.

 

And thanks for the compliment, you both deserve a pat as well you both do great with yours.

[bettyboop]

No, I didnt buy the Hartz because of price .My birds were on Harrisons and I ran out.I order on line , so it would be a couple of days to get the Harrisons .I was at the grocery store and that is all they carry , so I bought it .When the Harrisons came , they refused it , so I continued on with the Hartz.Within 2 weeks they looked like different birds.

Actually , I think the sunflower is good for birds . It contains a non saturated natural oil in it which is good for our skin as well as the birds skin . Which can help them not to pluck . If the skin is moist then they don't itch .I really think the Hartz has less sunflower seeds in it compared to some I have seen .I also allow Zsa Zsa her seeds because in the wild , they are seed eaters , so it is natural for them to have seeds.

I have done a lot of research on sunflower seeds and they are very healthy.But each has his own way of doing things and I respect yours .

When Zsa Zsa had her last big molt , which seemed to go on forever I was told to increase her oils with nuts , so whenever she starts molting , I buy organic pecans , and give her a tiny amount daily , it seems to shorten the molt .It didnt increase her body weight .Tiago likes them because it is a natural food for Alex's.Sammy doesnt seem to care for them either .

[zooman]

Please dont think i was judging you in any way..I have given tiago those in a mix i make from the bulk store myself. They both get a lot of seeds, nut etc. I just dont put it in the cage for all day eating or else tiago would eat sunflowers and leave everything else. I know this because ive tried. My vet said there is one kind thats very fatty amd i can never distinguish one sunflower from another so i limit peanuts and sunflower seeds to a few a day. They do get them but in this mix like trail mix i put together with cheerios etc. they enjoy it. If yours are doing great then it works for you. I just know you give them more fresh foods variety then i can give them from what you explain, so i want to make sure they get a rounded diet for mine, because i dont give them as much as you do, its harder for me. I didnt mena to say it was due to price i know it was the lack of harrisons thats why i just mentioned the price cause its a huge difference in price they also had this kaytee brand food but i didnt know how good they are either.

 

I put up the bulb for tiago he seemed more active today in his cage i hope thats why its been so dreary, I think ive seen the sun out twice this week.

[bettyboop]

I didnt think you were judging , I just wanted you to understand it was a total act of my thinking I had another bag of food and I didnt . It was amazing to me the difference .

No offense taken .....

You will see abig difference with them being under the light .

Supposedly , the white sunflower seeds have less fat .

M

[zooman]

ok good im glad you didnt. White sunflower seeds cant say ive ever seen those. Its the one thing tiago can not help he'll do anything for them haha

 

So how do you like your weather? i was watching the news and the cold thats coming from the arctic is going pretty deep into the U.S. i saw dallas was really cold, are you feeling it? My side of the country we are getting it soon, it was really warm all weekend i took the boys out fora bit a fresh air but it was raining though. The other provinces here were minus30 which to you must be around minus 20 brrr!

[bettyboop]

Brrrrrrrr , yes it is 24 here this Am.My Husband works in Dallas , so he was off about 30 mins. early . We didnt get but a little precip. , but I heard east and west of us is worse.It was 80 here Sunday , so this is just our cooler summer weather , ha ha.....

The white sunflower seeds are hard to find . My breeder sells them along with a safflower seed , banana chips , and something else.It's 45 mins to her house , so I usually buy about 15 lbs , per trip.@$3.99 a pound .Ouch.....But it is an organic blend , so I know it is good for them .I have no idea where she gets it and she won't tell , because she wants me to buy it from her .

You can go on line and type organic parrot seeds and you might find them .

Stay warm,

M

[zooman]

Well we had weather like that this weekend rained and very warm but now we have 3 winter storms coming one after another started yesterday and they say tomorrows will bring 15cm snow and sunday another 20cm so we def look like it will be a white christmas which is nice then it can go away!!

 

Im sure thats exactly why she doesnt want to tell you, im sure online you can find someone who grows them. Dont they go kinda stale? just be 15lbs of sunflwoer seeds is a lot..lol

 

IS your grey getting better with you? Tiago is much better with me i dont think ill ever have the relationship i have with zuri with him trusting me and touching. I still love him to death!!

[bettyboop]

Ha Ha , then it can go away . Just stay for a white Christmas .......

I hear we will be getting some more in here Saturday night , but no snow . This AM it is 58 degrees and such a heavy fog, it's dripping , like rain .

 

My breeder says if I keep it sealed up , which I do it won't go stale , it's a mix , not just sunflower. They love it .

Sammy is good , he is for sure a mans bird , he loves my Husband and is cool with me till the man comes home then I don't have a chance with him , ha ha .He entertains me in the daytime by talking and acting funny .He is such a little clown .He calls me Mootsie , thats what my Grandkids call me , and he picked up on it , so funny .They love the words that are different ..

[zooman]

haha thats funny how when your hubby comes home you dont exist. I have to say Zuri is the same way hates everyone else but me. I didnt want it to be that way but he turned that way in the first year. I know partially i was on my own for a while with him so he barely saw another human other than weekends, guess its somethign to work on but i heard greys are a bit harder to break that bond.

 

LAs Vegas got snow yesterday weird..desert and snow hmm wacky world.

 

Does sammy step onto you atleast?

[bettyboop]

Yes , Sammy will step up for me as long as I am his only choice , if my Husband is in the area and he can see him , he will bite me......I do not mess with him unless he flies to the floor , then I step him up and take him to a T stand or playstand ...He belongs to the Man , ha ha.Sammy is big , and I like him but we are not bonded ,I have always been fearful of him after the first bite and he knows it ...I don't mind , it would be sad if one didnt belong to each of us, everyone that comes over thinks he is a trip , since he talks and babbles so much , which makes my Husband very proud... Z is my bird .I love her and she knows it.

Zsa Zsa does not like my Husband , the other night I was exhausted so I went to bed early .He said she flew around looking for me and then gave up , she went to her cage and went to bed ....She screeches and has a fit if he tries to work with her , only if he is eating something she wants , then she will fly to his shoulder ...

Yes , that is strange about Las Vegas , but you know we were there in Oct. and a cold front blew in and when we arrived it was 50 degrees with a strong North wind .My Mom in law , said she could not believe it...

M

[zooman]

Whoa finally christmas shopping done wow..its been a busy week. I've been having to see the little feathered boys a little less and they have been a little more needy thats for sure. You all done?

 

Well keep working with sammy id love to get another grey, theres only 2 birds is agree to get and that would be another grey or an eclectus, they are so beautiful but hard to find here. But one day when life is more settle maybe. If i got another grey id love to geta congo this time, not that im ever disappointed i got zuri id like to have to compare.