Lyric Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 My birds have eaten Kaytee Exact pellets for over 10 years, with no major health problems. But I've been reading about the ingredients in most popular pet foods and I became concerned about what I read. Many ingredients found in pet foods are not allowed in food for human consumption. Some of these ingredients have been shown to cause cancer, immune system problems, skin problems, etc. If I wouldn't eat it, why would I give it to my birds as their major diet? I love my birds like children. If I had a child I would feed it only the very best. I figure I owe it to my birds to do the best I can to feed them what will keep them healthy and happy. I switched to TOPS pellets. Here is a link to their site if you are interested: http://totallyorganics.com Here is the ingredient list: Certified Organic Ingredients: Rice, barley, corn, sunflower seed hulled, alfalfa leaf, sesame seeds unhulled, amaranth whole, quinoa whole, buckwheat hulled, millet hulled, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, purple dulse, rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemary whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, wheat grass powder, barley grass powder. Contains NO BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin, No artificial colors, flavors, vitamins, preservatives or sucrose/sugar. Does not contain any animal products or by-products. Just to let you know, my birds LOVE this food. I find I have to feed them twice a day because when I check their food dishes they have eaten all the pellets I gave them and absolutely dig in once I give them more. I was surprised at the great response I got from them. It does cost more than many popular brands but my birds are worth it. I also supplement their diet with fruits, veggies, occasional seeds, nuts, brown rice, and some cooked eggs. They get nutriberries occasionally as special treats. In all reality, my birds eat better than I do. I just wanted to tell you all about TOPS pellets and how much my birds like them in case you hadn't considered them or heard of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaxtersMom Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Hey, thanks for the info! I know what you mean about reading the ingredients on the packaging. It can be pretty scary sometimes. I haven't heard of Tops yet but will check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 It can be scary to read the ingredient list on human foods sometimes, you wonder what in the world is some of that stuff but I have heard of Totally Organic pellets as Phoenix Landing sells it thru their programs. I tried a bag of it once and Josey was not impressed with it, she seems to be fond of the Harrison pellets and it is organic also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Jen, Ive not heard of them but will look them up. Mine are on Harrisons as well, might be worth looking into. Thanks for sharing this info with us:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I looked up and read through the site you posted, Jen. It sounds pretty good and I might try Tops out the next time I need to get pellets. Thanks for the information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdgirl Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I have been looking for a better pellet and these look pretty good. I think I'll order some next time I need food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LilosMom Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks Lyric for the info. I was going to get harrisons, but I think I want to get some samples first just to see if Lilo likes it. But since TOPS aren't too expansive, they are healthy and highly recommanded by your birds, I m thinking just to order one lb to try. By the way, I found the below link to get free food samples from different places if you guys want to try. http://forums.slickdeals.net/archive/index.php/archive/t-423794.html The link is kind of out dated so some numbers might be changed, but it doesn't hurt to try.(I m going to call tommorrow) Thanks again for the info lyric! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 Thanks Eve, I think I will try to call them tomorrow too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted January 28, 2009 Author Share Posted January 28, 2009 By the way, when switching to a new food, mix some in with your bird's old food and gradually increase the amount of the new food while reducing the amount of the old. Do this gradually over a period of several days to a couple of weeks. Some of my birds ate the new pellets right away, but some of the more cautious ones took a few days before they even tried the pellets. I watched them all every day and once I saw that every bird was eating the new food then I knew it was a success. After a few days they would go for the new TOPS pellets first whenever I fed them. I guess my point is that if you give them to your bird once or twice they may not even try them. Sometimes it takes a little while before a bird will try something new. Don't think that your bird necessarily hates a new food until you give it a chance to eat it for several days... some birds are more hardheaded or leery of anything new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I have tried numerous times to feed Harrisons to my birds. They hate it! I will definitely try this one! Thanks for posting this. I will let you know how they like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Okay, this is amazing...I clicked on the link above, ordered 1 lb bags of the pellets, seed mix, and treats. Within 30 minutes, I received an email telling me my order has been shipped. Seems hard to believe...:blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyric Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 They seemed to have good customer service when I ordered from them. I hope that Talon and Rikki like the new food! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennisandholly Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 That funny the ladies i got cody from said pellets are a waste. she said that food for pets unlike people have no standards. She has a nice seed mix she sells and said that in the wild these bird live by the seeds & leaves they find. Seeing how alot of the birds live 100 years and us living on man made food are lucky to hit 70 there must be something to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaxtersMom Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Birds in the wild eat a variety of things such as fruits & berries, nuts, leaves, veggies, worms & bugs, etc (and all natural in the wild) depending on what kind of bird they are but domesticated parrots in my opinion should not live on seeds alone. There isn't much nutritional value to the seeds mixes (or so I've heard & read) and considered more of a filler and I believe that is why avian vets recommend pellets as a huge part of their diets. They need extra nutrition than what a seed only diet will give. I do still give my birds seeds because they enjoy them so much but the biggest part of their diet is pellets and veggies. When I buy their seeds now I make up my own seed mix from the Whole Food Stores which are all human grade, fresh and organic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaM Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Parrots in captivity have a MUCH different lifestyle than those in the wild. in the wild they fly miles and miles and spend a TON of time foraging for food. Most seed that they eat is still "fresh", or sprouting. that is when it is very nutritious and not just junk food. otherwise they eat all the things BaxtersMom listed. there are some foods out there that aren't high quality, but several that are. Talk to your avian vet to determine the best diet you can provide for your parrot. I think (hope) you get a different message from the vet. Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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