Best/Worst Bird Pellets

[Zoey]

Good Afternoon all!

I was wanting some opinions on bird pellets. I currently have my birds on pellets, but I'm wanting to maybe find something better. I have been doing tons and tons of research but want personal opinions from actual parrot owners. Please be honest with your answers! Thanks!

-What kind do you feed?
-Why do you feed them?
-Do you birds even like them?
-Did they adjust to the diet well?
-What pellets don't you like? Why?
-Best and worst bird pellet in your opinion and why.

 

[Birdman666]

-What kind do you feed?

Zupreme Fruitblend.

-Why do you feed them?

Because my birds eat more of them than they throw.

-Do you birds even like them?

Not as much as they like their nuts, but they eat them readily.

-Did they adjust to the diet well?

Always ate their fill without complaining.

-What pellets don't you like? Why?

Honestly, I haven't got really strong opinions on this one.

-Best and worst bird pellet in your opinion and why.

Honestly, I haven't got really strong opinions on this one. Except when it comes to softbills (mazuri for iron sensitive birds - not optional!) or Eckies (Please don't feed Eckies a pelleted diet!)

 

[Zoey]

That's what my birds are eating now as well. I've just heard/read some things that say the dyes they use for them is really bad for the birds. They love it and are doing great on it so I don't really want to switch, but I'm a paranoid bird mom lol.

 

[Birdman666]

That and too much sugar... but mine have been eating it for close to 20 years, and all their well birdie exam blood work has come back fine...

So, it obviously isn't killing them.

I don't feed just pellets though...

With allergic birds, or diet sensitive birds, or pluckers, I would want to go with a natural pellet, just because... I don't have any of those.

I didn't feed the Eckie pellets, or rather, the brief time I did she developed toe tap, so I stopped it (and corn) and the toe tap stopped...

 

[kimn818]

Loco gets fed Roudybush Daily Maintanence because he likes them and because when I was feeding him the Zupreme fruitblend, he would pick which ones he didnt like first and throw them out of his bowl The pet store also never had the right size for him so he would drop more than he ate. Loco will eat anything so switching him to Roudybush was a nonissue... didn't have to slowly introduce him slowly, gave him a fresh bowl of just roudybush and his happy noises made it clear they were loco-approved. I recently bought him Higgins InTune Natural pellets.. he seems to like them, but the change in his poop color startled me at first (orangey reddish) so I switched him back to roudy bush and monitored his poop and it went back to normal soon after. So just beware. I like that the Higgins pellets have no artificial preservatives or colors. My fave is Roudybush though.

 

[ZephyrFly]

-What kind do you feed?
Hagen - Tropican brand - granules
-Why do you feed them?
Company seem honest and ingredients seem sound. This isn't used for a 100% pellet diet though.
-Do you birds even like them?
Honestly haven't compared other pellets with my gcc, but he seemed happy to try and stay on them. He does prefer the orangey brown ones to the green ones though (natural colouring) but he does eat both, but given the option if there are any pellets left over (2 or 3) they will all be green.
-Did they adjust to the diet well?
Yes, I couldn't have asked for an easier conversion (my gcc went from seed to pellet diet in a month). To be honest I could have put him on pellets within a week or 2, but I wanted to ease him into it.
-What pellets don't you like? Why?
Only going by what I've read and ingredients lists, Kaytee pellets are the only one I know I'd avoid because they are filled with bright dyes that aren't considered safe for human consumption (these dyes are known to cause long-term effects to birds livers). Plus I've heard the company is quite bad, supporting Parrot mills and stuff like that.
-Best and worst bird pellet in your opinion and why.
Best, probably Harrisons lifetime pellets (it's very expensive compared to most other pellets though), organic, lower in fat, it's a good quality food.
Worst is only by opinion and it's Kaytee Exact Rainbow. Full of colours you shouldn't trust (although very cheap). Pazu is worth more to me than the damage these kinds of pellets could potentially do.

 

[Scott]

-What kind do you feed?
Zupreme Fruitblend
-Why do you feed them?
Part of a diverse diet; the majority consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, and some seed.
-Do you birds even like them?
Most do, though some prefer specific colors!
-Did they adjust to the diet well?
No problems at all!
-What pellets don't you like? Why?
Zupreme Fruitblend is the only pellet most/all enjoy.
-Best and worst bird pellet in your opinion and why.
Have no educated opinion on other pellets.

Pellets are controversial, but as Mark/Birdman stated his birds are thriving, as are mine. I would not advocate the permanent feeding of any single-source food.

 

[Chihuahua]

-What kind do you feed?
Zupreem Fruitblend and I might add Roudybush because the sugar content bothers me a bit
-Why do you feed them?
I wanted something that would be really appealing for a bird used to seed and fruits.
-Do you birds even like them?
I just got him two days ago and he began eating them immediately.
-Did they adjust to the diet well?
see above
-What pellets don't you like? Why?
I am not knowledgeable to answer this question
-Best and worst bird pellet in your opinion and why.
See above

 

[ruffledfeathers]

-What kind do you feed? Harrison's adult lifetime fine
-Why do you feed them? I think it's a part of a healthy diet, particularly if you can't always provide exactly what they need in fresh foods daily. Pellets as a portion of the diet can help me be sure his diet is balanced.
-Do you birds even like them? Yes. He likes his pellets and I used to buy the coarse like my other bird ate, but he prefers the fine texture.
-Did they adjust to the diet well? Yes, once I switched from coarse to fine.
-What pellets don't you like? Why? I don't have a strong opinion on this. I have fed Harrisons, Zupreem and Roudybush through the years and my birds were ok.
-Best and worst bird pellet in your opinion and why. My only opinion on this is with regard to feeding ONLY or mostly all pellets. That can be detrimental instead of beneficial.

 

[Mysterygirl]

What kind do you feed? Zupreem Fruitblend mixed with Zupreem natural and bird seed.
Why? I did research and discovered the top brands. I bought a bag of each. Edgar threw the Kaytee daily to the bottom of his cage and his threw the tropican granules off the cage on to my carpet. So, I feed him what he likes.
Do you birds even like them? Oh yes.
Did they adjust to the diet well? Yes. Turns out the place I got piper from feeds all their birds Zupreem.
-What pellets don't you like? The ones Edgar wont eat and the ones I have to pick up off the floor. I say Edgar because Piper isn't as picky. But she likes the Zupreeme too.

 

[Kyoto]

Kyo gets Roudybush and a few zupreem naturals thrown in. She hardly ever eats the zupreem naturals though. She does love the fruit blend and they are used for our training sessions because I worry about the sugar :3 I also offer (she's hit and miss ) a variety of fresh vegetables every morning. She is very fussy, only likes cold and crunchy stuff.

 

[Weezerj]

I haven't found a pellet that my guy likes yet, but to be honest, I'm not a big fan of pellets.

Look at the ingredients. Corn, wheat, seeds, legumes (maybe), seeds....he gets all these in his seed mix. Then there is the sugar, oils, and preservatives.....glad he doesn't get these.

I give my guy a chop for breakfast, macaw mix thru the day, and a vegetable dinner with fruit as treats....I don't see why I should add a pellet (based on ingredients)