how long do pellets stay fresh?

[jewels04]

I emailed Roudybush before we got JJ asking if they had any free samples of their pellets we could try for JJ before we switched her over. They were nice enough to send me 2 8 ounce bags of two different sized pellets for her. Well I made the mistake of offering her some as a treat and now she likes those more than her Pretty Bird pellets.

So I made a big order on mysafebirdstore.com today and needed to throw something in there so that I would reach the free shipping mark so I purchased 3 lbs of the mini roudybush in bulk. Their website says you can refrigerate it and it will stay fresh for up to 3 years and freeze it and it will stay fresh for up to 6. So if I refrigerate it it should be ok than right?

Also for a little sun conure how much do they usually eat because I can't order every month but want to order every other month so need to buy enough to last for 2 months.

 

[roxynoodle]

3lbs might last you 2 months. Although Rowdy eats significantly less than my Blue Crown did, so it might depend on your bird.

Hmm, Roudybush lasts a lot longer than Harrison's does. Even refrigerated Harrison's says 4-6 weeks. I knew that large bag I got from Merlin's previous owner was going bad because the birds were throwing out like 2/3 of the pellets. As soon as I opened a new bag, it was more like only 1 or 2 each a day they were tossing.

Overall Roudybush is probably a better quality pellet than Pretty Bird though so it's good the bird likes them.

 

[jewels04]

Thanks! Their website said if in the original packaging it will remain good for 3 years refrigerated and 6 if frozen. My food won't be in the original packaging so i sent an email to ask them how long food will remain fresh if packaged in a different package refrigerated and room temperature.

There is nowhere around me that sells roudybush the one place they have listed isn't even a pet store anymore so I'd have to drive 20 miles to get the food. Figured I'd just order from them that way I can pick up food and toys all at the same time. My area also sadly lacks in the bird entertainment department.

 

[Rio Mom]

I keep most of my pellets in the freezer. I keep about a weeks worth in the refridgerator at a time.

 

[roxynoodle]

Sadly, I could not fit that giant bag of pellets in my freezer unless I didn't want any frozen food for myself, and they did start going bad even in the fridge. I was reluctant to use freezer bags because the Harrison's bag said use their packaging only, grr!

I order the Harrison's as well. My old vet sells it, but the gas to drive to Toledo is really about the same as shipping, so what the heck. Let it come to me, lol! And with the 2 bigger birds now I seem to need new toys rather often. I have to get Merlin a new bag of the Golden Feast as well since that also went bad and I tossed it a few days ago.

 

[Pedro]

Jewels, I buy everything in bulk & have it freighted. 50kg of formula, 20kg of pellets. I have to always repack everything. Then its packed away in the freezer. Have been doing it for many years. Most of the product I buy like Formula or Pellets only have a use by date of approx12 months. So freezing it is my best option. I freeze all dry foods & refrigerate all liquids. I never have a problem.

To work out how much pellets he will consume in a day give him approx 1 heaped tablespoon, more or less as needed. I know that's how i worked out how much formula a sun conure consumed until it weaned. For each bird it was 1 & 1/2 Kilos. So when i am repacking I do it in 2 kg bags. Keep one in the fridge & the rest in the freezer untill I need it.

 

[Rio Mom]

My birds food taking over the fridge freezer was one of the main reasons we decided to get an upright freezer with the tax return. Spoiled lil birdies. Lol. I bought a lotto ticket today and my husband comented that if we won I would want to put on an addition for the birds......he's got me figured right out!

 

[roxynoodle]

My birds food taking over the fridge freezer was one of the main reasons we decided to get an upright freezer with the tax return. Spoiled lil birdies. Lol. I bought a lotto ticket today and my husband comented that if we won I would want to put on an addition for the birds......he's got me figured right out!

Lol, sounds good to me! I was seriously considering asking my neighbors if anyone had an extra freezer with more room in it. One of the problems is that I can only fit a pretty small fridge in the space unless I want to rip out about 4 cupboards, and I don't. Especially not now with all the work I did remodeling that kitchen.

 

[mele]

find bird and tortoise food LOL!!! last year I bought a deep freezer just for pet food. I buy in bulk to avoid shipping fees plus in the long run its a lot cheeper. I buy 25# of roudy, 20# of rainbow, and 25 # of exotic nuts and dried fruits. I pull enough food to last a week and the rest remains frozen. I've never had a problem. But my friends laugh when they open in it expecting meat and frozen pizza and instead find bird and tortoise pellets

 

[Wulfgeist]

So that big bag of Roudybush I got I should package into smaller freezer bags and stick in the freezer? I was wondering about that. The lady asked me how long I wanted the food to last when I got it..I said a month but even between the two birds that bag is going to last way longer than that.

 

[jewels04]

The website says it will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months. I emailed the company to ask if that only applied to pellets still in the original packaging since I ordered mine in bulk and it didn't come in the original packaging. I didn't get a response back though.

I froze the 3 lb bag I got and once my sample bag is done I'm going to switch it to the fridge and just leave out enough for the week.

 

[Clueless]

Silly question here - but how do you know the food is bad? One parrot likes Nupreem pellets, the other likes roudy bush. I have bought both of them locally from bird stores but I have never seen any expiration dates (since they both sell bulk). I've been keeping them in my pantry but now I'm wondering if I should move food to the refrigerator.

Also - I have a seed mixture that I bought about a month or so ago - when I opened the lid the other day it seemed like something flew out. I read about moths on the forums, should I dump this food?

Thanks.

 

[Wulfgeist]

I'm beginning to wonder if my Roudybush hasn't gone stale. Jasper isn't eating much of it, I never put it in the fridge and despite my trying to get it sealed, the zipper got messed up upon opening. He eats a little and has taken right to the Harrison's so I give him a little of each every day. I think maybe today I'll start giving him just the Harrison's and see how much of it he eats and if he starts gaining any significant weight.