How much does an IRN cost to feed every month

[Lorne96]

Hello! So I am still doing my research on IRNs. I should be getting one by March next year hopefully! I just want to know how much an IRN costs to feed every month? Not including vets fees I will have some savings for that and plan to insure the bird. I am looking to feed a predominately pellets diet with some seed and fruit and veggies (fresh). I already buy fresh fruit and veg for my bearded dragon and there's always loads left over (checked bird safe fresh foods and everything I buy for my beardie is fine for IRNs) so I already know that cost which is barely anything. I plan to feed Harrison's pellets as I read they are really good pellets full of nutrients and organic! You can buy a 5lb bag for £36. How long would this last me? You can buy a 1lb bag for £10. How long would this last? Is it better to buy all in bulk or will the pellets go off if not used in a certain amount of time? What seed mix does anyone recommend as I am finding it hard to find a good seed mix. What is the best Harrison's pellets to buy for a weaned parrot through to adulthood? There are a lot of different uh.. flavours? Haha. So yeah sorry for all the questions, I'm just wondering how much each of you spend on your IRNs a month on pellets and seed to try and give me an idea of how much I will be spending every month. Any help or advice is much appreciated!

 

[Kiwibird]

A 5lb bag of food for one bird being fed a sensible portion 2X a day will last about 6 weeks in my experience. If you're overfeeding (which most people do, filling up dishes WAY more than their bird really needs), figure a bag a month. My avian vet recommended Volkmans seed mixes, though I'm unclear what specific mix she'd suggest for a small parrot like an IRN. Pellets are a processed 'food' and were originally developed for people too lazy to feed their birds an appropriate diet or birds who refused to eat an appropriate diet according to my vet. She also says that many brands contain GMO corn and soy along with all kinds of dyes and preservatives many parrots are sensitive to and can cause them discomfort or more serious health issues. Plus, nothing in them is really part of a parrots natural diet. In nature, these birds eat fruit, nuts and seeds, not pellets made of GMO grains/beans and miscellaneous laboratory chemicals. She doesn't recommend them unless the bird won't eat healthy food, though you should speak to your own avian vet about the matter and see what they have to say. I happen to agree with my vet on her view of pellets but as you will undoubtedly see in subsequent responses, many people will fervently defend pellets and many avian vets would too. It's a choice you'll need to research and draw your own conclusions on.

Speaking of appropriate diets for parrots, you also need to factor in the cost of fresh produce, which your bird will need to eat a variety of daily. If you eat lots of fresh produce yourself, I wouldn't bother factoring in extra cost. A bird only eats small pieces, so just offer some whenever you eat some (bird safe varieties, of course). Otherwise, you will have to buy it special as parrots need to eat a variety of fruit and veggies every day and that could add up if you don't already buy them in abundance. Canned is a firm NO, frozen isn't recommended and dehydrated is only ok if unsulfered and preservative dye free (basically, you would need to buy a dehydrator and do it at home). Fresh, is of course, best. Some people make chop, as did I for years, but my vet again recommended against it because it really isn't food in a natural form.

Minor expenditure: Your bird will also eat *unsalted* nuts, though those are more 'treats' but still a potential dietary cost you'll want to factor in. My vet recommends a couple nuts a day for my amazon, to keep his gizzard in good working condition You may want to consult your vet for an appropriate number of nuts for a bird the size of an IRN. Apparently, nuts are good for gizzards because they are hard and give the gizzard something to grind up (which is what it does). Too much soft food makes for a weak gizzard and makes them more prone to digestive issues.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Wow. You're very thorough! Good for you for researching so carefully.

It's a hard question to answer... depends on how much your bird eats and how much he tosses and plays with and how much he poops in his food bowl!

With just one bird, I doubt that this will be a huge financial concern.

I feed Harrison's High Potency Fine, on numerous vets' advice. I would ask an avian vet for any recommendations specific to ringnecks. Are you in Europe? Is shippig from US prohibitive?

Here's some info on Harrison's.
Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

Good luck. I'm glad you're reaching out here!

 

[SilverSage]

I really recommend 50-70% of a ringneck diet be fresh veggies, and I’ll get into that in a minute, but first let me address your pellet question.

I feed Zupreem Fruit Blend (cockatiel size) as the main dry food for my flock. Since it is a different brand the measurements might be slightly different.

I feed 1/8cup per day per bird when they are getting pellets alone. There are 5.5 cups in a pound so I get 44 feedings per pound.


So here are some notes from my experience. I have quite a few birds, I almost always have rescues, fosters, boarders, and/or babies. Right now I have 42 Indian Ringnecks in addition to all my other birds. I say this to let you know that when I say I’ve done a lot of research and experimenting, I’m not talking about just a couple of birds. I also have to be very careful how I spend my money. Even a little bit of waste per day per bird adds up quickly and can cut into my emergency vet fund. Each of my birds has a name and a unique personality, and yes, WHAT THEY EAT IMPACTS PERSONALITY! When you see it in 1 bird it might be coincidence, when you see it in 20 birds you know it’s a pattern. So, here are my recommendations

First; make fresh veggies your staple, not pellets. Pellets are great, but what is better for humans; salad? Or “health bars” made out of good stuff but processed to last years on the shelf? And which is more fun to eat?

When new birds come into my home they are often on seed only or pellet only diets. When they get into my care and are given fresh food diets, sunshine, and low stress (low stress is different for every bird) they usually go straight into a molt regardless of the time of year. They molt in incredible new shiny feathers to replace the dull and damaged ones; I really should get some pictures! Suffice to say the difference between fresh and even a high quality pellet is staggering!


I always feed some pellets especially in the summer when food spoils so quickly. When I’m feeding pellets, I go down to the smallest pellet a bird can reasonably eat. If I could get budgie size in the 40lb bags I would! Why? LESS WASTE! If I feed the size recommend for ringnecks, 30-50% of the food ends up on the ground. I can not afford that with my flock size. Also, buying in bulk and breaking the big bags into smaller bags and putting it in. the freezer is much cheaper for me. Do a price comparison between your local pet store and online bulk ordering. Be sure to include shipping costs in your comparison, but see where it’s cheapest by weight if you have the space in your freezer. I try for 40lb bags but sometimes go as low as 20.

I don’t recommend free feeding dry food. In the wild those big bird brains work all day to find food. Foraging toys are your freind! Ideally I like to see 1-2 meals of fresh food served and then taken away as soon as the bird loses interest, and pellets of various colors, shapes, sizes, and flavors hidden in foraging toys along with nuts, different tried veggies, whole wheat pasta (uncooked!), a few seeds, etc.

A note on water dishes; if you are going to serve pellets, I like to see 3 water dishes in the cage. It increases the chances of the bird actually having access to clean water while you are gone, and not just the pellet soup he will likely be making!


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[SilverSage]

A 5lb bag of food for one bird being fed a sensible portion 2X a day will last about 6 weeks in my experience. If you're overfeeding (which most people do, filling up dishes WAY more than their bird really needs), figure a bag a month. My avian vet recommended Volkmans seed mixes, though I'm unclear what specific mix she'd suggest for a small parrot like an IRN. Pellets are a processed 'food' and were originally developed for people too lazy to feed their birds an appropriate diet or birds who refused to eat an appropriate diet according to my vet. She also says that many brands contain GMO corn and soy along with all kinds of dyes and preservatives many parrots are sensitive to and can cause them discomfort or more serious health issues. Plus, nothing in them is really part of a parrots natural diet. In nature, these birds eat fruit, nuts and seeds, not pellets made of GMO grains/beans and miscellaneous laboratory chemicals. She doesn't recommend them unless the bird won't eat healthy food, though you should speak to your own avian vet about the matter and see what they have to say. I happen to agree with my vet on her view of pellets but as you will undoubtedly see in subsequent responses, many people will fervently defend pellets and many avian vets would too. It's a choice you'll need to research and draw your own conclusions on.

Speaking of appropriate diets for parrots, you also need to factor in the cost of fresh produce, which your bird will need to eat a variety of daily. If you eat lots of fresh produce yourself, I wouldn't bother factoring in extra cost. A bird only eats small pieces, so just offer some whenever you eat some (bird safe varieties, of course). Otherwise, you will have to buy it special as parrots need to eat a variety of fruit and veggies every day and that could add up if you don't already buy them in abundance. Canned is a firm NO, frozen isn't recommended and dehydrated is only ok if unsulfered and preservative dye free (basically, you would need to buy a dehydrator and do it at home). Fresh, is of course, best. Some people make chop, as did I for years, but my vet again recommended against it because it really isn't food in a natural form.

Minor expenditure: Your bird will also eat *unsalted* nuts, though those are more 'treats' but still a potential dietary cost you'll want to factor in. My vet recommends a couple nuts a day for my amazon, to keep his gizzard in good working condition You may want to consult your vet for an appropriate number of nuts for a bird the size of an IRN. Apparently, nuts are good for gizzards because they are hard and give the gizzard something to grind up (which is what it does). Too much soft food makes for a weak gizzard and makes them more prone to digestive issues.

You learn something every day! I had no idea I needed to keep the gizzard health in mind by feeding hard foods. That makes sense! Thank you!


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[Kiwibird]

It's a hard question to answer... depends on how much your bird eats and how much he tosses and plays with and how much he poops in his food bowl!

Some birds are indeed food flingers and so wasteful, you wonder if they actually eat or just throw it everywhere. Others hardly leave a crumb behind. While some birds will still poop in their dishes, be sure you don't position any perches over the dishes, putting them in the line of fire.

You will need to decide whether you wish to free feed (i.e. food available 24/7) or feed set meals 2X a day (i.e. bird gets food 2X a day and it is removed after they're finished eating). There are pros and cons to both methods. I personally feed my bird 2X a day and offer fruit in the morning (sugar does give them energy) and veggies at night along with his seed mix and some fresh unseasoned grains or beans a few times a week, as per my vet (used to feed him beans and grains daily but vet suggested cutting back). I find feeding this way encourages him to eat more fruits/veggies and generally not be wasteful if he is actually hungry for his meals.

 

[Kiwibird]

[

You learn something every day! I had no idea I needed to keep the gizzard health in mind by feeding hard foods. That makes sense! Thank you!


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I had no idea either until I really got into a deep discussion about diet with the vet after Kiwi's kidney infection. She's been a CAV long enough to have watched parrot feeding trends through the years shift from seeds and produce to pellets to cooked foods and to see the health impacts as diet trends have shifted. But it really does make sense once you understand what the gizzards function is in their body and what they evolved to eat in nature.

 

[SilverSage]

[



You learn something every day! I had no idea I needed to keep the gizzard health in mind by feeding hard foods. That makes sense! Thank you!





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I had no idea either until I really got into a deep discussion about diet with the vet after Kiwi's kidney infection. She's been a CAV long enough to have watched parrot feeding trends through the years shift from seeds and produce to pellets to cooked foods and to see the health impacts as diet trends have shifted. But it really does make sense once you understand what the gizzards function is in their body and what they evolved to eat in nature.

That makes a lot of sense. Because we include seeds and nuts we haven’t seen this problem but I didn’t know to be on the lookout for it.

Aviculture is still SO NEW and we are still learning SO MUCH! For example the new studies showing that animal protein (dairy, red meat, poultry, fish eggs, etc) can lead to heart disease in parrots even in the tiny amounts we have been told for years is healthy for them! Now we are looking into insect protein for our flock, but never would have in the past.

That’s one of the things I love most about this forum!


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[EllenD]

That's a very good point made about gizzard-health, and what their diets in the wild are. My CAV said basically the same thing that Kiwi's did, basically that people who insist that "birds should not be fed seeds at all", or more often the people who say that "seeds should be only a treat" are doing a huge disservice to their birds. That's why I have always fed pellets as the main staple, but always also supplemented with a healthy, varied seed mix as the other staple. Should you feed them a junk-seed-mix with sunflower seeds and peanuts and crap? Absolutely not. But I've had this discussion with people who were not even aware that if you buy a high-quality seed-mix just like you buy a high-quality pellet mix, that those seed mixes look nothing at all like the bags of garbage they sell at Walmart or in grocery stores. I had this discussion with a person here once who was feeding an all-pellet diet, nothing else, to her Quaker I believe, and then he also got a single teaspoon of "seeds", whatever that meant, once per week...Not good...But her response to me was listing all the crap in the cheap seed-mix you buy at the grocery store...When I referenced the more expensive, varied seed-mixes to her to research, such as Tropimix, SunSeed Vita Prima (California Blend is awesome), some of the Ecotrition mixes, some of the LeFabre mixes, some of the Volkman mixes, and then some of the lessor-know brands sold by Drs. Fosters and Smith, she refused to even look-up the ingredients. It's hilarious, because the bags of Tropimix or California-Blend Vita Prima look nothing at all like a cheap bag of parrot seed...

And it's not just for gizzard health, it's their entire digestive tract, from the crop down...And you also have to take their psychological health into account as well, because birds naturally eat seeds, grains, legumes, nuts, etc. Simply giving them nothing but pellets is not at all stimulating for them mentally.

I agree about buying your both your pellets and your seed-mix in-bulk, and doing it online, as you really will pay the same amount for a 5lb. bag of pellets or seed-mix at a pet store, any pet store or bird store, as you will for a 20lb. bag online...And freezing both the pellets and the seed will allow them to keep for a long, long time...

***And if you already have Beardies, as I do as well, then you really do know all about what fresh veggies and fruit to feed them and to not feed them...Same principles, except you can be a bit more lenient with birds about the calcium/oxalate veggies...No avacado, of course, and give fruit sparingly, due to the sugar content...Also, avoid citrus fruits with your bird, such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, etc., as the citric acid in citrus fruits causes their bodies to absorb more iron, and birds cannot handle high amounts of iron, they develop something called "Iron Storage Syndrome/Disease", which can be lethal. Other than the citrus fruits, pretty much everything else if fine, as long as there are no seeds or pits...

 

[Lorne96]

Good morning everyone wow so many replies thanks so much for all of your input! So do you all think I should try and stick as natural as possible offer more veg and fruits all fresh but still provide pellets during the day for added nutrition? Seeds only occasionally and in small amounts? What about sprouted seeds? Do I have to feed them all year round or just around breeding time? It's great to know that the pellets will last that long! If what you all say about pellets lasting that long then the bird will be cheaper to feed than my cat! If I am feeding fresh veg and fruit along with pellets, maybe 50/50 or 60/40? With some seeds and nuts inbetween? Would this be a balanced diet? Do I need to buy vitamins and a calcium block? Or will the fresh fruits and veggies pellets and some seed be enough in terms of nutrition? How much do IRN eat? I see a lot of you say 2x feedings a day, how should I do this if I include pellets as well as fresh? Maybe fresh fruit in the morning with some veg and pellets at night with some greens and veg? (And sprouted seed if you guys can tell me a bit more about that?) I should be getting a handreared baby, maybe about 3-4 months old. Do I need to buy a 'baby' type of pellet for the bird and if so, how long should the bird be on the baby pellets before switching to adult pellets, 6 months or longer? Will the tropimix small parrot mix be a good seed mix to use? I can't find the unseed vita prima California blend in the UK. This information makes me so happy! From what I can gather from you all, once I have bought the most expensive stuff like the bird, cage, toys and other things the parrot needs, the monthly cost will be so small! I wasn't expecting it to be so cheap really! I will be buying the best possible organic bird pellets and seed, and like I say I already buy a lot of fresh for my beardie so I don't need to add that cost on because there's always a lot left over that I feel the parrot would and can eat. About chicken and other proteins I read they are safe to feed, but someone said they're not. Should I feed chicken occasionally or can I feed live locusts to the bird for extra protein? Have any of you tried this? Sorry for so many questions again haha. Just want to make sure I have a good understanding of the birds proper nutrition before I buy the bird. Thanks again for all of your replies this has helped me a lot! Any other advice will be much appreciated Thanks!

 

[Kiwibird]

As much fruits and veg as the bird will eat! Easy on the citrus and leafy greens, more focus on the vitamin a containing fruits/veg as parrots are prone to deficiencies in this particular nutrient more than other deficiencies. I would keep pellets minimal in your birds diet if it takes to eating produce well and lean towards foods in their natural form as much as possible. Ratios don't really work for parrots, except making us owners feel better and like we're feeding them right. It's important to understand how these birds eat in nature to understand better what we observe in captivity. Parrots are seasonal eaters in nature, their diet varies greatly throughout the year based on where they're current location is and what trees are fruiting or putting off seeds/nuts in that area. They may fly off to a new area the next day and most species ranges cover hundreds, if not thousands of square miles of varying food sources. Most parrots, while they may have favored foods, when offered sufficient variety will vary on what foods they eat a lot of any given day and sometimes you can offer the same things the next day and they turn their nose up when last night they were eating it like they hadn't been fed in a month. They're very flighty (pun intended) eaters, so it's best to just offer a good variety and not worry too much about specific ratios. Provided they get enough variety of foods being offered (shopping seasonally is a great thing for parrots), they'll hit their nutritional requirements. As my vet wisely pointed out, no parrot eats a nutritionally complete diet daily in nature or even eats any specific ratio of fruit to seeds and nuts on any given day. Some days they only eat one food all day. They end up getting a bit here and a bit there and over the course of a year they've gotten all they need nutritionally. 1/8 cup a day, as suggested by Silversage, sounds reasonable for dry food that includes pellets for an IRN. That would equate to about 1 tbsp per serving, if feeding 2X a day. I used to take care of our prior landlords IRN frequently whenever she was out of town. She liked to fill the dish up halfway with a seed/pellet mix and put all kinds of stuff on top etc... I fed her bird her way, but SO much food went to waste because her 100-something gram bird couldn't possibly eat close to how much was being provided. She must've been spending a small fortune on all that food! A lot of owners see a sensible portion in those huge dishes cages come with and think "but I'd be starving my bird!", but it's important to keep in mind they're small creatures that can only eat so much food, especially when you factor in fresh produce, nuts and occasionally offering cooked foods like beans or grains.

NO vitamins or supplements unless specifically instructed by an avian vet, however cuttle bones or mineral blocks are fine. Just be aware many birds like to chew up those blocks for fun without ingesting much. Cuttle bones are the most natural and cost efficient for birds that destroy them. I'd avoid any blocks with artificial flavors or dyes. For most birds who like to eat fruits/veggies, you can just put the dry food in the dish and the fruit/veg right on top. My mom has fed her birds in this way for decades and they don't mind if a few seeds get stuck to their fruit or some fruit juices get on their dry food. They'll eat pretty much anything in the dish and if they don't like the look of something, it'll be promptly rejected to the bottom of the cage. Some people will utilize a second food dish to feed produce and dry food at the same time but in separate dishes, but to me it just seems like an extra dish to wash as a bird doesn't care about food 'touching'.

Unlike puppies and kitties, parrots do not need special diets as fully weaned juveniles. Provided your baby will come from a responsible breeder, the bird should/will NOT be sent home with you before it is weaned, aka eating an adult diet well on it's own and you shouldn't have to worry about feeding it any special 'baby' food. The breeder should take care of any transition in feeding from formula to eating a solid food adult diet before your bird is ready to be picked up/shipped. If your breeder tries to send your bird home still needing formula feedings under the guise of "bonding", refuse and tell them that you will only take the bird home after being fully abundance weaned. Baby birds do NOT bond to their parent birds the same way humans do, and it will not increase or better your bond with your new bird to assume a parental role and feed it formula right as it's developmentally preparing to leave the nest and seek out companionship beyond it's parents. I bring this up because poor IRN's specifically seem to have attracted a disproportionate number of unscrupulous breeders to the species who try to send their chicks home unweaned, often with disastrous consequences.

 

[Lorne96]

Thanks for your reply kiwibird! That's great information to know, I am so excited to get my little companion! I will keep on researching until I get the bird next year, but I'm so happy I have their diet worked out and the cost of it all. Honestly was expecting it to be a fortune for a bird or at least more expensive than my cat but it won't cost me much at all! Brilliant! Thanks so much for all of your help, best forum to come to if you need answers thanks again