Misinformation about seeds

[LoveMyFids]

I can 100% tell you. I had a budgie for 5-6 years named Petals and fed her seeds for 3 or 4 years yes it was stupid, yes, I screwed up blame it on tween stupidity. I can 100% guarantee that contributed to her early death. I'm not saying seeds are bad heck I use them as training treats, they work amazing BUT. In some birds' diets, they do need seeds in their diet not a bunch. But hey if you want comparisons how's this for you? It's the equivalent of a human eating potato chips for breakfast lunch and dinner is it healthy? Certainly not, but is it going to kill you super-fast? No ofc not, is it going to decrease your life span and make u feel super crappy sluggish, and fat? Yeah, probably personally I wouldn't want that happening to my babies they are everything to me it's just weighing the pros and cons, and honestly feeding all seeds has way more cons than pros. But hey I'm just a teenager what do I know right? I'm so sorry for getting so riled up but this is something I'm passionate about after what happened to my baby girl. So, from someone who learned the hard way you're better off doing it right the first time before you have to put yourself through stupid depressing grueling heartache all because you refused to feed your birds anything other than seeds. Because it was so-called "natural".

YES. Let's all be honest though-we have probably ALL done this, especially years ago when there wasn't info. going around about seed diets! We all assumed seed diets were fine, because look at all the seed mixes available that every pet store carries. We all assumed this was what we are supposed to be feeding our birds. I did the same as a teenager when I had a Nanday Conure. Sure, we gave it veggies daily (but not a huge variety honestly) & it's diet was a seed mix that included some pellets in it, but it was predominantly seeds. I knew no better. My parents knew no better. Nobody told me otherwise. Most of us were never informed & just did what we assumed was correct. All the seed mixes back then had sunflower seeds in them too. I don't think they even made a safflower one that I ever saw. So, to shame those that did this is kind of silly IMO. These days, the info. is out there & we know better (if we choose to get educated on it), so that's a good thing. A high carb/high fat diet (predominantly seeds) will raise cholesterol over the years just like in people & cause arterial & heart disease & high blood pressure. It usually doesn't present until they are well into adulthood, as you won't see symptoms. It's a silent killer, just as it is in humans. Once you begin to see symptoms (like being winded on flying/exercise), it is usually progressed. That's why it's so important to get a full blood panel & check up on your bird w/an avian vet. Yes, it is expensive, but if you have a bird that is several yrs. old & you never have-DO IT! Catching it early is key & you can actually lower their cholesterol with an adjusted diet & additional exercise. That worked for one of my birds. His cholesterol is still high, but it's getting closer to borderline high now & has improved quite a bit. His high cholesterol is a result of too many nuts & high carb foods like corn, pasta & potatoes in those heat up mash treats & perhaps a bit too much seed over many years. It didn't present until he was around 14. As birds get older, their metabolisms change just like in people. SOME species seem to not be able to burn off & process things efficiently like they did when they were younger. I am seeing this now with all of my older birds. I am adjusting their diets now & they are doing better & visually feeling better from what I can tell. They are doing better on less seed, less pellets & more veggies.

 

[Birdgirl24]

YES. Let's all be honest though-we have probably ALL done this, especially years ago when there wasn't info. going around about seed diets! We all assumed seed diets were fine, because look at all the seed mixes available that every pet store carries. We all assumed this was what we are supposed to be feeding our birds. I did the same as a teenager when I had a Nanday Conure. Sure, we gave it veggies daily (but not a huge variety honestly) & it's diet was a seed mix that included some pellets in it, but it was predominantly seeds. I knew no better. My parents knew no better. Nobody told me otherwise. Most of us were never informed & just did what we assumed was correct. All the seed mixes back then had sunflower seeds in them too. I don't think they even made a safflower one that I ever saw. So, to shame those that did this is kind of silly IMO. These days, the info. is out there & we know better (if we choose to get educated on it), so that's a good thing. A high carb/high fat diet (predominantly seeds) will raise cholesterol over the years just like in people & cause arterial & heart disease & high blood pressure. It usually doesn't present until they are well into adulthood, as you won't see symptoms. It's a silent killer, just as it is in humans. Once you begin to see symptoms (like being winded on flying/exercise), it is usually progressed. That's why it's so important to get a full blood panel & check up on your bird w/an avian vet. Yes, it is expensive, but if you have a bird that is several yrs. old & you never have-DO IT! Catching it early is key & you can actually lower their cholesterol with an adjusted diet & additional exercise. That worked for one of my birds. His cholesterol is still high, but it's getting closer to borderline high now & has improved quite a bit. His high cholesterol is a result of too many nuts & high carb foods like corn, pasta & potatoes in those heat up mash treats & perhaps a bit too much seed over many years. It didn't present until he was around 14. As birds get older, their metabolisms change just like in people. SOME species seem to not be able to burn off & process things efficiently like they did when they were younger. I am seeing this now with all of my older birds. I am adjusting their diets now & they are doing better & visually feeling better from what I can tell. They are doing better on less seed, less pellets & more veggies.

You couldent have said it any better

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

YES. Let's all be honest though-we have probably ALL done this, especially years ago when there wasn't info. going around about seed diets! We all assumed seed diets were fine, because look at all the seed mixes available that every pet store carries. We all assumed this was what we are supposed to be feeding our birds. I did the same as a teenager when I had a Nanday Conure. Sure, we gave it veggies daily (but not a huge variety honestly) & it's diet was a seed mix that included some pellets in it, but it was predominantly seeds. I knew no better. My parents knew no better. Nobody told me otherwise. Most of us were never informed & just did what we assumed was correct. All the seed mixes back then had sunflower seeds in them too. I don't think they even made a safflower one that I ever saw. So, to shame those that did this is kind of silly IMO. These days, the info. is out there & we know better (if we choose to get educated on it), so that's a good thing. A high carb/high fat diet (predominantly seeds) will raise cholesterol over the years just like in people & cause arterial & heart disease & high blood pressure. It usually doesn't present until they are well into adulthood, as you won't see symptoms. It's a silent killer, just as it is in humans. Once you begin to see symptoms (like being winded on flying/exercise), it is usually progressed. That's why it's so important to get a full blood panel & check up on your bird w/an avian vet. Yes, it is expensive, but if you have a bird that is several yrs. old & you never have-DO IT! Catching it early is key & you can actually lower their cholesterol with an adjusted diet & additional exercise. That worked for one of my birds. His cholesterol is still high, but it's getting closer to borderline high now & has improved quite a bit. His high cholesterol is a result of too many nuts & high carb foods like corn, pasta & potatoes in those heat up mash treats & perhaps a bit too much seed over many years. It didn't present until he was around 14. As birds get older, their metabolisms change just like in people. SOME species seem to not be able to burn off & process things efficiently like they did when they were younger. I am seeing this now with all of my older birds. I am adjusting their diets now & they are doing better & visually feeling better from what I can tell. They are doing better on less seed, less pellets & more veggies.

I've put my conure on a diet of unlimited veggies, 1 tsp pellets and 1 tsp of seeds a day, plus some of one of those veggie and rice mixes with egg and herbs and spices once a week and she's been thriving. Before this she was extremely hormonal for three years, and I tried everything but it didn't work. I had to completely cut all seeds from her diet and give her only pellets and chop to calm her down and now I've reintroduced some seeds and she's fine with them now, but I'll never give her more than what she's getting now.

I'd love to time travel ten years into the future to see what people are feeding their birds then. There's not nearly enough research in avian diets at the moment I don't think, especially when compared to the amount of research that cats and dogs have had. But even with all of their research you still get arguments in their diets so maybe more research won't help at all!

 

[Free as a bird]

I'd love to time travel ten years into the future to see what people are feeding their birds then

By then humans will be eating processed foods like pellets in the belief that it is better than organic food as well...
Who knows

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

By then humans will be eating processed foods like pellets in the belief that it is better than organic food as well...
Who knows

I'm about to upset you because I actually drink those huel shakes about twice a day and have done for about five years now! I eat a main meal of organic meat and then as many vegetables as I can fit in along with a smoothie as well each day, and then something smaller with some fruit if I'm hungry. I just don't have the money and time to be able to cook all of my meals from scratch as I work a full time job, a part time job and then look after my birds on top of that, and I don't live with my boyfriend so I have to make time for him, and I'm close with my family so I have to make time to see them and do things with them too, and I have to make sure I eat well as I have celiac disease and even on a gluten free diet I have ongoing problems with anaemia and other vitamin deficiencies. Having the huel shakes means I don't have to take loads of extra supplements daily, or go crazy trying to cook three meals from scratch. I also have a slight eating disorder (because food made me sick for so long, literally everything I ate made my stomach and throat ache from the gluten), and sometimes I can't force myself to eat so those shakes are very handy.

Ideally I would love to eat a fully organic and made from scratch diet, and I have tried it many times over the years, but I just can't keep it up unfortunately, and even when I had the time it wasn't working that well and I still had to take loads of supplements to feel okay and be able to do things.

 

[LoveMyFids]

I've put my conure on a diet of unlimited veggies, 1 tsp pellets and 1 tsp of seeds a day, plus some of one of those veggie and rice mixes with egg and herbs and spices once a week and she's been thriving. Before this she was extremely hormonal for three years, and I tried everything but it didn't work. I had to completely cut all seeds from her diet and give her only pellets and chop to calm her down and now I've reintroduced some seeds and she's fine with them now, but I'll never give her more than what she's getting now.

I'd love to time travel ten years into the future to see what people are feeding their birds then. There's not nearly enough research in avian diets at the moment I don't think, especially when compared to the amount of research that cats and dogs have had. But even with all of their research you still get arguments in their diets so maybe more research won't help at all!

Yes, now that my birds are older (18 & 15) I have done the same. Twice as much veggies & greens, & only 1 tsp. seed & a couple tsp. of pellets. I only give them the pellets in the evening, so by late morning they are gone. Then it's just veggies during the day, so they eat most of that. I have definitely seen improvement in them both when it comes to hormones & overall behavior.

 

[TulsiBlueVana]

5) The vast majority of pellet diets consist largely of corn and soy and have sugar and artificial flavors and colors. These are not a natural part of the diet for most of our pet birds’ wild counterparts. Interestingly, the highest quality pellets like Tops and Harrison’s actually contain large amounts of ground seeds, including the often vilified millet and sunflower seeds.

Everything you wrote is spot on but I found #5 epic foods in a way because (as a new black-capped conner owner) I keep reading "do, don't" when it comes to foods. And millet and sunflower seeds are the most often (and soy) vilified, but like you said, the top pellet companies recommended everywhere literally have them as their first few ingredients.

 

[LoveMyFids]

Everything you wrote is spot on but I found #5 epic foods in a way because (as a new black-capped conner owner) I keep reading "do, don't" when it comes to foods. And millet and sunflower seeds are the most often (and soy) vilified, but like you said, the top pellet companies recommended everywhere literally have them as their first few ingredients.

Yes, & I really wish more companies would create a better pellet! I assume this is because corn & soy are cheaper filler ingredients, but it's not something to feed a bird daily for the rest of their lives IMO, nor would it be for any animal or human.

 

[kme3388]

I provide a variety diet for all of my parrots. I feed my parrots their least favorite things first thing in the morning. It’s when they are most hungry, and are more willing to eat these things (veggies & fruits). They get seeds & nuts as treats (primarily when they are out of their cages, or for training). They get pellets whenever they want. They get nutri-berries with their pellets. I only give these once a day. At the end of the day my parrots will eat what they feel is edible. If they aren’t going to eat something I really cannot make them. I will say for a seed/nut diet my Ekkie cannot open a lot of seeds, and nuts. The shells are too hard for him to open. He couldn’t get an almond shell open if his life depended on it. It’s one of his favorite treats. I don’t think his beak, or bite strength is like my conures. My assumption is that he wasn’t built to open these seeds/nuts. I think a lot of these diets would depend on the specific parrot, and their species. My conures beaks can go through everything! They think they are macaws.

 

[LaManuka]

Obviously this is a highly emotive subject for all involved, and unfortunately it has been necessary to delete a number of posts. So the Mod team would like to remind all respondents to please abide by community guidelines, conduct themselves in a respectful manner and not descend into personal insult, always remembering that the welfare of the birds in our care lies at the heart of everything we do here.

Thanking everyone for their understanding!

 

[saxguy64]

Absolutely agree with LaManuka above. People come to our forum for many reasons, but most commonly to ask questions and learn without fear of of being ripped apart, when they're trying to do better for their birds. If they get attacked, they won't come back, and that bird is the one who suffers for it. If people want to be rude or disrespectful, there's other forums or FB groups where that behavior goes unchecked. We ask everyone, please, not here. We're all better than that, and our birds deserve our very best.

 

[kme3388]

There are people on here looking for advice on parrots that definitely do need medical attention. I too have a substantial amount of experience with parrots. My Ekkie really changed everything for me because he definitely doesn’t fit the a typical standards. Try your best to think of helping the parrots not the owners. Advocate for the parrots!

People have all different financial situations, and some people can’t take their parrots to a vet. There are people in countries that appear to not have vets. Circumstances are all different.

I’ve been here with you though. There really are great people on here though that mean well. Even if I disagree with someone if I go back, and read what they had posted they meant well, and they truly want to help.

Sometimes I let my stubbornness get the best of me. Especially when it comes to feather pluckers, and Ekkie’s. Their situations hit home for me. When people ask me what’s wrong with my parrot because he feather plucks it’s hard for me to not ask someone what’s wrong with their face however I know they are coming from a good place. They just don’t understand. I do my best to explain.

I hope nothing in here is offensive! Just always think about a parrot you may be helping.

 

[goalerjones]

been away for awhile, nice to be back, but the seed issue... might as well talk about clipping wings and free range vs cages.

 

[LoveMyFids]

There are people on here looking for advice on parrots that definitely do need medical attention. I too have a substantial amount of experience with parrots. My Ekkie really changed everything for me because he definitely doesn’t fit the a typical standards. Try your best to think of helping the parrots not the owners. Advocate for the parrots!

People have all different financial situations, and some people can’t take their parrots to a vet. There are people in countries that appear to not have vets. Circumstances are all different.

I’ve been here with you though. There really are great people on here though that mean well. Even if I disagree with someone if I go back, and read what they had posted they meant well, and they truly want to help.

Sometimes I let my stubbornness get the best of me. Especially when it comes to feather pluckers, and Ekkie’s. Their situations hit home for me. When people ask me what’s wrong with my parrot because he feather plucks it’s hard for me to not ask someone what’s wrong with their face however I know they are coming from a good place. They just don’t understand. I do my best to explain.

I hope nothing in here is offensive! Just always think about a parrot you may be helping.

I see nothing offensive at all in what you wrote. I totally agree & Ekkies, along w/other birds all have different dietary needs & such-mainly because of what area they originate from that dictates (even when hatched in captivity somewhere else) still is a part of their natural biology. Just like how Australian predominantly seed & grass eating/ground foraging parrots like Regents, etc. won't necessarily thrive with too many big nuts & such & feeding them the same kind of diet as a macaw for example will cause them issues later-usually after several yrs. I saw that happen myself & think it's more common than people realize. I think some bird owners (esp. multiple bird homes) can sometimes tend to feed everyone the same stuff because let's face it-it's easy. It can def. backfire though yrs. later & leave people scratching their heads on why the sudden the bird is plucking, or has polyuria, etc. There's SOOOO MUCH to know. One could just devote their lives researching bird species & their specific needs. I literally never stop learning & am constantly surprised. I think birds are similar to reptiles or other "exotic" pets like sugargliders & stuff, where people get them impulsively without proper research of how to really care for them & to make sure you have a vet nearby that can see them before purchasing. I mean, look at all the bunnies bought for kids at Easter time that end up at rescues or the street every year! I personally, have a hard time giving a pass to people who impulse buy without understanding what is involved. The mortality rates of reptiles for example are ridiculous. I agree w/you that most on here are coming from a good place & honestly just looking for much needed advice. It's when people attack others & have the nerve to accuse someone that they are abusing & starving their birds, then I have to speak out. That is so rude, wrong & uncalled for. I just don't understand that sort of mentality pointed towards complete strangers. How would anyone have proof of that? It's just awful. The behavior is gross. I don't intend to let 1 bad apple ruin the whole bunch though & I absolutely encourage people to share their thoughts productively like you are doing here.

 

[Free as a bird]

Ground corn
Soybean meal
Sugar
Iodized salt
Niacin supplement
Riboflavin supplement
B12 supplement
Manganous oxide
Copper sulphate
Sodium selenite
Calcium iodate
Yellow 6
Yellow 5
Blue 1
Red 40
Citric acid
Tocopherols
Calcium carbonate
Dicalcium phosphate
DL Methionine
Choline chloride
L lysine monohydrochloride
Biotin
D Calcium pantothenate
Pyridoxine hydrochloride
Thiamine mononitrate
VA acetate
Menadione sodium
Bisulfite complex
L ascorbyl 2 polyphosphate

 

[SailBoat]

I see that this Thread has been raised yet again and this time with NOTHING more than the "Ingredient" listing of ZuPreem!

 

[Botsari]

There is this misinformation going around that seeds are not good for our parrots.

Its a crazy claim but many people appear to believe it. Where does this misinfo come from? Why do people seem to believe that processed pellets are better than natural seeds? It's absurd in my mind. Natural is always best everyone knows that.

In the wild parrots mainly eat seeds, their beaks are designed to dehusk seeds so how anyone can claim it's bad is absurd and funny to me.

Iv read that it makes them fat but that is totally unfounded in my experience.

I suspect that this misinformation was conjured up by the manufacturers of pellets in order to discredit seeds and increase their sales but i dont know.

Does anyone have any evidence of seeds being bad for our birds? All I seem to find are unfounded opinions like "it makes them fat" with no logic applied

It does depend a bit on species as people have mentioned, but I think the main point of this warning - and it come from avian vets all the time - has always been that there are lots of ignorant people out there that feed their parrots nothing BUT seeds. There are two issues - they can't get the balanced nutrition and micronutrients they need from such a diet - I know in particular getting enough Calcium is supposed to be problematic at times - and such a diet can have too much fat. In particular things like sunflower seeds are extremely high in fat and birds will simply inhale those way past what is healty for them. They do NOT typically have like these kinds of seeds available in the wild, and they DO eat a lot of other things even when they eat mostly seeds. I don't think anyone worthy of attention has been saying giving a seed or nut to a parrot is "bad" by itself. It depends on overall context - like everything in nutrition - as long as the food in question is not literally poisonous to the bird.