Shopping for pellets for a cockatiel

[Impeckable]

Hi all! I'm sure you've heard this question over and over, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of options so any help would be appreciated!

I recently adopted a tiel who's around 4 months old and has been on complete seed diet pretty much his whole life. For some reason he had sunflower seeds as a staple in his diet judging from his old seed mix, so I've been slowly weaning him off that habit and giving them only as treats. I've also been introducing him to fresh fruits and veggies, but he's a picky little chap, so it's taking a while for him to get used to them.

I'm looking to get him some pellets in the meantime as recommended by our vet. Currently deciding between Roudybush, ZuPreem, and NutriBird. I've read that some parrots like certain brands/types more than others, so I'm thinking of getting two separate brands and trying them out with him first.

I've heard of Hagen's mixes, but am ruling that one out because I've already got plenty of seed that I can put as part of his diet. I've also heard of Harrison's, but that one's quite expensive compared to the others (at least where I'm from).

Has anyone got any experience with Roudybush, ZuPreem, and/or NutriBird?

Also, are little bugs quite common with Roudybush? I've come across one or two posts mentioning this so I'm curious if this is normal or just an issue with storage/quality control.

For NutriBird, I realized that the one they have for small parakeets is G14 (they have a pic of a cockatiel on their package for this one), whereas the one they have for parrots is P15. Anyone know if there's a big difference between the two or if I can use P15?

Or if you'd recommend any other brands, please let me know!

Thank you in advance

 

[LaManuka]

Hi all! I'm sure you've heard this question over and over, but I'm a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of options so any help would be appreciated!

I recently adopted a tiel who's around 4 months old and has been on complete seed diet pretty much his whole life. For some reason he had sunflower seeds as a staple in his diet judging from his old seed mix, so I've been slowly weaning him off that habit and giving them only as treats. I've also been introducing him to fresh fruits and veggies, but he's a picky little chap, so it's taking a while for him to get used to them.

I'm looking to get him some pellets in the meantime as recommended by our vet. Currently deciding between Roudybush, ZuPreem, and NutriBird. I've read that some parrots like certain brands/types more than others, so I'm thinking of getting two separate brands and trying them out with him first.

I've heard of Hagen's mixes, but am ruling that one out because I've already got plenty of seed that I can put as part of his diet. I've also heard of Harrison's, but that one's quite expensive compared to the others (at least where I'm from).

Has anyone got any experience with Roudybush, ZuPreem, and/or NutriBird?

Also, are little bugs quite common with Roudybush? I've come across one or two posts mentioning this so I'm curious if this is normal or just an issue with storage/quality control.

For NutriBird, I realized that the one they have for small parakeets is G14 (they have a pic of a cockatiel on their package for this one), whereas the one they have for parrots is P15. Anyone know if there's a big difference between the two or if I can use P15?

Or if you'd recommend any other brands, please let me know!

Thank you in advance

I'm told Roudybush is one of the better ones, though I've never tried it on mine as it seems it's not available here in Australia any more TOPS is another very good brand, I've actually just switched my flock over to it thankfully with a minimum of fuss, they actually really seem to be enjoying it! I've also heard Harrison's is another very good one, again a little harder to source but I have some on back order. Another member here suggested their birds gobble it up because it looks just like millet! Sadly any type of bird food, whether seeds or pellets, can have unwelcome additions such as bugs occasionally, I always transfer mine out of the original packaging into an airtight container before use so I can spot any nasties before feeding.

Some years ago one of my (much older) cockatiels was VERY resistant to transitioning to pellets, despite my trying every trick as advised by my vet or the internet or the pellet companies themselves! What finally worked for me was when I ground them up into a powder in a mortar and pestle and mixed that in with her other food. That way she couldn't avoid eating it and got accustomed to the taste. Over the course of the next week or so I gradually ground the pellets less finely and left larger and larger bits and she started eating them like she had done so all her life! As your bird is younger it shouldn't be too hard to transition, but nonetheless just keep an eye on his weight to ensure he isn't starving himself.

 

[texsize]

My Cockatiels like Zupreem nut blend (large parrot size).
All 5 eat them and most like to hold the pellets in their foot and munch away.
Very cute.

 

[Impeckable]

Some years ago one of my (much older) cockatiels was VERY resistant to transitioning to pellets, despite my trying every trick as advised by my vet or the internet or the pellet companies themselves! What finally worked for me was when I ground them up into a powder in a mortar and pestle and mixed that in with her other food. That way she couldn't avoid eating it and got accustomed to the taste. Over the course of the next week or so I gradually ground the pellets less finely and left larger and larger bits and she started eating them like she had done so all her life! As your bird is younger it shouldn't be too hard to transition, but nonetheless just keep an eye on his weight to ensure he isn't starving himself.

Oh! I hadn't thought of grinding the pellets so that he grows accustomed to them over time, thanks for that! I'm definitely keeping an eye on his weight, especially after removing the sunflower seeds from his main diet because it took him some time to even think about eating anything else in that seed mix.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

MY guys are on RoudyBush and Zupreem. I mix it together and it seems one of my birds in the community cage (Probably Charlie, the conure) prefers the Roudybush more than the Zupreem!