Totally Organics TOP Pellets Review

[MollyGreenCheeks]

I've seen many posts about this product but never tried it until a few days ago I ordered it on a whim. The product arrived yesterday and my babies immediately took to devouring it. I was feeding Roudybush for pellets but for now on it will be TOP products. They absolutely love it and its healthy for them.

If you've thought about trying them but never have Molly and Cody highly recommend them!

Totally Organics TOP Organic Bird Pellets

 

[Parrotmamma]

I second that !!! Mine love TOPS too : )

 

[KBEquine]

For a while, the only pellets my parrots would eat were TOPS & Nutriberries. Someone once told me that all pellets/mixes are basically the same, but they are not - and I think the alfalfa, which gives TOPS their scent, is probably an attractive ingredient to birds.

Having looked up the ingredients & liking to offer my parrots foraging opportunities, I make sure they get a few of various kinds of pellets in their meal, so they can choose for themselves.

I wrote down the main ingredients from a couple different kinds of pellets (after being told they were all alike) & below are 4 examples that are definitely not all alike:

TOPS:
Rice, millet hulled, barley, alfalfa leaf (the following ingredients comprise no more than 5% of total volume each] sunflower seed hulled, sesame seeds unhulled, quinoa whole, buckwheat hulled, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, seaweeds (purple dulse & kelp), rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemare whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, nettle leaf.

Harrison's High Potency Coarse Pellets:
Ground shelled sunflower seeds, ground hull-less barley, ground soybeans, ground shelled peanuts, ground green peas, ground lentils, ground yellow corn, ground rice, ground toasted oat groats, psyllium, ground sun-dried alfalfa, calcium carbonate, spirulina, montmorillonite clay, ground dried sea kelp, sea salt.

Tropical Nutriberries:
Corn, hulled white proso millet, safflower, soybean meal, red millet, papaya, wheat, peanut granules, pineapple, mango, canola oil, corn syrup, ground limestone, gelatin, corn gluten meal, whole egg, iodized salt.

Roudybush Maintenance Pellets:
Ground corn, ground wheat, soy meal, soy oil, calcium carbonate, rosemary extract, yucca extract, dried yeast, biotin, natural apple flavoring.

 

[OtterKin]

I liked what I saw in TOPS, and for awhile my birds ate it along with Roudybush. Then I ran out of TOPS and they spent a couple weeks without it. They refused to touch if after that. Sad day.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I love totally organics and Rosie eats it, she prefers lafeabers but it isn't as healthy.

She gets a mixture of totally organics, Harrisons fine(hates the big chunky pellets) and fresh foods

 

[Riio]

Thanks KBEquine! Very helpful. I feed my lil guy Oven Fresh Bites by Caitec, ever heard of these? He loves them and so did my Rio. I cant buy them anywhere local and was thinking of adding another pellet just for variety and if I ever need to buy some local I could, but looks as though tops isnt sold local either. Hhmmm

 

[Annageckos]

My GCC loves TOPS. She didn't really like the pellets at first, so I was mixing it in with her veggies, then decided to offer her a bowl of just pellets. It took her a few days, but now she chows down on them, which she is doing as I type.

 

[MollyGreenCheeks]

Their still enjoying the TOP's. It brings great joy to see them really crave healthy foods!

 

[triordan]

Thanks KBEquine! Very helpful. I feed my lil guy Oven Fresh Bites by Caitec, ever heard of these? He loves them and so did my Rio. I cant buy them anywhere local and was thinking of adding another pellet just for variety and if I ever need to buy some local I could, but looks as though tops isnt sold local either. Hhmmm

Caitec is local here and they came to our bird club meeting last month, gave out free sample of snacks , the Oven Fresh bites and foraging toys! The only way i can get the oven fresh bites into Remington's diet is to grind them and put them in sweet potatoes, he won't eat them plain

 

[DebsFlock]

The thing about the TOPS is that the very lack of "chemical names" means that it is not a fortified pellet. It's basically whole foods, in an admittedly healthful combination, in a convenient package. It can't guarantee vitamin and mineral content the way the fortified ones do. That said, I'll include it along with pellets in a dry mix.

 

[LauraT]

Thanks KBEquine! Very helpful. I feed my lil guy Oven Fresh Bites by Caitec, ever heard of these? He loves them and so did my Rio. I cant buy them anywhere local and was thinking of adding another pellet just for variety and if I ever need to buy some local I could, but looks as though tops isnt sold local either. Hhmmm

Baxter LOVES Oven Fresh. My Safe Bird Store carries them. I always offer a few pellets mixed and order all from that website. Great prices and always fast and fresh.

Laura

 

[crimson]

I've never used TOP pellets, but will surely order some next time to try it....the birds I mean

 

[24KParrot]

I used "Totally Organic" pellets for quite some time, but then decided to switch. The maker is changing the name is changing to simply TOP's with a supposed meaning of Totally Outrageous Pellets instead of Totally Organic Pellets, so I am really unsure how organic the pellets really are I tried to communicate with TOP who were just downright rude. I certainly won't buy any more TOP for a variety of reasons.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I used "Totally Organic" pellets for quite some time, but then decided to switch. The maker is changing the name is changing to simply TOP's with a supposed meaning of Totally Outrageous Pellets instead of Totally Organic Pellets, so I am really unsure how organic the pellets really are I tried to communicate with TOP who were just downright rude. I certainly won't buy any more TOP for a variety of reasons.

Welcome to the forum, 24KParrot.

Looks like you are certainly in the minority in your opinion on TOPS. What variety of reasons???

In case you'd like to know, here is a thread that lists ingredients in pellets. GREAT link, super informative. http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/28242-ingredients-pellets.html

 

[thekarens]

Definitely in the minority... And bringing up a 2 year old thread.

 

[Laurasea]

This is an old thread, but pellet debates continue! I just got Tops and I am happy with ingredients and how the Parrots took to it. I agree with the one of the previous posters on the powder left over from the Harrison's. I also offer a variety of pellets and will keep the Harrison in the mix but try a different pellets than the course. Fresh veggies of every type as well. Great info here, great forum, great people with different takes and new perspectives!! I do not like feeding soy bean products though, they effect estrogen at least in mammals not sure of birds...I grew up in Illinois with soyabean fields all around my home, never saw any north America birds eating the soybeans either!

 

[ChristaNL]

I'll stick to rotating between the least harmfull pellets I can get & afford-- just to spread the risk (and keep the birds guessing).

Not wanting be a obnoxious or know it all, but when I read about what the quality controll in the USA accepts as being okay for people to eat - I makes me shudder!
Animal food is traditionally always 'less important' than human-grade, so even more up for scrutiny.

I can not find any reliable organisation that really checks those "organic" claims from TOPs or Harrisons, and I've met quite a few people who explained to me how easy it is to cheat and get that "now it sells for 3 to 4x times the usual prices to people who only read as far as the label goes".

Still not happy about the GMO (corn etc.) that is the staple now in the USA- but there is almost no getting around that any more.

 

[Laurasea]

Yes I am not always confident in the organic claims by anyone human veggies included. Is your country better about this? I do like TOPs use if dandelion and rose hips, and that sunflower isn't listed as the first ingredient. It's so hard too see a the different brands useing sunflower, corn, millit or peanuts when I'm not feeding those , and we are all told not to feed them... The healthy fats are better coming from nuts I think, but those are more expensive, and tree nut farming is down. GA took a big hit with the hurricane on their pecan trees.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-soy-bad-for-you-or-good#section2. I am not a fan of soybeans , and they are in Harrison's...but I do think Harrison is a quality pellet and they work hard to meet a parrots nutrition. I hope as parrot people demand more and better all products will improve.