what is the VERY BEST pellet? or pellet & seed mix?

[Sand]

I was just feeding my conure & when i dropped some mix in his dish I grabbed a pumpkin seed (i think it was) and put it in my mouth to entice him back toward his cage. it tasted like SOAP.
ok so I'm thinking it was a fluke, I grab a few more seeds out of the bag put them in my mouth and chew them up. they all taste exactly like soap. if you have ever got soap in your mouth when showering or cuz you said a bad word as a kid & your grandma washed your mouth out with soap, you will never forget that horrible taste. it was kaytee gourmet variety fiesta parrot food.
my mouth still tastes like soap and that was 10 minutes ago. i'm throwing this stuff OUT. okay, seeds shouldn't taste like soap.

i DO love that it has pellets and seed, so what a great brand?

thanks

 

[Peeko]

Most people recommend Harrisons, Roudybush, and Zupreem Natural pellets. There are a few others that I cant remember off the top of my head, but come recommended. I'm sure someone else will comment with them~
Nutriberries are recommended as seeds/treats as well but not as the main part of the diet.

 

[riddick07]

I use Birds Paradise mix number 21 for my conures and TOPS pellets.
Paradise Unsulphured Build-A-Blend - KATHY'S FAVORITE THINGS by Bird Paradise
Totally Organics Pellets 10 lb - KATHY'S FAVORITE THINGS by Bird Paradise

I also feed the berries and the different mixes that goldenfeast sells but the 21 and TOPS are what I primarily feed.

 

[Kalidasa]

I've come to the point where the best pellets are the ones your parrots accept. I try to offer several varieties to keep it interesting. I mix Harrison's, Caitec oven bites (a favorite) and Higgins in-tune natural. With my birds it's all about shape and texture.

 

[Sand]

thanks guys. I just ordered some harrisons

 

[Sand]

i noticed the Harrisons has Montmorillonite Clay in it. the frozen meat cat food i buy also has that in it. does anyone know why?

 

[Kinny]

The only thing with Kaytee that I actually really do like, is their Kaytee Exact hand-rearing formula. However, now that I've used Vetafarm I love it so much more! Much better results.

I'm not sure if you have Vetafarm where you live? (It an Australian brand but i think they have gone international now).

Their Parrot Maintenance Pellets and Paradise Pellets are my favourite! They have all the nutritional needs etc. within the pellets and the Pellets are a complete diet, however, I always give my parrots a seed mix (millet, sunflower, safflower, crushed maize, milo-though not much as it has no nutritional value, it's just a filler) and of course the fresh veggies and fruit whenever I am able to give it to them. ^^ I highly recommend all their products.

 

[Sand]

hey Kinney, one may order Vetafarm Maintenence online, BUT it says "Recommended for: Australian and Asiatic Parrots" and GCC are from South America.

 

[riddick07]

Kalidasa has a valid point. My sun hasn't completely converted to TOPs yet and is still eating the Zupreem Natural more often than the TOPs. I hope yours converts to the Harrisons without being a pain!

 

[crimson]

I've tried for years to convert my parrots to pellets, to no avail....I've tried TOPS, Zupreem, Tropican.....some liked the Tropican but I think it was only one bird
now 8 of my birds are eating Harrisons mash.(I'm very excited!)

the rest are eating Harrisons Sunburst conure or parrot, along with veggies etc...

 

[Kinny]

hey Kinney, one may order Vetafarm Maintenence online, BUT it says "Recommended for: Australian and Asiatic Parrots" and GCC are from South America.

Yeah. I've researched the ingredients and vitamins etc , compared them to the South American Pellets, and maintenance is just as good, if not better. I've tried both and my GCCs actually like and do better health wise with the Maintenance or Paradise.

 

[SoCalWendy]

I feed Harrson's, TOPS, and Volkman Featherglow- 15 min soak and serve. Also fresh fruit, veggies.

 

[Sand]

there's a place around here that sells TOPS, they're only open thursday through sunday. i think i'll go get some of those.

i cancelled my order for Harrisons, I didn't like the fact that clay is in there.

right now i have Higgens mix, it has small colored pellets mixed in with seed, I have soaked them and my bird chews them. does he swallow them? I don't know! lol.
I WILL say that my Budgies eat Higgens birds food and have since I got them more than two years ago. they appear very healthy. of course the GCC and the budgies get other stuff like greens, veggies (frozen) sprouted mix and bananas.
I get sprout mix from Rainbowparrots.com. the trick i found is do exactly as the package said. soak only 12 hours, or 1 day (cuz I always forget about them up in the cupboard}. after that they have to be completely drained of water with only a damp papertowel on them, then they sprout by the next day. then for the next few days i just spray the papertowel with a spray bottle. I love my conures fresh breath after he eats the sprouts, lol, lol.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I swear by Harrisons. Not only is it an exceptional diet, but you are MUCH less likely to have future health issues with your bird.

The down side of Harrisons is that it can be expensive (about $9 lb) but IMO it is so well worth it. Also, it's not available in stores. You have to either get it from the vet or directly from the company. But the customer service they have is exceptional.

 

[RavensGryf]

Harrison's organic. Hands down. It was developed by an avian vet, and much research. Proof? My nearly 20 year old Red Bellied has eaten mainly Harrison's for many years, and his vet exams and most recent (few months ago) blood panel came back perfect. No deficiencies at all.

 

[kiwiS]

Kiwi's pellet diet consists of Harrisons, some Roudybush and a sprinkling of dried veggies. Pellets are provided after lunch, and overnight.

She is fed a veggie, sweet potato chop mix with a frozen blueberry in the morning, and a cooked wild rice, squash, quinoa, and fresh green apple chop in the evening. Both fresh food feedings are served without pellets.

In her morning mix she gets a sprinkling of seed mix that is prepared by the local bird store - it has white millet, rice, red millet and white sunflower seeds. She only gets half a teaspoon of this seed mix a day.

Nutriberries are placed in her foraging toys and provided to her for a few hours in the afternoon.

 

[Feu]

Huginn eats Zupreem Fruit Blend. I tried switching him to something organic like the vet suggested, but he hated it! Is there any fruity form of Harrison's? He also gets some dried fruits and seeds throughout the day - his favourite treat is yogurt covered raisins.

 

[JadeC]

I feed Meiko, my WB caique TOPS pellets but I tried Harrison's and Zupreem too. It's really all about what your bird will eat. I don't think parrots should be fed mostly pellet diet, but you'll hear tons of opinions on this subject. I feed my bird TOPS, lots of veggies and fruit, some seeds and a little of what I'm eating usually. I give him some Cheerios too or whole grain bread, but some people don't. It's all about variety because in the wild birds eat a very wide variety of foods. So, my recommendation is to find a pellet that your bird likes and give him/her that with some fruits, veggies, and seeds.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Kiwi's pellet diet consists of Harrisons, some Roudybush and a sprinkling of dried veggies. Pellets are provided after lunch, and overnight.

She is fed a veggie, sweet potato chop mix with a frozen blueberry in the morning, and a cooked wild rice, squash, quinoa, and fresh green apple chop in the evening. Both fresh food feedings are served without pellets.

In her morning mix she gets a sprinkling of seed mix that is prepared by the local bird store - it has white millet, rice, red millet and white sunflower seeds. She only gets half a teaspoon of this seed mix a day.

Nutriberries are placed in her foraging toys and provided to her for a few hours in the afternoon.

You'll want to keep an eye out for those Nutriberries. The vet told me that they have had complications with those and Harrison's. Just a suggestions. Have you looked into the Harrisons power treats? Skittles and Peaches just LOVE them - they are organic, great for foraging and contain a birds favorite treat - PEANUTS!

 

[Frumpydumple]

My green cheek was on a seed diet and she had a vitamin deficiency which was causing her normally green feathers to turn white and yellow. I switched to Harrison's High Potency Fine and she molted all her old feathers out and grew in shiny bright green feathers in only a week of feeding her them.

I think that Harrison's pellets are great so I am trying to convert my other birds onto them.