Dried fruits question

[Strawfrawg]

Is there any difference, bird-safe wise, between the dried fruit you get at a pet store and the kind you buy in bulk at human grocery stores? I live near a local market with a fantastic selection of dried fruit and unsalted nuts/seeds, but I obviously don't want to buy something harmful by mistake...I just thought it would be nice to make my own blend and buy only what my bird enjoys most.

[Michael]

Yes, the ones typically made for humans are loaded with sugar. The last thing you need is to have your parrot bouncing off the walls and screaming its head off. Doesn't guarantee the parrot ones aren't the same sugared up ones and you can try to find unsweetened human grade ones. They are plenty sweet and more reasonable that way.

[marie83]

I never knew they added sugar to dry fruit so just ran to check all my bags of it. The only ingredient other than the fruit itself is a vegetable oil glaze, definitely never seen other types on sale though I am in the UK so it could be different over there.
Pretty much all "farmed" fruits have more sugar in than they do naturally in the wild variety plants though if this is what you mean?

[friend2parrots]

I generally offer my birds fresh fruits or frozen fruits instead of dried fruits, except for fruits that are out of season, or not available otherwise. i have heard the nutrients are more readily available when fruit is offered fresh or frozen, and that the sugar content is not as intense (thus less chance of a sugar high for the bird - this is a topic i'm still looking into - how to deal with sugar content in fruits)

i do offer some fruits dry. when i do I purchase prepackaged dried fruit thats marketed for humans. I make sure that it says on the package the following things: organic, unsulphured, and raw. i make sure there are no other ingredients, glazes, additives, sugars, etc. one way to ascertain this is by looking for an ingredient list that simply says the word "dried" and then the name of the fruit. for example, "dried apricot" or "dried figs". i check to make sure there's an expiration date on the package.

i don't offer sulphured dried fruit or fruit thats been preserved in any way. I also do not offer fruit designed for bird or animal use, simply because the packaging usually does not say the things I'm looking for, which I've listed above.

[Andromeda]

I feed fresh and frozen fruits. I also found a brand of freeze dried fruits that have no additives called Crunchies.

[pionus]

crunchies are great.

[marie83]

Just a thought but the sugar content Will appear to go up when fruit is dried because it is concentrated in a smaller area due to the moisture loss.

[Strawfrawg]

This was very helpful, guys, thanks! I made a trip to the grocer and found that there is added sugar in some of their offerings, especially coconut, banana chips, and papaya, but they carry a large range of dried fruit with no sulfides, sulfates, or added sweetener. I picked up some dates and unsweetened coconut. Other fruits I'll just feed organic and fresh. This is giving me motivation to start shopping organic for myself, too. Can't hurt.

One tidbit of info I found out about yesterday from my breeder was that raw peanuts are apparently not good for birds. I called to check on my little guy's progress and we got talking aout food...she said she lost two white-bellied caiques who ODed on raw peanuts when she was first breeding...it didn't take much and the vet told her the raw peanuts were definitely to blame. Some stores sell their unsalted peanuts raw, some sell them roasted. Something to check before you buy.

[GreenWing]

I generally offer my birds fresh fruits or frozen fruits instead of dried fruits, except for fruits that are out of season, or not available otherwise. i have heard the nutrients are more readily available when fruit is offered fresh or frozen, and that the sugar content is not as intense (thus less chance of a sugar high for the bird - this is a topic i'm still looking into - how to deal with sugar content in fruits)

i do offer some fruits dry. when i do I purchase prepackaged dried fruit thats marketed for humans. I make sure that it says on the package the following things: organic, unsulphured, and raw. i make sure there are no other ingredients, glazes, additives, sugars, etc. one way to ascertain this is by looking for an ingredient list that simply says the word "dried" and then the name of the fruit. for example, "dried apricot" or "dried figs". i check to make sure there's an expiration date on the package.

i don't offer sulphured dried fruit or fruit thats been preserved in any way. I also do not offer fruit designed for bird or animal use, simply because the packaging usually does not say the things I'm looking for, which I've listed above.

THIS.

[Pralina]