parrot pellets

[Raysmith0379]

I have an eclectus I am currently feeding her zupreem pellets is there a better pellet for her. I would like to add that this only makes up 20% of her diet the rest is all fruits and veggies due to their different diet needs

[Pajarita]

I don't recommend pellets for any parrot. I've done research on their natural diets for 20 years and have reached the conclusion that, although pellets are the easiest option, they are not the healthiest. But, if I had to recommend a pellet, I would choose TOPs and none other - and I'll tell you why:
- they are organic
- they use human grade ingredients (no other does)
- they don't use soy
- they don't use lab-made vitamins but food-derived ones

So the only three things I have against them are:
- they are unnaturally dry for an animal that evolved to eat a high moisture diet (and this is specially true of ekkies)
- the dryness and density makes the birds eat more of them than they should or end up with half a crop full, only (birds are 'programmed' to fill up their crop)
- they don't give you an exact protein value so you have no control over it
- they don't provide phytonutrients (but you can always supplement with produce, of course)

[ParrotsForLife]

Pajarita I never knew you didnt recommend pellets I once posted a thread on another forum asking what can fill my birds diet if I stop using pellets and they said pellets are essential.What do u feed your birds instead of pellets.

[Pajarita]

I feed them gloop and raw produce for breakfast and all day picking, and a seed/roasted nut mix for dinner. Once a week or once every ten days, they get birdy bread and produce for breakfast instead of gloop.