Pellets Yes or No?

[localpigeon]

Do you feed you bird pellets?

Here is a good article about why pellets are not as popular in the UK as they are in the US.

http://www.birdcareco.com/English/Arts/ ... d/POS.html

I thought it would make a good topic for discussion. What do you think? Pellets yes or no...?

[miajag]

I personally feed my parrot primarily pellets, with frequent treats of Nutri-berries and fresh and dried fruits and vegetables (and occasionally not-so-healthy treats of peanut butter). Based on the research I've done, I would agree that the absolute best diet for a pet parrot is likely one of primarily fresh prepared foods, fruits, vegetables and sprouts with some seed. The vast majority of parrot owners don't have the time or inclination to provide that labor-intensive a diet, however, and I think pellets are an "easier" substitute that is not quite as good as a totally fresh diet but definitely better than just giving the parrot a big bowl of seeds every week or two, which is the other main "easy" alternative.

I agree with some of the points made in the article, but it has some problems as well. First, it commits the common fallacy of assuming that the closer a parrot's diet is to its natural diet it would have in the wild, the better (with the corollary that "processed" foods are bad). I think there are far too many variables to make this assumption. A wild parrot's diet is geared toward a bird with an activity level much greater than that of captive parrots, even flighted ones. A captive parrot, among other things, doesn't have to worry about bad weather, avoiding predators, or competing with other parrots for mates or food. There's also the fact that in order to give a parrot a truly "natural" diet identical to what it would have in the wild, you'd have to occasionally give it spoiled food, or randomly starve it for a few days at a time to simulate food shortages in its natural habitat.

The article also made a point to criticize the fact that pellets are not "specialized" for particular species of bird -- true, and a valid point, to be sure -- but ignores the fact that neither seed mixes nor most fresh food combinations given by parrot owners are either (for example, an African parrot would not eat corn or sunflower seeds in the wild, nor would a South American parrot eat millet). This goes along with the other argument as well - that what is "natural" is not always necessarily better.

All in all I think the article is a bit unfair to pellets. Study after study has shown that pellet diets are healthier for parrots than seed-based diets, and while I do agree that an all-fresh diet along with some seeds and other supplements might be better, the combination of health considerations and convenience makes pellets an easy choice for me.

[localpigeon]

Thank you for your reply. I see what you're saying and I would not dismiss pellets for all birds but in one thing I must agree with the article: my birds absolutely hate pellets (and I've tried all types available to me). They will only eat pellets if they are starving hungry which makes me think it must be really boring food.

I live in a hot city and fresh food does spoil fast, so pellets would be my first option. But after a year trying with the pellets I think I'm about to give up. If they have fresh stuff lying around they will never eat the pellets so there's no point leaving pellets in for them, it's just a waste of money. If I put them on a 100% pellet diet they under-eat and beg for food all the time.

My new plan is to offer them seeds for a limited time in the morning and in the evening before bedtime. And offer them a load of wild grass and fresh veggies during the day. I'm also going to look for a powder supplement to sprinkle over the vegetables. When I used to look after birds of prey we would give them the powder supplement as there are no pellets for raptors : ) and it worked really well.

What do you think of that plan?

[skthurley]

I think variety is best when feeding birds.

I offered Zupreem natural pellets to my three, as well as a fresh mash of grains and veggies, mimicing this diet:
http://www.lineolatedparakeet.net/food- ... on/202_202

I also offer homemade birdie bread, nutriberries, avicakes, and dry seed.

Their primary diet is fresh food and pellets.

To save the high intensive labour that you mentioned, i make a big batch once a month and freeze it. Then I dethaw overnight in the fridge and serve the next day

[localpigeon]

I like that mash diet. Thanks for posting it. I'll give it a go.

[bmsweb]

I've been trying to get my Conures to start taking them and this is the method I've been using over the last few days:



Its taken about 4 feeds and they seem to be feeding on it ok. I don't plan on dropping seeds at all. They are now having seeds, pellets, vegetables and fruit. Just keeping all basis covered

[miajag]

I can't really speak much on the subject of conversion. I was very fortunate that my Quaker switched from seeds to pellets without any trouble at all. When I first got her I started by putting just a few pellets in the bowl of seed mix in her cage, and as she ate the seeds I gradually replaced them with pellets. She pretty much didn't touch the pellets until all the seeds were gone, but once they were she started eating the pellets with no problem. The whole process only took about a week, but I understand that's less time than it usually takes.

Are there a lot of problems with just switching from seeds to pellets cold turkey? I mean, I find it hard to believe a parrot would just starve itself to death rather than eat pellets if that's all that was available, but I don't know, maybe they do. Perhaps by "weaning" them as I did (putting pellets in with the seed mix) you're showing that the pellets are indeed edible food so they know they can eat them when the seeds are taken away altogether?

[pchela]

A varied diet is the way to go. I totally disagree with complete pellet diets. No matter what they say, I do not believe that they can get everything they need from synthetic vitamins and minerals. Besides, would you want to eat only rice cakes for the rest of your life?

[miajag]

I agree that pellets are not the only thing a parrot should be fed, no matter how "healthy" or "complete" they are. Variety is essential, but pellets (in my opinion) are a great "staple."

[localpigeon]

yes. I wish my birds would eat more of them : ) But they seem to have such a good time tasting different foods and textures that I can't take that away from them.

The article I posted at the top claims that if you mix pellets with fresh foods then birds won't get all the nutrients they need. Either you feed pellets or a fresh varied diet but you can't combine them... It doesn't sound right to me.

I have two cockatiels and I have heard that cockatiels have been known to starve to death before they will eat something they don't recognize as food.