Pellet choices--or seed? Need dry food

[lotus15]

I am not a huge fan of soy either but what bothers me more are the peanuts -- I don't feed my guys peanuts in any form. Not a fan of the aflatoxins, the high amount and types of fat, etc. I feed TOPs

[entrancedbymyGCC]

FWIW, aflatoxin is primarily an issue with in-shell peanuts (and walnuts) -- the shell itself is what the fungus grows on.

[lotus15]

FWIW, aflatoxin is primarily an issue with in-shell peanuts (and walnuts) -- the shell itself is what the fungus grows on.

I was actually wondering about this. I thought this at first too, but then why are aflatoxins such a concern in (human) peanut butters?

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I was actually wondering about this. I thought this at first too, but then why are aflatoxins such a concern in (human) peanut butters?

Well, I guess you want to trust your producer... bits of shell in with the peanuts could in theory contaminate peanut butter. But I have not heard they are that big a concern in shelled peanuts or peanut butter.

[lotus15]

I was actually wondering about this. I thought this at first too, but then why are aflatoxins such a concern in (human) peanut butters?

Well, I guess you want to trust your producer... bits of shell in with the peanuts could in theory contaminate peanut butter. But I have not heard they are that big a concern in shelled peanuts or peanut butter.

There was a huge recall of peanut butter relatively recently, in the past two years probably, because of the scare of aflatoxins in them as carcinogens. I did some quick (not thorough) research and didn't find anything that mentioned that it was because of bits of shell contamination. I think that the shells pose the greatest risk for aflatoxins and other forms of aspergillus spores, but that the peanut meats themselves can also harbor aflatoxins.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

The big peanut butter recall in 2009 was due to Salmonella contamination. Many brands and products were affected, but all got their peanuts from the same supplier. I'm not seeing anything else, can you post a source?

[lotus15]

The big peanut butter recall in 2009 was due to Salmonella contamination. Many brands and products were affected, but all got their peanuts from the same supplier. I'm not seeing anything else, can you post a source?

Most argue basically that aflatoxins aren't something we should be scared about but does acknowledge their existence in peanut butters:
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Aflatoxin ... id=1113733
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA115491

This one is more towards the aflatoxins are bad side:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/aflatoxi ... n-peanuts/

This one is actually pretty darn damning and addresses the unhealthiness of peanuts due to their omegas regardless of aflatoxins, but also discusses aflatoxins:
http://www.danmurphydc.com/Aflatoxin.peanuts.pdf

[felix11]

My parrot crumbles up her pellets into dust, too... But I collect the pellet powder, mix it with a few pinches of paprika (for extra bright feathers) and moisten the whole thing with a little water. Then I mix it until it forms little balls of mixture (for those who cook, it's basically like making crumble) and bake the whole thing on a tray until it's crisp again. Voila. Pellets again!

[Nancy]

Have you tried the Unpellet yet? My birds love it and it smells so good. Sometimes I give it to them as is and sometimes I mix it in with their fruits or veggies. Here is the link.

http://www.phoenixforagingrolls.com/UnP ... nks_c3.htm

Nancy

[pchela]

I personally think that pellets are overrated and should not make up the majority of a parrots diet as long as they are being fed a healthy, well rounded diet. You might check into Goldenfeast. They use human grade ingredients and have a lot of options to choose from. If you get a sunflower free mix you should be okay. I would give them fruits, veggies, sprouts and other homemade stuff for breakfast and dinner and leave a small amount of Goldenfeast for the rest of the day. Ideally, you could hide the goldenfeast bits and maybe a few nuts around the cages for foraging opportunities throughout the day but that can be time consuming.

I've used Caribbean Bounty (birds favorite), Central American Preservation Blend II and Madagascar Delight with good results. Higgins also makes a good mix called Fruit to Nuts.