Food Samples.

[patdbunny]

Hey Capt -

Where do you get 50# bags? I think I've only been getting it in 20#s.

[kaylayuh]

Hey Capt -

Where do you get 50# bags? I think I've only been getting it in 20#s.

I looked on their website and only seemed to find 25lb packages. Lafeber has an online special on their bulk 25lb box of pellets, though. Each box is $69.95. If you buy 2, they'll take $14.50 off each box. The price for 50lbs of food end up being $110 plus $18 for shipping.

I don't know how much Kaytee pellets are, but Harrison's sells theirs for for much higher prices. If I knew my birds would eat it and had that much to spend on bird food right now, I'd probably order it and freeze it.

[patdbunny]

I usually get whatever pellet I can find on sale/best price. So that usually means I end up buying Kaytee or Zupreem. My birds seem to eat Zupreem more readily than the Kaytee stuff.

Kaytee Original comes in 25#. Right now it's on sale at petco.com for $39.99 for the 25# w/ $5.99 for shipping.
Kaytee Rainbow stuff comes in 20#. Rainbow Chunky right now Petco.com $43.99 w/ free shipping for 20#.
Zupreem Natural for 20# is right now $39.99 at petco.com w/ $5.99 for shipping.

[kaylayuh]

Oh, wow. Those are really cheap. How do you like the quality of the pellet? I've seen reviews and most that I've seen have referred to them as the substandard pellet.

I bought a small bag of the ZuPreem fruit pellets for the budgies a while back. They had no interest in it other than to kick it out of the food dish. They were dropping weight and their droppings changed, so I had to up the seed again and took the pellets away. When I tried again a month or so later, the same thing happened.

I tried using the left over pellets on Cheney Bird and he had no interest in it. The rescue was supposedly feeding him ZuPreem, but he didn't want to touch it and his droppings were dark so I gave him seed to start him on something. I have a feeling they mixed the seed/pellet together and never really noticed what he was eating.

[Vikki]

We get our food from Bird Paradise in NJ. We use ultimate blend for the larger birds and its great stuff (My mom thought it was some kind of special gourmet snack food and ate three handfuls!!) They have smaller blends for smaller birds, but its all fresh and hand mixed.

I was actually considering doing an organic blend of my own and trying to sell it but there are so many on the market that I'm sure I'd fall through the cracks....

http://www.mybirdstore.com/cart.cgi?gro ... ild=232972

[patdbunny]

How do you like the quality of the pellet?

I dunno. Ask me again in about 25-50 years when pellets have been around for a few parrot lifespans.

I like that the Kaytee doesn't turn into mush when it's soaked so weaning babies eat it well. With my babies I've noticed that so long as they're accustomed to eating some sort of pellet, I can change up the pellet types/brands easily and they'll eat it. That's good enough for me so when they get to their new homes hopefully they won't be picky about their pellet.

I'd worry more about quality of the pellets if my feeding base were pellets; but it's not. My birds get a bowl of pellets free fed in their cage; fresh mash of sprouts, veggies, fruits and some cooked mix in the a.m.; early afternoon snack of whatever I have around, usually some weird fresh thing I picked up like jicama or cactus pads or berries; and a handful of bird seed in the evening.

For the larger birds

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For the little guys

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Noms

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[kaylayuh]

We get our food from Bird Paradise in NJ. We use ultimate blend for the larger birds and its great stuff (My mom thought it was some kind of special gourmet snack food and ate three handfuls!!) They have smaller blends for smaller birds, but its all fresh and hand mixed.

I was actually considering doing an organic blend of my own and trying to sell it but there are so many on the market that I'm sure I'd fall through the cracks....

http://www.mybirdstore.com/cart.cgi?gro ... ild=232972

Right now I'm using a "parrotlet mix" from Alta Loma Seed Company. It has the standard seeds plus dried banana, greens, and other fruits and vegetables. I love the quality of the seed and the price was wonderful 20lbs for $40 and free shipping. But I'm worried about health and want a better diet.

I was kind of disappointed that Goldenfeast doesn't send out samples. I've been looking at their foods for a while and really have been debating buying some. I can't justify the price to let it go to waste, though.

[kaylayuh]

I'd worry more about quality of the pellets if my feeding base were pellets; but it's not.

Their base diet right now is the seed mix I buy them. I'd prefer that it wasn't their sole dietary intake, but unfortunately it's all their willing to eat. The budgies have finally come around to dried blueberries, cranberries and bananas, so that's something. Cheney Bird is pretty willing to eat fresh fruit and cooked peas, beans and rice, and Cheerios, but that's about it. I've tried sprouts for all three, and it seems they prefer to use them as a litterbox -- they poop in them as soon as I put them in the cage!

[coral]

it seems like your coming along with them though it takes time to get them to eat new things have you tried a mash of something a lot of people say their birds like it. ask your avain vet for samples my little guy gets some when hes at the vet. oh try cereal and rice and stuff like that and also try peppers my little guy loves anything spicey and try sprouting millet roz has a thing about it on her blog because all birds love millet!

[kaylayuh]

it seems like your coming along with them though it takes time to get them to eat new things have you tried a mash of something a lot of people say their birds like it. ask your avain vet for samples my little guy gets some when hes at the vet. oh try cereal and rice and stuff like that and also try peppers my little guy loves anything spicey and try sprouting millet roz has a thing about it on her blog because all birds love millet!

Any kind of sprout turns into a litter box for them. They poop in them right away. I end up having to throw them away not even five minutes after I put them in there.

Cheney Bird loves cereal. Cheerios are his absolute favorite and he goes crazy for them. I use them to trick him back into his cage.

The budgies have come along and will eat dried fruit now. They've also enjoyed a jalapeno pepper. They refuse to eat anything else, though. I've tried ZuPreem fruit pellets before, and those ended up kicked out of the food dish.

Cheney Bird also eats rice, beans, peas, corn, and fresh fruit. He liked apples, bananas and mangoes, but was unsure of pineapple. The rescue he came from said he was a good eater, but I've not really seen any evidence of that.