Walmart Parrot Food. Good deal or beware?

[Kirsten]

So I took Skittles to Walmart last night since we needed emergency groceries. Just to seem slightly less conspicuous I took her to the bird section of the store (a tiny six-foot section of wall and shelves) and noticed they have some sort of bird food there for around $6. Normally, we buy this other stuff that runs around $8-10. I don't remember the brand name, but it was in a big plastic jar and was available for parakeets, cockatiels and small parrots (which included Sun Conures on the label). Just to add to the matter, it had one of those "We donate to breast cancer" ribbons stamped on the front. It seems to good to be true. I browsed the Walmart website to see if I could find the brand I'm talking about but I couldn't find it.

So the gist of what I'm asking is should I be wary of this since it's from Walmart and so cheap? I don't want to feed anything bad to Skittles. If I get the chance to go by there again I'll make sure to take note of the name and take a picture of the nutrition facts.

[Michael]

Most likely that's just a seed mix. I don't know if the seed mix sold at walmart is any worse than elsewhere. However, seeds aren't a great diet for captive parrots. If you want to save money, a good way is to order bulk bags of pellets online, freeze them, and then use as needed. I never see chain pet stores or supermarkets sell any "bird food" besides seeds and very maybe fruity pellets. It is rare enough to see something like Harrison's or Roudybush anywhere but the most dedicated parrot stores.

[Kirsten]

Unfortunately here in central Virginia, I haven't found any stores exclusive to parrots (though we do have a Wild Birds Unlimited). I'm usually limited to Petco, Petsmart, and a local store around 30 minutes away called Fin and Feather where I got Skittles from. They also sell puppies, kittens, fish, gerbils, and reptiles. I think there's a breeder nearby that might sell bird supplies too. I'll have to check into that. Skittles eats these tiny little pellet things that come in red, yellow, green and all sorts of colors. They're tiny and she appears to dodge them to get to dried fruit and mostly (like you said) seeds. Although I do throw in a few nutriberries from time to time...

[pchela]

The food I've seen sold at Walmart is usually Hartz brand and maybe one other. They aren't any good for your parrot because they are full of peanuts and sunflower seeds, both of which are bad for your bird. As Michael said, your best bet is buying bulk or even buy the lb online. Does your bird eat any fresh foods?

[zazanomore]

I never see chain pet stores or supermarkets sell any "bird food" besides seeds and very maybe fruity pellets.

Petsmart sells a variety of pellets, including roudybush.

At our walmart, there's a very tiny pet bird section. I've seen a few Hartz products as well, and then there is the cockatiel, budgie and parrot seed mixes.

The bag is clear, and you can see in the budgie and cockatiel mix that it is EXTREMELY basic mix. While the parrot mix has slightly more variety.

I wouldn't buy that stuff for them.

[liz]

The brand is 3-D

So I took Skittles to Walmart last night since we needed emergency groceries. Just to seem slightly less conspicuous I took her to the bird section of the store (a tiny six-foot section of wall and shelves) and noticed they have some sort of bird food there for around $6. Normally, we buy this other stuff that runs around $8-10. I don't remember the brand name, but it was in a big plastic jar and was available for parakeets, cockatiels and small parrots (which included Sun Conures on the label). Just to add to the matter, it had one of those "We donate to breast cancer" ribbons stamped on the front. It seems to good to be true. I browsed the Walmart website to see if I could find the brand I'm talking about but I couldn't find it.

So the gist of what I'm asking is should I be wary of this since it's from Walmart and so cheap? I don't want to feed anything bad to Skittles. If I get the chance to go by there again I'll make sure to take note of the name and take a picture of the nutrition facts.

[Kirsten]

I'm visiting with a breeder nearby on Tuesday who sells Zupreem. She said she can fit 2.5 lbs in a gallon ziplock bag at $6.25 per bag. As far as my bird eating fresh food, she seems to have issues with eating fresh fruit and vegetables, but she'll eat the dehydrated kind and she also eats it in shake form (my dad makes a fruity shake made from actual fruit with only a hint of milk a couple times a week).

[apollosparents]

Well, Well, Well........
My first post other than my introduction post ends up being more about my job than my fids...
Here goes....
**DISCLAIMER**
I have worked for Walmart for over 18 years, mostly in management. I have also been blessed with feathered children for almost half that time. Please understand even if I said, this is the best food ever, I or my company would not make much more than a dime more endorsing on this forum or dime less if this was reversed and I dissaproved...

That being said,
The bird food in the plastic containers for various bird size groups is made by 3D parrot products in 4LB plastic containers like the mainstays or rubber made 1 gallon food storage containers.
The product is of Very good quality; much more so than Hartz or similar in my opinion. It looks a lot like Higgins Vita seed and has colored vitaman enriched/encapsuled seeds, sunflower, safflower, other seeds, and "stuff", and some "dog food" (my wifes name for generic "pellets") Even in parrot formulation it also has small seeds that medium to larger hook bills will probably ignore.
They do donate to breast cancer, you gotta love the reusable container, and the price is better than most can buy anywhere locally for a quality SEED mix for parrots.

That being said, it is mostly a quality vitamin enriched seed mix so YMMV. I buy it all the time as quality seed treat food and can recommend it to anyone for that purpose. You just cannot beat it for the value/quality, and the reusable container is superb for storing pellets and other foods for the fids.

[Michael]

Well it's good to hear from someone who has tried the product. The main reason I wouldn't be interested is the fact that it's a seed mix rather than pellets but it's good to know that they sell relatively good quality for the value.

[Fallen_Parakeet]

I think I bought that food for my parakeet....
does it have like yellow on the container? and is there two parakeets on the front? If it is then am feeding it to my bird right now and he likes it. I forgot how much it was though..
But on the cover it says for Parakeets.. not for other birds.