HELP! Seed vs. Pellets

[Shans_Parrotlet]

Hi everyone!

I am the new owner of a 4 month old male parrotlet and was told to feed him pellets as opposed to seed. The place I got him he was eating the Zupreem avian fruitblend flavor diet and he likes it very much. I heard an all seed diet isn't any good for a birds over-all health and longevity but I also read that pellets can harm a parrotlets liver :( I am trying to find the web-site I just read that info off of. I am very confused as to what I should feed and want to give him the best I can. Any help would be great :)
Thanks, Shanon

[AndreaFahy]

Pellets are better than seed but not necessarily the best diet. There are no thorough studies of what parrots eat in the wild, so how can a pellet be the perfect diet?

Pellets are VERY dry and cause a parrot, esp. parrotlet, to consume way more water then they need. This strains the liver and could not be good.

Check out the link here about the diet we use and recommend:
http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=600

[Shans_Parrotlet]

Thanks Andrea for the info :) So basically they need a variety of fruits, pellets, and seeds to satisfy what they would eat in the wild? I put a piece of a green bean, broccoli, and strawberry in his dish this morning so hopefully he will try them.

[AndreaFahy]

Yes, variety is key. Heavy on the vegetables, esp those high in Vitamin A.

Basically:

(40%) vegetables
(30%) grains, seeds
(15%) beans
(10%) fruits
(5%) other - nuts, supplements, etc.

[Sally]

Yes, just keep putting veggies/some fruit in the dishes. Chipper loves sweet potato and that is SO nutritious! Swiss chard, celery, strawberries, mango, carrots, blueberries, peas, etc. Sometimes they will not even look at the foods and then one day, they LOVE THEM! Just keep offering a variety. I get so many things at the store. Chipper will eat most anything now, when I brought her home, she only ate seed. I was so upset, but slowly, she has become a wonderful eater!!

This is a photo of her eating birdie cookies I bake. I bake lots of yummy foods for her. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/Cookies.jpg

[lily]

How many teaspoons of food should a parrotlet eat? I ask because, if I put way too much food in the cage, the bird could easily eat just the favorite food and not get a balanced diet.

[AndreaFahy]

A couple of tablespoons for a single VERY active parrotlet (of seed) For everything else it is okay to offer too much b/c they have a BLAST playing in it!! A waste of food, yes - but a cheap toy :)

[Shans_Parrotlet]

Andrea,

My bird is only eating the red pellets out of the Zupreem food and ignoring the other colors :confused: Why is that? Do they have a preference?

[AndreaFahy]

*L* Yes, they do have color preferences, shapes too! It all is the same flavor though. That was one reason we stopped using colored pellets (aside from excessive coloring and sweeteners) With the brown pellets all of the same shape you don't have so much food wasted.

My feeling is this: if you feed pellets and LOTS of other stuff then the pellets can be boring!

[Pado]

Hi Shanon welcome to the site – what’s your P’lets name?

I agree with Andrea – no one food is a complete diet –

Although pellets are the ‘latest’ craze, they aren’t a complete food source for any bird IMO.

Its been noted that a pellet only diet can harm some Parrotlets livers from excessive drinking especially the mutations the greens seem to be able to manage better but still I wouldn’t offer it as their main food.

I would suggest mixing up their diet – offer as much of a variety as you can when they are young even if it seems they are not trying it or eating it, just keep giving it to them – be creative, if they don’t eat fruit or vegetables from their cups then strap larger pieces to their bars or stuffed into their toys etc – once they try it they will start to want it.

I leave seed available to my birds all the time – but it is not their favorite food and not over eaten – Millet although a favorite of my female when I got her is rarely eaten anymore and it ends up untouched most of the time.

The favorite foods of my birds at the moment are: and mostly in order.

1. Birdie bread - (and I hate to admit it they don’t really care for my home made ones :mad: I’ve tried several recipes I found on this site and others but they still prefer the store birdie Bread – I think its called Mama’s homemade birdie Bread)
2. Strawberries –
3. Beak Appetit – any flavor
4. Oatmeal
5. Nuts and Sunflower seeds – (I feed in limited amounts)
6. Carrots, Broccoli, cauliflower and peas –
7. Seed –
8. Fruit –
9. Meats, Chicken or lunch meat - (some recommend not feeding any animal protein but I feed in small quantities on limited occasions)
10. Pellets – I feed Harrison’s Fine – its not their favorite food but it is eaten.

[Shans_Parrotlet]

Hi Shanon welcome to the site – what’s your P’lets name?

I agree with Andrea – no one food is a complete diet –

Although pellets are the ‘latest’ craze, they aren’t a complete food source for any bird IMO.

Its been noted that a pellet only diet can harm some Parrotlets livers from excessive drinking especially the mutations the greens seem to be able to manage better but still I wouldn’t offer it as their main food.

I would suggest mixing up their diet – offer as much of a variety as you can when they are young even if it seems they are not trying it or eating it, just keep giving it to them – be creative, if they don’t eat fruit or vegetables from their cups then strap larger pieces to their bars or stuffed into their toys etc – once they try it they will start to want it.

I leave seed available to my birds all the time – but it is not their favorite food and not over eaten – Millet although a favorite of my female when I got her is rarely eaten anymore and it ends up untouched most of the time.

The favorite foods of my birds at the moment are: and mostly in order.

1. Birdie bread - (and I hate to admit it they don’t really care for my home made ones :mad: I’ve tried several recipes I found on this site and others but they still prefer the store birdie Bread – I think its called Mama’s homemade birdie Bread)
2. Strawberries –
3. Beak Appetit – any flavor
4. Oatmeal
5. Nuts and Sunflower seeds – (I feed in limited amounts)
6. Carrots, Broccoli, cauliflower and peas –
7. Seed –
8. Fruit –
9. Meats, Chicken or lunch meat - (some recommend not feeding any animal protein but I feed in small quantities on limited occasions)
10. Pellets – I feed Harrison’s Fine – its not their favorite food but it is eaten.
Thanks Pado for the welcome and the info! My Plets name is "Bonsai"!

[Pado]

Duh – I should have figured that one out from your signature :D :D

[birdiemom]

Paulie won't even eat pellets unless they are in birdie bread. However, he really likes the Harrison's mash...it's just a powder

[Pado]

I sometimes soak the pellets in fruit juice as a treat – Let sit for a while then drain of the juice and they gobble up the pellets :)

[Mamabird]

I believe in providing a diet as close to what they would eat in the wild as possible. Do some research. Diet requirements are different for each sub-species as well (example: spectacled should NEVER eat pellets). Variety is important too.

[lily]

I've tried to research the natural diet for a pacific (if that's what I actually have... need pictures!) but can't find much except unripe grass seed and berries.

[AndreaFahy]

There really aren't any accurate studies that I know of. It is very difficult to study what they are actually consuming in the wild, not just playing around with. If anyone finds some good studies, please share!

[artistnut]

I have been reading a lot in these threads about Birdie Bread. What is it and how do you make it? I have been feeding Picasso pellets with 2 small teaspoons of seeds, I was told to keep millet in his cage for the first 2 weeks just in case, then wean him off it slowly, and he will only eat veggies, fruits, etc. when I break it into tiny pieces and let him eat it out of my hand. He likes carrots and green beans, loves pecans and dislikes corn & peas. The lady at the pet store said that they sometimes stop eating when you get them home, but he has adapted very well and was eating his seeds & pellets on the first day I had him. After reading some of the horror stories of birds changing personalities, not eating, biting and all that, I was a bit wary of bringing him home. I have 3 dogs, a small house and both me and my husband work all day, so I was really afraid of what could happen. However, Picasso has adapted so well that I am happily shocked. He has his mood swings on occasion, but doesn't get mean. Only bites on occasion if you are not paying attention to him. The dogs don't even phase him. I usually put the dogs outside when I let Picasso out, but they have finally settled down enough to be introduced, and after a couple pecks on their noses, I think they have come to an understanding. I will, however continue to monitor them VERY closely.

[lily]

I can't find it, but I think there is a recipe in an old thread-- perhaps in June. I would love to hear more about the relationship between your bird and the dogs. Want to start a thread on it? Pleeeze?