Zupreem

[nar1122]

What exactly is Zupreem?

Is it something that can take the place of seeds??

Is it healthy??

If I plan on getting it, which kind should I get (fruit blend, etc.)

Does anybody use it??

Convince me to use it or not to use it. LOL

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[AndreaFahy]

I think pellets in general are lousy. Most or all of the nutrition is cooked out in the high heat and then artificially added. Some have highly excessive food coloring and sweeteners. Some have very unnatural ingredients.

BUT - we do use a bit of pellets in foraging toys. Harrison's or Totally Organics only. Totally Organics is better I think b/c it is cold pressed preserving more nutrients.

Quoting Ann Castro:

As a chemical engineer - I happen to know how pellets are manufactured: basically all the ingredients are ground up, heated and squeezed with very high pressure though the extrusion prozess. On account of the heat and pressure - anything good that was in there at the outset is "dead". Subsequently, the manufacturers spray Vitamins, Minerals etc onto the pellets.

This means that a) what the bird eats is basically synthetic, b) he always gets the same composition regardless of his body' real nutritional requirement - it also cuts out the well functioning instinctual selection of foods by nutients required c) since parrots tend to peel their food - the nutrients are peeled of and cannot benefit the brid anyways d9 it is boring as all get out for the bird.

After all the way you give him his food can be an important contribution to environmentsl enrichment for an animal. In addition, as so little is truly known about parrots' nutrition, it is IMO risky to present thus limited preselected nutrients. Also how many different nutrient compositiona re available from each manufactuerer 5? for hundreds of parrot species? Does intuitively sound problematic, doesn't it.

[nar1122]

Oh I didn't know Zupreem was pellets.

I offer my parrotlets a small side dish of Harrison's Adult Lifetime Fine (Certified Organic Formula)

And sometimes I sprinkle some of the "Harrison's Mash" if you know what that is, on their birdie bread, and stuff.

[AndreaFahy]

Yes, I think the Harrison's are fine choices so far as pellets go. And the mash can be quite handy :) (we have those on our site too - check it out, I don't konw if you have a better source or not)

[nar1122]

LOL. The mash I just got as a sample from my avian vet who sells it. I'm not planning on using it full-time.

I will check out how much you guys sell the Adult Lifetime Fine for(if you sell it) because my vet which is like the ONLY place in town that sells it, sells it for $13 for the one pound bag.....kinda harsh.

[AndreaFahy]

Oh yes, our price is much lower :) I think a quality pellet is good just to have on hand. They are great for some foraging toys that would get too gross with other stuff and great if you just really need a food to use as a crutch b/c their meals are not ready.

[nar1122]

Shipping included, buying it from the vet is the same as ordering it from your site. Also same as ordering from Harrison's Online--directly.

[catfish]

high heat would deactivate protein, enzymes, as well as leaching out water soluble vitamins (since the would evaporate out with the water or it is cooked in water it would leach out). It could destroy carbs by burning them. Mineral content should be okay. . .

Seeds are dead and don't contain the same nutrition as live seed. Plus some are higher in fat. If it is fortified, it's all on the outside (for both pellets and seeds) and in both pellet and seed, many of the added nutritents will be lost since they will be de shelled. Since the tongue is used for positioning they will get some of it, but not as much if they would actually eat it.

Like stated before, there isn't a "best" diet. If you talk to most vets, a pellet diet is generally recommended for part of the diet along with some seed, some say avoid seed due to high fat. BUT, all will say you need to supply vegetables and fruits along with whole grains.

Personally, all but my parrotlet are on a pellet diet supplemented with seed and the different vegetables and fruits I provide. I'm not starting the bird apetit as well. It's cheap and it lasts for a decent amount of time since it is not the core diet for me. Gelato my p'let is mostly on a seed diet. He has the choice to eat some pellet (all natural). The largest part of his diet is the bird apetit, vegetables, and seed. He would eat a lot more fruit if I let him... but I prefer to stick to different colors of vegetables.

[nar1122]

When you say bird apetit, do you mean beak apetit??
Because i'm interested in starting that.
:o:o

[AndreaFahy]

All very good points - here is a link to our current diet:

http://www.talkparrotlets.com/showthread.php?t=600

[AndreaFahy]

Shipping included, buying it from the vet is the same as ordering it from your site. Also same as ordering from Harrison's Online--directly.

Get some toys and make the shipping worth it *L*

Plus shopping with us benefits the parrots in our adoption program as well as allowing me to offer more avian services :)

[catfish]

When you say bird apetit, do you mean beak apetit??
Because i'm interested in starting that.
:o:o


yeah, I meant to say beak apetit. :p

i like it because it tastes good, I wouldn't mind eating it at all. Yes, I said it tastes good. Yes, I've tried it. Yes, I've tried the seed. Yes, I've tried all the pellets I've supplied. And yes, anything food wise I try before giving it to my birds.

I figure if they are going to eat it, I need to try it. If I don't tolerate it, why would they? I don't like the pellets, they are my least favorite. That's why I make sure there are dried vegetables mixed in with it along with seed. The seed is okay tasting. That's another reason I give the beak apetit along with fruits and vegetables.

[catfish]

I think preparing foods for birds at home is really one of the better ways to ensure they stay healthy.

I disagree with many people when they prepare foods for their domesticated dogs and cats, but that's for another forum... and I rather not argue about that.

[AndreaFahy]

I taste everything too :)

Hmmm...I might have to chat with you on our site about feeding other pets - but then you said you don't want to argue it! Just curious for your basic opinion at least.

[nar1122]

So you reccomend I try the Beak Apetit?

I think I'm going to order the variey pack off of Andrea's, BonsaiBirds.

http://www.bonsaibirds.com/htm/Items/BeakAppetit/BATRIAL.htm

[AndreaFahy]

woo hoo! Let me know if you need help with the online shop at all.

[nar1122]

LOL.
So is it currently under construction?
Because there are a lot of empty sections, like cages, and stuff?

I thought I remember reading that somewhere.

:confused:

[AndreaFahy]

Yes, I have all the products, just not on the site. I am also doing a cart redesign and reprogramming to make everything easier for both shopper and myself - I can't wait to have that finished!! I am trying to work on it now, but the PHP stuff really gets me groggy. Anyway as soon as it is completed I'll be able to add products much faster!!

[nar1122]

Okie Dokie!
:):)

[catfish]

I taste everything too :)

Hmmm...I might have to chat with you on our site about feeding other pets - but then you said you don't want to argue it! Just curious for your basic opinion at least.

I don't mind discussing, but it tends into a full blown arguement. I've done this many times. . . and left many forums out of frustration because the others don't like my opinion.

Basically... yes they can survive off of an all meat diet, a rice and meat diet. However, imo and through the continued education I've participated in with my job... I favor commercial foods (generally, little more leary after the whole commercial food debacle that just happened). Our pets are living longer, healthier lives then before, and much longer than out on their own in a wild setting. Yes this is becaue of better veterinary care, heartworm preventative, and preventative measures such as runnning a urinalyis every 6 months to check the kidneys and to check for diabetes. BUT, nutrition is directly related to well being. Providing a quality commecial food is in my opinion the best way to make sure they are getting everything they need without causing GI upsets. High fat foods/protein sources can cause the pancreas to become upset and cause critical problems.

I'm not saying that someone that cooks for their dogs/cats cannot do a good job, but it's hard to do. They have to do their homework and make sure they know what they are doing. Most people are fools. Most people can't manage their own diet, let alone their pets' diets.

Commercial food isn't perfect, I don't like the "(insert food)" meal that appears in some food, but for the general person... I think commercial food is the lesser of 2 evils.

SORRY! I know this isn't about birds...but it can relate to birds! Unless you are able to provide all aspects of nutrition through at home cooking, commercial food is a better alternative... at least they are getting mroe then what they would be!!! :D

[AndreaFahy]

*L* I did start a mini thread on your site. So far as cats go, I found an awesome book and website that I studied thoroughly along with other material before we made any changes:

http://holisticat.com/

Whole Health for Happy Cats by Sandy Arora

[nar1122]

I added a poll to your post about the cat diets.

[Sally]

I homecook for my little dog. After the recalls, I figured out you cannot trust even the very best companies. Also, I do not like processed food. I can't believe it took me so long to start the fresh foods. I have read a lot and had two meetings with my vet that knows about nutrition. It is not hard to do. So healthful.

[BUUZBEE]

This is an interesting article on P'lets and Pellets
http://www.internationalparrotletsociety.org/pellet.html (http://www.internationalparrotletsociety.org/pellet.html)