are pellets ok for everyday?

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Fidgit_Green
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:35 am
Location: North Brisbane, QLD Australia

are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by Fidgit_Green »

i know that it is not good to feed a diet of just seeds. but,
i was just wondering if a pellet feed is ok to feed to them as an everyday diet?

although i do feed Fidgit a variety of fresh fruit and veggies, i also give him a pellet feed as well,
and i am just wondering that if something unexpected was to happen, (no money, or fridge craps out an all fresh food goes bad or whatever), is it ok to feed him a diet of just pellets or are they, like seeds, not good to give him just these alone?

i was just wanting to know what my limitations are when it comes to feeding him pellet feeds.

Cheers
Paul
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by MissK »

Hi Paul,

The short answer is "yes". Don't be scared of the length of this post - it includes some ingredients lists of different pellets.

Digestive problems due to excess (example, if you ate all prunes for a weekend) aside, I think you would be OK to feed pellets OR seeds for a few days, even a week or more, with no problem. Some birds who belong to less enlightened owners live on just seeds or just pellets for years, though they may have long term complications. You should not overlook the fact that your bird can live off your plate. Are you going to eat canned beans? He can have some. Are you having canned corn? He eats. Plain oatmeal? He eats. Rice? You get the idea. There are a lot of shelf stable human foods you can share in times of trouble. Lots of those foods are available in pellets. It does matter which pellet you choose to feed.

Pellets are frequently marketed to be a complete diet, though many suggest you supplement with fresh foods. You must read the parrot pellet label and determine whether it contains foods you would feed anyway, in sufficient variety, if it were not just so much easier to pour out pellets. Should you identify a brand of pellets you find acceptable, as you know, you should supplement that diet with whatever it is missing. Fresh foods are generally considered more healthful than processed. I listed ingredients of four foods below. Each of these foods appears to have advantages and disadvantages. Actual amounts of sugars are not really disclosed. Source of colours is not entirely disclosed. One of these foods contains two ingredients that are considered by many as unsafe for pets to consume in their regular feed. I would never want you to feed that one as the main food source.

As you can see, choosing a pellet is a sticky thicket! I do give my birds some pellets, but they do not get them every day. The two bags (different types) I bought will last us forever. I keep pellets in the rotation just to keep the birds eating a broad variety, but I am thinking of giving them away. I do understand the "emergency food" scenario. The main emergency I think likely to occur where pellets would help would be the bird ending up in a rescue where they routinely feed pellets. In any random situation, I would think it easier to obtain birdseed (of whatever type) and human food (corn, oats, wheat, rice, veggies, fruits) than pellets. If you have to leave home suddenly, human food will be easier to obtain than pellets, anywhere. The Red Cross isn't going to hand out pellets; they're giving out human food. They aren't feeding pets at all. If your bird can share your food, in an emergency, he survives. If your bird is tied to pellets and they are not there, well, it may be less successful.

Here's the label off one type of pellet, which looks like bits of cardboard:
*Ground Yellow Corn, *Ground Hull-less Barley, *Hulled Grey Millet, *Ground Soybeans, *Ground Shelled Peanuts, *Ground Shelled Sunflower Seeds, *Ground Lentils, *Ground Green Peas, *Ground Toasted Oat Groats, *Ground Alfalfa, *Ground Rice, *Chia Seed, Calcium Carbonate, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamin E Supplement, Ground Dried Sea Kelp, Sea Salt, *Sunflower Oil, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Lecithin, Rosemary Extract, * Algae Meal, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, D-Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Carbonate, *Vegetable Oil.

Here's another, which looks like a kids cereal, in many colours:
Ground Corn, Ground Wheat, Peanut Pieces, Hulled Sunflower, Ground Oat Groats, Dried Papaya, Dried Pineapple, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Middlings, Dehydrated Apple, Dehydrated Raspberry, Dried Coconut, Ground Flax Seed, Dried Whole Egg, Soybean Meal, Dried Beet Pulp, Soy Oil, Wheat Germ Meal, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine, Salt, Whole Cell Algae Meal (source of DHA), Fructooligosaccharide, Corn Sugar, Brewers Dried Yeast, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Mixed Tocopherols (a preservative), Yeast Extract, DL-Methionine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Niacin, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, L-Carnitine, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Beta-Carotene, Canthaxanthin, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Artificial Colors, Natural Flavors.

Here's one more, which again looks like a kids cereal in colours:
Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Vegetable oil, Wheat germ meal, Sucrose, Dicalcium phosphate, Calcium carbonate, Ground fruit (bananas, oranges, apples and grapes), Iodized salt, DL-Methionine, Choline chloride, L-Lysine, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, Natural mixed tocopherols, Rosemary extract, Citric acid, Natural and artificial colours, Artificial flavours, Canthaxanthin, Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Calcium iodate, Sodium selenite, Vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Vitamin K supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 supplement.

This last is not a pellet, but a conglomerate of ingredients bound together by magic, looks like a ball of seeds:
Corn, hulled white proso millet, oat groats, malto-dextrin, safflower, soybean meal, red millet, corn oil, peanuts, carrots, corn syrup, glycerine, wheat, propylene glycol, peas, corn gluten meal, whole egg, broccoli, dicalcium phosphate, ground limestone, dl-methionine (an essential amino acid), l-lysine (an essential amino acid), iodized salt, calcium propionate (a preservative), vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ethoxyquin (a preservative), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, natural and artificial colors, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin, ascorbic acid.

#1) Harrisons - light on fruit
#2) Kaytee Exact Fruity Cockatiel - light on grains
#3) Zupreem Fruit Blend - light on vegetables
#4) Lafeber Nutriberries Garden Vegetable - light on fruit

I'm sorry if this post is a little scattered, as I was in a hurry. I applaud your efforts to think ahead to prepare your bird for surviving an emergency. Best wishes for making your choices in this area with many details!
-MissK
-MissK
Fidgit_Green
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:35 am
Location: North Brisbane, QLD Australia

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by Fidgit_Green »

wow, lol.

i see that there is a lot more to a bag of pellets than just buying a bag of pellets, ill have to do a lot more research on the pellets we have available here in australia and find out which one is the best to use.
it seems like the pellets are more of a quick easy option for people, the equivalent of a person using a meal replacement.
a bunch of stuff mashed up and processed and with added supplements for what ever gets lost in the processing.

i feed Fidgit pellets already, just a brand i was recommended by a bird owner that i had spoken to, but i didnt realize that there was alot more to it, so i am going to have to have a good look at the stuff ive got now and make sure its suitable for now.

i usually make up a mix of a bunch of different veggies diced up small and mixed with some mashed pumpkin or squash and then pack them into ice cubes trays and freeze them, i also do a fruit mix up as well, and Fidgit will get a cube or two of veggies (depending on what else i give him as well) and then probably every couple of days ill give him fruit cubes instead.
plus i also give him fruit, seeds and other stuff during the day as treats and things.

the main reason i have been wondering about the pellets in emergencys and such is because with my disability i often have bad days, and can have several bad days in a row, and some times if i havent got any ice cubes made up for Fidgit and i have a couple of bad days i dont have a energy or physical strength to go to the bathroom let alone organize a proper meal for him, so i have to have something that i can easily give him with minimal effort, hence the pellets.
fortunately 95% of the time i have some vegetable or fruit ice cubes in the freezer, but i dont like to keep them for to long otherwise the get freezer burnt and loose any type of freshness they might of had.
and there is also the possibility that i could end up in hospital for a couple of days due to any number of reasons and Fidgit would have to be looked after by my mother who works different shifts all the time, so i have to think about the possibility of her not having the time to prepared a fresh meal if needed.

i have a number of different reasons (most of which are highly possible or do happen on occasion) for needing to sort out a suitable food that can be easily stored for a length of time an is easily and effortlessly distributed.

i thank you Missk for your info, it has let me know that as long as i find a suitable type of pellet, it should be alright for the periods of time that i need it for.
now if only they can invent a freeze that would keep food 100% as fresh as i went in for an indefinite period of time, then we could freeze anything we wanted and if we dug it out of the freezer a year later having forgotten about it, it would still be absolutely perfect. Oh, if only.

anyway, thanks again.
Cheers
Paul
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by MissK »

Hi Paul,

At the risk of you groaning over yet another post from me, might I suggest you can freeze your cubes and then transfer them to a normal "freezer bag" to prolong freshness? If sticking is a problem, you might separate them with a bit of wax paper, or experiment with dusting them in a whole grain flour, as long as you are quick and don't let them melt any. Or fit your whole ice cube tray into a freezer bag.

It occurs to me that if you find one pellet that is good but deficient in vegetables, and another that is good but deficient in fruits, you might combine them to make a mix that is just a little heavy in grains? Might be something to investigate? Just trying to think of a way to make pellets perfect, I guess. Also, you can bag all the dry things for a meal in individual sandwich baggies so you or your mom can just dump a bag into the bowl and walk away if needed.

One thing I am planning to implement here, on trial basis, is a garden for Rocky! The tentative plan is to pot a leafy green vegetable plant in organic soil, in an IRN-proof container, top dressed with a good layer of extra large pebbles. The idea is that the vegetable can grow right where he can serve himself. Is this going to work? I have no idea, but I'm going to try it!

I know that the longer you think on this topic, more ideas will come to you. You may become the guy we all turn to for advice on this very subject!

-MissK
-MissK
Fidgit_Green
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:35 am
Location: North Brisbane, QLD Australia

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by Fidgit_Green »

i apologize if it comes across like i am groaning about things in my posts, i have a habit of just saying things and not realizing how they come across, it is an issue i have in person and apparently it comes across in my writing to. lol.
and i tend to

just to let you know that however it may come across, i am only ever extremely grateful for all the advice that everyone gives me and again i apologize if it seems like any other way.

also, thanks for the idea of combining different pellets to get a suitable mix.

Cheers
Paul
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by MissK »

Hi Paul,

I'm sorry, that's not what I meant; you're fine. I meant that even I would get tired of reading my big posts! I want to be involved and help, which is why I post a lot.

MissK <<---- Talks A Lot.

:oops:
-MissK
-MissK
Fidgit_Green
Posts: 85
Joined: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:35 am
Location: North Brisbane, QLD Australia

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by Fidgit_Green »

oh ok, i see.

i dont mind your long posts at all, the longer the post the more information i get which you can never go wrong with.
i prefer someone to give a detailed answer rather than giving it in the shortest way possible with very little info so then you have to keep asking questions to get all that you need.
thats why when i put up a post for some help i usually put in as much info as i can in the one post so that people can understand the whole situation and can give me the right answers to help, rather than having to keep asking me questions to get the whole story.
i think its kind of pointless posting a question and being really vague with the information, your less likely to get an answer because people dont really know whats actually going on.
but in saying that, it doesnt mean i dont like people to ask me questions, i am more than happy to be asked and to answer them.

anyway, i guess my point is really, dont worry about how long your post are when it comes to me, the more info and the more detailed it is definitely suits me fine.

well im babbling again
i appreciate any post from anyone no matter how short or long, vague or detailed.
any help that anyone is willing to offer me is more than welcome

Cheers
Paul
ranechild
Posts: 295
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2013 12:57 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by ranechild »

You two are hilarious.
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by MissK »

Jen, open your window....... Can you hear that noise, sounds like "Thptptptptptptpt!!"? -That's me razzing my tongue at you!

:lol:
-MissK
-MissK
Little Buttercup
Posts: 345
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 12:03 am

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by Little Buttercup »

I just love all your long posts, Missk! Many times if i'm browsing on my ph and because of the size of the screen I can't see the sides where the names come on, but as I start reading then I just know this is Missk writing! And when I come to the end I see i'm always right. Keep it up and don't go away, we will miss you. :)

Good idea you have there about planting something for Rocky. I think I should try it out as well. Kiwi likes swiss chard, I can plant that for him.

Ash
MissK
Posts: 3011
Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 3:46 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Re: are pellets ok for everyday?

Post by MissK »

:oops:
:D

-MissK
-MissK
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