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I am changing Baby's pellet diet (she eats Hagen right now. EW!), but I am stuck among Roudybush, ZuPreem, and Harrison's and I can choose! Please tell me which brand you prefer and why! Thank you!

Well I was told by my vet that Harrison's is the best. No artificial coloring. So I dropped the $35 for 4 pounds and my babies HATE it and don't eat it at all! They will eat Zupreem and I have done alright by that. But it does have the artificial coloring in it. So... Guess in the long run it's going to be Baby's choice. Heehee. We are such slaves to our babies!

Good luck,
Jen

jen5239 wrote:Well I was told by my vet that Harrison's is the best. No artificial coloring. So I dropped the $35 for 4 pounds and my babies HATE it and don't eat it at all! They will eat Zupreem and I have done alright by that. But it does have the artificial coloring in it. So... Guess in the long run it's going to be Baby's choice. Heehee. We are such slaves to our babies!

Good luck,
Jen

Hmm thanks for your info! I think that I'll probably end up trying them all! I guess it really depends on the bird's taste, right? Say, these were the 2 ZuPreem choices I was thinking about. They just have the tan natural looking pellets, but maybe they still have dye in them?





I remember looking at the spicy bag at work and not seeing green or red pellets in it but this pic makes it look like it does. Maybe they've changed the recipe since this pic was taken?

All I know is I want to stay away from seed and colored pellets. Maybe I will get even more info?

I agree with your vet...Harrison's is the most balanced and it is organic. The thing is...you have to transition your birds to it. My grey has been eating it for 12 years and he loves it. I have not met a vet who did not think Harrisons was by far the most nutritious and balanced diet available.

BTW, the info I gave earlier about an avian vet in Lake Worth is the same Dr. Harrisons clinic...

So...it may (probably will!) take considerable time and effort to get your bird switched, especially if they have been on something with lots of sweets, like dried fruits (super high sugar!). But----it is so worth it when you consider how long your bird will be with you!

The cost per bag is high--$34.00 for a 5lb bag is about right, but, there is almost no waste...and I have been told to supplement with about 10% of the daily diet from fresh (organic if you can) veggies, keeping quantities of fruit or high sugar veggies (corn, peas) to a minimum. I do give fruit daily but it is a grape or a grape size bite of cantalope or 4-5 blueberries, I also give fresh, whole pine nuts, and for my grey, almonds (both in the shell). These are the only seed they get and I treat them like treats, my grey gets an almond when I put him to bed...


Hope this helps, feel free to contact me, don't know if I can offer anything more but I'll try to help if I can!

Kim

kimtoo wrote:I agree with your vet...Harrison's is the most balanced and it is organic. The thing is...you have to transition your birds to it. My grey has been eating it for 12 years and he loves it. I have not met a vet who did not think Harrisons was by far the most nutritious and balanced diet available.

BTW, the info I gave earlier about an avian vet in Lake Worth is the same Dr. Harrisons clinic...

So...it may (probably will!) take considerable time and effort to get your bird switched, especially if they have been on something with lots of sweets, like dried fruits (super high sugar!). But----it is so worth it when you consider how long your bird will be with you!

The cost per bag is high--$34.00 for a 5lb bag is about right, but, there is almost no waste...and I have been told to supplement with about 10% of the daily diet from fresh (organic if you can) veggies, keeping quantities of fruit or high sugar veggies (corn, peas) to a minimum. I do give fruit daily but it is a grape or a grape size bite of cantalope or 4-5 blueberries, I also give fresh, whole pine nuts, and for my grey, almonds (both in the shell). These are the only seed they get and I treat them like treats, my grey gets an almond when I put him to bed...


Hope this helps, feel free to contact me, don't know if I can offer anything more but I'll try to help if I can!

Kim

Great info! Thanks so much AGAIN I am collecting, printing, and putting together a lil binder of food ideas, amounts, etc info for Baby until I can memorize the varied diet and I will add some of your technique!

I use the Zupreem with the picture of the ring neck on the bag. But my dude just does not like the peppers. I also Alternate it with some seed that is fortified!!! Along with veggies bread and hibiscus flowers

Well the ZuPreem Spicy does have green and red pellets as well as the natural colored ones with no dye so I decided to get the ZuPreem Garden Goodness and my Baby loves it! There's undyed pellets as well as carrots, peas, apple, pepper, corn, etc!
I also got The Healthy Bird Cookbook! It's a NICE book!!

Well....Nutriberries and about 6 new toys as well Someone's spoiled!!

I should also add that, in a couple weeks, at Baby's vet check up I will be picking up a bag of Harrison's then I can mix the 2 for a pretty good course of nutrition

I am jelous along with my bird dude. I wish someone would buy me toys and food!

A lil secret: I work at Petco part time as a second job so I get 20% off my purchases Otherwise, I don't think Baby would be as spoiled. OH WAIT!! Who am I kidding...yes she would be! Thanks to her I'm not going to have my credit card paid of for a loooong time

I got the Harrison's at my last vet visit and have been trying to transition Nila over and no success, has not touched one of them that I can tell. But I got a small bag of the small size pellets and I think they are too small. The staff recommended the small but I think I'm going to go back and get the larger size because Nila likes to pick stuff up and eat it from the foot rather than just out of a cup or dish. I'll let you know how things go. I also used Roudybush when I had my eclectus and he loved it. But I had finished hand feeding him and it was all he knew, went from hand feeding to roudybush and fresh fruit and veggies. He did well on that.

Glad to hear your Baby is spoiled. My husband insists my Nila is spoiled too. I don't think so

Sue and Nila

jen5239 wrote:Well I was told by my vet that Harrison's is the best. No artificial coloring. So I dropped the $35 for 4 pounds and my babies HATE it and don't eat it at all! They will eat Zupreem and I have done alright by that. But it does have the artificial coloring in it. So... Guess in the long run it's going to be Baby's choice. Heehee. We are such slaves to our babies!

Good luck,
Jen

Amen to that.

And I switched to Zupreem wild n spicy (ringneck on the bag) and Baby loves it!!!! Most of the coloring you see in the 'wild and spicy' is actually beans peppers and corn, stuff you might find in a field. Of course, no fillers such as peanuts or sunflower seed.

I have never even considered a pellet change since and neither has Baby

I currently have Baby on small Roudybush and he loves it!

I decided not to go with Harrison's since it is organic and SO expensive. I was amazed to see I can get Roudybush cheaper than I can get ZuPreem. Baby does seem to love Roudybush better than ZuPreen (Garden Goodness). Maybe when I go back to get Baby's blood tested again in a few weeks, I'll try a small bag of Harrison's. Maybe!

I prefer Roudybush, while Harrison's is good it's just a little too much for me. Considering Hane eats mostly veggies and fresh foods anyway. He is always happier and more colourful when pellets are less than 50% of his diet.

While they are on Zupreem for the moment (just trying something new), I'll be going to Roudybush as soon as I get back home. I like that it isn't artificially coloured. Since he eats so much natural food, he doesn't need colours or shapes to make eating interesting- he gets that in the veggies!

As regards all pellets, I still don't like pellets being the main part of any diet. Aviculture is still very new and particularly regarding avian nutrition. That any one pellet can be considered fit for all species of parrot goes against my logic. All these birds eat very different things in the wild according to region and climate- how can one food offer them the exact nutrition they would get in the wild?
My boss' caique was fed purely Harrison's but still always looked dull in colour (NOT how a caique should be) and skinny. I gave her a sweet potato mash recipe with a long list of veggies she can add (she hates cooking) and freeze. Her husband, vet, and friends said he looks bigger and more vibrant now.

Pellets alone (no matter what brand) = bad. Always include fresh foods.



Tip for converting to natural pellets: since they are less sweet, you can add a little fruit juice to sweeten them up and mix them in the veggie dish. Hane will try ANYTHING I put in his veggie dish!

i feed cookie roudybush he loves them but he also gets fresh fruit and veg everyday. dont have much choice with pellets in my town most of the shops here only sell seed.

My little moster won't touch a pellet, no matter how much I spent on it.

Roudybush, I heard it was the best and thats what Jaden was eating when I got her

lazaros dont like pellets
here in greece i dont find Roudybush,Harrison and zupreem, i find only Kaytee, it is nice?
kaytee has very good handfeeding formula.

At first, Skitty wouldn't touch pellets (Zupreem) though my Red-Headed Conure (Pappy) and my little Nanday sweety Isis seemed to like them. Lately Skitty is finding the pellets yummy, though she sometimes wets them first to make them soft. If I give her enough, she will fill the water bowl with them. Yucky mess.

nil wrote:lazaros dont like pellets
here in greece i dont find Roudybush,Harrison and zupreem, i find only Kaytee, it is nice?
kaytee has very good handfeeding formula.

Kaytee is fine. They do a lot of research (a giant aviary here in FL helps them) to make good pellets. But many pellets tend to have high sugar levels in them.

Personally, I feel that if what you feed the most is fresh foods, then your bird doesn't really need pellets.

The only real danger with seed is if it is a seed only diet and nothing else. Then your bird would suffer healthwise. I give Hane seed as a part of his normal diet, along with pellets and his fresh food. Seeds have important fats and nutrients.

Fresh foods really make the difference- even when feeding pellets. Pellets are not a substitute for fresh foods (though here in america the pellet companies want you to believe it is).

Everything in moderation.

thanks,melika
i agree with you

Well then, Klaatu must be the Super Bird of all IRNs. The spoiled little bugger gets fresh greens, fruit, and vegetables every day. Also, a fifteen bean soup and pasta mixture cooked fresh each day. Pomagranates are just coming into season here and he got his first 3 days ago. I gave him 1/2 outside and he loved it. I made the mistake of giving him the other 1/2 indoors. What a mess. Juice all over the refridgerator, stove, walls, floors, cabinets, etc. Took me 2 days to clean up. His favorite foods are apples, pears, broccoli, CORN, watermelon, and the cooked bean and pasta mix. I should mention he only likes the tiny alphabet pasta. Foods he doesn't like are peanut butter, carrots, raspberrys. He will eat some grapes and loves cherries, and plums. I havn't tried him on any citrus yet but bought him a honey tangerine today and will let you know if he likes it or not later.

we use lm animal farms vita vittles, thats what Sams previous owner used and he LOVES it.

I prefer Roudybush

I use exact all natural from kaytee. Emerson adores it!

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