Diet?

[Gizly]

If curious what everyone feeds their p'lets? Pellets or seeds, which brands?

I've got a little rescue Jack who is very hooked onto seeds. Is there a best or better brand I should be buying while I try to convince him pellets aren't gross?

Just started to get him to eat some fresh foods (yay!). Any favorite fresh fruit or veg your guys love?

Thanks

 

[Mariannee]

Ralph Moore and son's have the nicest and cleanest I have ever found.

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

I use Volkmann's Parrotlet seed mix, Volkmann's Soak & Simmer, and add cooked whole wheat pasta to that sometimes or short grain brown rice. It is the mix the other two get also. Of course, veggies and a little fruit are added to that.

In my experience with Yoshi, he loves to eat things out of my hand more than out of his bowl. But he does enjoy broccoli, kiwi, apple, corn, sweet potato, kale, bell pepper, peas, and pomegranates....I am sure there is more I am just not thinking of it right now. I tend to give Yoshi his little serving of seed in the evening so he eats his fresh foods through out the day. *But, I don't recommend that for yours until you are sure that he is eating enough fresh foods to hold him over.

If you can get him to eat pellets then awesome, but it hasn't been the easiest with Yoshi so this is the diet we stick to.

 

[Featherluv]

I just recently ordered Volkmans P'let seed mix which is what a lot of peep use for p'lets. I was shocked to see there is some artificial colors in them! I was using Higgins for seeds & will prob go back to them. I try to avoid artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. I do sprinkle a bit of Roudybush pellets on his seeds & he eats those but I believe it's controversial as to whether p'lets should have a mostly pelleted diet. You should prob look into that for yourself. As for fresh foods, my guy isn't picky. I would have to guess he likes apples & strawberries best. He also seems to like lentils, broccoli, carrots, corn, & quinoa. But he eats anything really.

 

[Gizly]

Thanks for the replies!

I have actually been looking for Volkman's parrotlet mix but haven't found a place in Canada to order from yet unfortunately.

I really don't think I'm going to get him eating any pellets, he's stubborn. He is a blue parrotlet and I've heard conflicting things about mutation p'lets getting pellets...

I'll keep looking for the Volkman's mix and trying fresh foods. Haven't tried quinoa with him yet either and he will probably eat that!

Thanks

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Eggs are another huge hit with Yoshi. He knows the sounds of me cracking them. Only once a month I give him eggs with yolk, but don't mind giving him the egg white of a boiled egg as we have those often.

 

[Love My Zons]

You can make your own cooked foods to feed. My Parrotlet eats cooked, fresh food. I was feeding him the Bird Street Bistro but as of late, I have been making my own mixes that I can cook. I buy organic hulled millet, I buy couscous (plain) I also buy quinoa. I mix in goldenfeast's gardenflora blends that have in it dry veggies and some fruits. I also feed egg food protein as well Goldenfeast australian blend. He loves his cooked foods. I will also add in pellets such as Tops, Goldenfeast Obles and Roudybush and mix it all up. He eats basically no seed at all, NO sunflower (very bad in fats) and he is going to be 15 yrs old in June. He also gets at times herb salad made into a tea or tonic and that is used once a week with the cooked/soak mix. But mostly cooked with fresh added and he loves strawberrys and other berries I stick to reds and blues veggie wise but sometimes offer a high in Vit A juice mixed with the egg food as a treat.

 

[Milo]

You might try zupreem fruity budgie sized just to get him to eat pellets, then incorporate the naturals, and then go from there. You've had some great suggestions already for fresh stuff. Best of luck! They are stubborn little guys.

 

[Gizly]

Thank you for everyone's help!

 

[RoxieW]

I order Volkmans parrotlet supper seed mix directly from the company on the Internet. I buy the 20 lb bag then put it in containers and store in the freezer
Volkman Seed Company

I also sprinkle a little bee pollen in my P'lets food.

My P'let prefers his vegetables in larger pieces so he can shred it as he eats too. He loves hard boiled egg just cut in half and put in a bowl, as well as birdie bread.

 

[Gizly]

Oh, where do you get bee pollen from? I've read it can be very beneficial.

Thanks for you help! I think I'm going to go wih Volkmans for now

 

[RoxieW]

I actually picked it up at a home and leisure show. A bee farmer was selling his honey and bee pollen. It is good for people to take as well. My p'let Figgy Puddin loves it!!! Last night he was on my shoulder while I was filling up his food dish and myCrimson bellied conures food dishes and when I opened the container he ran down my arm and started helping himself to it It's like candy to him. If you can find someone who keeps bees you could probably get some. I haven't looked on Internet for it. This was fresh straight from the farm. I have read that P'lets need it for their diet.

 

[Trinity23]

Pickles gets a seed-pellet blend that I mix up of 2/3 zupreem fruity pellets (budgie sized) and 1/3 seed because I know that seed is important in their diet. He also gets....higgins worldy cuisines mash, boiled mushed up egg, pea shoots, fresh raw peas, cucumber slices, nutriberries, spray millet, crackers, oatmeal....whatever he can steal from my meals. Of course I don't feed these all at once and it's harder to feed fresh veggies in the winter. So generally in winter he gets his mashies. I'm so thrilled that hot house cucumbers are out coz now he can get one of his favorite treats.

I'm in the process of converting Honey my seed junkie 'tiel onto full pellets and convincing her that fresh stuff won't eat her or poison her. It's a process but patience is key.

 

[Alyse]

I also use Volkmanns p'let seed, but I sprinkle Harrison's on top. I don't think much of it gets eaten though

 

[RadhaVallabhi]

Two favorite things they eat are their daily staple birdie bread(we make a special kind) and sweet potato mash. The birdie bread is made with healthy flours like buckwheat and chickpea flower, then we chop up TONS of veggies, add some fruit and bee pollen powder and bake it. The babies love it! Vrindarika has had a recent obsession with sweet potato mash, but it has to be made a certain way. Picky little souls Sweet potato mashed with broccoli, cilantro, paprika or cayenne pepper and a seed mix. One thing I recently found they love as a treat is roll a broccoli piece in sweet potato then roll it in seeds. Happiness!!!!

 

[Vicki]

Very interesting ideas! Thanks everybody.

 

[belmor]

Kira was fed only seed when we got her, took time to get her moved over to pellets. She now eats Zupreem Garden Goodness pelleted mix, I have tried several pellets and this is her favorite, still working on more fresh stuff.

~B~

 

[Chuck & Stanley]

Gizly; you can also purchase bee pollen at your local health foods store.
Sprinkle a little on pellets to help transition your little Jack onto pellets.
Good luck!

 

[Vicki]

I feed them a high quality Higgins small hook bill mix. I also add Small Hook bill Supreme from mysafebirdstore.com as well as a parrot mix (not small hook bill). These seeds come with a few wholesome pellets in them and they occasionally will eat that too. I mix them all together as a seed offering I have been informed that parrotlets drink a small amount of water and pellets are dry and can create some kidney distress if that is all they are getting. I would not risk that.
I prepare a fresh food plate everyday and place it on the bottom of their cage. They eagerly watch me prepare the plate and every morning they are ready for it. I do a big variety of whatever I have that is organic, fresh or right out of my garden of herbs (ciilantro, oregano, mint, bee balm, basil and lettuce.) and more. I also give them 1/4 boiled egg..yolk shell and all chopped up occasionally. If not the egg then I use an egg food. Some things I get at a natural food store include or order online are bee pollen, chia seeds, organic rice, organic spaghetti, quinoa etc.. We eat this kind of food so when cooking it or buying it I save out a half cup and refrigerate it for them. Same thing with beans of any type. They eat everything including organic figs, blackberries, strawberries, apples, pears, raspberries. I also can buy Ezekiel or Genesis breads in the freezer department of my local grocery store. We eat it and they attack it. It is made from sprouted grains and all organic.
It doesn't cost big bucks to keep out a portion of what we are eating anyway...and we do so before it is seasoned when cooked. They love to eat, forage and scavenge for food whether it is hidden in a birdy shoe, out on a plate on cage bottom or in a seed dish or coconut swing. They have millet sprig at all times. Birdy popcorn is a favorite treat as well as organic granola when they spend time with me outside their cage. Hope this helps!