Parakeet mix for a pionus

[Known Space]

So, I'm picking up my bronze-winged pionus friend up tomorrow! So excited. He'll be quarantined for a week as testing's done on him and then he gets to join my little mini-flock.

He's not weaned onto pellets. But he's a baby, about 12-14 weeks I think, so I'm planning to do that ASAP. But I needed a small batch of transitional food to tie him over until he's fully transitioned. But all the "parrot sized" mixes I can find locally are full of awful ingredients. And the only ones that aren't come in huge bags that just aren't worth investing in. Someone offered to send me some of the food she feeds to her birds. But then... she didn't. And I was really counting on it. So that's frustrating. I could've ordered online too, but the postage would've just made it expensive as well.

The best I could find was a "parakeet mix" for like parrotlets to cockatiels. Is that fine to tie him over?

I also have a bag of nutri-berries here which, if push comes to shove, I'll use. But I was planning to use those to bond with him and tame him. But yeah, health comes first of course.

 

[Mizzely]

It depends .. Some of the larger birds won't eat 90% of the smaller seed mixes and will only eat the sunflowers and safflowers. That's what happened with my Jardines

 

[Known Space]

It depends .. Some of the larger birds won't eat 90% of the smaller seed mixes and will only eat the sunflowers and safflowers. That's what happened with my Jardines

Bummer. But it's a matter of whether or not they WILL eat it and not so much about whether or not they CAN or SHOULD eat it, right?

My plan was to get him to eat the same pellets my parrotlet eats too. And if that were to fail, oh well. Just have to buy a size bigger. So I was gonna be faced with that sooner or later. If he just won't eat what I've got him now though, I guess I'll just run to a store and see what I can get.

 

[Feathered up]

I find that Conure mixes have so much in them even my Blue Crown won’t try to crack that they are a waste. Maybe she is just unusual but all she does is pick out the seed and nuts and can’t handle the hard dried veggies. She gets a seed mix designed for tiels and some GF petite legume mix along with her fresh food.

Can the breeder provide any of his current mix for you?

 

[Known Space]

I find that Conure mixes have so much in them even my Blue Crown won’t try to crack that they are a waste. Maybe she is just unusual but all she does is pick out the seed and nuts and can’t handle the hard dried veggies. She gets a seed mix designed for tiels and some GF petite legume mix along with her fresh food.

Can the breeder provide any of his current mix for you?

Yeah good call, I was gonna ask that when I'm picking him up tomorrow too!

 

[LSA]

My rescued WCP had never been given pellets or chop only that Walmart seed.What I found was I had to mix in moistened pellets the first week then mix chop and moistened pellets and dry pellets in with the seed, then remove any peanuts, then remove any sunflower seeds, mix my preferred seed mix with pellets, until now I do about 5:1 chop and pellets to seed.
Dr. Harrison recommends 4- 6 months to change the diet; Dr. Lafeber, 3. I was able to get her off Walmart seeds onto chop, my seeds and pellets in about 4 weeks.
I can't promise this will work on a young bird. Plus, I think Sherman was amazed that there were other options. I made plenty of mistakes along the way. The AV and I are shooting for a ~3% body weight change as she was/is overweight.

 

[LSA]

@Mizzely will be able to guide you! Every bird is different!

 

[LSA]

Something you might try is making a "pellet plan" and contacting that company. They may be able to help with the transition and provide the pellets needed to slowly change the diet.

 

[Known Space]

Something you might try is making a "pellet plan" and contacting that company. They may be able to help with the transition and provide the pellets needed to slowly change the diet.

Please reread my original post. It has nothing to do with transitioning onto pellets. It's just about a bird that was weaned onto parrot mix. And none of the parrot mixes available to me nearby are any good and the closest to my needs was a parakeet mix. I need a seed mix to tie him over until he eats pellets and my thread was about whether a parakeet mix is at the very least edible to a pionus. Unless he willingly accepts pellets from day one, of course. That would be great.

 

[Mizzely]

Realistically speaking, yes, if he eats it all it'll be fine for short term. If he only eats the bigger things then that would be concerning for sure! Some birds do eat pellets right out the gate, you never know!

If he proves harder to transition, I would look into Volkman mixes. They make great blends with good ingredients. I'm using them almost exclusively for my seed needs these days

 

[LSA]

I know but eventually you'll want to do pellets and chop assumedly.

 

[Feathered up]

If it’s any consolation, Pavitr (12 week old IRN) Roudy Bush small right out of the gate. Didn’t have to soak or mix. I have NEVER had that happen lol.

He’s a little nuts but will eat anything I put in front of him.

I have one store near me that carries a few decent things for birds but in general, I have to order. What size are your other birds? Perhaps their mixes might be suitable.

 

[LSA]

Like I said in my post, Sherman was already grown up and I didn't know about babies. The only babies I ever had were weaned onto a specific food and knew what chop was. To repeat, Sherman didn't even know there were other options and was overweight from eating only Walmart Parrot Food. So often people (I talked to my doctor yesterday and recommended a breeder baby.) don't realize that diet is also a habit that comes with a rescue!

 

[Known Space]

If it’s any consolation, Pavitr (12 week old IRN) Roudy Bush small right out of the gate. Didn’t have to soak or mix. I have NEVER had that happen lol.

He’s a little nuts but will eat anything I put in front of him.

I have one store near me that carries a few decent things for birds but in general, I have to order. What size are your other birds? Perhaps their mixes might be suitable.

My parrotlet is on a all pellet diet, supplemented with some fresh produce and nutri-berries. I forego seed mixes myself. So I don't have much else. I want to get my pionus to eat Roudybush crumble, same as my parrotlet. Which is two sizes below their recommended size, woops. But if I could feed only one pellet to both, that would be great (Though I'm not counting on it).

 

[finchly]

My pionus eats Roudybush crumble and other parrotlet/canary/finch things.

 

[Known Space]

My pionus eats Roudybush crumble and other parrotlet/canary/finch things.

Super encouraging! Thank you!

 

[Known Space]

He's been cleared of all potential health risks and viruses and joined the main room yesterday. And today he's started to eat the pellets. Really encouraging.