Who feeds nutriberries?

[komodeno]

I always wanted to buy this nutryberries but they are not available here.We have only Harrison High Potency and Adult Life so no choice.I feed mine with Harrison,dry fruit and seed mix and fresh fruits and veggie.I was looking for a treat for the training so they will be working hard and will do the things to get it but I did not find such food that they will be ready to work for except the sunflower seeds,so I use them for that matter and they get a bit in their usual food.

 

[susand]

because Carole woman - not everyone doesnt like them like you
I mean heck, I dont like coffee but that dont mean if i'd get some good id toss it before sending it to you 1st and coffee's no good hahaha! *Sorry off topic

 

[waterfaller1]

Want me to dig the package out of the trash?

 

[Love My Zons]

I rarely buy them anymore and my birds don't seem to miss them.

I know the Ginger (suncoast) had emailed them about the proplylene glycol which is even in our foods. I think it keeps the product soft from drying out. Their answer to her was the usual I believe of being safe.

 

[nellysmom]

My birds have been eating them for years. We have all flavors and I alternate about twice a week. Nobody has ever been sick or died. Reading is good and checking things out is good but sometimes to much reading and checking can make us nuts. Do you really think a company that has been in existence for so many years would have anything to harm our birds?
How many of us read each and every ingredient in each and every thing we ourselves eat? Many many years ago my father's profession was a baker. Do you know what they put in the cream puffs to make them so light? Amonia!

 

[marian]

Hiram, just last week had his first taste of an avi cake and loved it.His routine before bed for awhile has been two nutriberries as a treat.I keep wondering,if I'm jumping the gun,or is there a big threat for their health here?I bet if we started reading everything in labels,we feed to our birds, there would be alot of questioning ingredients....even in the pellets.

 

[lotus15]

Thank you for joining, Cyndi. I really appreciate it. I would really like to hear you address a lot of the claim about propylene glycol and the links to kidney and liver damage. In the baby products world, many mothers are switching away from baby wipes and foods that contain PG because of these links, and more and more products are coming out daily that do not contain PG because of the potential harmful effects. I am wondering if Lafeber is aware of these and if your company does any continuing research to look into the safety of their products, or if research stops after the decision is made to include them. One thing I really like about some other companies-- Totally Organics in particular-- is that they are constantly doing research on their ingredients and their safety. This is one reason that TOPs stopped using milo, for example.

My birds have been eating them for years. We have all flavors and I alternate about twice a week. Nobody has ever been sick or died. Reading is good and checking things out is good but sometimes to much reading and checking can make us nuts. Do you really think a company that has been in existence for so many years would have anything to harm our birds?
How many of us read each and every ingredient in each and every thing we ourselves eat? Many many years ago my father's profession was a baker. Do you know what they put in the cream puffs to make them so light? Amonia!

I don't think that a long standing company = a reputable company in any way. Sure, it can definitely be an indicator of that, but there are plenty of very old institutions and businesses that have many flaws that they feel they can overlook due to reputation alone.

I myself look at every ingredient of everything I eat. I do the same for my birds.


As for anybody that says "I had fed X for years and never had anybody get sick or die because of it" -- I think a lot of people misunderstand how liver and kidney damage work. I know PLENTY of people who feed chocolate to their dogs and birds, who have fed or regularly feed alcohol to their birds, same with avocado, etc. Did any of them drop dead and die on the spot or within a few months/even years? NO. And these are things we know are toxic to them. So would you take that as evidence that these aren't harmful? Of course not. That's simply not how liver or kidney damage works. Same thing with an all seed diet. We KNOW that birds can survive on them for a good long while, but does that mean they are healthy? No!

Liver/kidney damage degrades the organs over time, slowly and eventually. So your bird won't drop dead immediately but it could lead to later problems or an earlier death. So sure the PG might not cause immediate issues, but maybe your parrot will live to be 12 rather than 15. Or 25 rather than 35. Or maybe he won't die naturally but rather due to liver failure. Or kidney failure. You never know when the efffects of that sip of wine every month will kick in, or the chocolate bar he accidentally got into when you weren't looking.

 

[waterfaller1]

Thank you for joining, Cyndi. I really appreciate it. I would really like to hear you address a lot of the claim about propylene glycol and the links to kidney and liver damage. In the baby products world, many mothers are switching away from baby wipes and foods that contain PG because of these links, and more and more products are coming out daily that do not contain PG because of the potential harmful effects. I am wondering if Lafeber is aware of these and if your company does any continuing research to look into the safety of their products, or if research stops after the decision is made to include them. One thing I really like about some other companies-- Totally Organics in particular-- is that they are constantly doing research on their ingredients and their safety. This is one reason that TOPs stopped using milo, for example.



I don't think that a long standing company = a reputable company in any way. Sure, it can definitely be an indicator of that, but there are plenty of very old institutions and businesses that have many flaws that they feel they can overlook due to reputation alone.

I myself look at every ingredient of everything I eat. I do the same for my birds.


As for anybody that says "I had fed X for years and never had anybody get sick or die because of it" -- I think a lot of people misunderstand how liver and kidney damage work. I know PLENTY of people who feed chocolate to their dogs and birds, who have fed or regularly feed alcohol to their birds, same with avocado, etc. Did any of them drop dead and die on the spot or within a few months/even years? NO. And these are things we know are toxic to them. So would you take that as evidence that these aren't harmful? Of course not. That's simply not how liver or kidney damage works. Same thing with an all seed diet. We KNOW that birds can survive on them for a good long while, but does that mean they are healthy? No!

Liver/kidney damage degrades the organs over time, slowly and eventually. So your bird won't drop dead immediately but it could lead to later problems or an earlier death. So sure the PG might not cause immediate issues, but maybe your parrot will live to be 12 rather than 15. Or 25 rather than 35. Or maybe he won't die naturally but rather due to liver failure. Or kidney failure. You never know when the efffects of that sip of wine every month will kick in, or the chocolate bar he accidentally got into when you weren't looking.

Thanks for this post. Many people say that. Well my bird is not sick. But you cannot see inside the bird, and you won't ever know if it lived it's life out to the age it may have, had it not had these foods or additives.

 

[nellysmom]

Thank you for joining, Cyndi. I really appreciate it. I would really like to hear you address a lot of the claim about propylene glycol and the links to kidney and liver damage. In the baby products world, many mothers are switching away from baby wipes and foods that contain PG because of these links, and more and more products are coming out daily that do not contain PG because of the potential harmful effects. I am wondering if Lafeber is aware of these and if your company does any continuing research to look into the safety of their products, or if research stops after the decision is made to include them. One thing I really like about some other companies-- Totally Organics in particular-- is that they are constantly doing research on their ingredients and their safety. This is one reason that TOPs stopped using milo, for example.



I don't think that a long standing company = a reputable company in any way. Sure, it can definitely be an indicator of that, but there are plenty of very old institutions and businesses that have many flaws that they feel they can overlook due to reputation alone.

I myself look at every ingredient of everything I eat. I do the same for my birds.


As for anybody that says "I had fed X for years and never had anybody get sick or die because of it" -- I think a lot of people misunderstand how liver and kidney damage work. I know PLENTY of people who feed chocolate to their dogs and birds, who have fed or regularly feed alcohol to their birds, same with avocado, etc. Did any of them drop dead and die on the spot or within a few months/even years? NO. And these are things we know are toxic to them. So would you take that as evidence that these aren't harmful? Of course not. That's simply not how liver or kidney damage works. Same thing with an all seed diet. We KNOW that birds can survive on them for a good long while, but does that mean they are healthy? No!

Liver/kidney damage degrades the organs over time, slowly and eventually. So your bird won't drop dead immediately but it could lead to later problems or an earlier death. So sure the PG might not cause immediate issues, but maybe your parrot will live to be 12 rather than 15. Or 25 rather than 35. Or maybe he won't die naturally but rather due to liver failure. Or kidney failure. You never know when the efffects of that sip of wine every month will kick in, or the chocolate bar he accidentally got into when you weren't looking.

First of all I'm curious as to why you chose me out of all the responses to quote. Secondly I do not feed my birds chocolate or give them alcohol or anything I knowingly am aware of that is harmful.
Third I'm sure we are all appreciative of this matter being brought to light but the implication
that what one person does is better than another is not right. We each need to follow what works for our birds and what our research makes us comfortable with. THOROUGH research is key. Not just picking out bits and pieces.
All my birds have been eating Lafaber products most of their lives. They are happy and healthy. They go for their check ups and no health issues have arisen. But that is for me to personally decide.
BTW my C2 gets a couple of sips of coffee with half and half and sweet n low every couple of months so I guess that makes me a bad and irresponsible bird parent.

 

[lotus15]

First of all I'm curious as to why you chose me out of all the responses to quote. Secondly I do not feed my birds chocolate or give them alcohol or anything I knowingly am aware of that is harmful.
Third I'm sure we are all appreciative of this matter being brought to light but the implication
that what one person does is better than another is not right. We each need to follow what works for our birds and what our research makes us comfortable with. THOROUGH research is key. Not just picking out bits and pieces.
All my birds have been eating Lafaber products most of their lives. They are happy and healthy. They go for their check ups and no health issues have arisen. But that is for me to personally decide.
BTW my C2 gets a couple of sips of coffee with half and half and sweet n low every couple of months so I guess that makes me a bad and irresponsible bird parent.

Sorry-- I skipped two lines in the middle of that response and that was supposed to indicate that the last 2 paragraphs were not directed at you. Just the first two shorter lines that were directly responding to the two questions you raised:

Do you really think a company that has been in existence for so many years would have anything to harm our birds?
How many of us read each and every ingredient in each and every thing we ourselves eat?

The rest was just generally addressing everyone and was not implying in any way that you feed chocolate or alcohol! Coffee, however, is another thing listed as toxic for birds.

 

[Sparkles]

I just threw away a bag of nutriberries, I don't usually read all the labels, just go through them...my mistake, I'll have to work on this.

Coco, could you please explain how PG works and why is it so harmful?

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Squeeky gets Nutriberries but now he likes the seed blocks so I get him those instead.

 

[jmfleish]

Propylene Glycol is used as a stabilizer (to keep things held together, and keep them from evaporating), and to keep foods moist. It’s used in many of the foods that we eat, and the FDA deems it safe for human consumption.

Here is a list of the food items you may find PG in:
certain mustards, food coloring, artificial flavors, certain chips, certain soy sauce brands, fried onions, certain strawberry and chocolate syrups, certain icing, canned coconut milk, certain salad dressings, certain ice cream brands, maple flavored bacon, certain juices, certain sodas, certain cake mixes, certain chicken bullion brands, fast food burgers and dipping sauces, certain yogurts.

It's no different than any other chemical that we put in our bodies and possibly less harmful than others. Personally, other than the pellets I feed my birds, they get very little prepackaged foods for birds or humans...I'm trying very hard to go mostly fresh and raw, so no cooking either. Any time you feed them a prepackaged cereal, pasta, crackers, breads, anything...you are exposing them to chemicals such as PG...

 

[Sparkles]

Thank you for the answer...I'll have to do some more reasrech on this

 

[saroj12]

Secondly I do not feed my birds chocolate or give them alcohol or anything I knowingly am aware of that is harmful.
Third I'm sure we are all appreciative of this matter being brought to light but the implication
that what one person does is better than another is not right. We each need to follow what works for our birds and what our research makes us comfortable with. THOROUGH research is key. Not just picking out bits and pieces.
All my birds have been eating Lafaber products most of their lives. They are happy and healthy. They go for their check ups and no health issues have arisen. But that is for me to personally decide.
BTW my C2 gets a couple of sips of coffee with half and half and sweet n low every couple of months so I guess that makes me a bad and irresponsible bird parent.

Diane, many a time some of us passionate sorts(myself included) go on a vigorous crusade about something or the other with firm conviction, and then a few months later completely reverse our stance.........so it's all good!
Many a time have i bounced a crusade idea off BirdieMarie and she always helps me see many facets before i jump in with both feet and ruffle feathers

 

[NikkiLS]

informative thread though. Maggie wouldn't eat anything but nutri berries for a few months. I finally got her back on the diet everyone else is on. I just didn't find Lafaber that cost effective with so many birds.

 

[saroj12]

informative thread though. Maggie wouldn't eat anything but nutri berries for a few months. I finally got her back on the diet everyone else is on. I just didn't find Lafaber that cost effective with so many birds.

expensive habit i agree!
Rudy was forced to eat Harrison's and TOPs today....oh the tyranny!
Though we eat a lot of TOPs here i am always aware it has no added vitamins and worry it can cause vitamin deficiencies if the rest of the diet is not adequate
And i must confess I am no expert on any subject

 

[Holiday]

I am not one to exaggerate risks--I don't feed all fresh, and I don't feed all organic, although I'd like to think I do exercise a reasonable amount of caution and good sense. I'm pretty moderate on most food safety and health issues.
But, it's hard to find good, objective facts about food additives and food safety in birds. And, as we well know, most of the information about human and animal health is not always relevant to birds. But, I just did a run-through of a few sources, ranging in credibility from lefty health-nut mags to corporate-funded scientific studies on cattle, and from what I can determine from reading this stuff, and blurbs or excerpts or abstracts in general, is that pharmaceutical grade Propylene Glycol is only toxic in large amounts. However, it is not exactly a beneficial substance, generally speaking. I'm uncomfortable with the dearth of information on birds, which we all know are often more sensitive to toxins than humans, dogs, and cats. So, for myself, I am going to limit the amount of this substance that I offer my birds. I don't think nutriberries or avicakes should be given daily long term. This is JUST MO. Everyone is welcome to do their own research and make their own choices about this. Clearly, the substance is not going to produce any bad effects in the short term or with only occasional use.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I give several of my birds, all the bigger birds nutriberries every day. they love them.

 

[birdlvr466]

I would like to know why Lafber could take the PG and artificial preservatives out of Avicakes, why they cant do the same for nutriberries? Yes I am on the PG alarmist bandwagon. There are plenty of other foods to feed that dont contain PG. I wont feed any foods that contain PG.