Conflicted...

[T. gillii]

so, the I understand why zupreem pellets aren't the best.

My birds will EAT THEM UP! but... they discolor their poop and it can become VERY concerning.

I know it's just the dye, but it made me anxious so I gave them back their seed and pellet mix and it went back to normal.

Since Bobo is a bit underweight, I'm giving her a full seed mix until she gets to a good weight. Toto is eating both seeds and pellets, along with dried fruit and veg in his bowl.

I cannot afford an un-dyed bag of pellets until the beginning of February.

 

[sunnysmom]

There was a scare awhile back with zupreem pellets that was never proven definitley. So I think that's why some people stopped using zupreem. Then the colors can change the dropping color which is why I know some people at our rescue don't like to feed it- especially with new birds. And then there's that it's not as healthy as others types. My cockatoo actually came to me eating zupreem fruit pellets. He won't touch plain pellets. So I switched him to Higgins In Tune. Still fruit flavored but better ingredients than the zupreem. He ate them from day one with no issues. But they are still colored. But it's never changed his droppings to a different color- but he is bigger than your birds. That may make a difference?

 

[faislaq]

Our guys are on the Fruity Zupreem and I would like to transition them to the Zupreem Naturals, but we went through so many kinds of pellets last year I'm just happy to have found one they will all eat! At least I know the wild birds in our area ate really well least year.

Our guys still get some seed too, but it's just a snack at dinner time to get them in their cages so they're not trying to eat our food.

 

[Kodigirl210]

Mine wouldn’t eat the Zupreem natural so switched Tropican pellets. No sugar, color etc but they use apple and banana to flavor it so it smells almost like bubble gum. I love it lol

 

[taxidermynerd]

My budgie eats the zupreem natural. He wouldn't touch the fruity (what I first tried with him) and I tried Roudybush but he wouldn't go for it. So Zupreem naturals it is!

@Mizzely has an excellent page about pellets, comparing the main complete pellets available. Maybe looking at that could help with some ideas of different pellets to try?

 

[faislaq]

Mine wouldn’t eat the Zupreem natural so switched Tropican pellets. No sugar, color etc but they use apple and banana to flavor it so it smells almost like bubble gum. I love it lol

I loved the smell of the Tropican

, but only Harley would eat it.

 

[Mizzely]

I definitely also prefer non-dyed pellets, however all my bird will currently eat is the dyed. I am okay with that I would prefer dye + nutrients than him not eat!

Here is the pellet page mentioned: Pellets for Parrots

 

[faislaq]

all my bird will currently eat is the dyed. I am okay with that I would prefer dye + nutrients than him not eat!

I remember hearing someone talking about trying to make children eat healthy foods. They said, "It's not nutritious if they don't eat it." I'm constantly reminded of that statement when I see the step kids have picked the veggies out of their dinners yet again.

 

[Kodigirl210]

I love my Tropican lol. Sif eats the granules and she actually eats them. Picks it up and breaks it enough to swallow then it goes down the hatch! I love how little she wastes.

 

[Kodigirl210]

@faislaq - that would definitely drive me nuts. I love that the girls eat their veggies lol. Isen is my problem child-but I didn’t defer on the pellets to her because she doesn’t care what kind it is - she won’t eat it unless “berry” is also included in the name lol

 

[CeciliaZ]

Zupreem is the only pellet brand my tiels will eat...started with the fruit blend but they picked out certain colors - especially the green. Never touched the yellow, banana shaped ones. I switched them over to the natural which they eat. They seemed to get bored with that...so I offer them both - the fruit flavored and the natural. I noticed that the yellow banana shaped ones are now smaller than before...I do think they are trying those also. I read somewhere that if they eat all the colors in the fruit blend...the color of their poo will be normal. I have one tiel out of 6 that will nibble on the Tropican.

 

[Kodigirl210]

That’s the Conure. Pellet-berry nutri-berry & that’s it. No eating pellet without berry lol

 

[Dartman]

Nerd ate a health food mix of seeds and some pellets when we finally were told they are better food for him. Lurch loved fruity Zupreem, and NutriBerries plus a few others. Dobby loves fruity Zupreem and just about any other flavor we feed him but none of my birds had issues with the fruity flavor except they had their favorite flavor/colors. Like said a food they will actually eat is a good thing for them and you can try to get them into healthy options but some birds will practically starve rather then eat something that isn't a favorite. Mix it up and give them veggies and fruits and other good things. Dobby always hits us for treats in the evening and usually gets NutriBerries and walnuts and Nerd and Lurch did similar as well. Nerd made it 31 years with me so no matter what something was working for him.

 

[taxidermynerd]

some birds will practically starve rather then eat something that isn't a favorite

That's what Chirp did when I tried to get him on pellets. I had been a big softie, letting him eat seeds only, then shortly after I joined here I really dug my heels in and decided he was gonna eat pellets. Took 3 days of taking out seeds at night and providing pellets only (he was a night-snacker at the time), on the 3rd day before I took the pellets out I noticed he was eating them! So I had him eat pellets only for 5 days so it would stick, then I added seeds back to his diet.

He'd sit at the bottom of his cage clucking angrily at me, glaring because I wouldn't let him have seeds, from 8pm when I covered him until midnight. He was a persistent little butt! Now he loves his pellets though

 

[Gen120]

Mine have eaten Zupreem in the past and the only reason I switched is because Sammy wouldn't eat the natural kind like my cockatiels did. I didn't want to have to buy 2 different pellets so I switched them all to Roudybush. They all eat that very well and Sammy is a bit of a stubborn bird when it comes to new pellets so I just stuck with that. I have no issues with zupreem or feeding it to my flock. I actually want to try that snack and play zupreem seed/fruit/pellet mix for my guys. Looks like some good food! I've always thought and said, any pellet your bird will eat regardless if it's color or natural is better than no pellets at all and just a seed diet. Try different brands, several companies will send you free samples if you email them. If they eat Zupreem and have no issues, I'd stick with that!

 

[lexalayne]

I’ve used Roudy Bush, Higgins, Nutri Berries, Zupreme natural and every flavor in the above and so many others I can’t recall at the moment. Overall zupreem fruit is the most well received ... except of course my 2 Camelot’s who REFUSE to eat the orange balls!! I do mix in a bag of Higgins high potency when I can afford it tho.