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Pellets - What brands and to mix or not?

clarousel

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Hi everyone,

Just wondering how many of you feed a mix of pellets vs. just the one brand.

I read some threads here and seems like majority feed their birds Harrison's/TOP/Roudybush. I currently feed Preeno Zupreem Natural pellets but realised they have added sugar so I'm considering doing a mix or changing to a healthier brand. I don't feed her any fruit since she doesn't like them so I don't know if sugar level is something to be concerned about?

I like the ingredients in the TOP's Mini Pellets but it has sesame and sunflower which I use as treat seeds. Harrison's Lifetime looks good too and Roudybush seems quite similar to Zupreem ingredients?
 

Zara

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I use Hagen Tropican and Psittacus. Not mixed, some like one, others like the other.
I think Zupreem Naturals it an ok choice. I almost picked some up but they had none in the store when I went so picked up the local Psittacus brand instead.

I like the ingredients in the TOP's Mini Pellets but it has sesame and sunflower which I use as treat seeds. Harrison's Lifetime looks good too and Roudybush seems quite similar to Zupreem ingredients?
Maybe this will help; Pellets for Parrots
 

clarousel

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I use Hagen Tropican and Psittacus. Not mixed, some like one, others like the other.
I think Zupreem Naturals it an ok choice. I almost picked some up but they had none in the store when I went so picked up the local Psittacus brand instead.


Maybe this will help; Pellets for Parrots
Oh yes I've seen the Psittacus brand too. I got sent a free sample but I haven't tried them out.

Thanks for the link! That's super helpful :)
 
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Leih

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I haven't tried Psittacus yet, and didn't realize you were feeding it @Zara. Mine have been on Roudybush forever and I sometimes mix in some Harrisons. @clarousel did you get the sample from the manufacturer? I've been wanting to try it.
 

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Most people will say that the best pellet is the pellet that your bird will eat, and generally Tops, Harrisons, Hagen, Roudybush, and I'm sure I'm missing a few are all regarded pretty equally as the best brands. :)
 

clarousel

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I haven't tried Psittacus yet, and didn't realize you were feeding it @Zara. Mine have been on Roudybush forever and I sometimes mix in some Harrisons. @clarousel did you get the sample from the manufacturer? I've been wanting to try it.
Hi! No not from the manufacturer, just a pet store here. I bought a whole load of spray millet and because they ran out of stock they gave me a small bag as an apology :laughing2:

The packaging of it is really nice I must say...
 

Hankmacaw

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Just be aware that TOPs does not have any added Vit D3. D3 is mandatory for the proper use of calcium (heart, bones). The only sources of D3 are pellets and unfiltered sunshine. So if you feed TOPs you need to make sure your bird gets 20 min each of 2/3 days of unfiltered (not through glass) sunshine, or a D3 supplement.
 

Destiny

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I provide a mix of Tops, Harrison's and Mazuri. The birds seem to like the variety and I feel like offering a variety of pellets helps to cover all your bases. If one pellet is lacking something or has too much, the other pellets will balance it out. It provides the birds with choices without compromising nutrition, since all of the pellets are good quality and balanced. And it also encourages your birds to be more accepting of a range of pelleted foods ... so if you run out of a particular brand, switching to a different one is not going to be a big deal.
 

Mizzely

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Mix what you want honestly. Some birds do well with a mix, others (like Ripley) only eat their favorites from a mix and leave the rest. So I use some pellets for free feeding and others for foraging, which seems to minimize waste
 

Zara

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I haven't tried Psittacus yet, and didn't realize you were feeding it @Zara.
Yea, When I went to the chain bird shop for my Hagen pellets, they were nowhere to be found, asked the girls (they were all pretty clueless about everything bird related). I think it will be an online product only for them, which is a shame.
My choices were Nutribird, zupreem fruit or the psittacus. At that time I thought that Nutribird was in a cardboard box (now I know there´s a foil package inside) but the actual food reminded me too much of dog food so it put me off. I remembered Irene telling us in the chat about learning about the psittacus brand and she said it seemed really good, so that´s why I bought them. Sydney and Adelie who don´t normally choose pellets, enjoyed them however Jaime and Aldora were not so keen. So it looks like I will be buying two brands for the forseeable future.

The packaging of it is really nice I must say...
Yea, it´s a nice thick recycleable packaging :)
 

clarousel

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Just be aware that TOPs does not have any added Vit D3. D3 is mandatory for the proper use of calcium (heart, bones). The only sources of D3 are pellets and unfiltered sunshine. So if you feed TOPs you need to make sure your bird gets 20 min each of 2/3 days of unfiltered (not through glass) sunshine, or a D3 supplement.
Oh yes I remember reading about that somewhere!

My only concern about the Harrisons food is that it has peanuts inside. I read that peanuts could be toxic?
 

Mizzely

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Oh yes I remember reading about that somewhere!

My only concern about the Harrisons food is that it has peanuts inside. I read that peanuts could be toxic?
Peanuts can be a source of aflatoxins. However, Harrison's tests both their incoming ingredients and outgoing product and have a zero tolerance policy on it, while other companies are 5ppb or more. In fact, because mycotoxins can be so hard on the liver, if I had a bird with a compromised liver, I'd only feel comfortable feeding Harrison's.

Harrisons and Roudybush are probably the pellets with the longest running trials on them.
 

clarousel

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Peanuts can be a source of aflatoxins. However, Harrison's tests both their incoming ingredients and outgoing product and have a zero tolerance policy on it, while other companies are 5ppb or more. In fact, because mycotoxins can be so hard on the liver, if I had a bird with a compromised liver, I'd only feel comfortable feeding Harrison's.

Harrisons and Roudybush are probably the pellets with the longest running trials on them.
Ah I see! Thanks for clarifying :)

There's so much choice, I'm excited to try out a new brand with Preeno!
 
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