Trying out TOPs

[Shade]

I will say... for me, shipping directly from them is NOT cost effective at all. Their shipping prices tend to be very high for some reason.

Good to know.
I'll see what they say - unless I manage to get some sort of shipping deal here, it can get expensive as well.

No harm in asking

 

[Saemma]

I was just wondering something. I like the ingredients BUT do all species do well on this pellet. I am thinking alot about Emma and Mabel especially.

 

[lotus15]

I was just wondering something. I like the ingredients BUT do all species do well on this pellet. I am thinking alot about Emma and Mabel especially.

Will respond to this later, have to run, but wanted to say that I did see it and will address it in a few!

 

[lzver]

Never considered TOPs pellets. Maybe when I run out of Pretty Bird Gold (just stocked up at Exotic Wings and Things this week) I might see where I can TOPS and try a bag.

Already in this house I have 3 different pellets. Jessie is steadfast and true and loves his Hagen Tropimix Low Fat Bean Mix ... he'll eat Pretty Bird Gold if I run out of his favorite.

Lucy gets a mix of Pretty Bird Gold and Roudybush now.

Kylie is almost exclusively Roudybush now. I offer Pretty Bird Gold, but she always eats the Roudybush first.

 

[suileeka]

Yay for TOPs! I've sampled them, too... I found them bitter, but they taste 'healthy' for certain - very green tasting. Not the pellet *I* would choose for myself, if I were stranded on a desert island with nothing but a variety of pellets to eat.

My conure LOVES them - he'll hold one in his foot and nibble away until there's nothing left. There's still a lot of waste, though... lots of pellet powder everywhere. My linnies will occasionally eat them, but no one else will touch them.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

I just started offering my girls TOPS. Mostly i got them for Gypsy to see if something without soy would be of interest to her since she has plucking/hormonal issues. So far she won't touch them, but Weeble totally loves them. They have Goldenobles, TOPS, Harrison's, and Oven-Baked (Caitec) pellets in the cage all day and the TOPS are the only ones Weeble wants to eat now. She'll actually go for them before her fruit and nut goodies.

 

[lotus15]

I was just wondering something. I like the ingredients BUT do all species do well on this pellet. I am thinking alot about Emma and Mabel especially.

Okay! Now I have a chance to answer. I think that with any pellet, how a particular species will "do" on it depends on how you feed your parrot. With you, I know that you feed a very small percentage of pellets as you make excellent mashes and sprouts and provide other foods, so I would say, yes, this pellet would be an excellent addition to their diet used in moderation, regardless of species.

When people that intend on feeding a majority of the diet as pellets, I would say, no, this is not an appropriate pellet to use for a particular species, but I would add to that, an appropriate pellet doesn't exist. If you look at other pellet manufacturers that claim to have species-specific pellets, but then look at their ingredients and nutritional analysis, you will find that there is almost no difference whatsoever. Usually a "macaw" pellet is simply a little larger. I think I only found one that had any actual difference and it was simply higher in fat. For a "grey" pellet (or more often just "African species" pellet), it simply has more artificial calcium additives. Does this make it a better pellet for greys or macaws? In my eyes, absolutely not.

I would suggest that anybody looking for better species-specific diet products look not to the pet industry but rather research their wild diet and dietary needs, and attempt to incorporate this into their other foods. For example, maybe more calcium-rich leafy green vegetables for a grey, and more healthy nuts with essential fatty acids like walnuts for macaws.

So, I know this isn't quite the direct answer you were probably looking for, but to me TOPs is as good for any species equally if you use it as a supplement, and provide a healthy and varied diet otherwise.

 

[Saemma]

Thanks Lotus. Great food for thought. As you know I have recently removed all pellets on the weekend and only serve them once a day during the week. I will be trying out Tops for sure. Just waiting for them to respond to my email.

 

[Shade]

Heard about shipping - since they use flat rate box, it does seem rather costly and not cost effective.
Should ask if they can do plain regular shipping...

On the plus side, Gudrun did ask me where I ordered my pellets so that he can make sure that there are crumplet there in the near future

 

[HungryBird]

I just got a bag of the Crumplets and my birds loved them. Even my stubborn parakeets.

 

[Leza]

My guys are not thrilled about them, but it gives them a little extra variety, and they smell great( at least I think so ) Loki is the only one who eats them regularly.