Zupreem Fruit Blend?

[RedNado68]

So, I've ran into a couple of posts on here saying that many of you don't like, or are trying to wean your birds off of, the Zupreem fruit blend pellets.
I'm just wondering why that is? Are they not good for a bird in the long run?
I don't have my baby yet, should be another week or so, but the breeder says that she weans all of her birds into that type of food.
I've read on other websites that some people say that it is "the lowest quality food" that they will let themselves feed their birds?
I'm just not sure if there is any information on this that I'm missing? Is it just because of artificial dyes?
I also read a post on a different website (Not sure what site, I had gotten it through google) that this person worked at a Vets office and said that many birds came in with issues with plucking and such, and after their bird was switched off zupreem fruit blend, all issues went away. What truth there is to that I'm unsure of.
Do any of you use this brand and what are youe opinions on it? I have a bag now because I don't want to try to get him eating something new while he is trying to settle in at home. I don't want to change too much about what he is comfortable with so I'm going to give it to him for a while, but do you think I should start adding in different pellets after a while? Or am I just being a "worry mom"?

 

[Mizzely]

I moved them off mostly because of the artificial dyes. There have been many anecdotal stories about birds and artificial coloring, enough where I figured it just isn't worth the risk.

However, Natural also has more veggies versus fruits in it, and vegetables overall are a better thing for them to eat (more fiber, less sugars, generally more nutrients). Additionally, sugar comes in later in the ingredients list, presumably meaning there is less sugar added than in the fruit version.


Here are the ingredients for Zupreem Fruit:

Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Wheat germ meal, Sugar, Vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Calcium carbonate, Dicalcium phosphate, Iodized salt, DL-Methionine, Dried bananas, Dried oranges, Dried apples, Dried grapes, Choline chloride, Natural fruit flavors, Vitamins (Vitamin E supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Vitamin A supplement, Biotin, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Thiamine mononitrate, Menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Folic acid), LLysine, Artificial colors, preserved with Mixed tocopherols and Citric acid, L-ascorbyl- 2-polyphosphate (a source of Vitamin C), Minerals (Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Sodium selenite, Calcium iodate), Rosemary extract

versus the Natural:

Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground millet, Ground oat groats, Ground barley, Ground wheat, Wheat germ meal, Sugar, Vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Ground flaxseed, Calcium carbonate, Dicalcium phosphate, Dried carrots, Dried celery, Dried beets, Dried parsley, Dried lettuce, Dried watercress, Dried spinach, Dried cranberries, Dried blueberries, Iodized salt, DL-Methionine, Choline chloride, L-Lysine, Vitamins (Vitamin E supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride , Vitamin A supplement, Biotin , Riboflavin, Thiamine mononitrate, Menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Vitamin B12 supplement, Folic acid, Vitamin D3 supplement), preserved with Mixed tocopherols and Citric acid, Hydrolyzed yeast, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (a source of vitamin C), Minerals (Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Sodium selenite, Calcium iodate), Rosemary extract

 

[RedNado68]

Thank you for the comparison!! I didn't think to look up the ingredients for the Natural one!
Yeah, I'm worried about there being any issues (but I also worry about EVERYTHING and he hasn't even gotten here yet! )
I think I'm going to slowly get him into other pellets. Is that what you use instead, the Naturals? or do you personally use something different? I do like that it has more veggies in it, I have heard to feed birds more veggies than fruits.

 

[Mizzely]

Yep, I feed the Natural. I've tried pretty much every pellet that is sold in the States All three of mine will readily eat Zupreem Naturals. It is easy to find, relatively cheap, and easier on me because I can buy one kind of pellet!! I do mix it with Roudybush Maintenance (because I can't make anything easy it seems!), but I am just fine with having all of my birds eat Zupreem Natural. If I could get them to all eat Totally Organics Pellets instead, that would be my first choice, but since none will reliably touch it, I'm going to stop fretting

 

[danadear]

If he is already on the fruit pellets you might want to mix the fruit in the natural slowly reducing the fruit until it's gone.

ETA: just noticed you said he hasn't gotten here yet. I don't know if that means he hasn't hatched yet or you just don't have him yet. If he hasn't hatched yet I suppose you can request the breeder wean him onto what you want..which would be the best scenario.

 

[roxynoodle]

Yep, definitely get what the breeder is feeding and in the same size so the little one won't be confused. Sometimes babies don't recognize new things as food and you want to make sure she is eating.

Leave her on it at least 30 days before gradually making any changes.

My conure has been eating it though for 11 years or so. It was the only one I could get my other conure to even consider tasting so that is what she get converted to, and I put Rowdy on it as well to make it easier for me. Now Rowdy doesn't want to eat any other pellet. Not sure I should make her convert to a different one or just leave it be. She has had perfect wellness checks all her life so I'm not overly concerned about it, and the vet hasn't expressed concerns either. She does also eat about half Nutriberries as well for dry foods.

 

[Gypsy]

So, I've ran into a couple of posts on here saying that many of you don't like, or are trying to wean your birds off of, the Zupreem fruit blend pellets.
I'm just wondering why that is? Are they not good for a bird in the long run?
I don't have my baby yet, should be another week or so, but the breeder says that she weans all of her birds into that type of food.
I've read on other websites that some people say that it is "the lowest quality food" that they will let themselves feed their birds?
I'm just not sure if there is any information on this that I'm missing? Is it just because of artificial dyes?
I also read a post on a different website (Not sure what site, I had gotten it through google) that this person worked at a Vets office and said that many birds came in with issues with plucking and such, and after their bird was switched off zupreem fruit blend, all issues went away. What truth there is to that I'm unsure of.
Do any of you use this brand and what are youe opinions on it? I have a bag now because I don't want to try to get him eating something new while he is trying to settle in at home. I don't want to change too much about what he is comfortable with so I'm going to give it to him for a while, but do you think I should start adding in different pellets after a while? Or am I just being a "worry mom"?

My vet likes this pellet. She didn't give me a particular reason why. My macaw has been on Pretty Bird and Zupreme fruit flavors all his life. I mix the two occasionally. My experience has been that once a bird goes on a pellet diet, there is a good chance it will be able to switch to another variety. Mine has tried the Pretty Bird Fruit, Zupreme Fruit, Zupreme Vegetable, and for a short time the Roudy Bush without any issues. He also likes the Harrisons. Maybe I'm just lucky not having a picky eater.

 

[DQTimnehs]

I think it is because of the artificial colouring. I still feed it but am trying to get them on other pellets. It's just not easy. Tiki eats Tropican and the odd Harrisons (when it is all that's left in her bowl). Itsy eats Tropican, Zupreem Fruit (not purple) and a bit of Harrisons. Quack eats Zupreem fruit, but only certain colours, not purple, sometimes not orange. She will try other pellets but not continue eating them. She would eat a few pieces of Tropican off a spoon but not from her bowl. Darwin will only eat Zupreem Fruit. He is the only one who likes the purple ones and the bag I have now has SO much purple! Sometimes his poop is quite purple which makes me want to change it even more. I haven't tried Zupreem natural with these guys yet. I've also tried Golden Obles and none of them will eat them. Quack tried one. If I break them up she sometimes eats some. They smell quite strongly of celery. Tropican smells like bubble gum even though it does use natural colours.

Pogey was on Zupreem natural and just got Zupreem fruit as a treat on his play stand. But one day with a new bag of the natural he refused to eat it. It must have been different. So he went on the fruitblend. I chose Zupreem because it is peanut-free and his family was suspected of having a peanut allergy.

 

[Lovebirdlover]

I use the zupreem as well.. And like other members my GCC hates the purple haha

My gcc's favorite is red and it freaks me out to see a red poop.. But I figured out it was the pellets by taking away the pellets and only feeding seed and veggies and the poop went back to a normal green

I wish there was a fruit pellet.. Without the artificial colors.

 

[carolyn17603]

I have been feeding mine the fruity pellets mixed with seed since they were on an all seed diet when I got them. There poop has always been normal looking to me. I did try a different zupreem pellet that was brown but it wasnt the natural. It was discounted because it was expiring in a month. (at that time I didnt know they start to lose the vitamins once they expire) But I ended up getting the bag with a coupon for $5. I tried it and they didnt like it so I went back to the fruity ones. It all depends what the money is like when they need pellets usually I will try and get the zupreem but if I am short I will go to a pet store that sells I think its kaytee pellets by the lb. and by it like that. I have done that a few times and they dont seem to tell the difference. The kaytee is like 2.44 lb or so where the zupreem is 8.99 for 2 lbs. Has anyone heard anything bad about kaytee? I have seen they have coupons out there for a free 5 lb bag of bird food so I contacted them to find out if it is possible to get a few to try some of their different products.

 

[Mizzely]

I won't feed Kaytee. Ever. I dont know about the food quality, but their company is terrible. Pet mills, terrible at recalls... I refuse to support them. Carolyn, try to buy online. I pay $2.59 a pound for Zupreem on Mysafebirdstore.com

 

[roxynoodle]

Thankfully Rowdy will eat all the colors but some days she will leave a few of a certain color. It changes daily though. One day red ones will be left, the next day it's the yellow ones, then the green, lol! Orange and purple are her favorites, which was good because Briana wouldn't eat those 2 colors. So I would give all the orange and purple ones to Rowdy.

 

[carolyn17603]

I won't feed Kate. Ever. I dont know about the food quality, but their company is terrible. Pet mills, terrible at recalls... I refuse to support them. Carolyn, try to buy online. I pay $2.59 a pound for Zupreem on Mysafebirdstore.com

Really? Ok thanks I was unaware of that. Do you know of a place you can go to look for recalls for birds and dogs? I dont want to give my birds anything that may not have been pulled off the shelf. Also the same with our dogs. Also being we sell dog treats we like to let our customers know what treats our recalled because its amazing how many are unaware. We have been looking for this info but cant seem to find it anywhere and the recalls we do here about are the ones we here on the news but im sure there is a site that lists bad companys recalls etc.

I would have to look into msbs that is pretty cheap per lb for zupreem but I would have to figure in the shipping cost. If I have other stuff to buy from her I would definitly get it from her but if its just pellets I have to watch my money so it may be cheaper for me to get it at my local pet store with coupons. The bad thing is they have a 30% coupon that you can only use 1 time a month and they send it in the mail so its the only way to get it. But this month they did a special where they sent me a email with the coupon that you could print off and use as much as you want every day this month. So for instance a 2 lb bag of zupreem fruity was 8.99 (same exact was 14.99 at petsmart) I printed off a $2.00 zupreem coupon and used the 30% coupon I got the 2 lb bag for like 4.89. I would of gotten bigger but didnt have much money on me that day but I can always go back and get a bigger bag this month sometime.

The problem is I mix seed/pellets 50/50 and have been doing that for a few months now. My senegal will go threw his whole bowl in a hr I think he throws most of it. The bh hers lasts her a few days. I would say the 50/50 mix I go thru 4lbs of it every 2 weeks. To me that seems like alot for a senegal and a brown head. What do you think? I know I should get them on all pellets but if the amount they are going thru is way to much of an amount I cant imagine how much I would be spending on pellets. What do you think?

 

[Parront]

I use all of the Zupreem flavors and mix them up. Fruit, Veggie & Nut flavor.
YUM...the nut flavor smells so good...I've been so tempted to try one. lol

 

[Peacelovepets]

I personally don't like it because of the dyes. I personally do use the Zupreem Naturals, Roudybush, and TOPS. I think that most undyed or naturally dyed pellets are OK, though some better than others. I agree, you are making the right decision to let the baby settle in first, then you can switch if you decide that's what you want to do.

 

[roxynoodle]

I use all of the Zupreem flavors and mix them up. Fruit, Veggie & Nut flavor.
YUM...the nut flavor smells so good...I've been so tempted to try one. lol

I've eaten the fruity ones. They taste nothing like they smell, lol!

Caroln, only give your food thrower a little bit at a time and s/he might be less wasteful when the food supply isn't so plentiful.

 

[carolyn17603]

I've eaten the fruity ones. They taste nothing like they smell, lol!

Caroln, only give your food thrower a little bit at a time and s/he might be less wasteful when the food supply isn't so plentiful.

I had tried that before and he kinda did the same thing. Then I kinda forgot and started giving him 3/4 to a full bowl. The way he started was weird. I had him 5 months and he never threw his food once. Then my friend adopted betty the bh the same time I adopted taz the food thrower she couldnt keep him since her kids were allergic so I offered to take her in. Once she came he started throwing his food. (I was told they did not get along so I had her across the room by the window) we were expecting a bad storm so I had to move her from the window and next to him. He stopped throwing his food for a while almost like he was doing it for attention. They seem to enjoy being next to each other so I left them together but he started throwing the food again. Im not sure if its to get her attention or what? Do you think hes tired of the seed and wants the pellets only?

I was thinking since they have that 30% coupon and zupreem has 2.00 coupon I can get a 2 lb bag for under $5 maybe I should stock up on the pellets since I wont have the oppurtunity like this again. I did check the dates on the bag and they are good until 2014. What do you think?

 

[carolyn17603]

I dont know if I saw the nut or veggie blend I was kind of in a rush. Maybe I will grab a bag with these coupons I have. Now if I do stock up and start feeding fruity pellets only should fruits and veggies be cut back or no? I dont want to overdue it since fruits have natural sugars in them.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, it would be better to get them converted to all pellets. Cut out a little seed each day until they are only eating the pellets.

If they like the fruity, IMO it's fine. My bird eats it and she's 13 and in great shape.

Go back to just giving a little, but of course you have to check on it so if he runs out, you give him more. He's throwing it because it's fun. To parrots anyway, it's fun. Or maybe also to get her attention, you know how boys are

 

[yvette]

Ozzy has been eating the fruit pellets since I got him. He was a seed junkie, at his first home, and chips and pretzels etc. He love the pellets and eats a lot of fresh foods and mashes and breads I make. Im soo glad he eats pellets ! He is in great health and never had an issue. I may convert him in the future. Buy for now, he is a happy boy and not eating junk food anymore! lol