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Post by roughcollies on Jul 17, 2008 19:35:27 GMT
Okay... here it goes. The other day at work, another girl who has birds told me that all my research on what to feed Rosco was wrong and that I am slowly killing him.
I feed Rosco a pelleted food with dried fruits and veggies in it. He gets sunflower seeds as training treats on occasion and I give him seed treat sticks once and a while. He gets fresh foods and home cooked foods daily. His diet is very varied and he rarely turns his nose to food because we started this at day one of him being home.
So, I'm curious. What do you feed and what are your thoughts on the seed vs pellet issue and why?
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Post by kiwi on Jul 18, 2008 7:08:39 GMT
If you asked 20 of the members on here what they feed their birds I bet you'll get 20 different answers lol All I tend to do is research their natural diet as closely as I can, although I can't do this identically as I don't live in the country they originate - I can come very close. Each of my birds has a different diet and I mix my own seed mixture from health shops and the organic section in my local supermarket. I think you'll find this girl at work is talking pap - pellets contain everything your bird needs, you only have to research pellets to see how highly regarded they are! I haven't tried pellets as they aren't readily available over here yet but if they were then I would be using them  I found this info on a highly respected conure forum about conure diets.... A conure's diet consisting of a good small parrot mix (good quality parrot mixes have pellets in!) which is supplemented with various fruits, green foods, millet spray, and occasionally some mealworms is generally regarded as suitable. A cuttlebone, or gravel and oyster shell in a separate dish can be provided. Vitamins can be added to the drinking water or the food. Some of the supplemental foods include apples, grapes, many garden vegetables such as spinach, watercress, field lettuce, poppy, chickweed, dandelions, carrots, corn on the cob, peas, endive, and sweet potatoes, peanuts, monkey chow, and even dog food. Do not feed avocado as it is toxic to birds! Additional proteins can be offered such as cottage cheese, hardboiled eggs, peanuts, monkey chow, and even dog food. Fresh water should be provided daily. |
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Post by Berserka on Jul 18, 2008 10:15:24 GMT
I don't feed my birds anything that you don't find in the wild.
Pellets are not a natural food, they contain chemicals, preservatives etc. They are prone to mould and this can poison your bird.
It's bad enough we have taken birds from their natural habitat, now we are taking away their natural food?
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Post by kiwi on Jul 18, 2008 14:28:50 GMT
I didn't know they were prone to mould, thanks for the tip Karen. I have to agree with Karen though - pellets would be be an addition to an already varied diet |
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Post by Scully on Jul 18, 2008 19:20:47 GMT
Ive been having a few problems with Ziggy getting a bit of a sunflower junkie, not eating as much fresh as i would like, and not having the right balance of things because of that.
Im trying zupreem natural pellets now, and im winning with both the fresh and the pellets. I dont like to take the natural foraging out of thier feeding, but my birds do get alot of foraging things anyway. I bought both Harrisons and Zupreem, and they do seem to go for the zupreem much more. Even the harrisons power treats they dont seem very fussed about.
Biggs has always eaten well, and the pellets are just an extra bit in his main seed, he loves his fresh food, so i dont really worry hes not getting enough bits etc. I doubt if i will bother putting him on pellets. Biggles is an absolute pleasure to make anything for.
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Post by roughcollies on Jul 23, 2008 0:59:56 GMT
I don't feed my birds anything that you don't find in the wild. Pellets are not a natural food, they contain chemicals, preservatives etc. They are prone to mould and this can poison your bird. It's bad enough we have taken birds from their natural habitat, now we are taking away their natural food? Good point. What exactly DO you feed, then? What types of seeds, what fruits and veggies and what else in general? |
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Post by Berserka on Jul 29, 2008 12:19:47 GMT
tiel seed & heaps of fresh fruit and veggies. I like to give either veggies in the morning and fruit in the afternoon or vice versa.
I particularly like them getting plenty of the green veggies like silverbeet, mung beans, celery, sprouts, mine won't touch cabbage so I don't bother buying it now. Carrots, peppers, corn - as much variety as I can find as I don't want them bored with the same food.
Apples are a favourite of the rosella's - budgies will only eat it if I don't put any other fruit with it. I've tried orange but it wasn't a hit. Grapes were loved, melons are tolerated at times.
Wild grasses don't last long in the aviaries so they only get it occasionally - til it regrows. Occasional millet sprays. Cuttlebone. Long green grass from the garden (washed). Branches from our gum tree's.
When I had a rainbow lorikeet I'd locate and dig up ants nests and feed her the larvae - she loved them!
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Post by laurie on Aug 3, 2008 5:12:13 GMT
 Ya know I tend to have all the luck in the world with my critters, I bend over backwards for the little devils Nutrition wise & they get sick of it so its back to the drawing board LOL! the Birds are having a BALL! with me these days..when I got them they had been on seed strictly & so were looking at there baked & cooked foods with bugged eyes..there fruits & vegies were scritinized with such a serious and potentially scary look  that I about died laughing the first time I seen them hanging upside down sticking there tongues out cautiously over everything! then the green cheeks decided they enjoyed grabbing there new grub & tossing it at me!  now? they wait till I leave & then they proceed to taste everything..some days they eat it & most days they dont, it all depends on the way its prepaired & I have noticed on stormy days they tend to eat more for some reason!  but I continue to provide there nummy nums & fresh foods because one day I know I shall win this battle! 
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Post by Berserka on Aug 3, 2008 8:17:05 GMT
darned birds don't know what's good for them!
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Post by laurie on Aug 3, 2008 23:30:26 GMT
no they dont! But!! the green Cheeks have layed me at least a couple eggs, I think its more than that but they wont show me the turkey butts! so I do think my tenatiousness towards the nutrition is beginning to make a few ahem  rather randy for there dandies whatever gets me my baby greenies!! chantell my daughter, is extremely excited about the possibility of the new conure clutch!  I am crossing my fingers!! |
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Post by Scully on Aug 11, 2008 4:46:32 GMT
 well done cheekies!!
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Post by Scully on Aug 11, 2008 5:00:29 GMT
At this time of year, i pick alot while I'm walking my woffers..sometimes i look too much into the fresh fruit and veg in the stores, and forget the most nutritious things are free and wild, like thistle and dandelion. Both extremely good for Budgies as they are prone to gout.
and now you can buy dried alfalfa and dandelion for bunnies, they get that to nibble on in thier forage boxes. Obviously not as good as fresh, but better than alot of fresh i buy.
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Post by laurie on Aug 16, 2008 7:07:22 GMT
I miss where I used to live in Oregon, hundreds of acres of forested land...complete with lovely pastures full of vetch,dandies,thistle you name it...now here in Kentucky where I live now? nuh uh..its sprayed all through the city..my neighbors have to have golf course grass..so they in turn spray,fertilize & chemicalize everything...I would so love gathering goodies again like we did our bunnies.. :'(its so good for them..
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Post by parakeetgirl on Jul 4, 2010 22:17:45 GMT
When I had a bird, I woud feed them pellets, seeds, and fresh fruits/veggies to offer them a variety. I know that birds can get bored easily, and they like their food fresh, because they can see whether it is fresh or not, so I like to make sure, when I get my bugie, that it has the best nutrition possible.
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Ya know I tend to have all the luck in the world with my critters, I bend over backwards for the little devils Nutrition wise & they get sick of it so its back to the drawing board LOL!