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which brand of pellets? (USA)


Guest morethanrubies

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Guest morethanrubies

Okay, this topic of converting to pellets from seed scares me! :) I want to give it a try, though, because of what I've learned from you all! So, my question is:

What brand of pellets (in the USA) do any of you use? I've seen ZuPreem around a bit, and some other brands I don't remember at Petsmart.

Anyadvice would be appreciated, and thanks for all the great posting related to pellet conversion!!

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Guest eterri

There aren't many I've been able to buy from the pet store. The best brand (Harrisons--it's organic) I've never used but if you have a chance to order it, that's your best option. Most birds seem to love it (at least eventually). The ones I have tried are Roudybush, Zupreem, and Kaytee (the natural one not the colorful ones). My birds enjoyed all of them so I kind of mix them up. I was able to get Zupreem at a local pet store but since I no longer shop there (long story) I'll probably be getting everything at a Petsmart about an hour away or online. I know Petsmart carries Kaytee and Zupreem but I'm not sure what else you might find. Try to get something natural without the colored dyes. I know Zupreem has a line of that out now (can't remember the name to save my life) but I wasn't able to find it at Petsmart in budgie size. You might have more luck though. :)

 

Oh, and please remember that even when your budgies are converted to pellets, they need seed in their diet as well. Variety is the key.

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Guest morethanrubies
There aren't many I've been able to buy from the pet store. The best brand (Harrisons--it's organic) I've never used but if you have a chance to order it, that's your best option. Most birds seem to love it (at least eventually). The ones I have tried are Roudybush, Zupreem, and Kaytee (the natural one not the colorful ones). My birds enjoyed all of them so I kind of mix them up. I was able to get Zupreem at a local pet store but since I no longer shop there (long story) I'll probably be getting everything at a Petsmart about an hour away or online. I know Petsmart carries Kaytee and Zupreem but I'm not sure what else you might find. Try to get something natural without the colored dyes. I know Zupreem has a line of that out now (can't remember the name to save my life) but I wasn't able to find it at Petsmart in budgie size. You might have more luck though. :)

 

Oh, and please remember that even when your budgies are converted to pellets, they need seed in their diet as well. Variety is the key.

 

 

Thanks! I have seen the colorful pellets, but never looked around enough to find the other types you mentioned. I know LeFebers' has some supposedly all-natural mash/pellet type things. I'll shop around. Thanks again!

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Guest pixie25

harrisons, harrisons, harrisons! :) i think harrisons is the only brand available in the uk but it is certainly very very good. if only i could get my birds to eat it! :)

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Guest morethanrubies
harrisons, harrisons, harrisons! :) i think harrisons is the only brand available in the uk but it is certainly very very good. if only i could get my birds to eat it!  :)

 

 

Don't tell me that!!! :) I'm not looking forward to arguing w/Peep about what to eat...do it w/my kids all day. Vet's office says that it should be easier w/him because he's so young. We'll see... :)

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Guest pixie25

argueing? (Laughing out loud) where did that come from?

 

im just answering your question! with the best possible answer i can give :) this is the brand i have used and the service and quality has been excellent. i would recommend it to anyone.

 

p.s i dont think shortcuts are allowed so check with a mod.

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Guest morethanrubies
argueing? (Laughing out loud) where did that come from?

 

im just answering your question! with the best possible answer i can give :) this is the brand i have used and the service and quality has been excellent. i would recommend it to anyone.

 

p.s i dont think shortcuts are allowed so check with a mod.

 

 

 

Oops. Sorry. :)

Also, by "arguing" I just meant that it sounds like it's going to be a challenge to get him to eat them, as it is a challenge to get my kids to eat veggies instead of chocolate cookies.

The pellets will be in on Tuesday, so I have a few days left to research, plan, etc. The vet's office highly recommended the Harrison's as well. I was so excited that I didn't have to drive to Los Angeles or pay shipping direct from Harrison's to get them!!

Thanks for the advice. :)

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I use Harrison's, but whatever brand you decide on, check the ingredients. I've given you a link for a simple google search - you can do a more specialized search if you want more information. There are some controversial preservatives that are put in animal and bird foods that have been linked to all sorts of health problems, and one is used as a pesticide. These apply to seed as well as pellets.

:)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ethox...G=Google+Search

 

Try to stay away from ones containing artificial colors or sugar too.

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Guest morethanrubies
I use Harrison's, but whatever brand you decide on, check the ingredients. I've given you a link for a simple google search - you can do a more specialized search if you want more information.  There are some controversial preservatives that are put in animal and bird foods that have been linked to all sorts of health problems, and one is used as a pesticide. These apply to seed as well as pellets.

:) 

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ethox...G=Google+Search

 

Try to stay away from ones containing artificial colors or sugar too.

 

 

Yipes! Thanks.

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Guest pixie25
Oops.  Sorry. :blink:

Also, by "arguing" I just meant that it sounds like it's going to be a challenge to get him to eat them, as it is a challenge to get my kids to eat veggies instead of chocolate cookies. 

  The pellets will be in on Tuesday, so I have a few days left to research, plan, etc.  The vet's office highly recommended the Harrison's as well.  I was so excited that I didn't have to drive to Los Angeles or pay shipping direct from Harrison's to get them!!

  Thanks for the advice.  :)

 

hehe! whoops, must have read it wrong! (Laughing out loud) :)

 

let us know how you get on introducing the new food, so far i have had two 6 week rounds of trying to convert to harrisons pellets (superfine) and they still refuse to eat it. i think i will give it one more chance and order the mash formula to see if they will take to that. i have tried everything else - adding a drop of water to soften it and mixing it will eggfood (which they love). i have tried sprinkling it on the cage floor and on the actual floor to see if they would pick the crumbs off the floor. i even tried sprinkling them on a mirror so that they would think some other birds are trying to steal the food (mean trick but i thought it might just work!) and that failed too. i have tried increasing the mix with seed and i have tried taking all the other food away for a few hours and replacing it with pellets. but they still wont touch it.

 

if anyone has another method that i havent tried yet please let me know! i so want them to eat it, but i am running out of ideas here!

 

i hope you have more success than ive had! my budgies are nearly a year old now so they are a little bit more stubborn.

 

love pix

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Guest morethanrubies

Oh, brother! That sounds like quite a trial. Vet here assures me that it'll be easier since Peep is (likely) less than 4 months old. (he's a pet store bin-o-budgies bird, but from a good store.) So far, though, he hasn't been interested in any fruits or veggies & only picks the canary seed out of the seed mix. :blink: My other budgies did this, too. Whatever!! :) This prompted me to give the pellets a try, though, since he's obviously NOT getting everything he needs from just canary seed.

Well, good luck on your endeavor. I'll keep you advised on how it goes here. The Harrison's website has some helpful hints, and they advise "keep trying." We'll see...

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Guest pixie25

the most important thing is that you monitor them to make sure they do not lose weight. with all the changes its hard to keep track of what they have eaten some days. you could buy some avian scales or just use regular scales if your birdies are clipped.

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Guest pixie25

its not as complicated as it sounds! i dont mean to put you off, the pellets are a really good thing for your budgies :)

 

just choose a method and stick to it, and try to include the pellets in their playtime whenever possible. try to weigh your budgies a few times a week - their weight should ideally stay the same throughout the conversion, if they lose a few grams try a softer more gradual change.

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Guest morethanrubies

Don't even have a scale for ME, much less my bird. I have a friend who's a vet, tho. Maybe she can help me out there. I'll also ask at the vet's office when I pick up the pellets on Tuesday. The Harrison's site says "birds love the nutty, fresh flavor!" Hmmm...

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Guest pixie25

you never know you miht get lucky and your budgies mught take to it right away. you may or may not like to weigh you budgies, it really depends on how quickly they take to the food. if they take to it in a week or two then it is probably not necessary as long as you give seed in the morning and veggies in the afternoon :) its just that i had mine converting for so long that they actually did begin to lose a bit of weight so i had to try a different approach.

 

good luck! and its best to be firm and stick to the rules from the start, dont let them win!

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Guest morethanrubies

We'll see... (Oh, and I only have one bird. That will change in the near future, I hope.) Harrison's website (here I go again!) says 3-5 days. Maybe I should let Peep read that so he'll know what he's supposed to do. :)

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Guest pixie25

to be honest i think larger parrots would take to it better because they become so bonded to their owners. anything the owner eats the parrot will eat too. most of the foods available from harrisons are for larger more exotic species of birds.

 

budgies and other small birds are notoriously hard to convert. my vet warned me about this even though she recommended the food. larger parrots can also eat a wider range of fruit and nuts than budgies can, so they are used to having a varied diet and trying new things. budgies that have been on a basic diet of seed, egg and veggies will no doubt find it harder to convert.

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Guest morethanrubies

Never given mine egg food before. :) I've noticed a lot of people on this site do. Seen it advertised. What kind do you use? Is it like a mash? Is it like the egg biscuit I see in Petstores here? Some people have recommended putting the pellets in egg food....???? Any thoughts?

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Guest pixie25

i feed CEDE eggfood. it smells like rusks (baby biscuits) i dont know if you get those in america, but its kinda crumbley and you just put a drop of water in it and they love it.

 

i also make them a hard boiled egg once a week, very hard boiled mashed up with bitds of grated carrot mixed in. you could add cress or some other veggies if you wanted :)

 

i tried mixing the pellets with the eggfood but they werent having any of it.

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Guest morethanrubies

Well, rats! I thought that might be a nice shortcut...mixing with egg, I mean. When I had budgies before they liked hardboiled eggs, too. I had forgotten about this! Thanks for the memory jog. I will look for some egg food, too.

 

 

P.S. We've gotten to 2 pages now! :)

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  • 1 month later...
Guest morethanrubies

I've given up on pellets. My birds get good quality seed, and wheatgrass. I can't throw out any more pellets. :D I give up. They're healthy & happy, so...

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Guest eterri

Don't give up, it just takes time! Try making birdie bread or softening the pellets in pineapple juice or mixing them in baby food! You can do it!

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