I never know which seed and pellet brands to buy.. I want to get the best but there's so many choices and I don't know which is good and which is junk. Petshops and Walmart are my only choices since there's no budgie clubs or breeders around.

 

So I've been trying different seed mixes but I've seen that they contain many fillers my budgies don't like and throw them out. The latest seed mix I have bought seems okay.. its the one with the less fillers I've seen and they eat most of it. Kaytee seems to be the best brand I can find here for seeds.

 

..and pellets are another story. I used to buy a bag that contained the seeds and the pellets altogether but it also contained alot of fillers and they ended up on the floor. There's only one choice for pellets here and its called Fruit Blend or something like that from ZuPreem. They are just the right size (my budgies like them small) but they are colored and they have a strong fruity smell.

Another thing.. since they are colored they make my bird's droppings rainbow colored lol.

 

So that's the best I can find here.. I just want to know if that's good enough? are they good brands? They still get their daily portion of fruits and veggies and other fresh foods plus some treats once a week, their cuttlebone, etc..

Why do you want to feed them pellets? Good seed mix is the best.

 

Budgerigars eat what they need at the time. Especially during breeding or moulting. They will eat more of one type and then change to eat more of something else whan needed.

 

Pellet diets can't give them that.

Good quality seed and varied diet with fruit and vegies is better than pellets with artificial colours and artificial fruity smells.

 

 

Read this http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=18890

Edited May 5, 200916 yr by KAZ

Good quality seed and varied diet with fruit and vegies is better than pellets with artificial colours and artificial fruity smells.

 

 

Read this http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=18890

 

 

wow.. thanks for that article KAZ. Very long lol but I made it through the whole thing. The only reason I decided to add pellets to my bird's diet is because the vet told me they were supposed to be the main source of nutrition for my birds. Who wouldn't trust a vet? I didn't take the seeds away. My budgies didn't seem to like their pellets at all but after a while they started eating them..

 

So I guess I should take the pellets away from their diet completely?

 

I'm so confused now! So what would be the best seed mix ever? and since I can't find anything good at the petstores or walmart.. then where can I get the ingredients to make my own seed mix?

 

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it

The first thing my vet said to me wen I went the first time was, "We need to get your bird onto a pelleted diet." I dunno why but I guess thats what they get told at vet school... maybe one of our resident vets will know...

I had a vet do the same thing and when I questioned him on the findings by Dr Phelan in an article for the WBO he quickly changed the subject

In my case, I believed he was being sponsored by the pellet manufacturer.

I agree. Some vets recommend pellets, I do not know why. I do not use pellets at all, never have never will. They are full of artificial colours and all that junk that birds do not need. They have been processed so much also.

I find a good NATURAL seed diet with plenty of vegetables and fruit is the best option.

The first thing my vet said to me wen I went the first time was, "We need to get your bird onto a pelleted diet." I dunno why but I guess thats what they get told at vet school... maybe one of our resident vets will know...

 

Know what? This really made me think. And maybe it's true.

As people of science, vets are not phased by 'synthetic' drugs and food because a lot of it is based on research and we have seen it work. We are very used to using drugs because we know for most of them exactly how and why they work, down to the biochemical basis of it. I know many pet owners (myself included) base a lot of their choices on experience. Anectodal evidence does not come under 'science' or 'research'. I am not criticising, only stating a fact. I feel like we are of different worlds sometimes, not that either is better, just that we are. (I personally don't agree with this view that "we must do it natural because natural is always better" but that is my own opinion. It's not like I say "drugs are the only answer", either)

 

Recent debate among my peers about feeding formulated dog and cat food, and rabbit food, versus a more 'wild' type diet has made me think about formulated bird food as well. It made me question: Why do vets support it? When I think of my own experience I find that: our avian lecturers, and every avian vet I have spoken to, has recommended it. So I do too. When I asked why, they always said because seed is deficient and most owners find it difficult or are ignorant about feeding veggies. I accepted that. They also said that "there is a lot of research on it." But I never asked, "Show me." It gets taught at conferences and in textbooks. But I wonder where the source is - is it funded by a pellet company, and what does it actually say?

 

So that is my current quest - I'm going to look for this 'research' all the vets and pellet companies talk about.

 

I am not saying I am particularly sceptical, only that I want to be a person of science and go hunting for facts. There is a whole world of journals and research we have available to us (more so to me while I am a student). But I also think that if it is so widespread amongst my academic elders, there is probably a good reason for it. Perhaps it is because in their years they have seen too many cases of obesity, fatty tumours and hepatic lipidosis and hope to change tactics by changing the diet in this way. Maybe it is because they know more reliably what goes into pellets, whereas when you give veggies you might not know exactly what nutrients you're missing. Like you could feed a bunch of different ones and still be missing that one important nutrient. We really don't know what wild birds eat, but we can guess they will need certain basic essential items and those we can provide definitively.

 

Side note - they are now manufactoring formulated diets for specific disease of birds, similar to the liver or kidney diets for dogs and cats. I guess they are trying to bring it up to speed with the dog and cat food industry.

 

If anyone was wondering, my budgies get seeds and a lot of veggies. My conure is getting 25% pellets 25% seed and the rest veggies (my little experiment). So I am not against pellets as long as there is seed and veggies in the mix (a variety I think is the key). My budgies and my conure are all doing fine. But I wonder if my opinions will change after exploring this topic academically. I am also pleased that growing up with birdy people and spending my entire academic time here with you folks has (hopefully) made me a more balanced person/veterinarian.

 

Daz, could you please show/link me Dr Phalen's article?

Edited May 6, 200916 yr by Chrysocome

I look forward to hearing about your results from your research chrysocome.

In my honest opinion, I believe vets ASSUME the average bird get a cr*p diet of plain brand seed and water. There is no room to SEE we other kinds of bird keepers go the extra mile and provide the variety diet we do for our birds. I believe the birds the vets are basing their opinions or theories on are the average interbred pet type bird that has very little in the area of a varied diet. The average badly bred pet bird in a small cage with just plain brand seed and water and HEALTH ISSUES would make any vet recommend pellets.

I also believe there is some form of pressure upon the vets by pellets companies. In my life I have seen the INCENTIVES and KICKBACKS provided by various companies to the vets, doctors, builders, etc to make them RECOMMEND one product over another.

 

 

As long as I can provide the best varied diet for my birds, and source natural branches and greenery for them, I will NEVER put my birds on pellets.

Edited May 7, 200916 yr by KAZ

Does anyone know a good website where I can buy seeds? Like canary seeds and the different kinds of millet I need to make a good seed mix. I've looked all over town trying to find a place where they sell it.. I don't want to get the seed mixes they sell at the petstores and I would like to make the mixes myself and it seems like my only option is to get the seeds online.

Sorry I don't know of anywhere online to buy it...

Does anyone know a good website where I can buy seeds? Like canary seeds and the different kinds of millet I need to make a good seed mix. I've looked all over town trying to find a place where they sell it.. I don't want to get the seed mixes they sell at the petstores and I would like to make the mixes myself and it seems like my only option is to get the seeds online.

You need a supreme budgie breeder mix...they are generally the better seed blend formulated for budgies. Surely a petstore or stockfeed place near you in the USA sells something like that ?

 

 

 

Here also is some seed blends

 

Finch Mix

1 part canary seed

1 part hemp (if available)

1/2 part white millet

1/2 part Siberian millet

 

Mix and store in containers.

 

Canary Mix

7 parts canary seed

2 parts rape seed

1/2 parts oat groats

1/2 part flax

 

Mix and store in containers.

 

Parakeet Mix

2 parts white millet

3 parts canary seed

1 part hemp (if available)

1/2 part oat groats

 

Mix and store in containers.

 

Cockatiel Mix

1 part canary seed

1 part white millet

1 part hemp (if available)

1 part safflower

1 part sunflower

 

Mix and store in containers.

 

Small Hookbill Mix

1 part canary seed

1 part white millet

2 parts safflower

1 part sunflower

1 part hemp (if available)

1 part oat groats

 

Mix well and store in containers.

 

Large Hookbill Mix

1 part canary seed

1 part white millet

1 part safflower

2 parts sunflower

1 part hemp

1 part oats (whole)

1 part peanuts

1 pkg. Sun Maid Fruit Bits

 

Mix and store in container.

 

For Parents Only

1 part peanut hearts

1 part hulled pumpkin seed

1 part hulled sunflower seeds

1 part hulled millet

 

Mix together and store in airtight container. This mixture is great to feed parents who are feeding young. It is a fast source of food and they eat it very well.

Edited May 12, 200916 yr by KAZ

By a strange coincidence, I am now writing my primary medicine report on psittacine diets.

 

After a little bit of reading, perusing research and veterinary articles, I am not convinced that pellets should be avoided, nor that they are absolutely essential. I have looked at pros and cons on both sides. I think pellets have some great benefits, but don't think they should pushed on every single owner. As Kaz said, a large number of vets have seen too many cases of health issues caused by seed ONLY diets, and maybe some misunderstanding/miscommunication where the owner is "feeding vegetables" but they are actually feeding one that is not very beneficial (eg lettuce), the same two or three kinds all the time, or just not at a high enough proportion of the diet. So the birds end up getting an abundance of certain nutrients and continue to miss out on others even when fed veggies. So one way to ensure more balanced nutrition, instead of trying to get the bird (which may be have eaten seed all its life) to try many different veggies (often they will favour just a few types or they are only offerred a few types), is getting them to eat pellets. This means they will at least get enough of the (many) nutrients that seed is missing. The other thing is that it stops selective feeding. I know and trust many of you who say that your birds seem to know what nutrients they need and eat based on that. In my experience, the average pet bird will leap at the opportunity to eat sunflower all day, and we have seen that some will choose seed over veggies (not mine though!). Having a uniform pellet will stop them picking out the seeds that taste best .

 

I think, just like wing clipping, it is going to vary with birds/owners. Once again, I totally agree that a bird can thrive if the effort is made to provide a VARIETY of veggies on a DAILY basis. The base diet may be seed or pellets, depending on the veggie regime. But: with just a few veggie types, you cannot be quite sure which basic nutrients they are getting.

 

Side note: In a study where they tracked budgies in the wild, the birds were recorded to eat from between 21 to 39 different plant species.

 

More information about pellets I have found, if anyone is interested. Pellets are made by the process of extrusion, where ingredients are forced at high pressure and heat through a valve into a uniform material. Research shows it increases the palatability, digestibility and shelf life of the ingredients. They may add vitamin supplements in this process. As for reputed brands n Australia, the avian vets I have worked with consistently recommended Harrisons (formulated by a very reputed avian specialist vet), Dr Mac's (zoo and wildlife nutritionist, also masters in herbal medicine), Roudybush (reputed avian nutritionist and researcher) and Passwells (which is Wombaroo, which makes the milk replacers and other food for nursing sick/orphaned native animals). The first two are marketed for their use of organic ingredients, NO preservatives and NO added colours.

 

I'm still writing my report, so I may update with more stuff I find later.

Edited May 19, 200915 yr by Chrysocome