Vetafarm Nutriblend Pellets

[venetta]

Heya,

I was just wondering if anyone here has tried using the Vetafarm Nutriblend Pellets for their parrots??

I just bought a small bag for the ringneck, as I've bought the deli-treats previously which he loved.
They say they are a completely balanced diet for him and wouldn't need seed etc, should I believe it or should I maybe feed the both anyway??

He gets his fruit and veg also...

Any advice is appreciated!
Cheers!!

[vettepilot_6]

Hi Venetta, the way I see it is even if it is completely balanced diet, would you be happy on the same meal every day? I would keep what your doing with Fruits an Veges as well as any thing else they enjoy... Dave

[venetta]

I guess of the small parrot mix I get, he only really eats the sunflower seeds and maybe the wheat, pretty much everything else gets wasted.... lol

[vettepilot_6]

With Small Parrot mix I would buy seeds without sunflower and only give the sunflower as a treat 2 to 3 times a week otherwise it makes them obese like me or so the Doc says (mind you I'm only 90kg 5'7") and still feed the pellets if they eat them

[Myzomela]

Hi Venetta,

I think that the pellets are far superior to a parrot seed mix for pet birds. They contain a good range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids without being high in fat.
As you say, your bird only eats the sunflower seed, so his diet is roughly 55% fat every day, and deficient in many other nutrients.
The way to look at pellets is that they are a good substitute for the seed component of the diet. I don't believe they should make up 100% of any parrot's diet.
You should give your bird a wide range of vegies, greenfood & some fruit every day in addition to the pellets.
You can use anything except avocado, and I would avoid onions & rhubarb.

If your bird is not used to eating pellets you should be very careful about how you introduce them to the diet. There are some suggestions on Vetafarm's website.
Do not just change from seed to pellets suddenly or else he may starve to death! Ringnecks are usually good at eating new foods. Normally I suggest giving the birds a limited amount of seed in the morning and night eg 1 tablespoon seed, having a bowl of pellets and a bowl of vegies/fruit available all day. Repeat this daily until he starts eating the pellets
Once he starts eating the pellets you can decrease/stop the seed and use it as a treat or for training rewards.
It is worth the trouble as your bird will look better and be more resistant to illnesses.

[zebman]

I bought two pairs of hooded parrots down from Queensland two years ago, main diet was pellets and all birds were unrelated, first job was to trim all four beaks, was it not enough other food??? don't know, but one of our late big parrot breeders here in Vic the late Syd Smith said some years ago if parrots were ment to eat pellets they wouldn't have hooked beaks.

[Myzomela]

Hi Zebman,

Parrots weren't meant to eat sunflower seed, oats or millets either. None of these form part of their natural diet.
If the hoodeds had overgrown beaks then that suggests they were not given enough browse to chew on where you bought them from.
Parrots shouldn't just be kept in a rectangular wire box with 2 perches and a nest box. They need fresh branches with leaves/flowers/nuts/bark as well as edible weeds, greens etc on a regular basis.

You notice with my post I was referring to pet birds, not aviary birds.
I also said that no parrot should be kept on a pellet-only diet in my opinion.

[zebman]

Myzomelo, was not criticising or disagreeing just putting forth a personal experience, to be a bit on the cautious side of things when it comes to food for birds,have seen a lot of good and bad things over the fifty odd years I have been involved in keeping birds, and have also been guilty of making some of the bad mistakes, like buying birds unseen.