Aussie Finch Forum

I agree Deb- very misleading marketing exaggeration.
Firstly, we do not know the exact dietary requirements of any parrot species- although we know more for some species than others.
Secondly, one diet cannot be both suitable for breeding and maintenance.

The more responsible and well respected manufacturers such as Harrison's and Roudybush do not make these claims. They say something more like "Premium nutrition for pet parrots" not "a completely balanced diet". However, even Roudybush claim that they should be fed as the sole diet-something I totally disagree with.

This is an interesting issue with many aspects to consider and hence varied opinions. It's difficult to discuss and debate all the pros and cons on a forum such as this.

A warning on pellets

If you live in a humid climate (read most of coastal Aus), be aware that pellets can take up moisture from the atmosphere and 'go off' to the extent that they can cause fungal problems after a period of time

If you wish to feed pellets as a SUPPLEMENT, buy in smaller quantities( a bit dearer if you only have a few birds), store in airtight containers, and only feed what will be consumed in one day

Check the 'use by' date, if there is one ( at smaller outlets you might get a surprise)

Feed out of the weather (but we all do that with all food don't we?), and if they get wet toss them out

Good advice Arthur.

The nutrient content of pellets during storage is maximised by keeping the pellets air tight, away from light and ideally refrigerated.

Believe it or not this is also the case with dry dog & cat food but no one bothers ( imagine having a fridge big enough to hold a 30 kg bag of dog food!!!!)

The other point worth mentioning is that if birds are fed a pellet based diet ie 60% + pellets, then DO NOT supplement with vitamin or mineral additives; otherwise overdosage is quite possible.

The thing I found with pellets is its all or nothing ....Im not sure what % I was feeding but the buggers would eat the seed and hold out for more seed ingoring the pellets and these birds if not given seed would happily eat the pellets.
There was no middle road.

That's the problem with free choice Deb. It's like giving a kid the choice between fries and vegetables- they'll go for the fries every time.

If you want to feed both then the trick is to limit the amount of seed.

True.

This post has got me thinking I might try pellets again after the breeding season on the sunflower junkies mainly the quarrions and the Corella .

I feel better informed after reading this post

I only have parrots at this stage but I have one cockatiel that has a bad seed allergy so she has to be on a pellet diet (with some seed as a treat once or twice a week) this means all my inside tiels (3) are on a pellet diet, it is great, less mess etc but it is also expensive and to feed a large number of birds would be extremely expensive. I do put some out in the avairy occasionally (maybe once a week ) and find my avairy birds love them as do my pet princess and galah (who have a habit of stealing the tiels lol) I think as has been mentioned earlier in the thread it's important to remember to feed other things just the same as you would with a seed diet....all mine get greens and wet food regularly

maz wrote:I only have parrots at this stage but I have one cockatiel that has a bad seed allergy so she has to be on a pellet diet (with some seed as a treat once or twice a week) this means all my inside tiels (3) are on a pellet diet, it is great, less mess etc but it is also expensive and to feed a large number of birds would be extremely expensive. I do put some out in the avairy occasionally (maybe once a week ) and find my avairy birds love them as do my pet princess and galah (who have a habit of stealing the tiels lol) I think as has been mentioned earlier in the thread it's important to remember to feed other things just the same as you would with a seed diet....all mine get greens and wet food regularly

That is the one thing that makes me hesitate with the pellet diet. We are going to put my inside princess parrot on a pellet diet, definitely, but he is only one bird. I have around 34 birds at the moment, and I had a go at calculating how much it would cost us to feed them in a year, and it was a couple of thousand dollars a year! There is no way we are prepared to pay that much!

Also, the problem is that my dad has to care for the birds most of the time because I have to go to my mums, which means that he can't keep on measuring food and stuff, because he leaves early in the morning, and gets back at night :S

Would it be okay if we filled a hopper up with pellets, and let them take it as they pleased?

You can feed ad lib pellets except during humid weather as Arthur has stated. During wet conditions it is best not to leave it out for more than a day or two.