I love that the focus is on teaching people how to read ingredients and know what they're buying instead of just telling them "this is bad because I said so" with no explanation I've been watching your channel for a very long time now and you taught me so much when I was younger (I'm now studying zoology) mainly about not blindly trusting anyone
the fruit blend flavor ZuPreem pellets have a notice on the back. They make different bags for different percentages that feed into their diet. The fruit blend is only about 30% of pellets they should be getting. I cannot defend the food coloring but I wanted to make my point.
Yes! When I first got my bird, he just ate seeds. Now I do buy TOP’s pellets but I don’t feed them to him very often, he mainly eats vegetables, sprouts and some grains. I do sometimes feed him his low-fat, organic seed mix (mainly with foraging) too.
I know! So many people shame new bird owners into feeding only pellets. But there’s such a huge variety of pellets with variations in quality. Then I found out that they really shouldn’t be on an only pellet diet. Unfortunately my vet still believes that birds should only eat pellets, and she tried to shame me for feeding my birds fresh organic chop. Whatever! I still think she’s a good vet, just maybe a little out of touch when it comes to the daily care of birds.
@@j.rjunior5584A good place to get info on sprouting is Sprout People. They have an entire section on their website about how to sprout, how to keep the sprouts, what to use etc
@@WonderfulWorldofAwesomenessThere’s nothing wrong with birds eating pellets, as long as they don’t contain added sugar and dyes. Normally, pellets should be %60 of a bird’s diet as they provide the necessary nutrients in a balanced form, but they should be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. I don’t see a problem with people feeding their birds chopped vegetables/fruit as long as they provide a sufficient variety of all nutrients needed. Again, it’s ALL about a well balanced diet... whether you feed your bird pellets or fresh chopped fruits/vegetables, it should be well-balanced. Neither of them is wrong, just make sure it’s well balanced.
YES! Thank you for making this video! I literally spend every day in the parrot groups asking people to read the ingredients list of the pellets they use as so many people don't know what they're feeding! It's one of my pet hates as even when some people see what's inside, they just say 'oh well my bird eats it so he must like it!' - no wonder with all that sugar and garbage! I used to think Harrisons were pretty good until I did a bit more research, now I only use TOP's (though only really for their evening meal) as they get a veggie/sprouts/seed diet :)
@@hollysanford5313 they are okay, compared to many others on the market, I still offer some as part of a bit of forage. It’s best to analyse the ingredients list! I also feed more of a raw, natural diet so pellets aren’t really a part of that! 😊
When I got my two Lovebirds they were on an all-seed diet. After about a year I realized that this had to change. Now after a few months, they eat only pellets (Zupreem vegetable flavor not dyed to be specific). I thought these were really good until watching this video. This was a big step and I haven't started getting them to eat vegetables yet. I now give them seeds every couple of days and they get millet and sunflower seeds when I train them. My question is if an all pellet diet is better than an all-seed diet? The male bird has always struggled with feather plucking because of his skin. Does a seed diet also cause itchy skin? I know that feeding fresh food is better but getting them to like vegetables/fruit is going to take a while. Until then, I would like to feed them a diet that doesn't make their skin as irritated until I can get them to eat vegetables.
A year late, but since you've been replying recently, I guess it's still fine. It's better for a mix of everything 🙂 An all-seed diet can cause fatty liver disease because of too much fat. In comparison, an all-pellet diet can cause kidney issues since the pellets absorb water from the body, and birds don't drink much in the first place. Everything in moderation is best. I'm not quite sure about the plucking tho. Maybe it's PBFD (Parrot Beak & Feather Disease, I think)? Have you checked for possible fleas? Baths at least once or twice a week? Cage and/or nestbox is clean? A pair of my untame lovebirds had been getting reddish eye rings sometimes (disappears after a day or two of medication). Their babies also had the same. After their last baby, I decided to clean their nestbox. Full of dust. Made me wonder how the babies even survived in that environment. I have opened a bag of seeds before and there was a bit of dust in there too. But nobody had itchy skin.
@@SW-ej9xq First, to answer your questions, both of my birds don't like it when they are touched (they are totally tame, they just don't like to be touched) so checking for fleas is impossible. They bathe a couple times per week and their cage is always clean, they don't have a nestbox. They also look completely healthy. I put water in their pellets to make them soggy and not as dry. Rocky (the bird that plucks his feathers) still is plucking his feathers although it hasn't gotten worst (As in he isn't plucking anywhere that he hasn't already plucked. He still plucks his shoulders and chest. His chest has grey feathers but he never lets the feathers grow fully back.) It's his shoulders that seem to be itchy. I think it's because the skin is scabbed because of his plucking (there are no feathers there anymore). The other bird, Sky, who he lives with doesn't pluck her feathers.
Besides tops pellets you can also try Marlene’s signature blend and the pellets by birdtricks they both have organic and pretty much same ingredients. I use them to feed by macaws and cockatoos.
The only pellet I give my cockatiel is TOPs because it doesn’t have any crazy additives, it’s just veggies, herbs, and a little bit of seed compressed into a pellet. He’s not great at eating chop yet lol. But at least he’s on a better pellet, he was on zupreem fruit before
What if my bird doesn't like chop? I tried all kinds of veggies. I feed them by hand now steamed or raw. But pellets need to be in a birds diet. I tried Roudybush, Tops and my bird does not like the shape and rather starve. He did not eat Harrison (I had a sample) that's why I have him on Zupreem. My daughter dug up (she is a good researcher) Pcsitticus. That pellet has everything.
I feed my conure fresh peppers, parsley, fruits. As for pellets she gets Harrison’s, Zupreem fruit blend and HAEGEN Tropican mix. Cognac will have the occasional pasta penne too 😅
I think it’ll be a good idea for you to review parrot seed mixes. There are so many things added to the mixes besides seeds and peanuts. Something I also wanted to say about people thinking that pet parrots should be eating a lot seeds like wild parrots do is that in the wild, parrots like Budgies, cockatiels, kakarikis, rosellas and even Galah cockatoos do eat seeds. But, they are green grass seeds that aren’t ripe yet and that don’t have a lot of fat like ripe seeds do. They don’t eat ripe dry seeds like store bought mixes are. They pretty much eat sprouted seeds in the wild along with other plant matter.
@@nicolepilgrim3142 Also people feed their parrots way too much food. They should research how much they need for their activity and species. Then feed them only 2 X a day with the correct amount. Monitor the birds weigh so it stays a healthy weight, and adjust the amount of feed given.
for some people curious about birdtricks and tops is that tops is available in Canada as birdtricks is not. She recommends tops if you are not able to get her brand. both are natural ingredients.
TOPs pellets are basically just rebranded for Bird tricks. I can't say for 100% certainty that it's the same food, but for all intents and purposes it's the same. I really like the ingredients, and having whole foods to provide the nutritional value instead of vitamin and mineral mixes is important to me. That being said, both TOPs and BT will say that the diet is not meant to be fed as a 100% complete diet, it really does promote feeding veggies, healthy seeds, nuts and so on. That being said, it's been my experience that where I live (we have extreme weather changes, from - 40c to +40c within a 6 month period 😅) and I don't find that TOPs provides enough calories for my birds to stay at a healthy weight and muscle tone. I don't mind feeding TOPs in the summer or in a mix of pellets, but I find that they just aren't dense enough for my birds
Love this review! Clears up so many questions i had. Looking forward for the review on seeds cause i ashtrays wonder if the seeds i give my bird is the healthiest.
Hello, just watched video and I read a lot of comments saying that pellets are bad for birds. I have my birds in an all seed diet but I never knew it was bad which is why I’m trying to mix pellets in the diet. I am not sure if I should though because everyone is saying it’s bad. I do occasionally give them fruits and veggies as well.
@@HappyTailsAnimals I just give my moustache parakeet chop and fruit he is a pretty good eater, he likes 4 fruit (banana, apple, mango and watermelon) is this a bad thing ? I give him very few nuts like walnut, cashew and sunflower seed very seldom and birdseeds very very seldom.. is this good enough for him to eat?
@@HappyTailsAnimals oh so stick with giving him mainly chop which I make with different raw veggies green peas and quinoa and amaranth and give him fruit occasionally? He’s about 6 mths old
Do American labels include the quantity of the ingredients, and/or how much trace element of the ingredients has to be present for it to be on the label?
Pellets are the worst diet for birds. My bird was on a pellet based diet and he was on the verge of dying. He was on roudybush and zupreem, and at some point harrison. He also ate veggies and fruits and sprouts. But almost 50 to 60 percent pellets. But there was a big problem. Even though he spent almost all the day with us and was very busy playing all the time, he started plucking at the age of almost 4 months old. For months, I took him to vets and they could not understand what was wrong with him and they all said based on his age and condition he should not be plucking! Spending close to 2 grands on vets did not work and none could help. So one day, I finally got mad. I put all the pellets in the garbage bin and I said to my partner, if he is dying, I want him to die happy. So I transfered him to a seed based diet with a variety of seeds (gave him small amounts so he ate all different types of seeds) and with lots of fruits and vegetables. The transformation was almost instant. Within a day I could see how much happier he was. Within a week his plucking got almost 60, 70 percent better. Right now, after 2.5 weeks, he has almost fully stopped plucking. One super interesting thing is that he resumed his molting again. He started molting in May, but his molt never completed and he stopped molting within a couple of months and he did not lose even one Feather through molting until January. But within almost a week after I changed his diet, he lost 2 of his biggesr feathers. At first I thought it was just rando. Then 4 days ago after almost 10 days, he lost 2 more big feathers as well, and yesterday 4 more and 2 are wing feathers and 2 tail feathers. I know the difference between molting and plucking, and I know he is not plucking them. He has resumed molting again. The most natural process of his body has started again only after I removed pellets. And to me that's a telling that his natural body process is coming back to a mormal. And the only change was replacing pellets with seeds. I will never ever give my bird even one more pellet in his lifetime. Even the best ones are only junk food. I love watching him preening and taking care of his beautiful feathers and not plucking at them anymore. If your birds are plucking and you can't find the reason, remove the pellets. They might work fine for some birds, but they are not good for all of them.
but dont birds get fatty liver disease because seeds are way too fatty. Seeds should be fed in very small amounts. How can you sill feed alot of seeds when it gives a horrible disease?
@@weshouldsaveourselves6780 Mine is doing very well on seeds. He is growing his feathers back. Does not scratch or pluck at all anymore. This about it. How come humans get sick if they eat processed foods all the time, but when it comes to birds, it's good!!! I am never giving my bird even one piece of pellet. I am giving him a mixture of various seeds, vegetables, and fruits. And he is now perfectly fine.
@@shibaak my previous comment was one of misinformation. I agree with you. I think you shouldnt feed fatty seeds like sunflower seeds and the like. Healthy seeds like flax seeds and barley seeds are amazing and very nutritious. They should make up most of the diet then also fresh veggies and fruits. :) God bless
@@weshouldsaveourselves6780I got a Senegal, she had chronic dermititis, so stressful to watch, she just looked constantly itchy, I've removed Harrison's, mainly natural foods now with a few tops pellets thrown in. Seeing improvements....if I don't get her totally back to normal soon she's going on seeds
I have been driving myself crazy on how to get my cockatiel on pure pellets. And, I recently found a cockatiel on UA-cam who just celebrated 32 years. His owner had him on seeds, fruits and vegetables. I also had my doubts about pellets it’s processed. I feed my bird oatmeal with baked fruits or vegetables and they love it. I by organic bird seeds by Island Treats and add pellets. I don’t give them sunflower or peanuts. I am know convinced that it’s all about money. Thank you for telling us your first hand story. If you have other information please share.
Hi, I really like your video’s and I’ve been wanting to get a bird recently, in the place I’m living it’s really difficult to find good quality pellets, sooo the question I have is it healthy for a bird to just eat chop as their main diet, and not eat pellets at all?
Yes it's fine if they don't eat pellets as long as their have a big variety in their chop. But just so you know, none of us live where there are good pellets, we have to order online.
my Quaker parrot refuses to eat different types of parrot food so I gave up and left it on a seed mixture and occasionally it gets fruit vegetables, rice, bread, chicken, eggs etc.
@@HappyTailsAnimals sorry, unfortunately not being English as my native language, I have a little difficulty understanding the whole video, I understood that some pellets products are too rich in fat and don't really provide adeguate nutrition, sorry, I do my best !
Yeah I’m wondering that too because my bird is in an all seed diet. Which is bad so I’m trying to switch them to pellets but now I don’t even know if I should lol
I would recommend adding even pelllets and using seeds only in foraging toys and while teaching tricks also u should feed ur birds chop,pellets and fruits once or twice a week as birds love variety and it is always great to provide them a varied and healthy diet
Great educational video! I am trying to find a pellet feed for a 5 year old cockatiel who has been eating 100% seed his whole life. I would also love to see the video about seed blends! Thank you
Hey I have a question In my country tops and Harrison's are really expensive like 130$ and more I can't afford that amount and just 1kg pellets and in cheap we have zupreem and roudybush So what should I do
I feed my dog a mix of Blue buffalo and Merriek dry food with Blue buffalo wet food. Do you think that is a good diet and are those good dog food brands in your opinion? I know kibble isn’t the best thing to feed a dog but I want to know your honest opinion. By the way I love your channel and want to make sure my fur baby has a good diet.
Blue Buffalo and Merrick are very high carb dog foods that don't source high quality ingredients. If you're able to switch brands, I recommend doing so but if you're unable to, simply adding whole fresh food from the supermarket as food toppers can help increase the quality of your dog's diet. You can add things like eggs, meat, fish, gently-cooked vegetables/greens, and fruits (not too much though!). Adding homemade bone broth (UA-cam has lots of good recipes) also is a great food topper as it's very palatable and full of nutrients, as well as the fact that it adds moisture to the kibble (which is very important! kibble is extremely low in moisture which is stressful for the kidneys)
Did your Amazon like tops food. I tried my two exotic birds on Birdtricks food they would not eat it had a green strong smell so that money wasted. My African Grey is funny about his food
Well with respect they never said they added sugar, its just a content list and all food has sugar. So they were just being truthful a trust factor that is important. Moderation is the key to life. If you think the wild offers all things good your sadly mistaken, just because things are natural doesn't mean its good for you or animals and birds alike.
@@HappyTailsAnimals Well It didn't randomly pop into my head, I responded to a comment that you made in the video and i did say with respect, but your attack on my intelligence, is rude and unnecessary, As though you have some authority, it is pathetic. Even the dull and ignorant have their views, I guess that's why you commented. You should get your facts right first, before attacking your viewers for correcting your misleading information and dirtying other peoples products. Truth matters, You have a nice day now.
I'd still not feed them those pellets, they poop rainbow lol. Used these pellets as a way to get them to eat pellets and it worked. Now they eat almost any pellet food I give them (regardless if it has color or not). But yeah, you are correct. I never had a problem either when I had them on zupreem pellets for a year, but it was also not the only part of their diet.
@@NeonAmnesia Sounds like your birds are happy and so are you :) That's a great combination. stress kills us and other animals real quick. I think change is like a holiday. Cheers Neon
The dyes are at the very bottom of the list. It is worth mentioning that my bird is in excellent condition with a healthy bill of health, thanks to a diet consisting of tops, Zupreem, and fresh vegetables/fruits. I understand that not everyone can afford tops, but as long as they are not solely feeding seeds and providing fresh produce, I believe they are doing an excellent job.
Can someone please explain in details why pellets are more recommended to give a bird than seed diets that are sold in pet stores since I've been trying to explain my mother for the past 3 months that I want to change our seed diet and for him eat pellets and maybe even get our bird to eat veggies and fruits
Pellets are not entirely bad, just only bad when that's the only thing you're giving them. I give my birds pellets too but it's not their main diet, more like supplementation as I want to make sure they're getting all of their nutrients along with the fresh foods I feed them. Seed only diet is high in fat and could cause many health problems in the future.
Hello I am new and my amazon parrot is about 4 months old now, I put apples and grapes in the bowl but my parrot not eating at all , can you help me please
COOL.. I JUST bought Topps ... my bird wont touch it yet.. she just picks it out .. and toss it out of her bowl but.. IM NOT feeding her any more Zoopreeme.. no way. IM going to struggle to get her to eat the tops..
The so called organic pellets are not organic at all. If you see at the pack of the packaging the list of ingredients is mentioned. It would the same as the coloured pellets by zupreem. The only difference is they are not coloured. It is having sugar. You can try Marlene’s signature blend and pellets by birdtricks. My cockatoos and macaws eat that and are healthy. Both the pellets I am telling you are fully organic and the same as tops infact they have the 100% same copy to copy ingredients as tops.please try the pellets I am suggesting you.
Lafeber nutriberries are superior as a complete diet. My African Grey is 17 years old and has been fed them from 3 months of age. He absolutely thrives on them. I've had no health issues with him whatsoever in all that time. Touchwood. He won't look at veggies or fruit either or other pelleted food. I ad lib with cheese, chicken, beef, lamb, noodles, a little bit of this and that. Oh how I've tried over the years with veggies believe me! I gave up trying a long time ago. He's fine and healthy and that's what matters at the end of the day really isn't it.
@HappyTailsAnimals Well like I said I've tried. My parrot detest veggies. After 17 years with a healthy happy bird I won't be wasting my efforts anymore. A little bit of this and a little bit of that has kept him well along with a high quality African Grey seed mix and of course the excellent and very nutritious and most palatable nutriberries. They are very expensive but worth it in my opinion. I'm not doing anything wrong either. My parrot simply doesn't like veggies. Can't force him to eat them. I'm no longer concerned. At the end of the day my boy is healthy and that's all that matters to me.
I was advised to feed zupreme fruit blend by my veterinarian and the pet product store. I don’t know why I was so oblivious! For almost 3 years now I’ve been feeding my birds junk. I am switching to 100% chop by the end of my final exams. Thank you so much. 😥
So like, all bird pellets are basically garbage? Except maybe Harrison's and Tops. All is ok really except Kaytee brands, and some Zupreem. As long as they're not the only thing being fed, and if most of their diet is fresh foods as you mention.
Vet made me switch my cockatiel from seeds to pellets because he was overweight. My cockatiels like the Zupreem fruitblend. Birds are stubborn and don't eat everything you offer.
@@k.gressel4536 they can have seeds, they eat seeds in the wild its just not meant to be a main part of their diet. My Amazon has pellets and veg as her main diet and seeds/nuts for treats and training
@@natashlaarx Well seeds are for training AND in the wild the fly for miles and miles to get there food does your bird fly for miles and miles? No get that inside your head 👏
@@natashlaarx birds in the wild and in captivity have very very different lives, pet parrots don't fly for miles on end for hours foraging for food, spending a lot of energy and fat. pet birds eat out a food bowl, don't fly nearly as much and far as their wild counterparts, and don't spend hours foraging for food. in captivity, too much seeds can result in gaining too much weight, because they don't spend hours flying every day. pellets and fresh veggies is the best diet for captive parrots.
Does anyone here feed lafeber’s? The only downside it has is they use ethoxyquin but it’s supposed to be very minimal. And at least they’re honest about putting it in.
That's not true. That's just what a lot of people have told you. Seed based diet with fresh veggies and fruits are the best. The same way that I don't eat fast food, I don't give my bird pellets either. I have had my practice and I am not going to kill my bird by giving him more pellets. Even the best ones are only junk!
I have to add something important....it is worse than you think with these foods because the CORN, SOY and WHEAT is basically stuff the factories are throwing away as they are NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. They are using the most poor quality, rejected, rubbish waste to make these pellets, even organic, its just organic trash. Broken seeds, grains, undersized, discoloured, or just crusty woody parts. Then they BAKE it all, which destroys enzymes, vitamins left in the crappy ingredients, so they have to add man made vitamins and other chemicals to add nutrition and preserve it. It's a big marketing scam, making people get big profits of cheap and crappy ingredients, then making out its super healthy for our pets. Of course the vets recommend them, as they are sponsored by these big companies to promote their brands. Worse, we are made to think we are abusing or neglecting our birds if we feed them seeds!!! It makes me so mad. Please, feed a natural diet, in the correct amounts, with vegetables, sprouted pulses, seeds and grains, small amount of fruit and egg food. Don't over feed to make them get fat, and give them plenty of flying exercise. You will have very healthy and happy birds.
Ah yes, TOPS, that will get some Kelp into my parrots diet! My cockatiel lived 27 1/2 years, never had kidney or liver disease, eating 70% good seed mix, 25% food from our table like pasta, rice, corn, spinach, and had 5% Harrison's, which he would rarely nibble on. I think that's the best diet in the world. Your results may vary. I don't need citations or evidence, opinion is enough. Cheers.
Your parrots are adorable! I was wondering if you could do more videos with your other pets ( no birds I mean) maybe a video with your rabbits, cats, chinchillas etc. thanks! Edit: like if you agree every one!
I love that the focus is on teaching people how to read ingredients and know what they're buying instead of just telling them "this is bad because I said so" with no explanation I've been watching your channel for a very long time now and you taught me so much when I was younger (I'm now studying zoology) mainly about not blindly trusting anyone
the fruit blend flavor ZuPreem pellets have a notice on the back. They make different bags for different percentages that feed into their diet. The fruit blend is only about 30% of pellets they should be getting. I cannot defend the food coloring but I wanted to make my point.
Yes! When I first got my bird, he just ate seeds. Now I do buy TOP’s pellets but I don’t feed them to him very often, he mainly eats vegetables, sprouts and some grains. I do sometimes feed him his low-fat, organic seed mix (mainly with foraging) too.
I know Im kinda off topic but does anyone know of a good place to stream newly released tv shows online?
I'm a bit confused on how too sprout seeds, and how long doo they last in the food bowl
I know! So many people shame new bird owners into feeding only pellets. But there’s such a huge variety of pellets with variations in quality. Then I found out that they really shouldn’t be on an only pellet diet. Unfortunately my vet still believes that birds should only eat pellets, and she tried to shame me for feeding my birds fresh organic chop. Whatever! I still think she’s a good vet, just maybe a little out of touch when it comes to the daily care of birds.
@@j.rjunior5584A good place to get info on sprouting is Sprout People. They have an entire section on their website about how to sprout, how to keep the sprouts, what to use etc
@@WonderfulWorldofAwesomenessThere’s nothing wrong with birds eating pellets, as long as they don’t contain added sugar and dyes. Normally, pellets should be %60 of a bird’s diet as they provide the necessary nutrients in a balanced form, but they should be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. I don’t see a problem with people feeding their birds chopped vegetables/fruit as long as they provide a sufficient variety of all nutrients needed. Again, it’s ALL about a well balanced diet... whether you feed your bird pellets or fresh chopped fruits/vegetables, it should be well-balanced. Neither of them is wrong, just make sure it’s well balanced.
YES! Thank you for making this video! I literally spend every day in the parrot groups asking people to read the ingredients list of the pellets they use as so many people don't know what they're feeding! It's one of my pet hates as even when some people see what's inside, they just say 'oh well my bird eats it so he must like it!' - no wonder with all that sugar and garbage!
I used to think Harrisons were pretty good until I did a bit more research, now I only use TOP's (though only really for their evening meal) as they get a veggie/sprouts/seed diet :)
What is TOPs?
hey I watch ur channel!
What is bad about Harrison’s? Curious since my avian vet recommended those but I’ve also heard the best pellet is the one they will eat. 😕
@@hollysanford5313 they are okay, compared to many others on the market, I still offer some as part of a bit of forage. It’s best to analyse the ingredients list!
I also feed more of a raw, natural diet so pellets aren’t really a part of that! 😊
Any opinions on roudybush?
When I got my two Lovebirds they were on an all-seed diet. After about a year I realized that this had to change. Now after a few months, they eat only pellets (Zupreem vegetable flavor not dyed to be specific). I thought these were really good until watching this video. This was a big step and I haven't started getting them to eat vegetables yet. I now give them seeds every couple of days and they get millet and sunflower seeds when I train them. My question is if an all pellet diet is better than an all-seed diet? The male bird has always struggled with feather plucking because of his skin. Does a seed diet also cause itchy skin? I know that feeding fresh food is better but getting them to like vegetables/fruit is going to take a while. Until then, I would like to feed them a diet that doesn't make their skin as irritated until I can get them to eat vegetables.
To me pellets r definitely wayyyyyy better than an all seed diet
If your parrot is plucking spray them once a day
@@witherbons8571 I've tried but he doesn't like it and it doesn't seem to help.
A year late, but since you've been replying recently, I guess it's still fine. It's better for a mix of everything 🙂
An all-seed diet can cause fatty liver disease because of too much fat. In comparison, an all-pellet diet can cause kidney issues since the pellets absorb water from the body, and birds don't drink much in the first place. Everything in moderation is best.
I'm not quite sure about the plucking tho. Maybe it's PBFD (Parrot Beak & Feather Disease, I think)? Have you checked for possible fleas? Baths at least once or twice a week? Cage and/or nestbox is clean?
A pair of my untame lovebirds had been getting reddish eye rings sometimes (disappears after a day or two of medication). Their babies also had the same. After their last baby, I decided to clean their nestbox. Full of dust. Made me wonder how the babies even survived in that environment.
I have opened a bag of seeds before and there was a bit of dust in there too. But nobody had itchy skin.
@@SW-ej9xq First, to answer your questions, both of my birds don't like it when they are touched (they are totally tame, they just don't like to be touched) so checking for fleas is impossible. They bathe a couple times per week and their cage is always clean, they don't have a nestbox. They also look completely healthy. I put water in their pellets to make them soggy and not as dry. Rocky (the bird that plucks his feathers) still is plucking his feathers although it hasn't gotten worst (As in he isn't plucking anywhere that he hasn't already plucked. He still plucks his shoulders and chest. His chest has grey feathers but he never lets the feathers grow fully back.) It's his shoulders that seem to be itchy. I think it's because the skin is scabbed because of his plucking (there are no feathers there anymore). The other bird, Sky, who he lives with doesn't pluck her feathers.
Don’t be shy review the zupreem natural one or their all vegetable treats!
Besides tops pellets you can also try Marlene’s signature blend and the pellets by birdtricks they both have organic and pretty much same ingredients. I use them to feed by macaws and cockatoos.
Hey do you live in India? If so how do you get the pellets for birdtricks
The only pellet I give my cockatiel is TOPs because it doesn’t have any crazy additives, it’s just veggies, herbs, and a little bit of seed compressed into a pellet. He’s not great at eating chop yet lol. But at least he’s on a better pellet, he was on zupreem fruit before
Wait she said parrots don't eat meat, but in the wild they do😅 insects, and sometimes even little frogs and such
What if my bird doesn't like chop? I tried all kinds of veggies. I feed them by hand now steamed or raw. But pellets need to be in a birds diet. I tried Roudybush, Tops and my bird does not like the shape and rather starve. He did not eat Harrison (I had a sample) that's why I have him on Zupreem. My daughter dug up (she is a good researcher) Pcsitticus. That pellet has everything.
Chop is way more important for their diet. Check my parrot playlist. They do not need pellets and are fine without.
Zupreem Fruit Blend is delicious just like Fruit Loops cereal. You may as well add some coconut milk to it for your birbs.
Those are my parrots and budgies' favorite pellets. The second ones are Psittacus pellets.
Tried them myself, they taste like fruit loops minus the sugar.
I feed my conure fresh peppers, parsley, fruits. As for pellets she gets Harrison’s, Zupreem fruit blend and HAEGEN Tropican mix. Cognac will have the occasional pasta penne too 😅
I think it’ll be a good idea for you to review parrot seed mixes. There are so many things added to the mixes besides seeds and peanuts.
Something I also wanted to say about people thinking that pet parrots should be eating a lot seeds like wild parrots do is that in the wild, parrots like Budgies, cockatiels, kakarikis, rosellas and even Galah cockatoos do eat seeds. But, they are green grass seeds that aren’t ripe yet and that don’t have a lot of fat like ripe seeds do. They don’t eat ripe dry seeds like store bought mixes are. They pretty much eat sprouted seeds in the wild along with other plant matter.
They also burn it off by having to fly around far distances
@@nicolepilgrim3142 Also people feed their parrots way too much food. They should research how much they need for their activity and species. Then feed them only 2 X a day with the correct amount. Monitor the birds weigh so it stays a healthy weight, and adjust the amount of feed given.
for some people curious about birdtricks and tops is that tops is available in Canada as birdtricks is not. She recommends tops if you are not able to get her brand. both are natural ingredients.
What about BirdTricks pellets? They have awesome ingredients imo
Like I said in the video, the point isnt for me go review every brand but to give you the knowledge to decide for yourself.
The BirdTricks pellets are just TOP's rebranded :)
@@BirdNerdSophie yep
TOPs pellets are basically just rebranded for Bird tricks. I can't say for 100% certainty that it's the same food, but for all intents and purposes it's the same.
I really like the ingredients, and having whole foods to provide the nutritional value instead of vitamin and mineral mixes is important to me. That being said, both TOPs and BT will say that the diet is not meant to be fed as a 100% complete diet, it really does promote feeding veggies, healthy seeds, nuts and so on.
That being said, it's been my experience that where I live (we have extreme weather changes, from - 40c to +40c within a 6 month period 😅) and I don't find that TOPs provides enough calories for my birds to stay at a healthy weight and muscle tone. I don't mind feeding TOPs in the summer or in a mix of pellets, but I find that they just aren't dense enough for my birds
@@BirdNerdSophie I watch your UA-cam channel
Love this review! Clears up so many questions i had. Looking forward for the review on seeds cause i ashtrays wonder if the seeds i give my bird is the healthiest.
Thank you for the great and clear explanation. This made so much sense 👏
Thank you so much!
Grateful to have found your channel. Please keep it up!!!! 💙💙💙
@@nazadi853 Hey, what do blue hearts symbolize? I could search it but can’t be bothered.
@@mayaprobably just my favorite color lol
@@nazadi853 nicee
Hello, just watched video and I read a lot of comments saying that pellets are bad for birds. I have my birds in an all seed diet but I never knew it was bad which is why I’m trying to mix pellets in the diet. I am not sure if I should though because everyone is saying it’s bad. I do occasionally give them fruits and veggies as well.
An all seed diet is a worse diet than pellets. Pellets are not good which is what I explained in the video, but what you are feeding is much worse.
@@HappyTailsAnimals I just give my moustache parakeet chop and fruit he is a pretty good eater, he likes 4 fruit (banana, apple, mango and watermelon) is this a bad thing ? I give him very few nuts like walnut, cashew and sunflower seed very seldom and birdseeds very very seldom.. is this good enough for him to eat?
@@nicolepilgrim3142 no, he should be eating vegetables not fruit
@@HappyTailsAnimals oh so stick with giving him mainly chop which I make with different raw veggies green peas and quinoa and amaranth and give him fruit occasionally? He’s about 6 mths old
If the pellets aren't cold pressed they're trash imo.
Yup
My Senegal was getting seriously itchy skin on Harrison's so I've switched to tops
Do American labels include the quantity of the ingredients, and/or how much trace element of the ingredients has to be present for it to be on the label?
My avian vet recommends zupreme fruit and veggie blend pellets. why do vets do this when the ingredients are not good??
Which is better
Pellet zupreem or roudybush , with veggies sprouts and homemade seed mix
Or veggies sprouts and homemade seed mix ...no pellets
I cant find any pellets in any of my pet stores, and I was thinking of getting a bird in a few months. Do i NEED the pellets?
So true! Others don't belive me when I saw rainbow pellets are bad for your bird people just start hating on me- 😭💅✨
Pellets are the worst diet for birds. My bird was on a pellet based diet and he was on the verge of dying. He was on roudybush and zupreem, and at some point harrison. He also ate veggies and fruits and sprouts. But almost 50 to 60 percent pellets.
But there was a big problem. Even though he spent almost all the day with us and was very busy playing all the time, he started plucking at the age of almost 4 months old. For months, I took him to vets and they could not understand what was wrong with him and they all said based on his age and condition he should not be plucking! Spending close to 2 grands on vets did not work and none could help.
So one day, I finally got mad. I put all the pellets in the garbage bin and I said to my partner, if he is dying, I want him to die happy. So I transfered him to a seed based diet with a variety of seeds (gave him small amounts so he ate all different types of seeds) and with lots of fruits and vegetables. The transformation was almost instant. Within a day I could see how much happier he was. Within a week his plucking got almost 60, 70 percent better. Right now, after 2.5 weeks, he has almost fully stopped plucking. One super interesting thing is that he resumed his molting again. He started molting in May, but his molt never completed and he stopped molting within a couple of months and he did not lose even one Feather through molting until January. But within almost a week after I changed his diet, he lost 2 of his biggesr feathers. At first I thought it was just rando. Then 4 days ago after almost 10 days, he lost 2 more big feathers as well, and yesterday 4 more and 2 are wing feathers and 2 tail feathers. I know the difference between molting and plucking, and I know he is not plucking them. He has resumed molting again. The most natural process of his body has started again only after I removed pellets.
And to me that's a telling that his natural body process is coming back to a mormal. And the only change was replacing pellets with seeds. I will never ever give my bird even one more pellet in his lifetime. Even the best ones are only junk food. I love watching him preening and taking care of his beautiful feathers and not plucking at them anymore.
If your birds are plucking and you can't find the reason, remove the pellets. They might work fine for some birds, but they are not good for all of them.
but dont birds get fatty liver disease because seeds are way too fatty. Seeds should be fed in very small amounts. How can you sill feed alot of seeds when it gives a horrible disease?
@@weshouldsaveourselves6780 Mine is doing very well on seeds. He is growing his feathers back. Does not scratch or pluck at all anymore.
This about it. How come humans get sick if they eat processed foods all the time, but when it comes to birds, it's good!!! I am never giving my bird even one piece of pellet. I am giving him a mixture of various seeds, vegetables, and fruits. And he is now perfectly fine.
@@shibaak my previous comment was one of misinformation. I agree with you.
I think you shouldnt feed fatty seeds like sunflower seeds and the like.
Healthy seeds like flax seeds and barley seeds are amazing and very nutritious.
They should make up most of the diet then also fresh veggies and fruits. :)
God bless
@@weshouldsaveourselves6780I got a Senegal, she had chronic dermititis, so stressful to watch, she just looked constantly itchy, I've removed Harrison's, mainly natural foods now with a few tops pellets thrown in. Seeing improvements....if I don't get her totally back to normal soon she's going on seeds
I have been driving myself crazy on how to get my cockatiel on pure pellets. And, I recently found a cockatiel on UA-cam who just celebrated 32 years. His owner had him on seeds, fruits and vegetables. I also had my doubts about pellets it’s processed. I feed my bird oatmeal with baked fruits or vegetables and they love it. I by organic bird seeds by Island Treats and add pellets. I don’t give them sunflower or peanuts. I am know convinced that it’s all about money. Thank you for telling us your first hand story. If you have other information please share.
Hi, I really like your video’s and I’ve been wanting to get a bird recently, in the place I’m living it’s really difficult to find good quality pellets, sooo the question I have is it healthy for a bird to just eat chop as their main diet, and not eat pellets at all?
Yes it's fine if they don't eat pellets as long as their have a big variety in their chop. But just so you know, none of us live where there are good pellets, we have to order online.
@@HappyTailsAnimals yes ik but here shipping is REALLY expensive also thanks for the advice
Love this video! Looking forward to the seed review one.
Thank you!
I wonder can wild bird eat this too. ? Or is it just for parrots?
my Quaker parrot refuses to eat different types of parrot food so I gave up and left it on a seed mixture and occasionally it gets fruit vegetables, rice, bread, chicken, eggs etc.
Ok so, what the best brand food for my caique?
It's like you didn't even watch this :(
@@HappyTailsAnimals sorry, unfortunately not being English as my native language, I have a little difficulty understanding the whole video, I understood that some pellets products are too rich in fat and don't really provide adeguate nutrition, sorry, I do my best !
So would you recommend a mainly chop and seed diet ?? And just avoid pellets all together?
Yeah I’m wondering that too because my bird is in an all seed diet. Which is bad so I’m trying to switch them to pellets but now I don’t even know if I should lol
I would recommend adding even pelllets and using seeds only in foraging toys and while teaching tricks also u should feed ur birds chop,pellets and fruits once or twice a week as birds love variety and it is always great to provide them a varied and healthy diet
Great educational video! I am trying to find a pellet feed for a 5 year old cockatiel who has been eating 100% seed his whole life. I would also love to see the video about seed blends! Thank you
Hey I have a question
In my country tops and Harrison's are really expensive like 130$ and more I can't afford that amount and just 1kg pellets and in cheap we have zupreem and roudybush
So what should I do
Zupreem is great with veggies. Just remember to look up what foods are toxic bc there are ALOT.
I feed my dog a mix of Blue buffalo and Merriek dry food with Blue buffalo wet food. Do you think that is a good diet and are those good dog food brands in your opinion? I know kibble isn’t the best thing to feed a dog but I want to know your honest opinion.
By the way I love your channel and want to make sure my fur baby has a good diet.
Blue Buffalo and Merrick are very high carb dog foods that don't source high quality ingredients. If you're able to switch brands, I recommend doing so but if you're unable to, simply adding whole fresh food from the supermarket as food toppers can help increase the quality of your dog's diet. You can add things like eggs, meat, fish, gently-cooked vegetables/greens, and fruits (not too much though!). Adding homemade bone broth (UA-cam has lots of good recipes) also is a great food topper as it's very palatable and full of nutrients, as well as the fact that it adds moisture to the kibble (which is very important! kibble is extremely low in moisture which is stressful for the kidneys)
emmaweebler Thank you
I’m going to start giving him chicken and beef with veggies instead. Thanks for the advice
Feathertail Forever no problem :) glad I could help
What's your thoughts on Harrison's high potency for African grey
Hi
I was wondering if I can please email you about the pellets we are feeding our macaws is there a way of sending you a PM ?
Kind Regards
Leanne
I've been feeding my Amazon, Zupreme for years. After watching this video, I will now switch to Tops. Thank you for this video.
Did your Amazon like tops food. I tried my two exotic birds on Birdtricks food they would not eat it had a green strong smell so that money wasted. My African Grey is funny about his food
Where can you buy Tops pellets? I've never heard of them.
On their website, just type in Tops pellets and click on their website then click on pellets.
You can buy it from Amazon or from their website itself.
Is the humidity thing safe for birds
Thankyou for spreading this message! I 100% agree! I feed an all natural raw diet to my green cheeks, with a small portion of it as TOPS pellets🥰
Seed mix review please!!
Well with respect they never said they added sugar, its just a content list and all food has sugar. So they were just being truthful a trust factor that is important.
Moderation is the key to life. If you think the wild offers all things good your sadly mistaken, just because things are natural doesn't mean its good for you or animals and birds alike.
You should research instead of just randomly say things that pop into your head.
@@HappyTailsAnimals Well It didn't randomly pop into my head, I responded to a comment that you made in the video and i did say with respect, but your attack on my intelligence, is rude and unnecessary, As though you have some authority, it is pathetic.
Even the dull and ignorant have their views, I guess that's why you commented.
You should get your facts right first, before attacking your viewers for correcting your misleading information and dirtying other peoples products. Truth matters, You have a nice day now.
I'd still not feed them those pellets, they poop rainbow lol. Used these pellets as a way to get them to eat pellets and it worked. Now they eat almost any pellet food I give them (regardless if it has color or not). But yeah, you are correct. I never had a problem either when I had them on zupreem pellets for a year, but it was also not the only part of their diet.
@@NeonAmnesia Sounds like your birds are happy and so are you :) That's a great combination. stress kills us and other animals real quick.
I think change is like a holiday. Cheers Neon
The dyes are at the very bottom of the list. It is worth mentioning that my bird is in excellent condition with a healthy bill of health, thanks to a diet consisting of tops, Zupreem, and fresh vegetables/fruits. I understand that not everyone can afford tops, but as long as they are not solely feeding seeds and providing fresh produce, I believe they are doing an excellent job.
If you are feeding fresh food there is no need for pellets.
Can someone please explain in details why pellets are more recommended to give a bird than seed diets that are sold in pet stores since I've been trying to explain my mother for the past 3 months that I want to change our seed diet and for him eat pellets and maybe even get our bird to eat veggies and fruits
Did you watch this video?
Pellets are not entirely bad, just only bad when that's the only thing you're giving them. I give my birds pellets too but it's not their main diet, more like supplementation as I want to make sure they're getting all of their nutrients along with the fresh foods I feed them. Seed only diet is high in fat and could cause many health problems in the future.
Hello I am new and my amazon parrot is about 4 months old now, I put apples and grapes in the bowl but my parrot not eating at all , can you help me please
What about the seed brands
COOL.. I JUST bought Topps ... my bird wont touch it yet.. she just picks it out .. and toss it out of her bowl but.. IM NOT feeding her any more Zoopreeme.. no way. IM going to struggle to get her to eat the tops..
What Harrison one do you recomend
Fantastic information very interesting thank you very much.
You only reviewed the fruit blend tho Zupreem has organic too Whats ur opinion on those
The so called organic pellets are not organic at all. If you see at the pack of the packaging the list of ingredients is mentioned. It would the same as the coloured pellets by zupreem. The only difference is they are not coloured. It is having sugar. You can try Marlene’s signature blend and pellets by birdtricks. My cockatoos and macaws eat that and are healthy. Both the pellets I am telling you are fully organic and the same as tops infact they have the 100% same copy to copy ingredients as tops.please try the pellets I am suggesting you.
Lafeber nutriberries are superior as a complete diet. My African Grey is 17 years old and has been fed them from 3 months of age. He absolutely thrives on them. I've had no health issues with him whatsoever in all that time. Touchwood. He won't look at veggies or fruit either or other pelleted food. I ad lib with cheese, chicken, beef, lamb, noodles, a little bit of this and that. Oh how I've tried over the years with veggies believe me! I gave up trying a long time ago. He's fine and healthy and that's what matters at the end of the day really isn't it.
If you want to feed vegetables to your parrot, you just do it. If you can't get them to eat it, you are doing something wrong.
@HappyTailsAnimals Well like I said I've tried. My parrot detest veggies. After 17 years with a healthy happy bird I won't be wasting my efforts anymore. A little bit of this and a little bit of that has kept him well along with a high quality African Grey seed mix and of course the excellent and very nutritious and most palatable nutriberries. They are very expensive but worth it in my opinion. I'm not doing anything wrong either. My parrot simply doesn't like veggies. Can't force him to eat them. I'm no longer concerned. At the end of the day my boy is healthy and that's all that matters to me.
Thank you! Such good information!
I was advised to feed zupreme fruit blend by my veterinarian and the pet product store. I don’t know why I was so oblivious! For almost 3 years now I’ve been feeding my birds junk. I am switching to 100% chop by the end of my final exams. Thank you so much. 😥
Maybe you should get a new avian board certified vet.
Can you make another video that is pets to buy for kids but more options
We are not getting a Bird but I will ask you what typed of them to get ............
Fantastic video thank you.
So like, all bird pellets are basically garbage? Except maybe Harrison's and Tops. All is ok really except Kaytee brands, and some Zupreem. As long as they're not the only thing being fed, and if most of their diet is fresh foods as you mention.
Vet made me switch my cockatiel from seeds to pellets because he was overweight.
My cockatiels like the Zupreem fruitblend. Birds are stubborn and don't eat everything you offer.
Vets give such bad advice :(
zupreem naturals react to it please
Alfa alfa is a kind of grass.
Can you please make the video on rats
I can't get over the fact that your hair suits you so much 😂
I was an idiot before to feed bread to birds. Now I give unboiled rice seeds(obviously wild)
Or veggies.
Please do the seed one!x
THEY CANT HAVE SEEDS I MADE THAT MISTAKE PELLETS ARE SO MUCH BETTER
@@k.gressel4536 they can have seeds, they eat seeds in the wild its just not meant to be a main part of their diet. My Amazon has pellets and veg as her main diet and seeds/nuts for treats and training
@@natashlaarx Well seeds are for training AND in the wild the fly for miles and miles to get there food does your bird fly for miles and miles? No get that inside your head 👏
@@natashlaarx birds in the wild and in captivity have very very different lives, pet parrots don't fly for miles on end for hours foraging for food, spending a lot of energy and fat. pet birds eat out a food bowl, don't fly nearly as much and far as their wild counterparts, and don't spend hours foraging for food. in captivity, too much seeds can result in gaining too much weight, because they don't spend hours flying every day. pellets and fresh veggies is the best diet for captive parrots.
@@SirPigeon420 I know this now :) but thank you for your comment
can you do a vid about sugar glider diet???? plssssssssssss
Can u show us what your bird eats
Does anyone here feed lafeber’s? The only downside it has is they use ethoxyquin but it’s supposed to be very minimal. And at least they’re honest about putting it in.
Did you even watch this????....... Its literally what I said, do not feed. Absolutely garbage
Do revive about live bird food... Like meal worms and all
I still wanna see you do a cat version of this video 😊
same
Can you do a 2020 all of my pets
I don't feed pellets to my birds, give seeds and veg ,there not keen on fruit :)
Try to get them on pellets, seeds can cause liver failure in the long run
@@lexxi9324 in excess
That's not true. That's just what a lot of people have told you. Seed based diet with fresh veggies and fruits are the best. The same way that I don't eat fast food, I don't give my bird pellets either. I have had my practice and I am not going to kill my bird by giving him more pellets. Even the best ones are only junk!
I have to add something important....it is worse than you think with these foods because the CORN, SOY and WHEAT is basically stuff the factories are throwing away as they are NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. They are using the most poor quality, rejected, rubbish waste to make these pellets, even organic, its just organic trash. Broken seeds, grains, undersized, discoloured, or just crusty woody parts. Then they BAKE it all, which destroys enzymes, vitamins left in the crappy ingredients, so they have to add man made vitamins and other chemicals to add nutrition and preserve it. It's a big marketing scam, making people get big profits of cheap and crappy ingredients, then making out its super healthy for our pets. Of course the vets recommend them, as they are sponsored by these big companies to promote their brands. Worse, we are made to think we are abusing or neglecting our birds if we feed them seeds!!! It makes me so mad. Please, feed a natural diet, in the correct amounts, with vegetables, sprouted pulses, seeds and grains, small amount of fruit and egg food. Don't over feed to make them get fat, and give them plenty of flying exercise. You will have very healthy and happy birds.
I luv u baby😍😍❤️❤️❤️
Nice
Luv u so much
Ah yes, TOPS, that will get some Kelp into my parrots diet! My cockatiel lived 27 1/2 years, never had kidney or liver disease, eating 70% good seed mix, 25% food from our table like pasta, rice, corn, spinach, and had 5% Harrison's, which he would rarely nibble on. I think that's the best diet in the world. Your results may vary. I don't need citations or evidence, opinion is enough. Cheers.
Please can you do more viodes on peacock
Your parrots are adorable! I was wondering if you could do more videos with your other pets ( no birds I mean) maybe a video with your rabbits, cats, chinchillas etc. thanks!
Edit: like if you agree every one!
me having a eclectus parrot 😐😐
I would love to see a video on advice for housing rabbits outdoors.
More peacock videos
where the hell is she for 3 weeks
Please do more videos about prairie dogs
Soy has no nutritional value? Really?
First