Paranoid about my birds' pellets.

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Paranoid about my birds' pellets.

I live in a country that doesn't have a lot of animal care, so good birdie food is hard to come by sometimes. people mostly think that parrots eat seeds and some even feed them an exclusively sunflower seed diet. i've always been feeding my birds right and the first time i actually came across pellets was from their vet.. which had some harrison's in stock. basically, they loved them and i too fell in love with pellets, lol.

shortly after though, the vet ran out of pellets and never brought it more. i was in a fix for a bit until i came across a shop that started to stock up on pellets. i was so relieved that i could feed my birds pellets again and they all seem to LOVE this new type. since i have no other pellet option, i've been feeding them this ever since i came across it and have had no problems with it. however, i am a bit paranoid.

i have never heard about this brand of pellets before and no one seems to know much about it, so i don't know if it is a reliable food source for my birds. it's from Animal Zone's PETLINE. i also offer my birds fruit pellets from them too but they don't eat them as much as normal pellets.. and they also like the birdie cereals they have too.

i just want to know if i could still keep offering it to my birds, or if i should stop because of it actually being bad for their health.

pellets: http://www.animalzone.co.za/plparrotfood.html
fruit pellets: http://www.animalzone.co.za/plchunksbits.html
cereals: http://www.animalzone.co.za/plcereal.html

oh and you'd be wasting your time if you advise me to order any other brand of pellets online because i do not live in the states. where i live, it's illegal to order food online.

Comments for
Paranoid about my birds' pellets.

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Jan 10, 2012

Knowledgeable
by: Jez

I have pasted the quote below from Linda. Although she has not seen or knows anything about these pellets she has claimed that others are better and that they are garbage. Unsubstantiated claims are no help to anyone,

Quote From Linda

The stuff you are feeding is unheard of in the States, so though I'll take a look at the sites, I doubt they are the quality of Harrisons. Also the fruit pellets are garbage, so stop feeding them. Most of the mixes these people make are also trash

Editor's note: In the US, the fruit pellets ARE junk, as per avian vets that know about nutrition. They are full of sugar and chemicals and statistics show that birds that eat them have substantially more health problems.

Jan 03, 2012

Animal zone parrot food
by: Vivienne

I have recently switched my birds to this line and they love it. The states are not the be all and end all of parrot food..... Since feeding my 2 African Greys the pellets, fruit chunks and plumage food they have both become more loving and manageable. I have confidence in the company making this food considering the back ground of the Avian vets involved.

It never ceases to amaze me that Americans seem to always consider themselves the foremost authorities on anything and everything. Thousands of bird lovers all over the world have very healthy birds who live for many many years on great bird food from all over the world other than the States.

I am sure your bird will do great on this balanced diet, just as mine are. Keep an eye on your birds weight as this is one of the best ways to monitor your birds health.

Editor's note: Weighing a bird is a GREAT idea, but that does not give information on their health, just their weight.

May 30, 2011

Pellets overseas
by: The Avian Vet

I am not familiar with this brand, however, after examining their web site, I feel that this food is OK.

Dr B

May 27, 2011

Linda
by: Anonymous

Just for your information.

An avian having things shipped from other places for sale compared to a single person for personal use can be different in laws for customs. At least I know that it is where I live so maybe it's the same for Africa. You have to a 'special' license to import or export certain goods, specifically certain types of foods & not everyone can get this license. Specifically a person who just buys the item for themselves cannot have it imported because they cannot acquire this license to do it.

I hope this explains it a little for you.

May 26, 2011

Paranoid about my birds' pellets.
by: Linda

Well, your Avian Vet was getting them shipped from the US because that is where they are made, so not sure what you mean about food not being legal. I know a lot of foods are not legal to ship like fresh foods that will spoil or foods like raw grain seeds that may be bringing in various diseases to crops, but I don't understand why pure, clean bird food would be prohibited.

The stuff you are feeding is unheard of in the States, so though I'll take a look at the sites, I doubt they are the quality of Harrisons. Also the fruit pellets are garbage, so stop feeding them. Most of the mixes these people make are also trash, but you are able to read the ingredients. If you see ANY preservatives, color enhancers, or other strange chemicals, the food is bad for birds. If there are chemicals in foods you are not familiar with, write them down and look them up on the internet. Also do a search of natural pellet mixes for parrots if you've not already done that.

Linda

May 26, 2011

try not to worry
by: Anonymous

Honestly, if they are the only pellets you can get then that's all you can settle for. You didn't mention what birds you have.

Organic, species specific pellets are best, IF you can get them, otherwise stick with what you can get. I know how hard it can be to get any pellets at all & have people jump down you throat for not getting the right ones. It isn't always that easy!

You can also offer sprouted seeds. Sprouts are of the highest nutrition, it promotes self healing & excellent feather quality as well as improves behaviour. Sprouts are a rich source of vit A (beta carotene), C, E, B & antioxidants. Oats contain large amounts of vit C, increasing by 600%, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic, all increase after sprouting. Sprouts are 10 to 100% higher in enzymes than fruit & veg. Enzymes are vital for sustaining life & are essential for digestion & proper brain function. So VERY VERY good for your birds.

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