Parrot Diet

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Parrot Diet

by Kate

I currently am feeding my 13 year old Grey Harrison's HP course pellets. Since it is so expensive, I have a measuring system when I dispense her food. She eats 1 and 1/2 oz of Harrisons every day , but here is the trick..She won't eat it if it is in the bowl by itself..she will only eat it if I also put in 1/2 oz of ZuPreem fruit blend into her bowl. Maybe she likes the fruity aroma. I know Zupreem is filled with sugars, and I truly want to stop feeding it because of that reason, but she loves it so much.

I have recently noticed in pet stores that now ZuPreem makes a Nut Blend. The Nut Blend looks natural. Do you know if this is "better" for the bird since there are no food dyes? At least it doesnt look like there is. I mean she LOVES nuts so maybe this will be better to add to her Harrisons?? Or who knows, maybe she wont even like it. I want to feed her the best, and if this Zupreem is considered junk as well, I will continue trying to wean her off of it as best I can!

Comments for
Parrot Diet

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Jul 29, 2011

Zupreem pellets not good
by: The Avian Vet

The new ZuPreem is only better than the fruity ZuPreem because it has not artificial colors. But it still has lots of sugar and artificial preservatives. You should not take your bird off Harrison's. But if you have to, then switch to anything except ZuPreem. I recommend Roudybush as an alternative. If your bird is wasting the Harrison?s, then try feeding the fine instead of the coarse.

Dr B

Jul 29, 2011

Parrot Diet
by: Linda

I appreciate your situation and still highly recommend staying away from ZuPreem. For one thing, depending on the kinds of nuts in the mix, it could create an imbalance in nutrition. Most nuts are high in fat and lower in protein plus they fill birds up where they don't want to eat their pellets. Never feed peanuts as the oil is very bad for birds and people.

Look on this site and see what you can find in the organic food section that would work for you. I'm assuming you can get this food into the country, so if not, try and find something comparable in NZ.

We feed Harrisons regular and pepper course grind. There is also a snack food called Fruitables here which is readily taken by the birds and is organic.

You can try a couple of smaller packages of those two and any other you find that you think you bird may like. Get away from ZuPreem because they are making bird food for the money and are not so much interested in the birds. I had to wean mine off it some years' ago and the Fruitables helped immensely. Harrison's also makes a Birdy Bread Mix that is wonderful as all birds seem to love it. Get the Organic Red Palm oil to put in it to avoid partially hydrogenated oils as these are dangerous for humans and birds. The oil is on this site also. It has to be warmed a bit in the bottle before using as it is cold pressed and solid until melted some into liquid form. It really helps with skin and feather quality.

Good luck and let us know how everything goes as we are here to support you in supporting your bird with the best of everything!

Linda

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