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Post by Ira on Oct 10, 2021 20:49:24 GMT
...whether to continue buying pellets.
The terrible quartet now eat them readily enough, but if I end up having to give them dry food first thing and in the evening, then rely on them keeping full on fresh food in between in order to keep weight off of Pippin, would it then be better to just give them the foreign finch mix and fresh foods rather than bothering with the pellets? Or is it better to stick to half and half for variety? Though stopping them after using up what I have left means not having the fuss of trying to convert any other birds that may come into our lives. Maybe they'd be more likely to eat their veg without the nutrition that's meant to be in pellets? I'd rather they ate fresh food that processed pellets ideally anyway.
Thoughts and opinions would be appreciated.
P.S. On a random but semi-related side note, we quite like Nutriberries as treats because it's easy for us to each hold one and let the budgies fuss around on our hands ripping them apart, which is entertaining.
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Post by Morgan on Oct 10, 2021 22:45:10 GMT
I feed Harrison’s high potency so that even though they aren’t eating the recommended 70%, more like 40-50%, I know they’re still getting some balanced nutrition. Even if it is vitaminized. So are the Birdcare company supplements, so I don’t see a difference there other than pellets being a processed food.
The other half of their diet is sprouted seed mix and fresh produce, with an occasional nutriberry as a treat (which usually cuts into their pellets, since those also contain the vitamin coating).
I like this diet as a balance, because without the pellets I would be worried if they were getting the right nutrients from their fresh food, if they’re actually eating enough of it, etc.
If I weren’t feeding Harrison’s pellets at all I would use the Birdcare company’s multivitamin powder, but they’re often out of stock on the only website I can buy it here in the states, so not reliable enough for me to use all the time.
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Post by ffiscool on Oct 10, 2021 23:02:27 GMT
I’m yet to get Max eating veg. He tasted broccoli but then walked away.
Talking about vitamins, I’ve got Avimix which has good reviews. I’ve not given it every day, more like every 3rd
Ira, like the thinking on the millet
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Post by yellowfacedviolet on Oct 11, 2021 15:23:58 GMT
My routine is similar to Morgan's though I use a greater % of Harrisons and do not use sprouts. This has been the routine for over a decade now and I am delighted with the results.
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Post by Ira on Oct 11, 2021 15:30:44 GMT
Well I suppose if they're eating them then at least it's additional variety. I'm onto the harrisons adult lifetime with mine now. Waiting to see how much veg they've eaten when I get home, or if Pippin is just shrieking yet hasn't touched anything.
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Post by Shirls on Oct 12, 2021 10:13:04 GMT
I can only express my views on pellets, and it is only my views....budgies don't eat pellets in the wild, so why force them to now?
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Post by Ira on Oct 12, 2021 16:10:05 GMT
I can only express my views on pellets, and it is only my views....budgies don't eat pellets in the wild, so why force them to now? I don't force mine to eat them, I don't mind if they predominantly eat seed as long as they knew the pellets were edible, I just taught them that they were edible because I wanted to be able to leave them with dry food that would remain safe to eat whilst I was at work but didn't want to offer extra seed due to not wanting them to overeat. Pippin's managing to gain a little too much weight as it is. A teaspoon of pellets lasts them a good 6 hours, but they'll eat a teaspoon of seeds in one sitting. Now that I've relaxed a bit again to leave in drier vegetables whilst at work (after a little health-scare with one of them I got nervous about leaving fresh foods for so long) I might not feel the need to leave pellets in, because they're eating other stuff instead, but I need them to be reliably eating the veg before I can determine that. If we're talking about the wild diet, they also don't eat most of the vegetables that we offer them, but we do that because we know that just seed isn't good for them.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Oct 13, 2021 7:36:57 GMT
It's a bit much to say that people are forcing their budgies to eat pellets. Pellets and seeds both have their merits and my vet has recommended them at various times, so I am sure they must have many health benefits. As Ira said, we give out budgies many things that they would not get in the wild - boiled egg, vitamins, iodine drops, the list is endless. They also would not have access to a vet in the wild, but we want to prolong a healthy life. If someone is keeping their budgie healthy by feeding pellets then that is a good thing. It's nowhere near the same as the wing clipping debate! I can only express my views on pellets, and it is only my views....budgies don't eat pellets in the wild, so why force them to now?
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Post by Shirls on Oct 13, 2021 9:16:35 GMT
Providing budgies have plenty of exercise and out time, plus a varied diet including vegetables, I see no reason for pellets. But obviously they must be needed by some budgies sometimes. I didn't mean to cause any offence and if I did, I apologise.
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Post by Ira on Oct 13, 2021 11:26:30 GMT
Shirls I wasn't offended and I apologise if I came across argumentative, I just wanted to explain my personal reasoning for including pellets as part of their diet. I'd rather not have the expense of them, honestly, or the nuisance of trying to teach them another food is edible, especially because they never look like they enjoy eating them, but hey ho.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,782
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Oct 14, 2021 8:59:10 GMT
You weren't argumentative Ira, so don't worry about that. Shirls I wasn't offended and I apologise if I came across argumentative, I just wanted to explain my personal reasoning for including pellets as part of their diet. I'd rather not have the expense of them, honestly, or the nuisance of trying to teach them another food is edible, especially because they never look like they enjoy eating them, but hey ho.
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Oct 6, 2011 7:41:27 GMT
Marianne Marlow
Administrator
George, Daisy, Iris, Billy, Peter, Chipper, Dinku, Barney, Ayla and Rocky
Posts: 28,782
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Oct 14, 2021 9:01:46 GMT
I realise that in a forum where we can only read what someone has written, things can easily be taken more harshly than they were meant. We're all here to keep our budgies happy and healthy and we all do what we think is best for them. Providing budgies have plenty of exercise and out time, plus a varied diet including vegetables, I see no reason for pellets. But obviously they must be needed by some budgies sometimes. I didn't mean to cause any offence and if I did, I apologise.
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Post by Hezz on Oct 18, 2021 1:02:54 GMT
I think, if you have got them eating pellets now, then keeping some in their diet on a regular basis may be handy if anything untoward happens and you have to rely on them more and more - such as one of the buds becoming obese, lipomas developing etc. It is adding another different variety of food to their repertoire and the more variety the better. I’m not convinced feeding pellets is a guarantee to a life of no obesity or liver disease - it has made no difference whatsoever to my two boys. Their main diet is a variety of grasses with a few veg all day with only a teaspoon of seed mixed into a large amount of pellets in the evening. That’s how they started eating pellets - I was only using them as something to be foraged through - and they have lost no more weight or changed in their actions in any way.
I have to say that I think they must be the most boring food ever. Eating the same old, same old, same old every single day for the rest of your life. Thank heavens for vegetables and seeding grasses for some variety in their life.
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Post by ffiscool on Oct 18, 2021 8:49:19 GMT
I’d managed if cake or chocolate, lol
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Post by Shirls on Oct 18, 2021 12:38:59 GMT
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