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Post by jellybean on Dec 18, 2021 20:51:05 GMT
Ira mentioned giving her budgies Nutriberries, and, not wanting to hijack her thread I thought I'd start this one to gauge members opinions. Does anyone else feed them to their birds and how did they take to them, also what flavours did you buy.
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Post by ffiscool on Dec 18, 2021 20:52:14 GMT
Funnily enough I looked them up and was considering them
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Post by Ira on Dec 18, 2021 21:03:07 GMT
I got them to try out because our vet has moved to recommending them over pellets, and as they're seed-based the budgies tend to take to them more quickly. I just bought the plain ones for smaller birds, and I'm mixed on them, to be perfectly honest. They're great for making the birds work for their food. They're a solid ball so you can put them into foraging toys that wouldn't hold regular seeds, like balls with big holes or stuff them into those paper finger traps, etc. They've gotten better now, or maybe it's because I've changed the bowls, but they'd often drop them out of the bowls and the berry would end up on the cage floor, which isn't the end of the world but not great if your budgies are doing anything but standard dry poos. They contain groats, which everyone says are fattening, but the vet said the mix was low fat seeds. So perhaps it's actually that groats are so full of carbs (as opposed to fat) that birds who eat a lot of them have too many calories from carbs and therefore gain fat. However, this is an absolute win for Pippin because he loves them and there aren't that many in the mix. Anything to get Pippin on a hand. Although with bossy Gwen around we now need to give them one each rather than one between two, and it's a 4 hand and 1 lap operation. They're more expensive than pellets are. Buying a large tub (which is opaque so that's awesome for storing seed in) gets you something along the lines of 6 bags worth for the price of 5, but is a large lay-out. Seems exorbitant if you've got multiple budgies eating them as their main diet. I thought pellets were expensive compared to seeds, but ouch. They might have a longer shelf life than an opened packet of pellets though. I'd say they're convenient when you're feeling lazy, but that's only because I have a tub of them in the room and the other foods are downstairs in the kitchen! I have no real idea what they're coated with or what they contain, even reading the ingredients list. Honestly with no long-term evidence of health benefits over regular seed I feel like there are more (potential) cons than pros. But my 5 go nuts for them, and I think the linnie will probably look adorable holding one in its foot. Edit: Wrapping up nutriberry hand time. Must. Find. Last. Traces. Of. Nutriberry.
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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 Dec 18, 2021 21:08:50 GMT
About 9-10 years ago I tried them with my flock and really they just rolled them about and kicked them off the rooves onto the floor. But maybe my birds were stubborn.
My vet recommended them, but I wasn't sure about how healthy they were and just used them as enrichment as my lot wouldn't eat them.
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Post by jellybean on Dec 18, 2021 21:11:15 GMT
I've read they're hard Ira, and the budgies find them difficult to eat unless they're broken up. I changed from Budgie Bravo, to a Foreign Finch Mix because of the groats to give my two a healthier diet. Do all the varieties have groats in them Ira?
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Post by Ira on Dec 18, 2021 21:17:07 GMT
I haven't looked at the fruity blends, jellybean, so I'm not sure. My regular seed mix (I'm changing to foreign finch once this lot is gone) doesn't contain groats so even with groats in the nutriberries they get very little groat in their diet. They are hard, sometimes too hard for me to crush and even if I crush them my thumb hurts afterwards, but they can break them up. They just need to learn to. I started breaking them up at first, then partly breaking them, and now they'll just rip them up. At first when I put a whole one out on the spare cage tray on the floor Indie and Yuki would work together to eat one. I can get a photo of the actual nutriberries, but I don't think I have any footage of them eating them. I'll have a look. They're all asleep now so I can't get anyone to do a demo until tomorrow.
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Post by Ira on Dec 18, 2021 21:22:51 GMT
jellybean Found one! And the nutriberries up close
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Post by ffiscool on Dec 18, 2021 21:33:32 GMT
I use Johnson &Jeff seed as also no groats
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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 Dec 18, 2021 23:05:52 GMT
Ira, is that sped up or is Munchy really that fast?
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Post by Ira on Dec 19, 2021 0:43:57 GMT
Ira, is that sped up or is Munchy really that fast? That is his actual speed, Marianne Marlow.
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Post by jellybean on Dec 19, 2021 9:44:07 GMT
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Post by Ira on Dec 19, 2021 9:53:47 GMT
Got to get your share before someone else gobbles it up!
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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 Dec 19, 2021 9:55:11 GMT
He's a bit hyper isn't he Ira, is that sped up or is Munchy really that fast? That is his actual speed, Marianne Marlow.
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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 Dec 19, 2021 9:55:54 GMT
I genuinely thought it was sped up, he looks like he's going 5x a normal speed
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Post by jellybean on Dec 19, 2021 9:59:06 GMT
🤣🤣🤣
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