all seed diet~ should i change?

[sammiesmom]

my tiel, Sammie...is primarily on an all seed diet...this is what she eats:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...03+113439+1031

i read that its not healthy for them to be on an all seed diet...although sammie does have cuttlebone, mineral block, vitamin drops, millet and table foods as well...should i add pellets to her diet as well???

[Nini]

No, Sammie doesn't need pellets.
Seeds are the natural food of tiels. Pellets are not natural or healthy. They just look funnier than seeds .

[cockatielnewtome]

You can add pellets. Some people on here will tell you it is absolutely necessary. I don't know if I believe that because it seems like when you hear of a really old cockatiel (say 25+ years) they have always had an all-seed diet. We also had a vet talk at our bird club and she said she wouldn't recommend pellets. We feed our both. They don't eat a lot of the pellets, honestly. Veggies are good though. Try some broccoli or cilantro.

[sammiesmom]

thanks...sammie isnt big on eating fresh fruits or vegetables. I havent tried many with her though. i will try the broccoli and a few others. She does like eating dry oatmeal, cheerios (only 2 o's a day), corn flakes and things like that. we have tried bird bites...papaya flavored which we got at petsmart..but she wont eat it, or hasnt yet anyway. she does like eggs (scrambled).

[Ferin]

i would say yes. seeds contain alot of bad fats in them that can cause fatty liver disease and kidney problems. Alot of times birds will only pick out they're favorite seeds therefore only getting one sort of nutrient and leaving another kind behind. Every pellet is fortified to have exactly the right amount of vitamins, minerals and overall nutrients, plus they don't contain as much fat.

your bird doesn't neccissarily have to feed him/her ONLY pellets, you can play around with a seed to pellet ratio that works for you. i give my birds about 25-30% fresh foods/cereals, 15%-20 seeds and about 60-70% pellets. other people do it differently, you just need to find a balance that works well for you.

[peachee]

It also depends a lot on how much exercise she is getting. The "Birds MUST eat pellets because seed is high in fat" rule exists if your bird is inside the cage most of the day and leads a sedentary lifestyle. Birds that get lots of exercise (flying, playing, climbing, etc.) work off the fats found in seed relatively quickly.

Fatty liver is a result of prolonged seed diets with no activity; the liver is an organ that is able to repair itself so even birds who get a change in lifestyle benefit without having to go on a pellet diet.

If you can get your bird to eat pellets, there is no harm in them. You will still want to keep seeds as a part of their diet, whether at 50%, or 30% or 70%. It's up to what works for you and your bird. Good luck.

[Criss]

Ah i have a couple see addicts in my house too...
What I do, which seems to work pretty well is to provide a LARGE dish with pellets which are about 90% natural zupreem and 10% fruit zupreem (because they like the colors) this dish is kept topped up and i see them munching away and pellets most of the time.

I also provide a small/med dish of seeds which I only refill every couple or few days. Its always there, it always has some form of seeds and after they eat the ones they like, the ones they don't like stay in the dish. I see them quite often going back and forth between the seeds and the pellets so i know they are eating both.

I also have a dish on the bottom of the cage with dry non-perishable snacks (Stuff like puffed rice (favorite), cereals, nacho chips(yes they are salted but they love them and there aren't many), popcorn, cheerios and more pellets.) This helps they get use to new treats since they are all scaredy cats.

And i clip fruits and veggies to the cage (My tiels will ONLY eat fruit or veggies if they are clipped/hanging from the cage, if they are in a dish they are ignored and wasted.) Yesterday i put a whole corn-on-the-cob in their cage, peeled it a little so they could see the corn and tied it to the side, its a great toy and a snack they sit on it and eat it and then they have little corn pieces on their faces! so cute.

I am hoping they will one day eat more fruits and veggies rather then the pellets or seeds. But until then they have everything so i know they wont go hungry

[sammiesmom]

sammie is out of her cage for 2 hrs every day at a minimum and sometimes all day...her wings are not clipped so she does fly around the apartment some. and she also has a playpen as well. i will do some experimenting to see what see likes.

[chele47]

Mine have Zupreem in the cage at all times. When I get home at lunch I put a small saucer in the cages with seed. Sometimes they eat all the seeds...sometimes they don't. Mine are not big veggie eaters either. They will eat the brocolli slaw, and a mixture of peas, corn, lentils, wheat pasta, brown rice and brocolli I cook about once a week.

[Kdbattista]

Pellets are not healthy.

Cite?

[LizinLA]

I used to separate the seed from the pellets, but I've started mixing seed with the Zupreem Harvest Blend. I put the seed in the bowl first, and then the Zupreem on top -- it's my own little "thing" that makes me think she'll eat more of the Zupreem than the seed. Of course, she just digs down into the seed, even getting into the bowl if necessary :-). But I do think she's eating more of the Zupreem since I started this. I also have a separate container with alfalfa, and occasionally with a bit of millet on top, although I've started giving that to her more infrequently. I put in a honey seed stick treat once every two or so weeks -- hmm, she's about due for one! Then I have another dish that has the daily special -- corn, other veggies, fruit, eggs, etc. -- she only really likes about 30% of the options I've come up with there -- her favorites are corn, cilantro, barley, and lean pastrami that's been microwaved for about :10 seconds. Not as varied as I'd wish, but like Sammie, she is not clipped and does a bunch of flying laps around the place several times a day -- plus climbs, hops, and finds me where ever I may go, so I figure she's getting a bunch of exercise.

Oh, I forgot -- I also got one of those organic pet grass things from petco the last time I was there, which she loves to sit next to and munch on, especially while I'm having my dinner!

[~Lori~]

Pastrami?Like the sandwich meat? I would not give her that.High in salt,and nitrates.A little roast chicken breast is a good meat choice.

[LizinLA]

I've done it very infrequently -- I was actually surprised she ate it at all, as up to that point, I couldn't get her to eat any meat -- it was the first one she actually went after instead of touching with her beak, and then walking away. But now she's finally starting to eat some chicken -- she took to turkey first. But for some reason she was first interested in beef -- pastrami, then roast beef (like a pot roast, not the sandwich meat) -- I just keep trying things on her to see what she's even interested in. We're still working on eggs.

[sammiesmom]

lol picky birds although sammie does like scrambled eggs, and oatmeal not cooked. i made her a gourmet breakfast the other morning and made a scrambled egg with some oatmeal mixed in it and some millet heehee she loved it!