Candy Coated Millet?

[DesertDweller]

Yesterday, I went to the pet store to get some new dishes for my fids. Looking at the treats display, I saw something that surprised the heck out of me. Candy-coated millet!

Why would birds need candy-coated millet??? Why the extra sugar in their diet? The favorite bird treat is millet. I've never heard of anyone needing to coax a bird to eat millet. So, why would they feel it necessary to put sugar on the millet?? I'm really puzzled.

And, I did check the ingredients to make sure that it really was sugar that the millet was coated with. It was!

Any enlightenment is greatly appreciated.

[boomer girl]

I cant believe it! Why would any one in there right mind even want to feed candy coated stuff to a bird, this is just asking for trouble. I am as shocked as you are because everyone knows birds and sugar dont go together.

[Marrie]

Probably for the same reason they need salt and regular (not brewers) yeast in their regular daily seed and zinc coated metal in their cuttlebone holders ... I highly dislike most of the products sold in the bird aisle here.

[maxollie]

Not too long ago I also saw some millet that was coated with "blueberries"???????? At the time I thought exactly what you all did about the sugar, and most likely other ingredients that are in the coating that are not good for our little fids! I feed my tiel and budgie foods that have no sugar and/or salt added to them. Fresh veggies and fruits, and whole grain bread. They also love bok choi, red leaf lettuce, parsley (limited to about 3 times a week for my tiel only), celery and celery leaves. They also love "grapenuts" cereal. It has no sugar and/or salt in it, but has some great whole grains. And of course millet is one of their favorite treats. I shop for my fids like I do for myself. These days, there are all kinds of new things out there to try, however, if you look at the food labels, most of the time they have a high content of sugar, fructose, salt, sodium, and other additives which I won't eat nor will I feed it to my fids!

[DesertDweller]

Thanks for the replies. For a while I thought maybe I was getting feeble-minded and could have been wrong in my opinion. But it's hard to figure I would have gone THAT feeble, LOL.

@Ellen: I don't eat cereal much anymore and totally forgot about grapenuts cereal. Thanks for the reminder.

[Kerry C]

You can always make your own nutri-berry treats.

1 C dried fruit of your choice
2 TB coconut
1/2 old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
1/4 c seed mix of any kind
1/4 pellets, your choice
2 TB honey or molasses

Put first 3 items in a blender/food processor and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients--it will be sticky! On a greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet, roll balls of various sizes and put 1" apart. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 min. Check at 15 min to make sure they are not brown, but set. Cool and store in a tightly covered jar.

[Paloma]

Yup, we sell the candy covered millet at work...candy covered sunflower seeds, candy covered peanuts, and candy clusters. They fly out the door, even when I suggest something like the "Grow Your Own Pet Sprouts" - which ALL of my pets go crazy over. Even our new bird got a kick out of shredding (and eating... mostly shredding) broccoli sprouts!! We have been feeding the birds freeze dried veggies/fruit at work: Bok Choy, Carrots, Zucchini, Green Beans, Peas, Apples, Bananas. I suggest that stuff ... people grab the candy. "I want to train my bird - so I'm getting the candy". I've trained a dove... who isn't supposed to learn "tricks" to come to me using GrapeNuts (though any food would have worked... she's a pig with wings).

Candy Coated Millet... it's offered for the same reason shoe box sized cages are: People buy them.

[sweeties mom]

both my sun conures won't touch millet, but they love the grapenuts. also badn flakes. I horde my shredded wheat, I share, but thats it. I like it too. besides oatmill, they love cream of wheat for a hot cereal breakfast. the favorite veggie is peas-- Yuck!

[aslicherish]

Thanks for the recipie!

[FluffiBird]

I found candy coated millet at Wal-mart. Strange...

[clawnz]

The companies that put this rubbish out there do not care about your pets they care about profits.
If they have to tell lies to sell it matters not.

Here is a classic try Fabreze and this product has been classed as safe to use around your home and pets including birds?

Quote
Exposed: What’s Lurking in Febreze?

Michelle Schoffro Cook
August 31, 2012
4:11 pm
133 comments

Exposed: What’s Lurking in Febreze?

Forget what the TV commercials tell you: Febreze doesn’t contain some miracle substance that envelopes bacteria in mid-air, leaving your house sanitized, healthy, fresh and clean-smelling. What it does contain may surprise you, however. Proctor and Gamble discloses only three ingredients on their Febreze-brand products yet the Environmental Working Group (EWG)—an American-based non-profit that advocates for health protection—found a whopping 87 chemicals in Febreze Air Effects, some of which include:

BHT—a known neurotoxin (substance that is toxic to the brain and nervous system), a hormone disruptor, immune system toxin, and irritant to the skin, eyes, and lungs.

Acetaldehyde—a known carcinogen (causes cancer) that has reproductive and development effects (yes, that means it can damage a fetus), immune system toxin, and irritant to the skin, eyes, and lungs.

Fragrance—This is one of the three disclosed ingredients. However, on its own, it can contain up to 400 ingredients, most of which are petrochemicals. Clinical observation by medical doctors has found that exposure to fragrances can damage the central nervous system and cause depression, hyperactivity, irritability, inability to cope, behavioral damages, headaches, dizziness, rashes, hyper-pigmentation, vomiting, coughing, and skin irritation. A shocking 95% of the chemicals used as “fragrance” come from petroleum! According to the research of Julia Kendall (available at www.ehnca.org), the most common chemicals in fragrances are ethanol, benzaldehyde, benzyl acetate, a-pinene, acetone, benzyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, linalook, a-terpinene, methylene chloride, and a-terpineol. You’ll see that numerous of these ingredients were found in Febreze. Check out my article Detox Your Cosmetics for more information about fragrances.

Propylene Glycol—also a known carcinogen, propylene glycol is toxic to the immune system, is linked to allergies, accumulates in the body and irritates the skin, eyes, and lungs

1,3-Dichloro-2-propanol—causes cancer

Limonene—allergen, immune system toxin and skin, lungs, and eye irritant

Methyl pyrrolidone—Reproductive system toxin linked to birth defects, allergies, immune system toxicity, and skin, eyes, and lung irritation

Alcohol, denatured—Also one of the three disclosed ingredients in Febreze. In this form it is linked to cancer, birth defects, organ system toxicity, and skin, eyes, and lung irritation

Butylphenyl methylpropional—allergen, irritant, and immune system toxin

Ethyl acetate—another brain and nervous system toxin (neurotoxin) which is also linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity

Benzaldehyde—also a neurotoxin and skin, lung, and eye irritator

Of course, the list goes on. For the full EWG report on Febreze, click here. The tagline for Febreze is “We’re out to make the world breathe happy.” When I inhale Febreze or read the ingredient list and their toxic effects, I’m not breathing happy and I doubt you are either.

Obviously, the biggest issue is that these ingredients really shouldn’t be allowed in products that will be sprayed into the air, inhaled, or absorbed directly into the bloodstream through skin contact. But there are other issues like duping the public into thinking that they are somehow cleaning the air and eliminating odors. They simply mask them.

As for the toxic effects, not to worry, Proctor and Gamble also offers a wide selection of drugs that can address many of the symptoms and conditions linked to Febreze ingredients. Can you say “conflict of interest” as fast as you can send a toxic whiff of Febreze into the air?

Next week, I’ll discuss “EXPOSED: More Serious Toxins Found in Air Fresheners” and “EXPOSED: Is Your Child’s Classroom Toxic?”

Sources: Environmental Working Group Report and The Dangers of Febreze.

Subscribe to my free e-newsletter World’s Healthiest News to receive monthly health news, tips, recipes and more. Follow me on Twitter @mschoffrocook and Facebook. Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/exp...#ixzz2G0jdPHE1 End Quote

And if that does not grab you read what the label says on Roudybush pellets about them being a complete food.

You know what comes out the back end of a Bull?
Stay safe and go with as natural varied diet as you can! Stay away from as many man made products, if you want the best for your bird/birds.

The stupid thing about doing this is it can also be far cheaper. And not that much more of an effort.