I have a question about pellets. Hanzo eats pellets fine and all and just for kicks I started mixing in a pinch of these free samples I got of the Hagen Tropimix.
And to my dismay... he LOVES it.

Actually, lately since i've been home all summer, I notice he picks out his food. The breeder put him on this:
Click to view attachment

I believe it is Zupreem mixed with... something else. Not quite sure what, I should probably ask. But all her birds are weaned onto this diet, and I trust her so...

Anywho, Hanzo tends to only eat the coloured ones, and now that I put the Tropimix in, he only tends to eat that and the coloured ones.
I know very little about which brand is good, and what isn't. So what kind of pellets do you guys feed your fids and do you recommend I switch him to a Hagen Tropimix/Tropican diet?

If I was going to get this Tropimix stuff, from looking at the picture it looks to be full of non-pelleted things... soooo... I'd probably get the Tropimix Small Parrot Mix
http://www.hagen.com/usa/birds/addinfo/tropimix.cfm
And then mix it with a bag of just straight Tropican pellets.
http://www.hagen.com/usa/birds/addinfo/tropican.cfm

Anyways, opinions and advice would be nice

Good question... and I would love to hear some other replies too!

Casey was weaned on to the Tropimix I believe but I see it more as a treat thing. We bought her the Hagen Tropican and Zupreem Fruit Blend when we first rescued her and mixed them together (way more Hagens and less Zupreem because I heard it had more sugar in it). At the beginning she would only eat the Hagen pellets then one day I noticed her picking out the red ones. Now it appears she likes the Zupreem better! A couple of weeks ago she was on a "banana shape" binge and for the last couple weeks she had been eating mostly the red ones and some orange... now her poop is red! It looks like in the evening she prefers the Hagens though... I really don't know how she decides to eat which one and when?!!? Now I have been told by a local breeder/friend that the Zupreem is healthier and the Hagens goes bad really fast and isn't as good... hmmm.
I think for the sake of the coloured poo I would really like to switch her to the Zupreem Natural since it appears to be a good pellet and she likes the shape of them.

We also have the Hagen's Tropimix for Small Parrots and she gets it as treats. I believe that there are too many fatty/treat things in the mix to give as a staple diet. If I mixed it with her pellets she would only pick out the walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds etc. and not actually eat the pellets so she only gets that in controlled amounts in a separate dish from her pellets as treats when we go out or something.

I really don't know what pellet that is in the picture, it does look like Zupreem and something but I am not sure. Our Zupreem doesn't have pink, purple or blue pellets and the other whitish/brown pellets are a different shape than I have seen too?

If you do switch you have to monitor his weight etc. I have tried taking the Zupreem out slowly to convert to Hagens but she'll go on strike until the Zupreem comes back... even though she likes the Hagen's too!

Oh well, maybe we'll by a bag of Zupreem Natural and see... I really wish they would give out samples!

Good luck!

I'm wanting to ween my baby on a Pellet diet too, but I heard from acouple people that birds on a pellet diet have more visits to the vet than that of birds that eat seed. I plan on giving him vegies and friuts too, but I wanted to stay away from high fatty seed...what do I do???

Seeds are higher in fat and since Quakers are prone to Fatty Liver Disease they are better on a pelleted diet. JMO.

I think it depends on the bird, but with a balanced diet of pellets, fruits, vegetables, grains etc. they should be healthy. There are some people on here who doubt pellets and feed more fresh foods than pellets... others should have some more opinions on this.

I don't know where you heard that people with birds on a pellet diet? The only reason I can think that would be the case is maybe because people who feed pellets have generally done more research?

Anyway- as to pellets- you should feed a pellet that is just pellets (no nuts, dried fruits, etc) as all that junk is just cheap filler and should be reserved for controlled treats. Steer clear of colored pellets, as well, as they can cause allergies in birds and (as mentioned) make it hard to properly monitor the poops. In addition- check the back of your pellets for the ingredient lists. A lot will have corn as a main ingredient, or lots of soy, or a bunch of stuff that is difficult to pronounce, etc. Obviously, the less of that the better. I've heard very good things about Harrison's, Lafebers and TOPs. Lafebers is in many Petcos, so that's probably the easiest to get. I'm using a Lefeber/Harrison mix right now, moving to Harrison, but I might go with TOP once I run out. It's really not all that different price-wise, and my picker can use all the help she can get to stay healthy.

EDIT: And oh, yeah- fresh stuff is a definite yes. I feed pellets graze-style, but in a day Sylvia probably only eats 50% of her diet in pellets (a rough weight measurement- hard with dessication to get fruit weights accurate).

I got an email back from the breeder, she said atm they are making a mix of: Tropimix, Pretty Bird, ZuPreem, Living World and
Aviary North.

I'm still not sure what i'll do. Maybe i'll go check out the petstore later. As for Harrisons, that's only availible online right? Unfortunately, I have to get whatever the petstores sell, since I'm credit card less, and my parents dislike using credit cards online. Which is really unfortunate for me!

Edit: which size Lafebers is your little girl on Alusdra?

That's quite the mix the breeder weaned him on to! You can get Harrison's from vet's as well.

I still think Zupreem is a pretty good pellet, and it's available at almost all petstores, so it's not difficult to find.

Just bumping this up for other opinions.

paulie kai and tilly all love rowdybush and zupreem garden goodness pellets..lol they are nutz for the stuff

that picture looks like zupreem garden goodness. that's what maddie eats. poppy likes lafebers pellets but he is starting to eat the zupreem now too, and dipping it in the water because maddie does!

Mine are on Rowdybush and Zupreem...they seem to eat the Zupreem better..just don't like the clored poop but they prefer it to the natural..they just dont like the natural zupreem very well..but we have days that we perfer one food to the other so I reckon they choose to do the same..