# Does anyone else have a Cockatiel or bird?



## LilasMom

I recently got a cockatiel from a local breeder and being a raw feeder I have been into ingredient reading and trying to feed as natural a diet as possible. The breeder recommended at least 50% veggies, and about 25% pellets and 25% seeds. I have had a fun time picking veggies up at the farmers market and store, since up until now it was only meat treats for my dogs lol. Anyways, I noticed many of the popular brands have menadione/ vitamin k supplement. This worries me because if it has negative affects on cats and dogs what will it do to a bird that only weighs 120 grams? One of my birds favorite treats are nutriberries, and he liked eating 1-2 a day. Now once he finishes his bag we can't buy anymore. I will have to find a way to make my own I guess.

What do people here feed their birds? 

Btw here is a picture of Petey after a shower, he is around 6 months old.


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## Tracy

We have 2 African Greys. We feed Nutri Grain and a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. We've been feeding the dogs raw now for a few months and were wondering about the food we feed to the birds. I think the Nutri Grrain is like a complete food for parrots.
Petey is such a cutey by the way.:smile:


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## losul

We don't have cockatiels, but we have 6 larger parrots, including 2 macaws, an umbrella cockatoo, african grey, yellow nape amazon, and caique.

yes, the more fresh veggies, grains, and fruits, with emphasis on the veggies and grains, you feed the better. Even a bit of scrambled egg is good occaisonally, no onions or avocados for them either although grapes/raisins are a favorite fruit for parrots. 

Lafaebers nutriberries should be good for Petey, as long as he also eating the pelleted part of them and not just picking off the seeds, parrots do poorly on a seed or nut only diet, although they (seeds)are very good in limited quanities, and if you are also feeding him fresh stuff. 2 a day seem like too much though. Lafaebers is considered good food in the parrot community. Do the ingredients on nutriberries specifically state menadione? Or vitamin K supplement?

Nutriberries are much too expensive for our big flock, i would use for more than very occaisonal treats if more affordable. We feed Zupreem pellets as a basis, probably 65%, with as much fresh foods as possible, especially veggies, grains, some fruits, and some nuts. Zupreem lists "vitamin K supplement" , I guess it could be menadione, not sure. I think Zupreem just recently changed their formula. The fruit blend, the vegetable blends, and possibly the nutblend also have artificial coloring and maybe flavoring, probably the natural does not. Parrots can be picky about colors.

Harrison's natural is a very good pellet also. Not sure if they make cockatiel sized though. Very affordable for a small bird, but again, not for my flock.

Never heard of the nutri grain.


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## losul

Oh boy, i just looked up the ingredient list for Lafeber's nutriberries. You are right, they list menadione as an ingedient. On top of that they also use ethoxyquin as a preservative. You are right to be looking elsewhere for feed.


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## losul

Check out the difference in ingredients; Harrisons is obviously much higher quality and balanced, mostly organic, and no artificial crap or preservatives, probably amongst the absolute best, if not the best, pellets for birds. 

Lafebers nutriberries cockatiel

IngredientsHulled white proso millet, hulled canary grass seed, red millet, malto-dextrin, oat groats, ground corn, peanuts, corn syrup, corn oil, glycerine, propylene glycol, wheat, whole egg, dicalcium phosphate, ground limestone, DL-methionine (an essential amino acid), L-lysine (an essential amino acid), potassium sorbate (a preservative), vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, ethoxyquin (a preservative), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, folic acid, biotin, ascorbic acid.

Analysis:

Crude Protein (minimum)12.00%
Crude Fat (minimum)6.00%
Crude Fiber (maximum)3.50%
Moisture (maximum)15.00%
---------------------------------------

Harrison's lifetime high potency fine for cockatiels; (not sure you would want the high potency formula though, and can be a real effort to get parrots to eat pellets though if they are not used to them).

Ingredients: *Ground Shelled Sunflower Seeds, *Ground Hulless Barley, *Ground Soybeans, *Ground Shelled Peanuts, *Ground Green Peas, *Ground Lentils, *Ground Yellow Corn, *Ground Rice, *Ground Toasted Oat Groats, Psyllium, *Ground Alfalfa, Calcium Carbonate, Spirulina, Montmorillonite Clay, Ground Dried Sea Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Sea Salt, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, d-Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, and Sodium Selenite.
*CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENT 


Guaranteed Analysis 
Crude Protein 20.0% min 
Crude Fat 12.0% min 
Crude Fiber 5.0% max 
Moisture 10.0% max 

Supplementation
It is not recommended to supplement with vitamins or other bird or animal food products. Supplementation should be limited to no more than 10% of the overall diet. Offer certified organic vegetables and fruits in small quantities; select dark yellow meaty or dark green leafy items such as sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, winter squash, broccoli, parsley, spinach, mango or papaya. 

[For birds with suspected iron-storage disease: Avoid citrus fruits, tomatoes, kiwi, strawberries and other foods containing vitamin C. Avoid grapes, currants, raisins, liver, red meat, egg yolk or dark green vegetables such as spinach, which may contain high levels of iron.]


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## Sprocket

I use to have a number of birds when I was growing up. Everything from Lovebirds to cockatiels to Regents to Racing Pigeons. The last bird I had was a Crow  They all got a mixture of pelleted feed, veggies, fruits and other treats. My crow got an omnivore diet.

Your Cockatiel is a cutie!


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## LilasMom

I'm not sure what Zupreem you feed, but the fruit blend lists menadione. I had to cut that out for Petey as well. And the website says there is also menadione in the natural food


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## LilasMom

Yeah I love Harrison's. I think their bags smell pretty good when you open them lol. I have Petey on the High Potency right now, with some mixes from a website called My Safe Bird Store, Bountiful Harvest and Australian Blend. He really likes it so far. His favorite veggies are green things for some reason. He loves broccoli (especially the leaves), mustard greens, kale, peas, green beans, and cucumbers over bell peppers, carrots, sweet potato, etc. He is afraid of berries and doesn't like fruit.


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## LilasMom

losul said:


> We don't have cockatiels, but we have 6 larger parrots, including 2 macaws, an umbrella cockatoo, african grey, yellow nape amazon, and caique.
> 
> yes, the more fresh veggies, grains, and fruits, with emphasis on the veggies and grains, you feed the better. Even a bit of scrambled egg is good occaisonally, no onions or avocados for them either although grapes/raisins are a favorite fruit for parrots.
> 
> Lafaebers nutriberries should be good for Petey, as long as he also eating the pelleted part of them and not just picking off the seeds, parrots do poorly on a seed or nut only diet, although they (seeds)are very good in limited quanities, and if you are also feeding him fresh stuff. 2 a day seem like too much though. Lafaebers is considered good food in the parrot community. Do the ingredients on nutriberries specifically state menadione? Or vitamin K supplement?
> 
> Nutriberries are much too expensive for our big flock, i would use for more than very occaisonal treats if more affordable. We feed Zupreem pellets as a basis, probably 65%, with as much fresh foods as possible, especially veggies, grains, some fruits, and some nuts. Zupreem lists "vitamin K supplement" , I guess it could be menadione, not sure. I think Zupreem just recently changed their formula. The fruit blend, the vegetable blends, and possibly the nutblend also have artificial coloring and maybe flavoring, probably the natural does not. Parrots can be picky about colors.
> 
> Harrison's natural is a very good pellet also. Not sure if they make cockatiel sized though. Very affordable for a small bird, but again, not for my flock.
> 
> Never heard of the nutri grain.


Yes I agree that the Nutriberries are super expensive! A small tub is like 30 dollars, and they do list menadione. I think it would be easy to make some homemade ones for a treat though, like with honey or something.


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## wolfsnaps88

I used to have an african grey. On top of a pelleted diet, she got lots of fruits and veggies. 

I also made her a home made birdie bread which she loved. I don't know if a cockatiel would enjoy birdie bread as much as a larger parrot (since cockatiels are big seed eaters) but you could try that if you want to make a special treat. For my bird, I used a corn meal base and then added random healthy stuff to it. Like, I would add pureed bananas (or other fruits), different nuts, millet and red palm fruit oil. The sky is the limit as to what you can put in there. Then just bake and serve. My bird would just hold them but you could tie it to the cage too.


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## losul

yes I use Zupreem fruit blend. The ingredients listed on my bags say only "vitamin K supplement", nothing about menadione. I guess it still could be menadione, i will have to call the manufacturer.

I know Zupreem has recently changed their formulas. It doesn't look or smell exactly the same as before. Possible, if it had menadione before, they took it out.

I might consider using Harrisons next time, but I generally buy 100+lbs Zupreem at a time with a discount. 100lbs of Harrisons would cost me about $520, and would not keep for as long because there are no preservatives. Thats a good thing though. I keep it all the freezer anyway, including dog kibble.


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## losul

Oh great, so now I go to the Zupreem website to check ingredients, and I find that there is a recall on fruit blend med/large and large (what I use). They have higher calcium levels than reccomended. Have to go to my freezer and check the numbers. Dammit.


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## losul

This voluntary recall has been activated due to elevated calcium levels. The calcium was inadvertently introduced into these lot codes during the manufacturing process. Excessive calcium intake can make birds sick and, in some cases, may be fatal.

Symptoms include decreased activity level, decreased appetite, increased water consumption and loose or watery droppings. If owners notice any of these symptoms, they should immediately contact their veterinarian.

Bird owners should monitor the health of their birds and notify their veterinarian if they notice any unusual symptoms. They should also discard any unused product and return the packaging to the place of purchase for a replacement or full refund.

To register your product with the voluntary recall, please fill out the form below the FAQs section.

Additionally, consumers may contact the ZuPreem Customer Service line at 1-800-345-4767 where company representatives are responding to inquiries regarding any issues relevant to this voluntary recall.


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## losul

Thank God, my lot codes and use by dates don't quite match the recall lots. Regardless, probably about 80lbs of food is going in the trash. I have no idea what is Zupreems recall history other than what is now. 

While I was on their website, I checked the ingredient list, and you're right, it DOES list menadione. It DOES NOT list it on the bags. Pretty friggin shady.

I'm very thankful you brought this up.

Now I have to work Harrison's into my budget somehow.


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## losul

Researching more, i have started to find complaints about Zupreem fruit blend, even before the recall, but really only recently since "changing" their formula. here's a few of them;

Comments On - Some ZuPreem FruitBlend Bird Food Recalled

Moldy and disgusting smell complaints are/were common. If mold present, could be aflatoxins too? I already knew it looked and smelled different than it used to. I didn't think moldy and disgusting, with what I have, but it definitely doesn't look as good or smell as good, just bland.

Most of my birds have been having severe polyuria the last several months, that is way excessive drinking and urine, and diarhea in their feces. My caique has developed very disturbing behavior recently. A little quaker mysteriously died about 5 weeks ago, he was only 11 y/o. I've spent small fortune in bird vet bills the last 6 months. I hesitate to lay any blame yet, but I know one thing, I'm going to call them Zupreem Monday for sure.

who the hell can you trust anymore? i guess I assumed bird food didn't have the problems that dog food has. Sheesh.


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## Tracy

Sorry, got the name wrong. It's Nutri Bird we feed. It's expensive, but the vet recommended it years ago for our 2. They seem to do very well on it. Our older parrot is blind now, probably due to a bad diet (vet said). We rescued him 12 years ago. He was loud and very scared of everything. He manages very well in his big cage with his pal to help him. Tam is a great talker and singer, even though he's blind, his instincts are great, knows exactly what's going on.


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## losul

Hmmm. Still had never heard of Nutri Bird, but I found their website. It appears their headquarters and maunufacturing are in Belgium. It seems this food is very hard to find outside of Europe. I guess you buy from your vet? They also manufacure dog and cat food under the brand name Bento Kronen.

I assume you are using formula P15? Ingredient list is very vague, although they give pretty exact mineral-vitamin contents.

Birds: P 15 Tropical 

Product presentation 

Analytical constituents 

Composition 

Packings 



Product presentation

NutriBird P 15 Tropical is a balanced complete maintenance food for parrots. Pellets with a scientifically approved composition, based on selected grains, fresh fruit and peanuts. Completely consumable, no losses. Contains Florastimul, which supports the intestinal flora and protects against intestinal disorders. If your bird is not used to pellet food, the switch to this new type of food must be made gradually. See the NutriBird switching table.



Analytical constituents


Protein 15 % 

Fat content 16 % 

Crude fibre 3,50 % 

Crude ash 6,50 % 

Calcium 0,90 % 

Phosphorus 0,30 % 

Methionine 0,35 % 

Lysine 0,80 % 

Threonine 0,50 % 

Tryptophan 0,15 % 

Cystine 0,25 % 

Nutritional additives 

Vitamin A 8.000 IU/kg 

Vitamin D3 1.650 IU/kg 

Vitamin E 90 mg/kg 

Vitamin K 3 mg/kg 

Vitamin B1 7,50 mg/kg 

Vitamin B2 17,50 mg/kg 

Vitamin B3 22 mg/kg 

Vitamin B6 6,50 mg/kg 

Vitamin B12 0,03 mg/kg 

Vitamin C 55 mg/kg 

Vitamin PP 90 mg/kg 

Folic acid 1,65 mg/kg 

Biotin 0,29 mg/kg 

Choline chloride 625 mg/kg 

β-carotene 4,80 mg/kg 

E2 (iodine) 2,30 mg/kg 

E4 (copper) 11 mg/kg 

E5 (manganese) 110 mg/kg 

E6 (zinc) 105 mg/kg 

E8 (selenium) 0,30 mg/kg 

Colourant(s) 

Antioxidant(s) 

Preservative(s) 




Composition

Cereals 

Seeds (min. 10 % groundnut kernels) 

Fruit (min. 5 % fresh fruit) 

Vegetable protein extracts 

Derivatives of vegetable origin 

Sugars 

Minerals 

L-Lysine 

Methionine 

Extr. Yucca schidigera 

Fructo-oligosaccharides 

Vitamins 

Trace elements 



Packings


Boxes 1 kg 
Boxes 4 kg 
Bags 10 kg 



Presentation Extruded pellets

Edit: I just realized you are from UK.


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## Unosmom

I used to have parrots few years ago, but had to rehome them since it became Uno's mission to have them for dinner, I still miss them. 
Anyways, as far as diet goes some of the big names like zupreem or kaytee is not different than dog chow, its full of corn and soybeans as well as preservatives and artificial coloring. For pelleted food, I would go with harrisons. I gave mine plenty of fruits/veggies, almost every day. They loved apples, carrots, parsley, dill, wheat grass, broccoli, just to name a few. I also used to buy this product called Beak Appetit but it looks like they no longer make it. It's basically dehydrated rice with veggies that you cook and serve warm. They went nuts for that stuff. You can easily make it yourself by cooking some brown rice, veggies, raisins and probably add little bit of spices for flavor. 

As far as feeding seeds, only give those in moderation since they are pretty high in fat. I would stay away from seed mixes you get at pet stores, they are usually loaded with preservatives and artificial coloring. It's cheaper and far healthier to go to a health food store and just buy seeds in bulk and make your own mix.


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