by Jeannine
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Veterinarians now recommend a pelletized diet that contains all the nutrition birds need. I feed my birds ZuPreem AvianMaintenance FruitBlend Flavor Premium Bird Diet. It comes in different varieties. Each has the same ingredients and nutritional content, but the pellet size varies for large parrots, parrots/conures, cockatiels, parakeets, and canaries/finches.

The pellets are a mix of colors similar to a bag of M&M’s:

Since I have so many birds, I buy a 20-pound bag twice a year. Each 20-pound bag costs around $43 including shipping. It is cheaper to buy in bulk. ZuPreem recommends the product be stored in its’ original container in a cool, dry place.

The diet is good for one year after manufacture and all bags are date coded. I don’t store mine in the original 20-pound bag. I divide it up into potions that last about ...

The difference is in the addition of food coloring. The Natural version is tan color. I buy the FruitBlend because the food coloring makes the birds’ feather coloring much more vibrant. It also changes the color of their stools to some pretty wild shades.

I understand that transition from seed diet to pellet diet can be a challenge. None of my birds have had a problem. New birds that arrived since the changeover have also readily accepted it. The manufacturer suggests a schedule for changeover whereby seeds are mixed

Over a period of a couple of weeks, the quantity of seeds is reduced and the quantity of pellets is increased in the mixture. For some reason unknown to me, my birds used to avoid the red pellets. Now they eat all the colors with great glee. I also feed fruits and vegetables, and fresh grasses.

ZuPreem warns that other foods should take up no more than 20% of the birds’ diet. My veterinarian heartily approves of the diet and compliments me on the health and longevity of my birds. Diet is only one factor in bird health, but it is an important one. I highly recommend ZuPreem AvianMaintenance FruitBlend Flavor Premium Bird Diet.

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