Roundybush Pellets

DizzyBlue

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Well heck never realised that! Just been reading about these pellets and on the Roundybush website it says that you are NOT to feed cuttlefish if you feed their pellets "Birds offered cuttlebone in addition to Roudybush pellets may actually reach toxic levels of certain nutrients such as calcium."
Would think that would also mean to be careful of all other nutritional additives when feeding this too etc ….

Roundybush website link https://www.roudybush.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=birdbrain.commonquestions

Analysis of cuttlefish bone should anybody want it https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5727737/
 
Most odd, many years a go a renown avian vet told us you can never overdose on calcium as the bird expels any excess. No idea who is right or wrong now.
 
Very interesting and this dose make me think can the same be for other pellets on the market. Will other companies be so honest? I also find it interesting that the pellets are softer and easy for birds to eat. is this a good thing, I rather a bird work for it food and that includes using the strength of it beak. there are other points to think about raised by the report that I am looking at but I may comment on them later, My sisters Budgie who passed away during the year was only fed on pellets (Harrisons) and a few things like a millet strip carrots,greens and apple. yet its iron levels was high and it had a few breathing problems in its later years the bird was eight when it passed away. I just think that its far better to feed our birds with normal foods and a good balanced diet.
 
A manufacturer, who can’t be bothered to put the full ingredients of their product on their website, is not worth dealing with. Yes Roundybush is heavily used in the US, so what, doesn’t make it better than anything else. Judging by some of the hideous things I see on FB, it’s no wonder they put warnings like that, there seem to be a great many birdkeepers out there who don’t have a clue, but luckily many that do too.
 
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It isnt a product I would touch tbh. I looked at them for Plum's condition and they would not advise feeding any of
the so called normal ones, the only option was one to be supplied on prescription. Didnt bother. Tops everytime - they have just got their organic status back btw.
 
It's so confusing I have been told by the vet to buy roudybush or Harrisons. But harrisons is too expensive for us so we are left with roudybush.
 
The reason vets recommend pellets is for a couple of reasons ….
A lot of vets are authorised to sell pellets and in doing so actually do get a fee paid to them for selling them, the other reason which kind of joins with the first is …. most owners do not go in depth in to what to feed their birds ie nutrition wise and thereby it kind of stops the owner making a complete hash of things for the bird.
Pellets when you look at the ingredients are not that different to seed … they are seed just mushed together so a pellet is a little bit of everything rather than selective.
Owners tend to go and buy things they like rather than what the bird needs .... hmmm example … I flipping hate broccoli with vengeance its the plant of the devil but I buy it fresh every week (the tender stem stuff) and my flock eat it as part of their fruit and veggie side of life. Very nutritious but makes me feel sick just the smell of it. Most owners buy what they like rather than what the bird should have.
I'm in my 50's I have had parrots more years than I care to remember …. I feed seed a really good quality one that I know is a fresh mix (test it by slinging some on a bit of soil (indoors) and making sure it sprouts within a couple of days, making sure it has a long shelf life and I am not buying at the end of its shelf life, buying in proper sealed paper sacks (plastic makes it sweat and prone to fungus etc) I never buy loose (never know who has had their hands in it or if their birds are healthy etc) I give my birds a tiny pinch of Nutrobal multivitamins and minerals every week and every year my lot go for a health check with the vet and have bloods done to ensure that their blood is within normal parameters for their species. Mine get fresh fruit and veggies in a balanced way they may love grapes BUT that doesn't mean they get them everyday their fruit and veg intake is different each day to ensure they get what they need and for those that are selective eaters the nutrobal makes sure they are not missing out on anything.
For me although my vet recommends people to feed pellets to a lot of his patients he doesn't with me as my birds see him regularly just for health checks not just when they are ill and also as I do have the bloods done regularly and they come back correct for the birds species he knows they are getting all they need.
Things like fresh dandelions in the spring and summer (never when they have had frost nor week killer nor dog wee on them obviously!) dandelions will blow you away when you see the amount of nutrition in them. But how keen are you to learn would be the question :)
If you don't want to feed pellets then nobody can make you BUT what you do need to do is make sure your bird gets a really good quality seed a complete spectrum vitamin and mineral addition (not one of this one of that something in the water a bit of this and two of them kind of thing!) has access to a really good variety of fruit and veggies and even if they don't like them you keep trying them with your bird and help them learn that a lot of things are healthy. I had to ask the breeder of two of my birds to help by asking that they were weaned to like broccoli because more than likely I would have been throwing up for ever more had I had to eat it in front of them to show them its good for them lol
@gemma bradbury
So if you wish to do it without pellets or its very expensive or your struggling with conversion … join in we'll help you but remember the health of your bird depends on you rather than the depth of your pocket :)
 
Did the vet explain their reasoning for those particular brands?

I feed some Harrison’s adult lifetime, some TOPS pellets and some Deli Nature 61 seed mix for my Amazon, along with the odd Nutriberry as a treat, plus of course the fresh fruit/veg/pulses/grains.

Roundybush.....why....American...only recently available here....contains methionine...I wouldn’t use it.

Vets maybe good at vetting, but most aren’t good at avian nutrition. They think all parrot owners must be daft and incompetent if we can’t manage to feed our birds without resorting to a manufactured pelleted diet. What is in the pellets, lots of seed ingredients, lots of filler like soya...you can look after your bird fine without them, it just needs some homework and planning.

If you are only looking to by Harrison’s and not other stuff at the same time
Www.animeddirect.co.uk is often the cheapest
 
It's so confusing I have been told by the vet to buy roudybush or Harrisons. But harrisons is too expensive for us so we are left with roudybush.
I agree they are expense but if you get a £35 bag and just feed a few in with a normal diet of fruit veg and seeds a bag can last a long time.
 
The reason vets recommend pellets is for a couple of reasons ….
A lot of vets are authorised to sell pellets and in doing so actually do get a fee paid to them for selling them, the other reason which kind of joins with the first is …. most owners do not go in depth in to what to feed their birds ie nutrition wise and thereby it kind of stops the owner making a complete hash of things for the bird.
Pellets when you look at the ingredients are not that different to seed … they are seed just mushed together so a pellet is a little bit of everything rather than selective.
Owners tend to go and buy things they like rather than what the bird needs .... hmmm example … I flipping hate broccoli with vengeance its the plant of the devil but I buy it fresh every week (the tender stem stuff) and my flock eat it as part of their fruit and veggie side of life. Very nutritious but makes me feel sick just the smell of it. Most owners buy what they like rather than what the bird should have.!


I feed Harrisons and Tops but only a few at a time as they get wasted otherwise. As I cant get chillies here Im going to try Harrisons Lifetime Pepper next. Lots of fresh fruit and veg and have managed to sprout seeds and legumes which go down well. Dont like them really but I find myself eating red and green peppers as Dora loves the seeded core, and I cant bring myself to throw the rest away
 
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My two like their fruit, but put veg in front of them and you get the look of disdain (I do keep trying :)), so I top up their seed mix with Harrisons pellets, but don't feed them exclusively - as folk have said, way too expensive for that!
 
@Yellowchickenparrot Errr you do realise that once open the bag contents does go off and nutritional values decrease as the product deteriorates so although you think it lasts a long time its not actually good to buy something in large quantities and keep for ages ….. better off using something with a faster turnover maximum here is 4 weeks from opening and that is with storing it in a fridge except for Nutrobal which in an airtight container held in the fridge will keep nutritional values at 87% after a year but I only buy a small tub at a time as you use such a tiny amount ….
 
Harrison’s state 6 weeks on their website...but I know I don’t use a bag in that time. You can freeze, but again they don’t commit to that.
TOPS say you can freeze theirs for two months
 
Also feed Harrisons together with seeds and fresh. I keep it in the special coffee container, airscape is the best.
 
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