Other sources for snacks/toy pieces?

[TJ Relic]

I was browsing the local chain pet store for birdie toys and treats. I usually find my way to the ferrets/rabbits/etc. section. I bought a package of plastic balls with bells inside once that Rigel loves. Lots of the snacks are from Kaytee, some are even the same stuff just with different animals on the front, I checked. (Kaytee Crunch A Rounds) It got me looking at the other items and wondering what is safe for birdies. Let me know if you see anything clearly objectionable?

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All of these are found at petco.com under Small Animals > Treats

Super Pet Branch Bites
Chemical free branches are harvested from a sustainable wood source. Branch Bites are made from gooseberry* fruitwood trees. Each Big Branch Bite features a center hole to make them easy to slide onto a Super Pet Ka-Bob treat dispenser
*Not on any of the safe/toxic lists I can find.

CarrotSlims -
Wheat flour, corn grits, soybean meal, dehydrated carrots, vitamin A, D3, and E supplements

Animal Lovers Gnaw-Dent
Made from arbutus, a hardwood from the pacific northwest, these triangular pieces are free of insecticides and pollutants.

Animalovens Veggie Burgers are crunchy, oven baked treats...
Whole wheat flour, corn flour, oat flour, dehydrated spinach, dehydrated kale, dehydrated carrots, vegetable oil, corn syrup, natural colors.

Brown's Falfa Cravins Treats
Cake-slice shaped, tasty treats are made with real carrots, apples and raisins. Oven baked with a little love in every crispy bite. Great source of fiber and protein. Ideal for guinea pigs, chinchillas, rabbits, and parrots.
Ingredients; Wheat flour, oat flour, apple pomace, ground carrots, alfalfa meal, rolled oat flakes, vegetable oil (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols, citric acid, and rosemary extract), flax seed meal, norwegian kelp powder, raisins, anise oil, orange color, ascorbic acid, biotin, zinc methionine, vitamin E.


Also, I'm interested in growing fresh greens for him, rather than wasting money on a bag of greens that go bad asap or confining him to dried green mixes. I was hoping to start with the Pet Grass I see at Petco. Is it okay and do they like it? What other plants are relatively easy to grow inside where he can forage in them? Is there anything in the potting soil that could be a danger?

[tielmama]

I always wonder the same thing. The only thing I've bought from the critter section is sweetgrass or alfalfa so far. The birdies love to root through alfalfa to find seeds that I put under it. They also chew on the grass a bit.

[ROYJOY]

i believe pet grass is wheat grass. only my young luvs will touch it and they dont eat much of it.

its less expencive at the grocery store. 99 cents.

[tielfan]

You can also buy organic wheat berries (a fancy name for food-quality wheat seeds) at a natural foods store and soak them overnight or sprout them. You don't have to grow them all the way out since they're most nutritious when the root is just starting to emerge from the seed. No soil is required and it's more or less the same nutrients as the wheat grass since it's just a different stage of the same plant. Birds usually take to it pretty easily since it still looks like a seed. Please search the forum or the internet for information on safe sprouting practices though, because it's possible to have problems with bacteria or mold if it isn't done right.

I've already given wood chews marketed for rodents to my tiels and they enjoy it.

[TJ Relic]

So alfalfa, wheat grass, and sweetgrass (or is this also wheat grass?) are routinely used for fids. Thanks.

I've run across the idea of sprouting seeds and was a bit intimidated by it, though I'm not sure why. I'll look into it :)

Any opinion on gooseberry wood? I can't find it on any lists.

[TJ Relic]

Also, I just noticed that the Cravins Treats have orange color, but doesn't specify if its a vegi source or artificial. I guess its out then.

[jriley]

As far as costs go, it's much less expensive to look online for bird toys than to get them at the chain stores. eBay, in particular, is a great place to get toys and parts. I sometimes buy baby toys at WalMart for my cockatoo.

Many people buy baby/toddler snacks as treats. I pretty much just use regular people food. I haven't bought treats for other species simply because there are so many to choose from that are made for birds. I especially like Nutriberries in all their varieties and I feel good about them since they are designed as a maintenance food and aren't just treats.

As far as growing/sprouting, it is a great idea to sprout seeds. I got a seed sprouting set from China Prairie that works really well and you don't get the mold problems. They sell several different seed/grain mixes to use for sprouting. You can sprout regular bird seed if you rinse it really well and make sure that it has nothing but seed in it (no fruit, veggies, pellets). You can also feed the sprouts from the grocery store (buy the organic ones).