New food

[myloviebabies08]

I got a free 2 lb bag of katee rainbow for lovebirds and tried my birds with it today.They ate prettybird before this but my question is they were eating all day long and were very hyper and was pooping ALOT does this mean that katees is better than pretty bird? or is this a bad thing?

[Flappuccino]

Kaytee is not top quality, but it's ok. I'm pretty sure lovies are only supposed to have 40% pellets in their diet. I've been told that they are actually too high in nutrients. As long as your babies get a good quality seed and plenty of fresh veggies and fruits along with the pellets, they'll do great!
I wish my birds would eat a different brand of pellet, but the Kaytee Rainbow is the only one they like. They're just like kids... pick out the red ones first, lol.

[Indy]

I just bought some dehydrated organic fruits and veggies from Whole Foods Market. I have everything from tropical fruit bits, to dehydrated sliced banana, to vegetable bits. Because these are dehydrated, of course, they last forever in storage without going bad. Hopefully the Lovebirds like these as "treats" because they sure are expensive. The cost is almost $5 for 2.5 ounces (even though there's a lot of volume, so it's not as small of an amount as the weight suggests.) The benefit is they can remain in the cage for a few days or longer.

[LissaLuvsLuvies]

Kaytee products actually contain an artificial preservative called "ethoxyquin", that has been superficially linked to severe reproductive diseases and neurological problems. Ethoxyquin is not approved for human consumption in many countries, and is not recommended as an additive in pet food by most vets due to it's admittedly sketchy reputation. As well, they use Red #40, which has almost been certainly linked to hyperactivity and many other (mostly minor) problems. I've heard that that particular dye can cause kidney failure in extreme cases, but I've never come across a report supporting this. Of course, I can't compare it to PrettyBird, because I have no experience with that product. As well, Kaytee has some extremely questionable practices concerning their Kaytee Preferred Bird Program, and I have made it my position not to support their products- thought this is my personal stance and certainly should not factor in with your end decision
(unless you find you feel as I do).

No one knows for sure what the "perfect" diet is for lovebirds- 40% pellet, or 100%, or none at all? Many people argue over the merits of every bird food- the best you can do is guess with the information you have available. Many manufacturers are happy to send additional information on their food if you request it. Most "for sure" information is merely speculation based on a particular keeper/breeder/vet's experience. This doesn't mean it's not true, but every person needs to decide for themselves what works for their birds- be wary of people who tell you there is only "one right way" and that hard percentages is the only way to feed you bird (though 40% pellets, 20% seed and the rest veggies is very popular).

Personally, I feed probably about 75% pellets (I change them around, because I'm suspicious of all pellet manufacturers, but I usually mix mostly Harrison's with a bit of Roudybush, Tropican, and Zupreme- because my bird's addicted to it), with a bit of seed (maybe 10%) in her foraging toys, and veggies and other fresh foods making up the rest. This works for me and my bird, but may not work for others.

[shosh]

A lot of the lesser quality pellet foods also contain sugar which, as we know, leads to hyperactivity and sugar isn't exactly good for birds...the fruity foods all seem to have it.
I was giving my guys zupreem natural but have recently switched to harrison's which they seem to like quite a bit. I also bought some dried mixes of veggies ( corn, peas, carrots, hot peppers) which I throw in along with fresh veggies and some seeds. If they could, they'd eat seeds all day so I try and watch that...
The budgies, however, eat all seeds and some swiss chard ( trying to convert them to pellets was impossible).
I would think that eating all day is probably not a good thing so maybe they like them just a bit too much....sugar is yummy.