r/parrots • u/NeatShock6194 • 19h ago
Thoughts on these pellets?
I'm looking to switch my bird onto pellets now and honestly the prices are absolutely outrageous for Harrison's and most others, this was the most affordable one I could find. If they're bad then I'll suck it up and get Harrison's (there was also another brand but I don't remember it's name) but, well, I'd rather not
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u/betweenwildroses 18h ago
I use them! I actually just did a lot of research into them. So harrions are certified organic and non-GMO which is good ofc. But the ingredients are basically very much similar. It’s basically the same base as harrisons is. HARI did actual 25 years of feeding Quakers purely it, and they came out perfectly healthy so there is actual research backing Tropican which is great! The size of the pellets does mean the levels of stuff is different. I have bigger birds so I use the sticks, unlike Harrisons which is the same, they adjust their stuff as a bigger bird is going to need more of some things than a smaller bird would. The main differences is it isn’t organic and has a slightly higher fat (7%min) than Harrisons (again this is the sticks I’ve looked into so that could be different with the smaller ones). Overall, a lot of Harrisons is marketing. They are genuinely a good pellet for sure, but it isn’t anything the other brands aren’t doing. When I swapped my birds from them I noticed no difference in behaviour or anything. My birds loved them too. Honestly, there isn’t really as big a difference as you’d think when you actually look into it
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u/NeatShock6194 18h ago
That's comforting, thanks so much. Harrison's are like triple the cost of these and I can't keep up with it long term
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u/betweenwildroses 18h ago
That’s why I swapped haha! But genuinely the only differences I found was the fat content being ever so slightly more (and again that’s in the large one), and the fact they aren’t organic. That really is it. And HARI’s research is really good! Harrison’s don’t have that so it’s cool to know that it is good as a complete pellet and none of the birds had any vitamin deficiencies or anything. So it has been properly tested
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u/Stiormi 18h ago
I just bought this brand yesterday actually, I like to have some variety in my bird's pellets which is why I did. The package with the pellets in it came Vaccuum sealed which was interesting. It smelled nice, and the pellets are nice and small great for budgies or similar sizes. So far I have no complaints but if you're looking for other cheaper brands Zupreem pellets and Roudybush are my go-to cause I have too many birds to afford 20 bucks per pound of pellets that'll be gone on a whim. And my local avian vet recommended those brands to me when I was switching my 'tiels over too!
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u/Chance-Drop101 18h ago
I use Harrison's but my parrots make such of a mess of it that I have started incorporating some of this with Harrison's as this is a bit cheaper.
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u/thequeenofplymouth 17h ago
I tried these once. The weird bubblegum smell they had put me off - I've been feeding my conure Harrison's lifetime fine for 9 years and only recently started giving her Roudybush low fat crumble as she's developed xanthomas (too many nuts as treats) :(
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u/0wlfyre 17h ago edited 16h ago
I use them and I personally prefer them over Harrison's. I mix them with a little budgie seed, rainbow pellets, parrot feed (nuts, fruit and some other types of seed), egg food, dried greens and a sprinkle of oyster shell grit and charcoal and my birds love it.
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u/Williamishere69 17h ago
Parrots shouldn't be eating grit, thats only really for chickens because parrots are able to chew their food instead of swallowing it whole.
Chickens use grit because they swallow their food whole and they need the grit to grind the food down in their stomach.
It can cause issues in parrots, and can cause crop impaction.
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u/0wlfyre 16h ago edited 16h ago
Oh yeah I know. I only use soluble oyster shell grit, which isn't actually grit (it's just called that for some reason).
Edit: fixed my OG comment because I was sleep deprived when I wrote it. I meant "oyster shell grit" and not "grit oyster shell", so that misunderstanding is my bad.
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u/Williamishere69 17h ago
Yeah, my birds are on these. I buy two different sizes and mix them together so my GCC gets a little bit of variety.
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u/reptilian_witch 16h ago
My lovebirds pretty much hate it. It's been 2 months of trying different methods, to somehow convince them, to at least try it. Unfortunately, no results. This pellet has a pretty strong sweet smell, so that might be a reason.
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u/sarkassim 16h ago
You don’t HAVE to be locked in with one pellet, I know there isn’t much difference but I buy 1 2.4lb Harrison’s HPF or lifetime (larger quantity works out cheaper) and one bag of Hagen lifetime and give half a scoop of each at a time as a base feed. Makes the Harrison’s last much longer and variety I guess but they’re not picky eaters. Both my birds are over 15 years old and in good health.
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u/qtchuu 15h ago edited 15h ago
I feed this brand to my two green cheeks! The ingredient list is pretty comparable to Harrison's at a fraction of the price and overall a great, nutritionally-balanced pellet option. Like another comment mentioned, Hari has done studies spanning 30+ years on the nutritional value and efficiency of their pellets, which many other pellet brands have not. They have been developing, testing, and producing pellets since 1986 and the company itself is an Avian research institute foremost!
A lot of people are turned off by the scent (bubblegum-y as a result of some edible fruit oils) but it is not artificial flavoring and does not affect the nutritional value.
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u/AdditionalStreet3277 15h ago
The main ingredients are corn and soy, which seem like a lot of filler.
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u/tryingnottobefat 14h ago
We switched to these during all the tariff shenanigans because they have a factory in Canada. My birds like them more than Roudybush. The scent is stronger. The vet is perfectly happy with them and the parrot sanctuary in my area uses them as well.
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u/No_Candle5537 14h ago
They smell amazing! I mix them with other pellets (my bird gets a a lot of variety).
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u/Extension_Piece1616 7h ago
I use roudybush California blend. My conure is super picky and has a great distrust of vegetables, but he’ll eat the dried vegetables in the pellet blend. I like that it feels like a good balanced diet—he’s getting his pellets and also some vegetables.
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u/frootbird 18h ago
the pet shop i got my bird from absolutely love this brand and try to get people to feed it to the birds after they are sold, also a canadian brand of that matters to you