FINCHforum

Do any of you feed a strictly pellet diet to your Gouldians ? If so what brand do you feed and how hard was it to make the change over ? I'm thinking of switching to Mazuri small bird maintenance pellet & Mazuri small bird breeder pellet. Before I order a 100 lbs of this I'd like to know what to expect or am I wasting my money ?

Here is a recent thread in which some of your questions are discussed:

http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25099

I personally am not a fan of an all-pellet diet, because I think our birds need the stimulation of having a varied diet offered to them. Most finches are seed-eaters, plus all our birds need extras like veggies and minerals. Though the pellets may offer everything they need in one package, it is the mental stimulation they miss of foraging for their food. So it is fine to offer pellets, but I would still offer seeds, veggies, and a mineral mix.

I once tried giving mine pellets, in addition to their normal diet of greens and seed, but they didn't buy into the idea. I saw one or two of them go over and pick up a pellet or two, but that's about it.

Not a fan of pelleted diet, I feel seed eaters should be able to eat what they know. The powder at the bottom of your pelleted dishes are because the bird is trying to hull the pellets like they would naturally with a seed. I like to give a variety of foods besides seeds to keep things interesting for them.

I do for most of my birds.
I used the method described in the FIC for introducing new foods.
It generally works. But you have to be VERY CAREFUL that you do not starve the bird to death during the conversion process.

I remove the seeds before lights out and replace it with pellets (and no other food in the cage).
In the morning I leave the pellets out for x time
- start with 2 hours for about 5 days, then increase to 3 hours for 5 days, then increase to 4 hours.
- after this time, I put the seeds back and watch the bird

The idea is the bird will be hungry in the morning and will try the new food (the pellets).
The bird will hold out and not eat the pellets, waiting for you to give him the seeds.
The theory is, after a while the bird will be too hungry to wait and will start eating the pellets.

It is a matter of wills.
You have to out-wait the bird. This is why you gradually increase the time that only pellets is available to eat.

BUT, you may have STUBBORN birds that refuse to eat pellets, and will starve rather than eat the pellets. This is where you have to be careful.

All of my birds have eaten pellet by the 4 hour mark.

Also older birds may be too old to convert.
I gave up trying to convert my wife's canary to pellet food. I should have done it soon after we bought it, but I was busy with the finches and kept putting it off, now its too late.

I recently used a different method on a new bird in quarantine.
I mixed seeds + LaFeber finch food in a 50/50 mix.
I try to maintain this ratio of what is in the food dish.
After the bird eats all the seeds, and if he is still hungry will try the other stuff (the pellets) in the food dish.
Again, you have to be careful that the bird does not start itself.

I give them seeds once a week as a treat, sprinkled on top of their egg+veggies.

Breeding birds get both pellets and seeds (in addition to egg food), then they choose which to eat seeds or pellets. The idea is to let them choose whichever is easiest for them to feed to the chicks.

Then I have to convert the weaned chicks to pellets.
The chicks get seed + pellets, and I gradually change the mix, decrease the seeds and increase the pellets.

As for brand.
I started using Zupreem Natural (not flavored) finch size (extra small). But Zupreem discontinued the natural in the extra small, so I switched.
I now use LaFebers Finch food sprinkled with Roudybush Nibbles.
This 2 food mix allows me flexibility where the birds are used to both pellets, and if there is a feed supply problem, I can switch between the 2.

Hi Paul!! Talked to you on facebook!! I have used pellets for years. For finches I use a good seed mix and Roudybush High Energy Breeder (contains extra protein, calcium and D3, excellent for breeding, weaning and babies in the nest) Nibble size pellets. I have used the Roudybush off and on for years and years with my birds. Hookbills get a higher ratio of pellets to seed and I have in the past as recommended by my avian vet to put some only on pellets due to health concerns and chronic egg laying by one lone lovebird hen. The seed was removed completely from her diet and it did improve things greatly.

I also supplement with dried and boiled grated eggfood, Roudybush soak and feeds, soaked quinoa and grated carrot, shaved broccoli tops, romaine, frozen veggies and kale.

When getting into finches and having an issue with my lovebird (I had no other hookbills at the time...Prior a Gray...he was on pellets as well due to needing to supplement him based on a long illness)....I did discuss diet for finches...my avian vet said it is fine to give both seed and pellets plus veggies, bird breads, eggfood to finches....parrots, hookbills can be on pellets only, I use mostly pellets to a small ratio of select seeds.

Pellets for me does take the worry out of wondering if they are getting what they need nutritionally. I researched it, saw my avian vet often and had many discussions regarding diet with her especially in regards to hookbills.

If you go to Roudybush Direct they have a way to wean your bird onto pellets. For the finches I add a small scoop to their seed at first, then I eventually blend it in the seed. You can tell if they are eating it if their is a fine powder in the bottom of the dish. The ratio of powder left behind in comparison to the amount of pellets used is small and very fine.

One of the top grasskeet breeders told me to add the pellets to the dried eggfood, that way the powder left from the pellets is not wasted....that is my next step with the all the hookbills, my budgies love this already. I changed out food today and noticed all the birds including recently purchased pairs of Javas that never had Roudybush prior all had powder in their dishes of the seed and pellet mix. When served seed with a scoop of pellets in the center of the dish...my penguin zebras go to the pellets first. The waste from not liking certain seeds in some of the seed mixes I have used in the past to me was a waste of money. I found a few seed choices the finches preferred and added the Roudybush.

Pellets are a personal choice but many use it. Since you are on the Finchaholics page, go to the files there are a few articles and comparisons on pellets. My suggestion is to get yourself a 10 pound bag of the Nibble size at first not 100 lbs...the small rod size is to big and will create waste. Crumbles is to big for some smaller finches. Try it for a good 2 weeks to a month on top of the seed or in a small dish to see how they like it, they may turn their nose up at it at first then try it.. Another good finch pellet is Lafebers.