By Dr. Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice)
While ZuPreem’s blended diets are a great way to transition birds on nutrient-deficient diets (such as all-seeds or poor-quality seed blends) to nutritious pelleted diets, they can also be fed successfully to birds already eating pellets to provide them with more food variety and foraging opportunities. The key is to offer blends the right way. They must always be offered in a separate cup from pellets and should be offered later in the day, after pellets have been fed, so that hungry birds in the morning consume nutritious pellets first. The idea is akin to our allowing ourselves to have dessert once we’ve eaten a healthy, balanced meal. Blends also can be offered as rewards to pellet-eaters during training sessions to learn new skills or tricks. The goal is to ensure blends are fed as a complement to a pellet-based diet, and not as their main diet.
