By Dr. Laurie Hess, DVM, Diplomate ABVP (Avian Practice)
Many people try to balance their birds’ diets by offering them a large variety of table foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein. While these foods may be nutritious individually, it is impossible for bird owners to ensure that they are providing the proper balance of these foods to ensure their birds receive a nutritionally complete diet with adequate vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Plus, many of these foods, especially fresh produce, are water-rich and fill birds up quickly, so they are not able to eat these table foods in large enough quantities every day to get adequate nutrition. That’s why pellets are so important for birds. ZuPreem pellets provide complete and balanced nutrition in a form birds like and in a quantity they can consume daily to ensure they get a balanced diet containing all the nutrients they need. With a base diet of at least 60% pellets, birds can enjoy the table food and blends they love for foraging and variety, as well as occasional treats, as long as table and blends do not make up more than 30% of their total diet and treats do not make up more than 10%. ZuPreem’s blends are healthier than many table foods, as they have “smart pellets” in them that contain added vitamins and minerals, along with healthy dried fruits and vegetables. ZuPreem’s blends can be fed along with a pellet-based diet to offer birds added variety and food choice, as long as these blends are fed after birds have consumed their daily ration of pellets.
