upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

bspahr@fuse.net wrote:MFids,

I wanted to ask you why it is that you won't buy a mix with seed and pellets together? It seems that quite a few people mix them themselves.

I have to agree with Jackie here... Knowing how the cheaper brands of dog and cat food aren't as healthy as a more expensive brand, I view the cheaper brands of bird food as the same (i.e. those gotten from grocery stores and many mom and pop type stores). Although I do get 20lb's of food for $25, I don't see this brand of food in grocery stores, and there are no dyes. I like to mix in some canary/finch seed, which is also cheap (under a $1 a lb), however, I mix 2 parts cockatiel (regular stuff I get) with 1 part canary/finch. The canary seeds I get from a feed store that sells the stuff in bulk bins, however they are in bins that you pull a lever down to open up the bin and to fill a bag. The bin itself is otherwise completely closed, thus no bugs to get inside. It's a simple canary mix, but ads a little variety to the dry seeds they already get.

As for pellets... well I could never consider something I couldn't even recognize to be healthy, if it was in a seed/pellet mix. If I were going to feed a seed/pellet mix, I'd mix the stuff on my own, from companies that I trust in. However, even though my birds are offered both seeds (except for Charlie who gets them as treats) and pellets, and most if not all, eat both (not all are so good about eating fresh foods), I feed separately. I'll have seeds in one dish, and pellets in another. That way, I can monitor what the birds eat without them leaving something else out.

Maija Thorstrom wrote:I also have a starling and would be pleased to see a good insectivore diet on the market (one that doesn't have too much sugar and has a good animal-based protein source). All of Connor's food is prepared by mixing numerous ingredients (cat food, egg, apple sauce, chicken mash). Currently, there are no pre-packaged bird foods available that can meet a starling's needs.

-Maija

Maija, I had thought Harrison's Bird Food may have some formulated diet for starlings... I'm not entirely sure but maybe try asking them?

I don't see anything on their web site about an insectivore food. Maybe I looked at the wrong site. Their parrot food looks good though. I've never seen this brand for sale. Do they sell it in regular pet stores?

I guess, technically starlings are omnivores, but they eat a lot of insects. I rely on www.StarlingTalk.com for advice on how to care for him and what to feed him. They have a good reputation. I guess I made the suggestion because it would be nice not to have to cook and carefully measure and grind cat food and chicken mash in the blender. I suppose starlings might not be popular enough in the pet industry to design a food specifically for them. They need at least 26% animal protein and low fat.

Connor was my introduction to birds as pets. I found him last spring on a cold, rainy morning on the asphalt behind my car. He had fallen from a nest in the carport and was about six days old. I picked him up, put him in a tupperware, and took him to work. He lived! Now he twitters and meows at the cats and whistles at the cockatiels and is a lot of fun. He was the catalyst for my adventures with birds. I'm very fond of him.

-Maija

I've never seen Harrison's in the stores. Some vet's offices will carry it, but mostly you have to order it online.

My tiels did well on it, but my ringneck would only eat enough to stay alive until something better was offered, so the vet had me switch to Roudybush.

Maija

They do not sell Harrison's in petstores, and only once, max twice, I've seen it sold in a bird store. They however DO sell through online stores (distributors), avian vets, and through their own website.

Their food is expensive, however you should still get in contact with them...
Handbook for a Healtheir Bird - Harrison's Bird Food; PDF Format

Species Recomendation (food) - Pg 36;

TOUCANS, MYNAHS and STARLINGS
The common problems of obesity, fatty tumors, xanthomas, reproductive and feather problems are usually totally avoided when these birds are fed Harrison's. In addition, the low levels of iron in Harrison's formulations reduce the risk of iron storage disease, to which toucans and mynahs are particularly prone.

Recommended Harrison's Formula for Toucan Chicks:
Neonate Formula for the first three weeks of life, then Jevenile Formula for faster weight gain and fewer feedings per day.

Recommended Harrison's Formula for Adult Toucans:
High Potency Course or Fine for 6 months followed by Adult Lifetime Course or Fine thereafter.


Personally, I'm not much a fan of theirs although I'm sure they probably do have a good line of food... truth be honest though, I would bet that Starlings as pets are more common than many believe or may think. I've known of the StarlingTalk website for several years now, and I remember running across their recipe for food (using dog or cat food). I have a personal grudge against starlings in general yet I find that they are still amazing birds! At one of the corners to our house we have a starling nest right outside, and they raise chicks throughout the summer, and keep the nest throughout the year (although they don't usually visit quite as often in colder climates). It's just too bad that the nest is so high as occasionally chicks do fall out, sometimes chicks too young, or chicks not ready to fly, and then they go and hide, sometimes getting stuck in where they hide...

At least one starling here, if not two, also knows the sound of sirens, that "WeeWoo WeeWoo" of an ambulance...

It looks like the Harrison's is using the same formula for starlings, toucans, and mynahs. A lot of pet food makers do this, but it doesn't work. Mynahs are mainly fruit eaters. The adult lifetime recommended in the book has only 15% protein and none of it is animal protein. It looks like a well-developed food, but not for starlings. It's strange, but in my internet wanderings I find starlings and mynahs lumped together all the time. They're related, but their nutritional needs are completely different. It was worth looking into, though. Harrison's is a brand I'd never looked at before.

If a pet food company were to make a food for starlings, they would need to begin by abandoning the idea that they are like mynahs.

A lot of the people around where I live don't like starlings either. They nest over the cars in the carports and make a big mess. I find a lot of dead babies every spring. They're clever too, and love to play. Connor spends most of his time looking for things to take apart. He gets real excited when I give him woven palm leaves. When I talk to him, he comes and sits next to me and cocks his head to one side. He acts like everything I tell him is vitally important. Sometimes he tries to mimic me, but he's not very good at that yet.

Thanks!
-Maija

I raised a starling once that fell out of a nest but I released him when he was old enough. He was a really neat bird! I know it is illegal to keep them or even save the poor things where I am since they are a native bird. I don't understand some of these laws! Maybe that is why no one makes a food for them. We used to sell an insect type food for birds but it was discontinued due to lack of sales.