Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!intercon!news
From: kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: INDOOR:  Need advice for the purchase of bird supplies.
Message-ID: <273716A3.4683@intercon.com>
Date: 6 Nov 90 20:01:39 GMT
References: <962@babcock.cerc.wvu.wvnet.edu> <9003@cognos.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@intercon.com (USENET The Magnificent)
Reply-To: kdb@macaw.intercon.com (Kurt Baumann)
Organization: InterCon Systems Corporation, Herndon, VA
Lines: 19

In article <9003@cognos.UUCP>, stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter) writes:
>    I disagree strongly with that pet shop owner.  Pelleted diets (the good
> ones) provide a completely balanced diet for your bird.  Many birds
> (including cockatiels) don't crave variety, so pellets are great.  It
> also allows you to adjust their diet when they are breeding, moulting or
> ill (by using a different formulation of the same pellet).  All my birds
> (finches -> macaws) have been fed pellets since 1987.

The only problem with this is the following.  There have been NO long term
studies about the effects of feeding only pellets.  We recently had two very
nice cockatiel breeders die due to calcified organs.  The vet thinks, no
real clue here, that it was because they were on a pellet ONLY diet for all
of their life.  We feed a variety of foods, seed, pellets, and fresh fruit
and veggies.  Do the same for you bird, there just has not been enough study
done yet to know for sure that there are no long term problems with pellets.
--
Kurt Baumann                       InterCon Systems Corporation
703.709.9890                      Creators of fine TCP/IP products
703.709.9896 FAX               for the Macintosh.