Pellets are a formulated, balanced diet for parrots; seeds alone are nutritionally incomplete and a leading cause of obesity, fatty liver disease, and vitamin deficiencies.
A pellet is a compressed mix of grains, fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals, formulated to meet the nutritional needs of a particular species (or species group). Properly formulated pellets should make up 60–70% of an adult parrot's diet.
Seeds are calorie-dense and fat-heavy. A seed-only diet is the equivalent of feeding a child only fast food: birds love it, but it leads to obesity, fatty liver disease, calcium deficiency, and vitamin A deficiency. Many of the chronic health issues we see in older parrots trace back to early-life seed-only diets.
Most birds raised on seeds resist switching to pellets initially. The transition takes weeks of patience: offer pellets in the morning when the bird is hungriest, mix them with familiar foods, and gradually reduce the seed ratio.
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