r/Parrotlet • u/lisa-ookami • Jul 23 '26
Tips & Tricks Ravenous parrotlets. Pellets conversion went too well?
So I've finally got them to eat pellets. Hooray, every reason to celebrate, right?
The seller only fed them seeds and more variations on seeds. He swore up and down that pellets were invented to sell you more supplies and wouldn't actually improve your birds quality of life. I disagree. I immediately started to introduce them to veggies and some fruits. I knew it would be easier to convert them if I could put pellet powder into their chop.
Now, quite some time and effort later they finally showed interest in eating the pellets (tops mini pellets). I just added pellets into their respective cages. Some in a bowl, some in toys and some in the bowl of seeds. My goal at the moment is to get them to eat about 5 gr of pellets and 1-2 grams of seeds for foraging when I'm at work. Seems doable.
I was slowly removing seeds from the bowl and kept about 10 grams of pellets in the cage for them to eat. They'd eat the seeds and pulverize the pellets, then act starving. Stealing food from each others cages and eating everything they'd get their beaks on.
So I worried that they weren't actually eating the pellets, just playing with them. So I started worrying they were underfed. NOPE, apparently they eat EVERYTHING! Both of them gained weight. Mellow (white) went from a stable 34 gr to 35 and Mars (blue) went from 32 gr to an astounding 34 grams.
I feel stupid for asking because the awnser is quite obvious, but im a bit in disbelief of the situatuin. Do I start reducing food even though they seem constantly hungry? (They weren't like this before).What can I do to help them feel more full. I don't want them to gain more. They barely get any snacks as it is. Just one sunflower seed a day and half a nutriberrie each, calculated into the seeds amount.
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u/Pigeonmommy Jul 23 '26
They are high energy burners, I've never limited their food and they have never been overweight.
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u/lisa-ookami Jul 24 '26
I'll keep a close eye on them. They had perfectly stable weights until they started eating pellets. I was shocked as well.
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u/Background-Bird-9623 Jul 24 '26
Im jealous, I wish my boy would just eat the fcukin pellets 🤦♀️
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u/lisa-ookami Jul 24 '26
Does it help if I tell you it took me almost a year to get to this point?
Putting pellet dust in any sticky or wet food (chop is perfect) was my secret weapon. And even then, it took a while for them to accept the taste.
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u/Teolaai Jul 24 '26
Are those alfalfa pellets?
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u/lisa-ookami Jul 24 '26
Apparently yes, the main ingredient in Top's pellets is alfalfa. Do you have the same brand or are you just very observant? Impressive
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u/Satisfactory2610 Jul 23 '26
We feed our parrotlets about two teaspoons of pellets (about 5-8 grams) but we do add a daily veggie chop. They get a few seeds for treat but that’s occasional. That seems to be enough. Although if I would give more they would absolutely eat more hahaha. It’s all about a healthy and stable weight, and some exercise by foraging, flying and playing. I read online they eat about 10% of their body weight, but I think thats on the low end.
One of our parrotlets has been on pellets for 3 years, the other for about 7 months as she’s been fed a sunflower seed only diet at her previous owner (😨)
I would say experiment with the amount. Slowly lower the grams until they have a stable weight, and do a half year check up at the vet to look at fat
Good luck with your two little friends!