Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend Pellets for Large Parrots Review

When I brought my ekkie to the vet last year, she was pronounced in excellent health except for a loss of feathers on her face which was due to scratching.  The vet felt it was due to dry skin and prescribed an antihistamine, a humidifier, extra nuts and oils, etc... and then she asked about the diet that the bird was fed.  I ran down the list for her (brown rice and loads of fruits and veggies) and was surprised to see that she looked somewhat alarmed.  Apparently she was disturbed by the fact that I didn't feed the birds a pelleted diet. 

I promised the vet that I'd incorporate some pellets into Scarlett's diet so I picked up a 3 pound bag of Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend Pellets for Large Parrots.  These pellets come in different shapes--bunches of grapes, bananas, and apples/oranges--and are red, orange, yellow, green, and purple.  When I open up the bag, a blast of "fruity" fragrance hits me in the face. 

The feeding directions on the bag states that these pellets should make up at least 80% of the food that my Eclectus eats each day.  Uh-uh.  No way.  Not happening.  Ekkies do best on a diet of fresh, whole foods and can be very sensitive to the supplements, artificial colors and flavors in pelleted diets.  I am willing to give her some pellets each week to keep the vet happy but she'll always be on a fresh food diet as long as I own her. 

I throw a small handful of Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend Pellets into her dry mix every couple of days and she seems to have as much fun playing with them as she does eating them.  She loves to throw them out of her cage and sink them into her water bowl.  That being said, she also does eat some of them and appears to like them.  (Then again, she's an ekkie and they eat just about anything.)  I haven't noticed any toe-tapping or wing-flipping (signs of oversupplementing) in Scarlett since I've incorporated these pellets into her diet.  My guess is that she would develop those conditions if I was stupid enough to attempt to feed her 80% pellets and 20% seed/fresh foods.

A 3 pound bag of this product cost me about $12 at PetSmart.  Since I don't use more than a couple dozen pieces per week, it has lasted me for over 3 months now.  I definitely appreciate the fact that the bag comes with a reclosable zipper. 

If you are looking for a decent pellet to offer your large parrots as an occasional treat/meal, Zupreem Avian Maintenance Fruit Blend Pellets will get the job done.  I wouldn't recommend them as the mainstay of any exotic bird's diet, though, because they are loaded with artificial colors and flavors that can cause all sorts of reactions in parrots.