Are you trying to switch your parrot to pellets, or just find the best pellets for parrots? We can help! In fact, our parrots have been eating pellets to supplement their fresh produce diet for years. It took a while for our bird, Coco, to get accustomed to pellets, but now she devours them. Not to mention, her favorite pellets are the Tops and Bird Tricks brand. Furthermore, we will go into greater detail below.
Additionally, bird pellets are essential to any pet parrot diet; they often have many non-GMO nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Like me, if you have an African grey parrot, you’ll know that learning what to feed your African grey parrot can be a challenge. Furthermore make sure you get enough nutrition into their diet every day.
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The Top 8 Best Pellets for Parrots
#1 TOP’s Organic Pellets for Parrots
- We use suggested bird sizes but you ultimately choose depends on both the size of you bird and what size food pieces your bird normally prefers. Generally, if you go a little smaller with the pellet size then you will have less waste. TOP's All Size Hookbills Pellets is best suited for large and medium parrots, cockatiel, African Greys, Amazons, Cockatoos, Conures, Eclectus, and Macaws
- TOPs is the only non-corn based USDA Certified complete diet bird food. Most other competing brands use GMO corn as the main ingredient. We don't eat GMO corn and do not think your bird should either
- Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients for a happy and healthy parrot. Naturally preserved with Rosemary, Rose Hips, Lemon and Orange Peel.
- TOP’s outstanding pellets (1 lb)do not contain any fillers, like soy or corn, or BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin. We use only fresh, natural ingredients and avoid all artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sucrose/sugar.
- Measures 1/4" in diameter - Feed your companion approximately as much as they want each day, the pellets are cold-pressed to keep the natural nutrition intact.
When I first purchased a bag of TOP’s organic pellets, I didn’t think there would be a day when my bird would gobble them up. It just took time for her to get used to the pellets. It also helps if your bird is hungry enough; if you cut out all seeds for a week and only offer pellets and fresh foods, eventually, your bird is going to give in and eat what is available.
TOP’s pellets for parrots and made with high-quality ingredients that you will feel good about giving to your bird. In fact, many of the other brands feature corn or peanuts as the first ingredient; however, you are sure to be feeding your bird nutritious food with TOP’s. When talking about the Timneh vs Congo they both do great on TOP’s pellets.
Main Ingredients
Alfalfa leaf, millet, barley, rice, quinoa, sesame seeds, pumpkin, buckwheat, kelp, orange peel, spinach leaf powder, and more
What We Like
- Certified organic
- Made in the USA
- No corn, peanuts, or soy
- Wholesome ingredients
- It’s excellent for large and medium parrots, from macaws to African greys.
- Many birds love these pellets
What We Don’t Like
- Some parrots may not like the taste
#2 Bird Tricks Life-Enhancing Pellets for Parrots
Top Pick
Bird Tricks Life-Enhancing Pellets
Organic
Non-GMO
Great for all parrots
Most birds will like this food
The Bird Tricks people have been creating toys and food for birds for years. Moreover, they live with many parrots and know what is best for their health. As an illustration, they have plenty of testimonials on their social media pages where people show a photo of their bird eating the Bird Tricks Life-Enhancing pellets. The pellets are made with a whole list of ‘life enhancers’ that parrots need to stay healthy.
The ingredients on these pellets seem very similar to the TOP’s, so I am not sure if they just add their label to TOP’s pellets for parrots or what. However, the most important thing is that my bird likes these pellets. In particular, our bird Coco loves these pellets.
Main Ingredients
Alfalfa leaf, millet, barley, rice [The following ingredients comprise no more than 5% total volume each] sunflower seeds, sesame seeds unhulled, quinoa whole, pumpkin, buckwheat, and more.
What We Like
- Certified organic
- Made in the USA
- No corn, peanuts, or soy
- Wholesome ingredients
- Many birds love these pellets.
What We Don’t Like
- Some picky birds may take a while to learn to like these pellets.
- Sometimes, many of the pellets have turned into a dusty powder in the bottom of the bag. When you pour the last few servings of pellets out, the dust sometimes plumes upwards.
- They are expensive
#3 Harrison’s Coarse Pellets for Parrots
- ADULT LIFETIME COARSE is a year-round maintenance formula for healthy, non-breeding, non-molting birds including pionus, Amazons, cockatoos, macaws and other medium to large parrots and may be offered after a bird has completed a dietary program of a High Potency formula for a period of 6 months. Harrison’s nuggets are a blend of certified organic, non-GMO verified, whole grains and legumes with the addition of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, including balanced Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. Feeding Harrison’s nuggets will help your bird live a longer, healthier and happier life.
- A MAINTAINANCE NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM FOR MEDIUM TO LARGE BIRDS. Harrison's Bird Foods Adult Lifetime Coarse ensures proper nutrition for birds that are not breeding, molting, recovering from an illness, or free flying. Get the proper nutrition from this parrot food for large birds for your bird's lifetime care.
- YEAR-ROUND HEALTH: Ideal for year-round feeding, especially for african greys, pionus, amazons, cockatoos, macaws and other medium to large parrots. The perfect bird food nutrition to support your bird's metal and physical health. While promoting longevity and happiness, our formula supports overall well-being, ensuring your feathered companion lives a happier and healthier life.
- GUARANTEED NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS: With a minimum of 15% crude protein, 5.5% crude fat, 2.5% omega-6 fatty acids, 0.35%, omega-3 fatty acids, a maximum of 6.5% crude fiber and 10% moisture, our formula meets the dietary requirements of medium to large birds. The added fatty acids contribute to a healthy coat and vibrant plumage. Give your birds the nutrition they deserve with our premium blend of certified organic, non-GMO pet bird foods and bird treats.
- HUMAN QUALITY INGREDIENTS, NO BLEACHING, DYING, OR OVER PROCESSING: We prioritize your bird's health by using only certified organic, whole food human-grade ingredients with the perfect addition of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals for a complete, balanced diet. All the nutrition your birds needs, without toxic pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. A food that will make your bird feel good, and that you can feel good about feeding.
You will see Harrison’s selling in many exotic veterinary offices worldwide. Even though their first few ingredients are corn, soybeans, and sunflower seeds, many vets still approve of this food as a complete and balanced diet for a parrot.
If your parrot likes these pellets, then, by all means, feed them to them. However, this may not be the best choice if your parrot is a picky eater. Many clients have said their birds would not eat these pellets since there are no bright colors. In particular, many birds with health issues tend to do great on Harrison’s pellets.
Main Ingredients
Sunflower Kernels, Hull-less Barley, Soybeans, Peas, Peanut Kernels, Lentils, Corn, Brown Rice, Toasted Oat Groats, Alfalfa, Psyllium, and more
What We Like
- Organic ingredients
- Most birds like this food right away (it makes sense since it has sunflower seeds as the first ingredient)
- You can feed it to medium and large birds
What We Don’t Like
- The first few ingredients are sunflower seeds, corn, and peanut
- Some birds don’t like the natural color
- It might take some time to get some birds to eat these pellets
- Expensive
#4 RoudyBush Pellets for Parrots
- No Added Sugars Or Colors
- 100-Percent Edible And No Animal By Products
- Scientifically Formulated
We like the fact that for the same price as the BirdTricks pellets, you are getting 10 lbs, and with the BirdTricks, you are only getting 4lbs of pellets. For one thing, If you are on a budget and want to start adding pellets to your parrot’s diet, these pellets are a great start. To note, our birds like these pellets, and we love that they make them in the USA. We appreciate that they update their formula from time to time depending on the new health needs of parrots.
Main Ingredients
Ground Corn, Ground Wheat, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Alfalfa, and more.
What We Like
- The formula is well balanced with added vitamins and minerals for all parrots.
- Many birds prefer Roudybush over Zupreem
- No added dyes or colors
What We Don’t Like
- They are not organic or GMO-free like the TOP’s and BirdTricks
- The main ingredients are corn and soybean meal
#5 Higgins Pellets for Parrots
- 3 Pack Of Higgins Premium Pet Foods Intune Natural Pelleted Bird Food, 3 Pounds Each
- All natural complete bird diet.
- Real fruit flavors & aroma.
- Encapsulated digestive probiotics.
- DHA omega 3.
In general, If you want to make sure your bird gets the best care, feed them only nutritious food! In fact, Higgins prides itself on delicious and irresistible natural pellets. We use the Higgins California seed mix for our African grey parrot and the Higgins pellets we have tried when our other brands are out of stock. Higgins ensures that their parrot diet is perfect for all types of companion parrots, and it doesn’t contain any artificial colors or flavors. It also has probiotics that help ensure a healthy digestive system.
Main Ingredients
Ground Corn, Brown Rice, Soybean Meal, Ground Wheat, Oat Meal, Sugar, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Egg Product, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate, Salt, Cranberries, Apples, Blueberries, Celery, Beets, and more.
What We Like
- It has a good mix of healthy greens, vegetables, and fruits
- Probiotics
- Higgin’s is an excellent choice if you are on a budget
What We Don’t Like
- Contains sugar
- Ingredients contain salt
- The first few ingredients are corn and soybean meal.
- It does not ensure their corn and soy is non-GMO
#6 ZuPreem Natural Bird Food Smart Pellets for Parrots
Zupreem should change their formula to organic NON-GMO ingredients, and more people might purchase their parrot food. Not to mention, nowadays, what we feed our pets is just as important as what we provide ourselves. If eating non-organic foods does not bother you, then ZuPreem may be an excellent first choice to start your parrot on pellets. Comparatively making sure our birds live long and healthy life is what we all want. More importantly, the natural brown color is great if your bird does not like specific colors.
Main Ingredients
Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground millet, Ground oat groats, Ground barley, Ground wheat, Wheat germ meal, Sugar, Vegetable oil, and more
What We Like
- It has a good mix of natural fruits and vegetables
- There are no colored pellets, so if your bird tends only to eat the red ones and you find yourself wasting 1/2 the bag, then you won’t have that problem with these.
- Many picky eaters will eat this food
- A great budget-friendly option
- Made in the USA
What We Don’t Like
- Contains sugar
- Soybean meal and corn as the first two ingredients
- It’s not organic
- It’s not non GMO corn and soy
#7 ZuPreem FruitBlend Flavor Pellets Bird Food for Parrots and Conures
- Made in the USA specifically for Conures, Caiques, African Greys, Senegals, Amazons, Eclectus and small Cockatoos.
- HEALTHY and DELICIOUS FruitBlend Smart Pellets. Made with whole grains from North America’s Heartland.
- Fruit colors, shapes, and Natural Flavors with the Essential Nutrients your bird needs every day for good health.
- ESSENTIAL NUTRITION. Fortified with essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Feed daily to provide the foundation of your bird’s diet.
- Convert Your Bird to a Healthier Diet. Converting your bird to a food that includes pellets is worth the effort for his/her health and wellbeing.
Zupreem began making specialized diets for animals in zoos since-GMO the 1960s. They focus on exotic animals but start making dog and cat food. One of their other main focuses is making a Zupreem primate chow.
However, their largest market is making bird food for all kinds of companion bird pets. Check out our full list of safe foods for sun conures!
Main Ingredients
Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat, Wheat germ meal, Sugar, Vegetable oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Oranges, Apples, and more.
What We Like
- It has a good mix of natural fruits and vegetables
- Many picky eaters will eat this food
- A great budget-friendly option
- Made in the USA
- You can use it as a treat for training
What We Don’t Like
- Corn and soybean meal as the first two ingredients
- It’s not organic
- Contains sugar
- It’s not non-GMO corn and soy
#8 Bird Street Bistro Parrot Food
- Suitable for Various Birds: Healthy parrot food does exist! Nutritious blend for parrots, parakeets, cockatiels, macaws, African greys, & more. The perfect parrot food for medium birds & larger. Prepare in as little as 3 minutes.
- Premium & Clean Recipe: Uses all-natural ingredients. 100% natural with no fillers, sugars, or sulfites. Includes freeze dried fruits, organic whole grains, air dried vegetables, savory & health orientated spices.
- Heath Benefits: Provides excellent health benefits to parrots. Cayenne Pepper which is known for its blood cleansing properties. Quinoa is jam-packed with lysine and healthy amounts of the other amino acids. Kelp improves feather conditioning and helps birds that experience iodine deficiency. Basil contains very high levels of vitamin K, which is fat-soluble and essential for coagulating the blood
- Cajun bean Ingredient Specs: Organic couscous, organic rolled triticale, non-GMO black beans, organic hulled millet, organic rolled kamut, organic quinoa, non-GMO dried celery, non-GMO dried bell peppers, basil leaves, organic cayenne pepper, ground paprika, & ground cumin.
- Eco-Friendly & Made In The USA: Proudly Made in The USA under high quality standards. Bird Street Bistro proudly supports environmentally responsible farmers & suppliers with eco-friendly practices. We support recycling efforts by using recycled paper and earth-friendly biodegradable shipping supplies.
Although it is excellent supplemental bird food, the Bird Street Bistro is not pellets. Every day Coco either gets fresh veggies, frozen veggies, freeze-dried, or a parrot food mix like Bird Street Bistro.
I love using this for Coco when I have enough fresh veggies on hand. It’s also great to use a topper on one of your parrot pellet brands. It can work for all kinds of parrots, look here for more cockatiel diet tips.
Main Ingredients
Organic couscous, organic rolled triticale, non-GMO red beans, non-GMO black beans, organic hulled millet, organic rolled Kamut, organic quinoa, non-GMO dried celery, non-GMO dried bell peppers, basil leaves, organic cayenne pepper, ground paprika, ground cumin.
What We Like
- No preservatives
- No sugar
- Organic and Non-GMO
- No artificial colors
- Made in the USA
What We Don’t Like
- Some birds refuse to eat the parrot food.
- Check the expiration date; some people received one expiring in one day.
What Are Pellets for Parrots and Why Do You Need Them
Bird pellets and food’s primary goal is to provide optimal nutrition to your feathered friend. However, getting our birds used to eating bird pellets can help them live long and healthy lives. For one thing, pellets for birds aren’t an absolute necessity. Produce and seed mixes can indeed suffice. But in all honesty, you might find that your parrot is much healthier when they eat pellets.
The Different Types of Best Pellets for Parrots
- Organic Non-GMO pellets
- Pellets that have corn as the primary ingredient
- Pellets that are dyed various colors to attract the birds to want to eat them
Best Pellet Food for African Grey Parrot
The best pellet food for an African grey parrot is the TOP’s brand of pellets. My bird has eaten this consistently for the past seven years and is in perfect health. I feed her many fresh veggies (parrots can eat bell peppers and hot peppers, too), fruits, a safflower seed mix, and TOP’s pellets.
- We use suggested bird sizes but you ultimately choose depends on both the size of you bird and what size food pieces your bird normally prefers. Generally, if you go a little smaller with the pellet size then you will have less waste. TOP's All Size Hookbills Pellets is best suited for large and medium parrots, cockatiel, African Greys, Amazons, Cockatoos, Conures, Eclectus, and Macaws
- TOPs is the only non-corn based USDA Certified complete diet bird food. Most other competing brands use GMO corn as the main ingredient. We don't eat GMO corn and do not think your bird should either
- Vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients for a happy and healthy parrot. Naturally preserved with Rosemary, Rose Hips, Lemon and Orange Peel.
- TOP’s outstanding pellets (1 lb)do not contain any fillers, like soy or corn, or BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin. We use only fresh, natural ingredients and avoid all artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sucrose/sugar.
- Measures 1/4" in diameter - Feed your companion approximately as much as they want each day, the pellets are cold-pressed to keep the natural nutrition intact.
Tips on Getting Your Parrot Switched to Pellets if they Won’t Eat Them
- The day you want to start the pellets, do not give any seeds or nuts for one day before. However, give your bird plenty of fresh food the day before, then first thing in the morning, put some pellets in their bowl. Check on your parrot throughout the day to see if they are eating any of the pellets.
- If they have not touched the pellets after the first day, then on day 2, take a few pellets and add a tiny amount of juice. You can add pomegranate juice or apple juice.
- If the juice trick does not work, buy a few baby food containers. Mix the vegetable baby food with the pellets. See if this will entice your picky parrot to eat a pellet.
- The last step is to bake some birdy bread. Bake it, then see if your bird will eat the bread with pellets baked into it. Before baking your bread, mix about ¾ of a cup of pellets into the dough.
5 Benefits Of Using Parrot Pellets
- Increase your parrots’ health and lifespan. Learn all about the African grey parrot lifespan here.
- Better overall healthy weight, skin, feathers, and color.
- Even if you do not have time to prepare fresh veggies one day, you can offer your bird pellets instead.
- Trying to teach a parrot a new trick or “step up,” you can save the seeds and nuts for training sessions instead of just giving them for free all day long.
- Less messy, seeds and nuts spill all over the place when your parrot eats them. Pellets do not have hulls and husks that end up on the floor.
What to Look for When Buying Parrot Pellets
- Make sure the ingredients are organic.
- Having non-GMO ingredients is also a plus.
- No corn
- No peanuts
- Make sure the pellets have a lot of vegetable variety.
Final Thoughts on Best Parrot Pellet Food
There are many benefits to switching your parrot to pellets. However, if your bird is resistant to eating them, don’t worry – there are ways to get them started. Be patient and keep trying until they eventually give in! We outline some of the best benefits of bird pellets.
So many pellet brands are out there for parrots to eat, but which is the best one?? That’s up to you to decide. But if you want our opinion, we recommend TOP’s brand pellets for parrots due to its high-quality ingredients and excellent reviews by satisfied customers.