·Canning - 60-80% High loss is due to high temperatures and foods immersed in water during period
  of preparation.

·Frozen - 40-60% Moisture expands when frozen, causing food cells to rupture.

·Dehydrated - 3-5% Due to low heat during the drying cycle and the gentle air flow, this translates to
  minimal loss. When water is removed, dehydrated foods decrease in weight but the nutritional value
  goes up, so they actually have more nutrients per ounce.

We believe that not enough is known about the nutritional needs of parrots and no company should make the claim that they are providing a “complete diet” for a bird in one bag. More is known about species that have been kept in captivity and bred for more generations, such as budgies. We also don’t totally agree with the idea that food should be chopped up so much as to be unrecognizable or hidden in birdie bread to make them eat things we think are good for them but they won’t eat otherwise. This may be a good plan for a bird that has been raised on a very limited diet as a start to get them to vary their choices and expand their taste horizons. However, in the wild, with some exceptions of very specialized feeders, parrots pick and choose what to eat each day. There is evidence from research that wild animals choose food seasonally to help with certain seasonal weather or breeding times of year. They also sometimes choose food to neutralize certain toxins they may eat or to help them get well when they are sick. So we want our parrots to have a variety of healthy food to pick from.

In our Unpellet, we put the smaller ingredients that would end up falling to the bottom of a bowl and getting uneaten in the “Green Chunks.” This includes the nutritious alfalfa and dandelion greens as well as the oils and small grains and seeds. All birds that have sampled this so far love these green chunks. Other larger ingredients are left whole or in large enough pieces that your bird will get a wide variety of tastes, colors and textures. They may eat more of certain things on some days than others. You may wish to recycle what they don’t eat one day into birdie bread or put it on top of their fresh food the next day. Or you may decide that they are eating enough and what they aren’t eating may be left for a reason.

Our Avian Food Pyramid is a general guide to the ingredients in our UnPellet. We will put a complete list on the back of your package. At times, due to availability, the ingredients may vary slightly, but the proportions will stay the same as what you see in the Pyramid. If your bird is allergic to certain foods, please ask in advance and we will let you know if we are using that ingredient.