8 Best Parrot Pellets – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks
By Ashley Bates
Updated on
Parrot pellets are a specific type of food that our beaked friends can enjoy. Pellets combine several different ingredients placed into a single pellet to produce a well-rounded dose of ingredients. They are especially fantastic for picky eaters or parrots that tend to sift through all of the goodies of blended diets, leaving behind the rest.
Like a child that won’t eat their vegetables, the pellets give your parrot no choice but to eat the good stuff, too. If you are trying to find a reliable, nutritionally beneficial formula to feed your birds, we rounded up eight of the best available options on the market. Here are our reviews.
A Quick Glance at Our Favorites (2024 Update)
Rating | Image | Product | Details | |
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Best Overall |
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Lafeber’s Premium Daily Diet Pellets |
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Check Price |
Best Value |
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Roudybush Daily Maintenance Bird Food |
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Check Price |
Premium Choice |
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TOP’s Parrot Food Pellets |
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Check Price |
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Kaytee NutriSoft |
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Check Price | |
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ZuPreem Natural Bird Food |
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Check Price |
The 8 Best Parrot Pellets
1. Lafeber’s Premium Daily Diet Pellets – Best Overall
Amount: | 5 pounds |
Species: | African Grey Parrot, Amazon Parrot, Green Cheek Conure, Sun Conure |
We think Lafeber’s Premium Daily Diet Pellets will match the needs of most parrot owners, which is why we chose them as the best overall parrot pellets. What we absolutely love about this particular product is that it has no artificial colors or preservatives and it is completely non-GMO – only the best for your parrot family member.
This is our favorite for several reasons, but we primarily love the quality in comparison to the price. These pellets are naturally fortified and contain a high amount of omega fatty acids to promote healthy feathers and skin.
It is also packed with minerals and vitamins to keep their immune system and functioning organs strong. The company is family and veterinarian-owned. All of the ingredients are hand-inspected and made on company family-owned farmland. However, it may not be suitable for all parrot species.
- Non-GMO
- Family-owned
- Promotes healthy skin and feathers
- May not be suitable for all parrots
2. Roudybush Daily Maintenance Bird Food – Best Value
Amount: | 22 ounces |
Species: | Birds 6 inches or taller |
If you’re looking for a modestly priced pellet that contains wholesome ingredients, consider Roudybush Daily Maintenance Bird Food—perfect for your adult parrot. We think it’s the best parrot food for the money.
The recipe is steam-pelleted to retain as many nutrients as possible in each bite. The guaranteed analysis reads: crude protein 11.0%, crude fat 6.0%, and crude fiber 3.5%. The first few ingredients include ground corn, ground wheat, soybean meal, soybean oil, and alfalfa.
The pellets appear to be of great quality, and our parrots gobbled them up without issue. It has everything in the recipe you need for daily nutrition—no supplementation required. You can choose from nibbles, crumbles, mini, small, medium, or large pellets.
We think that you will appreciate the price, and your bird will love the taste!
- Affordable
- No artificial vitamins
- Many textures available
- Only for parrots 6 inches and taller
3. TOP’s Parrot Food Pellets – Premium Choice
Amount: | 10 pounds |
Species: | Hookbills, Small, Medium, Large Parrots |
If quality is your top priority and you’re willing to pay a few extra dollars, think about TOP’s Parrot Food Pellets. You can get this recipe in different sizes, depending on the amount of parrots you own and the size of each.
This recipe contains only organic ingredients to protect your birds from potentially harmful ingredients. The first few ingredients include organic alfalfa, organic hulled millet, organic barley, organic rice, organic sunflower seed hulled, organic sesame seeds unhulled, and organic quinoa whole.
This recipe contains the following guaranteed analysis: 13.6% crude protein, 5.0% crude fat, and 6.0% crude fiber. It contains no BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin. It also contains no artificial colors, flavors, or sugar.
We are super impressed with the company’s quality and think you will be too.
- Quality texture
- Organic ingredients
- Multiple sizes
- Expensive
4. Kaytee NutriSoft
Amount: | 3 pounds |
Species: | Parrot, Conure |
If you have a picky eater or younger bird on your hands, try Kaytee NutriSoft. This particular recipe was crafted to create soft, easy-to-eat pellets that appeal to your parrot’s appetite.
The first few ingredients include rice flour, ground wheat, vegetable glycerin, soybean oil, corn gluten meal, and dehulled soybean meal. There are no artificial colors in this recipe, and they use only natural fruit flavors for taste.
The whole concept of this particular food is to entice your birds to eat more. Whether they are picky or seem to have trouble with larger pellets, these soft, aromatic, fruit-flavored pellets really grab any bird’s attention.
Don’t be misled by packaging. Be aware that these pellets aren’t completely soft and you can’t crush them between your fingers. However, they are softer than other pellets.
- Easy to chew
- Fruity smell
- Nothing artificial added
- Not as soft as described
5. ZuPreem Natural Bird Food
Amount: | 3 pounds |
Species: | Parrot, Conure |
ZuPreem Natural Bird Food is a terrific selection for many reasons. This particular recipe has no artificial flavors or colors, creating a natural look so you can avoid all of those pesky dyes in traditional bird food.
Whether you are health-sensitive or have a bird that can’t handle dyes, this is an exceptional recipe to try out. The first few ingredients include ground corn, soybean meal, ground millet, ground oat groats, ground barley, ground wheat, wheat germ meal, and sugar.
The pellets are designed to appeal to a variety of birds, getting the same amount of nutrition in every bite. If you have a bird that cherry picks all of the good ingredients out of blended diets, this is a good alternative to ensure they get all the valuable nutrients they need.
- Bite-sized pieces
- No dyes
- Natural recipe
- Might not appeal to picky eaters
6. Harrison Adult Lifetime Coarse
Amount: | 5 pounds |
Species: | Parrot, Conure |
We were very impressed with the quality of Harrison Adult Lifetime Coarse bird food. This particular recipe is USDA organic and non-GMO, so if you are a bit concerned about artificial additives or chemicals, this is a wonderfully natural pellet to try out.
This recipe is considered a maintenance formula created for medium to large-sized birds. Each nugget is filled with whole grains and legumes, packed with omega fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals.
The guaranteed analysis of this product reads: 15% crude protein, 5% crude fat, and 6.5% crude fiber. The first several ingredients of this particular recipe include corn, hull-less barley, sunflower kernels, toasted soybeans, and peas.
We couldn’t be more impressed by the overall quality and think many parrots will find value in this product. However, it is more expensive than many others on our list. So, always keep the price in mind.
- USDA organic
- Non-GMO
- High quality
- A bit expensive
7. Hagen Tropican Parrot Food
Amount: | 4 pounds |
Species: | Medium to large birds |
We think you might just adore the Hagen Tropican Parrot Food. It is a lifetime formula, which is suitable for use as a maintenance diet throughout your bird’s lifetime.
This should be a tasty recipe for your parrot to try. It is made with peanuts and sunflower, so it can have excellent caloric density and palatability. It has multiple protein sources and is excellent for digestion, using ingredients like flaxseed that is full of omega fatty acids.
The first several ingredients of the recipe include corn, soybean meal, wheat, hulled peanuts, hulled sunflower seeds, brown rice, and canola oil. The guaranteed product analysis reads as: 13% crude protein, 7% crude fat, and 3.5% crude fiber.
To top it off, this bird food smells delightfully fruity, appealing to human senses too! However, because these are granules, they might be a little harder for a large parrot to consume.
- Aromatic
- Easy to eat
- Granule shaped
- Granules might be too small for large birds
8. TOP’s Mini Pellets for Hookbills
Amount: | 4 pounds |
Species: | Budgies, Cockatiels, Parrotlets, Lovebirds |
If you have a small parrot, like a cockatiel or budgie, you might be very interested in TOP’s Mini Pellets for Hookbills. This particular recipe was designed explicitly for our smaller friends, crafted into tiny pellets for easy consumption.
This recipe is completely organic with non-GMO ingredients. All suppliers are US-based, so it has easily traceable ingredients. It contains no BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, artificial colors, flavors, or sugar.
The first several ingredients of this recipe include alfalfa leaf, millet, barley, rice, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds unhulled, quinoa whole, and pumpkin. The guaranteed product analysis reads: 13.6% crude protein, 5% crude fat, and 8% crude fiber.
Each piece is the perfect size for smaller birds to forage and satisfy their hunger. The pellets are perfect for birds with smaller beaks, but won’t be sufficient for larger varieties.
- Designed for small birds
- Excellent quality
- High fiber
- Not sufficient for larger birds
Buyers Guide: Picking the Best Parrot Pellets
When you are buying pellets for your parrot, there’s a certain list of criteria you’ll want to look for. Everybody’s situation is different, so keep your individual parrot or parrots in mind when you are shopping.
Important Aspects of Pellet Products for Parrots
Here is a list of a few things you can keep in mind while you shop.
Species
When you buy food for your parrots, you’ll want it to be species-specific. Not all parrots require the same nutrition or food texture, so bear this in mind when you shop. Always check labels and recommendations on the product itself to verify compatibility.
Quality
The formula you choose to give your parrot is their life source. You are going to want quality above all else. While it is tempting to fall into lower cost prices, buying the cheaper option of two, don’t ever skip out on what your bird needs to stay healthy. Look for wholesome ingredients and try to eliminate sources of food, dyes, and preservatives.
Amount
Be sure to consider the amounts when you are shopping. If you are the kind of person who likes to stock up, ensure it is sufficient until you’re ready to shop again. Just make sure not to buy too much in bulk, because you don’t want to risk the food spoiling before you have time to use it all.
Textures
Your parrot will enjoy a variety of textures. As you can imagine, eating the same old food day after day would get boring. Some pet parents want to give their parents various seeds, nuts, and fruits.
Reviews
Reviews are incredibly important, especially when you are trusting a product from the market. You can’t see, touch, or field us in real life, so you have to trust what the item description states. Reviews are a great way to see what real-life users have said about the product so you can decide whether or not you’d like to try it out.
Pellet vs. Mixed Diets
If you have a parrot, you know that they can sometimes be a little bit finicky about what they do and don’t want to eat. Sometimes, they can cherry-pick through all of the good items they find yummy and leave the rest, then they chew pellets instead to distribute the nutrients.
However, this is, of course, not as fun for your parrot. You must choose whether you want to ensure they have all of the necessary vitamins and minerals in their diet or trust them to cherry-pick through the items.
Conclusion
Lafeber’s Premium Daily Diet Pellets was our overall favorite because of its quality and consistency. It contains all of the vital vitamins and minerals your parrot needs to stay healthy. The company is family-owned with completely traceable ingredients, that way you can feel good about what you’re feeding your birds.
Roudybush Daily Maintenance Bird Food is a price-friendly selection that is easy on the bank account. It is a quality product that comes in multiple varieties, so you can choose the best option for your birds.
TOP’s Parrot Food Pellets is an incredible selection for so many reasons! They might be a little more expensive than traditional pellets, but the price is worth the quality. We think you will find value in this non-GMO, organic formula.
Hopefully, our reviews helped you find the best pellets possible for your parrot pal!
- See Also: 10 Best Foods for Amazon Parrots
Featured Image Credit: kwanchai.c, Shutterstock