# Umm Umm Good



## poppabill (Dec 11, 2007)

This is Ollie eating Fruit Loops Cereal from my wife "Fran's" hand. He is big on most treats but seems most of my crew likr Cereal best (fruit loops, Cheerios, 5 grain and corn flakes and they also (usually) chow my homemade muffins, we put one muffin in each cage and then remove any left over at night. No we dont feed these every day but a couple times a week we do, anyway here is Ollie chowing and a photo of my muffins, thought i'de share these with you good folks...be happy 
CLICK TO ENLARGE.


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

cute!

Just be careful on the fruit loops and home-made muffins - too much sugar is bad for them


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Ollie, Ollie! Tsk tsk tsk...I can tell he likes his snack by that line he has down his tummy- he might need to go on a diet soon... also, just curious..how long have you had him? His feathers are a bit ruffled and dull?


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## poppabill (Dec 11, 2007)

*my thoughts (long)*

It seems everything is bad for them. I have given my birds for the past 30+ years seed and veggies and pasta as well as many other things, well now every thing seems bad for them. 
Seed is bad they say now only give them pellets, Grapes, mellons and most veggies are bad cuz they have harmful insectacides (spelling) and dont give them water unless its been boileds for 15 minutes and left to cool, dont give bread or cereal becouse of sugar and other bad things, dont use certain muffin mixes becouse they will kill the bird. So many things are bad for my Tiels so i should give boiled water, pellets, organic grown veggies only and no breads or cereals or just about nothing else i guess.
Well i make my own seed mixture and have been doing so for over 25 yrs and the seed they like i feed, the seed they dont i no longer give and i give veggies right from the store, yes i wass them good first and my guys like cereals mostley Cheerios, Banana flavored cheerios and multi grain as well as muffins and i use the package type and just add to it. They also love french bread with a littlegarlic on it, the water i give them is from the tap for the most part, we fill gallon jugs and let it sit eith the top off a few days to help disipate the chlorine taste, we also give distilled water when we see it on sale and in the winter time as well as a whole bunch of other things im surte aint good for them but we been doing th8ings for 30 years and our birds for the most part are healthy and seem happy so we will continue to do so. The birds in thje wild eat anything drink anything and are fine but as i said i will continue to feed my birds as i have been.
Thanks for your comment on sugar but every time i post here or other forums somebody comes back with a you shouldent feed this or that, i am sure many others post there ideas or stuff and im sure they get sick of being told dont do this dont do that well as i said your comment was and is welcome but im just tired of this every time i post a food item or a swing or toy i made there is somethinbg wrong with it. There are so many people that hear one time thats not good for them then they post it like there an expert or something. 
I'm not trying to sound like a idiot but every time some one posts stuff some one says it aint right. A couple yrs ago there was a lady on another Tiel forum who came on not knowing "poop" and withj in 3 months was an expert (at least in her mind) and answere most post about anything bird related. All im saying is every body give it a break. I will no longer post any of my recipes for treats seed mixes or poctures of my bird swings, at least that will heck i dont know...be happy


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I'm sorry if what I said came off the wrong way poppabill, I didn't mean it in anyway. Just was curious about the feathers. It took me a long time to try and show Ziggy the concept of being neat. 
Anyways, I never said anything about giving them sugar. Mine get the occasional treats too and they are on the same diet as yours. I also don't use pellets but do give them filtered water. On the same note, it irritates me that there are people who are overly careful about things I recommend too so don't worry! Like you always say, be happy. I post what is on my mind and sometimes it may come off wrong since I'm at work and I rush sometimes but if it doesn, I don't mean it. You're happy and your birds are happy so BE HAPPY!


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Mine get original cheerios in their pellets every day, not all of them eat them but My Quaker does and he has had them at least every day for 14 years and he's healthy as a horse but of course its just a few We mix in a entire box with a 20 pound bag of pellets so they're not getting a lot each time I think the most that's ever came out in one serving was 3 

I use muffin Mix from Betty Crocker I think it is to make the birds their birdy bread 

hasn't hurt them yet 

But I do not use canned veggies for my birds, they don't get chocolate or anything like that, I guess the only thing they really get that has any trace of sugar in it would be the cheerios (we also use the Multi grain cheerios as well , that's the only 2 we buy so its which ever box we have is what we use)

and mine only get seed as a treat, their main diet is pellets, veggies, greens, home made /cooked foods 

unless they're breeding then they get some seed daily. but the non breeding birds only get it about once a month sometimes every other month.


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## skthurley (Jan 7, 2009)

People are going to offer their advice.... it's part of being on a forum.

Diet is such a controversial topic. Everyone has their opinions, and everyone is entitled to them.

Be prepared to hear people critic and suggest new things to you. That's what forums are all about.

In the short run, with very few details, here is my bird's diet:
My guys drink boiled tap water... but so do my husband and I.... this is because I personally don't like the taste of my water unboiled, so it's no biggie to do it for the birds
My guys also eat the same veggies I buy for ourselves from the grocery store. I make sure to wash them really well. They're not organic. I buy a lot of veggies, as I love to eat veggies, and also like to offer variety to my birds.
My guys get a mix of a seed blend I make myself and a budgie mix I buy from my local petstore. It's a combination of red and white millet, oatgroats, niger seed and canary seed, flax seed and hemp seed. I don't offer sunflower or safflower seeds at all. I will also give nutriberries, avicakes, and millet spray. Seeds makes up a small part of their diet, and it's always hidden in their foraging toys - they have to work for it.
I also offer homemade birdie bread or mini birdie muffins, which is made from scratch and has no sugar,white flour, butter, oil, baking soda or baking powder. I load it full with veggies, some fruit and pellets. They get this everyday in their veggie mash, or in a foraging toy.
I don't eat a lot of cereal myself, so the birds don't get them... but i have offered plain cheerios to my linnie before. She loves them. I may feed rice crispies or corn flakes to the birds if we had them This is something that I would only feed once a week, and only a small bit. 
My two then get Zupreem Avian Entree Garden Goodness pellets - essentially natural pellets with dried veggies in it.
They also get a small bit of fruit pellets in their foraging toys as well. 
I also offer sprouted seeds/grains and legumes.
I've done my research and concluded what I feel is best for my birds.

I am always asking people what they feed their birds, and asking for comments and suggestions. It's great to improve and try new things and seek to better their diet. 

So, I apologize if you feel frustrated about people always critcizing your diet and what not... and trust me i have felt frustration many times (it seems there is always something new that is toxic to birds).... but just know that if you post something, people are entitled to state their criticisms. 

Good luck and be happy


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## poppabill (Dec 11, 2007)

ALY i was not talking about your post bbut the one above just got my goat or something and i stated my mind, ollie is molting hes a little over 6 months old, hes a sweet heart but flies into things as well at times but thats life i guess so...be happy


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## Danielle (Aug 15, 2008)

I think your diet sounds great! I don't boil tap water, they just get it straight out of the tap and it doesn't seem to bother them. I do give a couple of drops of apple cidar vinegar, but I doubt that negates whatevers in the tap water.

Mine get little treats, not that often because I don't really eat them very often, but they sometimes get cheerios (I give them to my rats), and they get bits of pizza crust and biscuit. I'm sure plenty of people would get uppity about that, but as long as my birds are healthy and a good weight I'm not fussed.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I understand your frustration Bill. When I first had birds over 15 years ago you never heard about all these things you hear now. It seems like the news was just coming out about Teflon. Also there is a wealth of just plain bad information out there as people can post anything they want online and portray it as the truth. The result seems to be well meaning bird owners who become alarmists. They arm themselves with information that may or may not be true and stand by that info as if it were gospel. I think considering all the years that you have raised happy healthy birds tells me we could all learn from your practical experience....be happy!


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## bigmikey36 (Aug 5, 2008)

poppabill i don't always stick to the recomended diet either just so you know. I feel that like kids or adults tiels are our babies and deserve a treat every once in a while. Chico is a total chip hound and while i don't give them all the time i do allow him to indulge in a low sodium tortilla chip from time to time and i also allow them a few honey nut cheerios from time to time. Would you rather eat healthy your whole life and never had any treats or lived a life with a few treats go a tiny bit sooner and a whole lot happier....i personally feel the latter is better. I know that my birds know when they are getting a treat and they are always thankful after and reward daddy with a whole lotta kisses and as you and Sue so elegantly stated it......Be happy!!!
Mikey


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