Best pellet brands available in Canada?
Trying to transition my African Grey from seeds to pellets. I know Harrison's is the gold standard but it's expensive. What pellet brands do people in Toronto actually use and can find locally or order easily?
Zupreem Natural is a decent mid-range option and available at most Toronto PetSmarts. Roudybush is another excellent one. For the transition, mix pellets in with seeds and gradually shift the ratio.
Harrison's High Potency is what I use for my Amazon — worth every penny for a bird Einstein's size. You can order from Canadian Bird Stuff or Pisces Pet Emporium.
TOPS pellets are another great organic option popular in the rescue community. They ship to Canada reasonably well. The transition itself takes patience — expect 4–8 weeks for a confirmed seed addict.
Great question and great timing on making the switch — pellets make such a difference for long-term health, especially for African Greys who are prone to nutritional deficiencies.
Canadian-accessible options ranked roughly:
- Harrison's (organic, vet-recommended, top tier) — expensive but worth it
- Roudybush (excellent quality, widely respected) — available online
- TOPS Pellets (organic, cold-processed) — ships to Canada
- Zupreem Natural (decent, accessible at PetSmart/PetValue)
For the transition: don't go cold turkey. Mix 80% seeds / 20% pellets to start, then 60/40, 40/60, 20/80 over several weeks. Add pellets to warm water to soften slightly if Einstein is resistant. Some birds take months — be patient. Congratulations on making the switch!
I dealt with this for months with my Pionus. What finally worked was changing the lighting and being really patient. They come around eventually.
Great question! So in my experience with blue and gold macaw, this usually comes down to a few things. First, playing music during the day — my bird loves calm acoustic guitar. Second, make sure they're getting enough sleep — 12 hours of uninterrupted dark sleep is crucial. And third, pay attention to the cage being in a high-traffic or drafty location because that was a huge factor for my Luna. Hope that helps!
I've done a ton of research on this because my green cheek conure had the same issue. Here's what I learned: the most common cause is being moved to a new cage or new room. What worked for us was positive reinforcement with their favorite treat every time they do the right thing. I also started adding more variety in perch textures and sizes and noticed improvement within a week. It's a process but it gets better.
There's a great bird supply store in Bloor West Village that carries exactly what you need. I go there all the time.
Totally agree with this! My cockatiel is exactly the same way.