The uncomfortable debate: seeds or pellets?

Debating this is sort of like talking politics. It can sometimes get heated! Although I draw on a lot of research for this article—and the articles it references—there’s also opinion at play as well as my own experience.

In my mind, the biggest downside to pellets is that they are ultra-processed food. Just like with humans, they have the potential to cause the same chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc) they cause in humans and other pets. We seek out grain-free, raw, and whole food diets for our cats and dogs but we don’t seem to do the same for birds.

I believe there are some legitimate reasons for a pelleted diet, but they require you to overlook quite a lot of downsides to them. I’ll discuss that more below.

What there is universal agreement on is that birds should have fresh food in addition to their dry diet. What constitutes a fresh food diet differs by species, but generally, dark leafy greens, herbs, spices, fruit, vege, sprouted seeds, nuts, eggs, and…