Pet Product News - January 2016

BY AUDRE Y PAVIA

The trend in healthful eating has swept both the human and pet markets, and the avian food category is no exception. Manufacturers and retailers are finding that bird owners are seeking foods that provide optimum nutrition while also being palatable.

“Due to an increasing aware-
ness and knowledge of compan-
ion parrot nutritional require-
ments by avian veterinarians and
professional aviculturists, more
and more avian caretakers know
that formulated diets are key in
diet choices for their birds,” said
Melanie K. Allen, avian product
specialist for Rolf C. Hagen (USA)
Corp. in Mansfield, Mass. “One of
the leading causes of poor health
in our parrots is malnutrition.”
At Vitakraft Sunseed in Bowl-
ing Green, Ohio, marketing and
trade sales specialist Lisa Knice-
ley also has noticed a movement
toward healthful ingredients in
the avian treat category.

“Growing trends include using ingredients that appeal not only to the bird, but also are familiar to the pet parent, including healthful items such as quinoa seed, mountain ash ber-ries and pumpkin seed hearts,” Kniceley said.

Ronaleigh Wheelwright, owner of For The Love of Birds in Sandy, Utah, also has seen a growing trend toward optimum nutrition among birdkeepers.

“Bird owners want foods that are all organic and packed with vitamins and nutrients,” she said. “It seems like the bird world is just coming in to being healthy. Products with no grain or wheat and no genetically modified organisms have come into the bird owner consciousness.”

Flying Off the Shelves
Think the humanization trend hasn’t hit the avian category? Think again.

ROL F C .HA GE N (U SA)

C O R P.

ROLF C. HAGEN
(USA) CORP.
Flying Off the Shelves,

page 62

RO LF C . HAG EN (U SA ) CO R P.

AVIAN FOOD:
NEW TO THE CATEGORY

Recent product introductions in the avi- an food category reflect the trend toward healthful diets for birds.

Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp. in Mansfield, Mass., recently introduced Tropican premium formulas designed for all life cycles of companion parrots.

“Tropican is a scientifically developed extruded
diet developed by Hagen Avicultural Research In-
stitute (HARI),” said Melanie K. Allen, avian prod-
uct specialist. “Tropican has been fed exclusively
to many members of the HARI Flock since 1986.”
As a complement to
these formulas, Hagen
also has introduced the
Tropimix Enrichment
Blends line, featuring
an edible fruit and nut
blend fortified with
Tropican. Tropimix
is available in three
blends and is designed
as an enrichment food
for all species of com-
panion parrots, Allen said.

According to Allen, these diets were devel-
oped to simplify nutritional challenges associat-
ed with companion birds.

“HARI is known globally amongst the avi-
an community for the research facility’s contri-
butions and advancements in parrot care,” she
said. “HARI’s main focus, and longest ongoing
research project, is on longevity studies in parrot
nutrition on formulated diets.”
Sue Brown, senior vice president of sales
and marketing for F.M. Brown’s Sons in Sinking
Spring, Pa., described two recently released avi-
an food products.

“Tropical Carnival Zoo-Vital Extruded Daily
Diets are rice based with no corn, wheat or soy,”
she said. “Rice is a more expensive ingredient,
but it is easier to digest and will not cause aller-
gic reactions that some birds may have to corn,
wheat or soy.”
The other recent F.M. Brown’s release is Trop-
ical Carnival Natural Gourmet Food.

“The natural category is growing rapidly in the human and pet market due to an increase in consumer awareness of the health benefits provided by natural foods,” Brown said. “Brown’s has incorporated unique gourmet ingredients, bright natural colors and intense flavors into every Tropical Carnival blend.”—AP

F.M .B ROW N’ SS O N S

Bird owners seek healthful and appealing foods that make foraging worth the effort.

GREENFEATHER BIRD SUPPLY’S

1-in. RingsUp is the smallest in the RingsUp series.

The toy has 16 1-in. parrot rings (two of each of the eight offered colors) with bright colorful plastic spacers between each section.

Measures 7 in. high by 2.25 in. wide.

greenfeatherbirdsupply.com

GREENFEATHER BIRD SUPPLY’S Food Play is hung on plastic chain containing two plastic spoons and two plastic forks, each loaded with five pudgies and several colorful plastic rings.