Q: What is Littles Grassland Blend?
A: Littles Grassland Blend, sometimes referred to as LGB, is a mixture of seeds and botanical ingredients developed to provide a natural, healthy diet to companion budgerigars (aka Parakeets). It was originally developed to feed the very large flock of budgies at Marden’s Ark Avian Refuge as part of their natural feeding program.
Q: Is this just for budgies or can I feed this to parrotlets, cockatiels, conures and other similar sized birds?
A: Budgerigars are Australian grassland birds, and this was developed with that in mind. It’s most appropriate for their needs, however we feed it to cockatiels, Indian Ringneck parakeets, parrotlets, cockatiels, Rosy Bourke’s parakeets and other small birds. There’s nothing in it that would be harmful but ALWAYS make sure any of your birds – including budgies – eat lots of fresh and sprouted foods as well as ANY dried food.
Q: Is this a complete diet for my bird?
A: NO! Pellet – and dog, cat, horse, rabbit and other processed animal feed manufacturers have been brainwashing consumers for years to sell their products. They’d like you to believe that feeding your companion animal is as simple as opening a bag and dumping their products in a bowl. That’s NOT healthy nor is it ever complete. Animal nutritional needs are as complex (often moreso) than human needs. Would you raise a child on nothing but a fortified breakfast cereal? There is NO easy way to feed your bird a truly healthy diet. Not with our product, nor any other. The key is in VARIETY, and offering fresh foods including sprouted foods, that would be a part of their natural diet in the wild. A good, varied and fresh diet with a broad spectrum of nutritional choices combined with the exercise of flying is the gold standard in bird care and will give your bird the best chance at a healthy and happy life.
Q: Why is my bag half empty? I don’t feel I am getting my money’s worth!
A: Bags are sold by weight – NOT volume. Because of the botanicals in the product, we have to leave a LOT of space to ensure that the fine flakes of greens, flower petals and other ingredients stay in the bottom of the bag and not up where the machine presses the seal. If they ingredients contaminate the seal area, the bag may fail to remain airtight. Removing air from the bag is an important step in ensuring the food reaches you at peak freshness – because we add NO preservatives or other chemicals. Yes, this wastes a lot of space in the bags but at this time it is the only packaging method we have and we worked very hard to develop the best methods of ensuring the bags seal correctly to protect the food you receive. We promise every bag weighs at LEAST the pound weight listed. We always go a little bit over to be sure!
Q: What do the numbers written in colored marker on my box mean?
A: That’s the “weigh out” – Mistakes happen. Sometimes we get distracted when filling bags and we seal a bag that has a bit less than the desired weight. So we weigh EVERY box and package before it leaves our Food Lab to be sure that you are getting what you ordered. We know what a box should weight counting bag(s), box, label, and packing material – along with the amount of food purchased – so if that’s off, we can open the box and make it right BEFORE someone gets a bag that doesn’t contain enough food.
Q: What are the numbers written on the left side of my label?
A: That’s your order(s) number(s) and a ” – ” and the total pounds ordered. So for example if your order was 1641 and you ordered two 2lb bags, the label would have “1641-4” written on it. This lets the person doing the weigh out know how many pounds SHOULD be in that box. The order number is there so we can make sure every order gets fulfilled at the end of our shipping day, and track any problems like disappearing packages.
Q: There are numbers on a sticker on my bag. What do they mean?
A: The numbers are the batch code. Should their ever be a problem with the food, we can use this code to track down the quality sample for further investigation or testing. If you get a bag that has lost its label – please contact us immediately so we can give you the proper code.
Q: Bird food isn’t fragile. Why was their bubble wrap in my order?
A: We aren’t trying to cushion a fragile article here. The bubble wrap is there to protect the food when opening. If someone uses a sharp object like a knife or box cutter to open the box they may accidentally cut the bag if the bag is unprotected. The wrap is a barrier to prevent cutting into the bag and spilling the food out into the box.