While it isn’t compulsory, it is always nice to buy your bird supplies from fellow bird people and this is the case with Planet Aviary. I was recommended the products from this store by a fellow bird keeper and have been very impressed so far with what I have bought from them. So I thought I would write up a review of their ranges to show other bird keepers what they have available.
Gouldian and Australian seeds
The first you notice when you visit the Planet Aviary shop is that they have a number of specialist seeds for different finch groups. In fact, for the Gouldian and Australian finch category, there are three different seed mixes depending on where in the breeding cycle they are – a breeding mixture, a maintenance mixture and an austerity mixture.
I’m currently feeding many of my Australian birds the Breeding mixture which contains a nice balance of canary seed, different millets and grass seeds as well as hemp and pinhead oatmeal. The recommendation is to start feeding the mixture to birds around 6 weeks before pairing them up and continue to feed it to them through the breeding season.
After the breeding season has ended, you then move onto the maintenance seed. This is fed for a three month period and includes a mixture of panicum and millets, canary seed and some grass seeds. Finally, the austerity mixture is fed for around one month before breeding season begins and acts to settle hormones and get the birds through the moult. It is a simple mixture of white millet and ryegrass seeds.
Other finch mixtures
In addition to the Gouldian and Australian mixes, there are also specialist mixes for Tropical finches and for waxbills. For tropical and foreign finches, there is both a breeding mixture and a select seed mixture. The latter is aimed at the non-breeding time in the year and contains panicum and millet seeds, canary and Niger seed. The breeding mixture includes pinhead oats and grass seeds.
The waxbill mixture can be fed to birds all year round and mimics the kind of seeds that waxbills eat in the wild. It contains a range of grass seeds and millet and is a very fine looking mix that is ideal for small beaks. I’m currently feeding it to my blue cap waxbills, gold breast waxbills, strawberry finches and red eared waxbills.
Other products
In addition to the pre-mixed seeds, the store also has a wide range of straight seeds for people who prefer to mix their own or want to add a specific seed to the mix. These include commonly seen seeds such as Niger and millet as well as less commonly seen ones such as timothy grass seeds and white grass seeds. The store also sells more than just seeds for finches – they also have a number of budgie and canary mixes.
There are also several products essential for bird keeping including feeders, drinkers, nesting boxes and nesting matches and bird baths.
Supplements are also an important part of maintaining fit and healthy birds and the store has a range of these available including from top companies such as Sam Wildes and the Birdcare Company. They have also recently added a range called Naturally for Birds that offer a range of specially formulated nutrients for different types of birds that mimic their natural diets and help boost their health. These products have been created alongside the Save the Gouldian Fund and sales of these products help fund the work that this charity does. I haven’t tried them myself yet but have already heard good things about them.
Conclusion
While Planet Aviary is a relative newcomer to the bird supplies scene, they offer an excellent range of products at sensible prices and their delivery is very speedy. I have been very impressed with everything I have ordered from them and will continue to use them for my birds going forward.
You can see their store at https://planetaviary.com and their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Planet-Aviary-Store-1881867418713890/
Just to say – I haven’t been paid or asked to write this review but have done it because I use the store and am impressed with their products so I thought I would share them with you.