The Budgie diet

[Boko]

HI, I've been wondering what things are best to give a budgie as treats and things ie. apple, grated carrot. What things are good for a budgie, and is there anything i should add to his feed? And what things should i definately not give him?

[Snapperhead]

No caffeine, no chocolate anything, no avacado! Other than that just about any kind of fruit or vegetable (preferably organic...although that ups the price) is safe. If your 'keet isn't used to veggies/fruit then it may take a while of having the same things offered every day before he'll actually take some, but persistence is the key. Another common mistake I've heard, especially with budgies/'keets is an all seed diet. Most birds, with a few exceptions like the Eclektus because of their long digestive track, should eat a pelleted diet. This stops the bird from only picking out the favorite seeds from their dish, which leads to malnourishment, and offers a nutritionally balanced diet. There are many manufacturers of the pelleted diet and they are available at most pet stores/online/vet's offices. A couple are:
Zupreem
Tropican
Harrison's Bird Food
Roudybush
Any of these are better options than an all seed diet. Most of these companies have websites that give more information about their products as well as tips for converting birds to a new diet.

Cheers, Tamara

[Boko]

Hmm, the seed mix i use right now contains... Canary seed, white millet, red millet, yellow millet and oats, and he eats everything

[Snapperhead]

Seeds are very high in fat and far from nutitionally complete. That would be like you living on a diet of only bread! No protein, no iron, no beta-carotine, no calcium...etc. Seeds are missing so many vital vitamins and nutrients...there is just no real nutitional value. Find a copy of any up-to-date (and that's the important part) book on companion birds and it will tell you....toss the seed! It's ok for a treat/snack, but should only make up like 10-20% of the bird's diet. Maybe even just grab a copy of Birdtalk magazine. I fully believe that having a bird is a constant learning process...forever. The more well informed you are (books, magazines, internet research) the better life your bird will lead. Another thing to consider is that many times behavioural problems are a result of a poor diet. I'd do a little more research into the area of avian nutrition, you may be surprised at what you find. You would be doing your little fids an injustice to not at least consider an alternative to the 'bird seed myth'. Here is a weblink for one company that will give you the run-down on nutrition.

http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/

(make sure you check out all the different links on the page...there is a lot of information there)

Cheers, Tamara