Diet
Although pellets have become the choice for some bird owners, we still feed our budgies seeds, supplemented with other foods, including some pellets. If you choose to feed pellets, it is still recommended that you provide fruits and veggies, as well as other 'human' foods for your bird. Any pellets that become wet or come in contact with droppings should be immediately removed and replaced with fresh pellets since they will 'go bad' more quickly than would seed. The remainder of this section will be aimed toward the owner who feeds a seed-plus diet.
A good diet may consist of 25% to 50% non-seed foods. Birds can eat most things we do (NO junk food!) as part of their diet. However, avocado, chocolate and sugar can be toxic and should never be fed. Healthy items can include raw fruit, raw or cooked (but cooled) vegetables, hard-boiled egg, peanut butter, meat, fish, pasta, rice and beans.
As well as a good seed diet, with pellets added, our budgies are given a mixture of (thawed from frozen) corn, romaine lettuce, chopped carrots and apple slices (or other fresh fruit depending on the season and availability). They also receive a soft food mixture which is made with a variety of ingredients that might include, but is not limited to, (soaked overnight in hot water) oat groats, (soaked 15 minutes in hot water) vegetable protein, (soaked 15 minutes in hot water) cous cous, wheat germ, flax seed, poppy seed, hemp seed, (fine ground for pigeons) mineral mix, crushed oyster shell, hulled millet, hulled sunflower seed, sunflower seed in the shell, rolled oats, oat bran, Hagen breeding mash/hand-feeding formula, Hagen egg granules Hagen vitaminized budgie Tropi-Mix and fish meal. These are mixed together in a large bowl to serve about 200 budgies. The mixture is damp, but not wet. This is given with the fruits and vegetables every other day.
Avoid fatty and spicy foods, desserts and anything very sweet. Try to follow the simple rule that anything good for you is good for your bird, and if it's bad for you it is also bad for him. To give you an example, a doughnut, cookie or piece of cake is a no-no, but a piece of toast with peanut butter or a bit of tuna or chicken is fine. Also be careful of foods that are very hot or very cold. Room temperature is the safest way to serve your bird's food.
Mixed budgie seed will comprise 50% to 75% of his diet. Spray millet is a nutritious and will-liked treat and a good training aid. Cuttlebone should always be available as a source of calcium. A small amount of gravel/grit should be available as a digestive aid, but do not supply large amounts since some budiges may eat too much and develop an impacted crop. An iodine and/or a mineral block is good for supplying trace elements that they need. Another good product is a hamster salt lick which also has some of the trace elements in it, and the budgies love to lick it. Dried alfalfa (also available in the hamster section of most pet shops) is a fun treat for birds. Although it is somewhat messy, they like to eat the green dried leafy part, and play with and chew the straw-like pieces. Bird treats sold in pet stores can be given sparingly as a nice change with regular food.
If you decide to use a vitamin supplement, check whether it is water-soluble (this MUST be replaced daily since bacteria will grow faster in this solution if foreign matter enters the water) or can be sprinkled over their moist food.
A problem that many bird owners run into is 'webby' seed, or even moths that come from the seed. It is not as common as it used to be, but because the moth eggs are so tiny and insecticide cannot be used in bird seed, it will occasionally happne. To prevent this or kill any eggs that may be present in the seed, it can be frozen for twenty-four hours when first purchased... but be sure to thaw thoroughly before using it. Seed that has been opened should not be stored in an air-tigjht container since moisture from the air has already entered the container. Allowing air into the container will help prevent mould from forming on it. Small holes in the top of the bag, or holes punched in the top of the container will suffice for this.
The healthiest, happiest birds will have a varied diet to keep them interested and in top form.
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