Aside from knowing how to take care of your budgie, one of the most important things you need to know is what do budgies eat and, most notably, what do you feed baby budgies?
Budgerigars like other species prefer a different daily diet rather than just the same day-to-day seed. Keeping a good diet helps to maintain the overall health of your bird.
A proper diet is vital and can make the difference between healthy and unhealthy chicks throughout your budgie’s breeding. It is essential to have a piece of cuttlebone and also a mineral block in your breeding cage. Let’s talk about what and how to feed your budgies.
Budgies diet and what to feed your budgies
Budgies are beautiful, curious birds that are generally willing to try out most of the goodies you present to them, so they are relatively easy to feed.
There are varieties of parakeet mixes for sale at local pet stores, and one is generally no better than the other. Seeds usually contain only a few amino acids, vitamins and minerals that parakeets need.
For this reason, a pure seed diet is not advisable as it can eliminate proper nutrients from your parakeet’s food.
Budgies are vegetarians, so an excellent healthy seed, vegetable and fruit diet will be high. Buderigars love to eat numerous seeds, but people are often amazed that they enjoy eating various nuts and grains, as well.
These lovely birds will also eat lentils, beans, peas, tofu, and sesame seeds, consider to include that to your budgie diet.
Here are some great seeds which can be acquired and mixed separately:
- Canary seed
- White sunflower
- Safflower seed
- Sesame seed
- Striped sunflower and
- Millet spray.
Health benefits of these seeds:
Canary seed
They contain starch, fats and oil and a lot of protein. The protein present in the seed can aid in the building of your budgie’s muscles needed for its daily living.
White sunflower seed
These seeds are very rich in fats and oil. Although fat is good for your budgie, you should ensure you don’t feed them too much of sunflower seeds as it can lead to obesity.
Safflower seed
This contains food nutrients in various percentages; including fat (38%), protein (16%) and carbohydrates (34%).
Sesame seed
These are very rich in calcium. Calcium is a key mineral for budgies because it helps their bones grow to be big and strong. It also aids the health of their beaks which is a necessary element for feeding.
Millet Spray
They are low in fat but very high in carbohydrates. The carbohydrates provide a lot of energy to the budgies, which makes them to be very active.
These are just a few examples of feeds that can be given to budgies. There a lot more out there that can be gotten at local and online stores.
How to feed your budgie
There are various budgerigar feeds and supplements that are commercially available. These should provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that a budgie would receive in the wild.
However, always consult an expert before deciding on a particular brand, and do not be tempted to make a decision based on what you can cheaply source.
You should mix their feed according to the instructions on the package. It will have a gloopy consistency and should not be too hot or too cold like baby bear porridge.
When it’s hot, it can scald the crop and neck of the bird. If it is too cold, it may settle in the chick’s harvest and decay, leading to a deadly condition known as acid harvesting. Always reread the instructions.
The food that each chick receives should be carefully measured and delivered at a temperature equivalent to that of the vomited seed of an adult budgie (the chick’s natural food source). You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature accurately.
Never try to shorten the heating with a microwave, as this can lead to hot spots in the food. The optimum temperature is between 40 and 45 ° C.
What to feed your baby budgies
Are you thinking of what to feed baby budgies? Pellets are good and produced to mimic seeds. They can be mixed with grains to give the chicks the nutrients which seed alone cannot provide. Pellets can provide some vitamins and minerals that the bird needs, which is excellent.
Feed your baby budgie grains. There is a common practice where breeders feed their baby budgies with a mixture of soaked grains (soft food) to make an extra treat in their budgie diet.
You can make use of any grains like brown rice, quinoa, cracked wheat or barley. You should also add some natural organic honey, fruits or vegetables to the grains to make them excellent.
Alco, you feed them fruit and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide natural vitamins and minerals for a budgie and offer the bird a variety of options. Berries such as strawberries and blueberries are high in antioxidants.
So what fruits are we giving to our budgerigars? Budgies are known to enjoy a wide variety of fruits, like mandarins, apples, and pears. If you want to get adventurous, then you should also try some tropical fruits.
The fruits are an essential part of a budgie diet, so be sure to satisfy the nutritional needs of your parakeets and give them a slice of apple very often in their cage.
Once a budgie tastes the juice of the fruit, they begin to eat the fruit themselves.
Fruits that budgies like:
- Banana – contains a large amount of potassium.
- Grapefruit – contains a large amount of vitamin A.
- Blackberry – rich in antioxidants, might stain droppings.
- Cantaloupe – contains a large amount of vitamin A.
- Papaya – contains a large amount of vitamin A.
- Orange – almost all citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C.
- Blueberry – high in antioxidants, may stain droppings.
- Strawberry – rich in antioxidants, administer reasonably.
- Cherry/Sour cherry – might stain droppings red, but this is normal
- Mango – rich in vitamin A
Various fruits will add a bit of spice to your budgie’s life and useful nutrients at different places.
Vegetables that budgies like:
- Peas – contain a large amount of potassium.
- Beans – you must break the pod halfway so your budgies can pick them.
- Carrot -contains a very large amount of vitamin A.
- Tomato – contains a large amount of vitamin A.
- Kale.
- Spinach – very rich in antioxidants.
- Broccoli – contains a large amount of potassium.
- Cucumber.
- Parsley – administer reasonably.
- Zucchini.
- Cabbage.
- Chili peppers.
- Squash.
Usage of feeding time is another chance to bond with your budgie, sharing an apple, hand-feeding mandarins or perhaps prep a wet lettuce leaf for them to eat and bathe.
You can also add up a variety of green vegetables to balance your budgie diet. Products like Broccoli & /or Cauliflower leaves, Bok-Choi, Cabbage leaves, Dandelion leaves, Mustard leaves, and even Kelp will be great for your parakeet. There is just so much you can do to keep your budgie healthy.
Do you have any worries about looking after budgies? Or do you have questions about your pet? Comment below so we can answer your thoughts and questions.
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