The Budgie's Diet
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Seed - Every budgie's diet
staple should be a fortified
seed mix. This should
include (but doesn't have
Some seed mixes come
with extra additives such
as dried fruits/veggies
and small pellets. These
are all fine, but don't be
surprised if your budgie
doesn't eat them.
Some seed mixes add
colors to the seeds. Avoid
any mixes that use artificial
colors. Only buy those that
use natural colorants, such
as beat juice. Keep the
seed fresh by keeping it
sealed in an air-tight container.
To avoid seed moth problems,
you can freeze the seed
mix overnight after bringing
it home.
Fresh Foods - Many people
don't realize that seed is not
the only thing a budgie should eat.
In fact, budgies on a seed-only diet
will suffer from malnutrition and
related complications and will
live much shorter lives than
those on healthy diets which
include fresh foods every day.
Budgies on seed-only diets can
be expected to live only 4-6 years,
while budgies can actually live to
be 10 years or more. So it is very
` important to provide your budgie
with a healthy, varied diet which
includes fresh fruits and vegetables.
Every budgie has individual tastes,
and you will learn what your budgie(s)
like and dislike. In general though,
budgies like crispy things, such as
crisp lettuces and greens. They also
enjoy their fresh foods wet, so be sure
to rinse first and put greens into the
cage while they are still dripping wet.
Some fresh foods that budgies often
enjoy include carrot tops, sprouts,
strawberries, kale, apples, broccoli,
and most dark, leafy greens. When
you feed lettuces to your budgie(s)
avoid those that are mostly water,
such as iceberg and cabbage.
These light colored, watery greens
don't offer much in the way of nutrition.
Stick with the dark green/purple
lettuces which are full of nutrients.
Also, always take any left-overs of
fresh foods out of the cage after a
few hours so that it does not go bad
inside the cage.
When offering fresh foods to your
budgie, go for variety in choices and
presentation and experiment to see
what your budgie likes. In other words,
try many different kinds of fresh foods,
and offer them in different ways. You
can clip chunks
(ie melon, corn-on-the-cob, apple, etc)
in the cage, or pierce them with a skewer
made for pet birds. You can clip wet greens
to the side of the cage, hang them from
or twist them through a favorite toy, or just
hang them from the top of the cage.
You can offer sprouts in a treat cup
or on top of the seeds. You can chop
up/shred different foods (i.e. broccoli,
cauliflower, carrot, bell peppers, etc.)
to make a birdy salad and put it in a
treat cup or bowl in the cage. You can
even offer favorite foods from your hand.
Variety in choices will ensure your budgie
receives complete and balanced nutrition,
and variety in choice and presentation will
keep him interested in fresh foods and in
trying new fresh foods. If you are having a
hard time getting your budgie to try fresh
foods (in other words, if you have a "seed-junkie")
see my FAQ article,
Supplements - Budgies need to be
supplied with a cuttle bone and mineral
block at all times. These provide important
minerals and calcium. Some budgies prefer
one over the other, some like to tear them
apart, and some like to use them as perches.
No matter what, they should always be
available, even if your budgie doesn't even
touch them. Your budgie's body will tell him
(or her) if and when it is in need.
There are also other supplements available
in pet and bird stores, which range from
vitamin and mineral supplements to pro-biotics
and algaes. None of these are necessary,
especially if your budgie is healthy and receives
a healthy diet. However, some owners may
choose to consider using any of these
supplements. Before using any supplements,
you should first consult
with your avian veterinarian.
Dangers & Hazards
There are several categories of
dangers and hazards to your pet
budgie that you should be aware of:
Foods - There are several foods
which should never be fed to your
budgie because they are toxic. This
includes chocolate, coffee, soda,
caffeinated beverages, avocado, rhubarb
and the area of pitted fruits which touched
the pit. Many fruit seeds are toxic to birds,
so to be safe always remove any seeds
from fruits you give to your budgies. You
should also avoid giving your budgie anything
but limited amounts of milk based products,
as birds are lactose intolerant. Also, do not
feed your budgie anything but very limited
amounts of anything considered to be junk
food (i.e. chips, fried foods,
sweets, white bread, etc).
Toxic Items - Never let your budgie
play or mouth an item or plant unless
you know it is safe and non-toxic. Some
metals, the heavy metals, are poisonous
to birds and can poison them simply through
contact with the beak or skin. The poisonous
heavy metals include lead, zinc, copper, and
brass. Metals you can know are
safe include stainless steel, iron, and
ungalvanized tin. For more information,
Gillian Willis. You also need to be very
careful with items which have paint or glue.
You need to be sure that any paint or glue
in/on an item is non-toxic. If you don't know
what an item is made of, it is better to be
safe than sorry by not letting your budgie play
with it.
Toxic Plants - Some plants and parts
of plants are poisonous to birds, so you
need to research any plant that you have
in the house or that you plan to use to make
perches to be sure it is safe. If you can't
identify it or find out if it is toxic or not, then
it is again better to be safe than sorry by
not having that plant in an area where your
budgie will be or by not using that plant to
make perches.
Household Cleaners/Chemicals -
It goes to say that anything you wouldn't
want a baby or child to get into, you
wouldn't want your bird to get into. But
additionally, birds have very sensitive
respiratory systems, and you will want
to avoid using most household cleaners
and chemicals around your budgies. This
includes anything with a strong scent or
chemical odor, cleaners, sprays, liquids,
aerosols, etc. When it comes time for you
to use a cleaner or chemical in your home,
put your budgie's cage into another room
where the fumes will not get to, or place
the cage outside, partly covered and out
of direct sunlight. Also, you should not
use air fresheners (deodorizers and scents)
when you have a budgie, including
sprays/aerosols, plug-ins, powders,
and scented candles. You should also
avoid using beauty/personal hygiene
aerosols and sprays around your budgies,
including hairspray and deodorant.
Another source of toxic fumes in
the home is non-stick coating (PTFE),
which comes under many names,
such as Teflon©. When non-stick
coating is over-heated, it releases
toxic fumes which kill birds very quickly.
Even under normal heating conditions,
non-stick coating can release some
toxic fumes. It is recommended that
you never use cookware or appliances
with non-stick coating when you have
birds in the home. For more information,
Physical Hazards Around the Home -
Don't let your budgie roam/fly
free in an area or room of the
house until you've established
that it is bird-safe. Be sure that
there are no fans running, and
that the blinds or curtains are
drawn on the windows. Also try
not to have your budgie out where
there are mirrors, or try to cover
any mirrors. Budgies can accidentally
fly into any of these and injure themselves
badly. Make sure that there is nothing your
budgie might land on that could fall. Reduce
the amount of exposed electrical and
computer cords to the bare minimum,
and always keep your budgie away from
these. Remove any plants unless you
know they are safe for bird. Examine the
area or room from a bird's point of view
and try to identify and remove anything
that might be a hazard.
Escape Hazards - Open doors and windows
are obvious escape hazards. Never have
your budgie out, even if it is clipped, while
there are open doors or windows. If a door
or window does have a screen, before you
have your budgie out, check and make sure
it is in place properly, that there are no holes,
and that it is not becoming loose along the
frame. When your budgie is out and about,
make sure everyone in the family/household
is aware so that they don't accidentally leave
a door or window open. Also, if it does become
necessary to temporarily open a door, secure
your budgie close to your body gently with
your hand or bring him into a room with the
door closed until the outside door can be shut.
For more extensive information on making
your home safe for
your budgie visit at PetEducation.com.
Physical Health
Of course you care about
your budgie's well-being,
so one of your main priorities
as a budgie-owner is your
budgie's physical health.
Establishing Your Budgie's Health - In
general you can tell that
budgies are healthy by looking
at them and watching their
behavior. A healthy budgie
will be well-feathered
(unless he is molting at the time)
and clean and free of any stains
He/she will also have eyes, nostrils,
and face clear of build-up or mucus
and a smooth, well-shaped,
clean beak. A healthy budgie
will be active when the flock is
active, and will be int
eractive with the flock (whether
it be other budgies or people).
To start out things on the right track,
when you first get your new budgie you
should schedule a check-up with your
avian veterinarian. You can use
help you look up an avian vet in your area.
This will allow you to get to know your local
avian vet, to establish a history for your bird
with this vet, and to get any questions answered
and helpful advice from a real expert. At your first
your budgie is in overall good health, and will keep a
record so that you can monitor his/her health and
progress over the years. You should take your budgie in
for a check-up about once a year.
Once you've established that your
budgie is healthy, from day to day
you should spend time watching
your budgie and learning what behavior,
activity level, and eating habits are normal
for him/her. This way you will be able to
identify any changes, even subtle ones,
that could indicate an illness or problem.
Maintaining Your Budgie's Health -
The most important thing to your budgie's
health is a healthy diet (for more information
Budgies also need exercise and activity
to stay healthy. Your budgie's cage should
be big enough to allow your budgie plenty
of freedom of movement and room to flap
around. The best cage size for your budgie
will allow him/her to fly from one perch to another.
To ensure that your budgie is getting enough
exercise, take your budgie(s) out of the cage
once a day to allow them some time to fly and
run about. Just be sure that you've established
that the area/room is bird-safe (see the
To avoid illness, be sure to maintain your
budgie's cage by cleaning out the liner
often and keeping the perches and
accessories clean. Also be sure to provide
fresh, clean water every day.
Mental Health
A budgie's mental health is just as
important as his or her physical health
to happiness and well-being. There are
many aspects to a budgie's mental health,
but as long as you are a dedicated and
educated budgie care-giver, you and your
budgie(s) should have no worries.
Flock Mentality - Budgies are flock creatures.
This is one of their most defining aspects. Budgies
need to be part of a flock and it is cruel to keep
a budgie lonely and isolated. It is perfectly fine to
keep only one budgie as long as you plan on
taming him (or her) and you and your family
can interact with him/her every day. In this case,
you and your family will become your budgie's
flock, and he or she will form a very close bond
with you. If you have a male budgie, he is likely
(but not guaranteed) to learn to talk in this situation.
Your budgie will become a beloved household pet.
However, if you and your family do not plan on
keeping a tame budgie and do not plan on
interaction with the bird(s), you must keep
at least two together. You can keep any
combination of males and females together,
but I recommend at least 50% males.
The budgies will become a flock and will
interact, chirp, and sing together. They
will be enjoyable to watch and to have
around. But no matter what, a budgie
should never be kept alone and isolated
without interaction from it's flock
(whether it be it's human flock or
budgie flock) on a permanent basis.
The Cage - The budgie's cage is it's home,
shelter, and safe place. The cage should be an
appropriate size for the number of budgies
kept in it. Unfortunately, pet stores often sell
cages that are too small for any bird to be
kept in on a permanent basis. An appropriately
sized cage should allow the budgie plenty
of freedom of movement and room to flap
it's wings. Try not to impede on this by over
-cluttering the cage with toys or other items.
The cage, perches, and accessories should
always be kept clean. Don't position the
cage directly in front of a window, or near
any drafts (i.e. drafty doors and windows,
heating and A/C vents, etc). Also don't
place the cage where any positionable
lamp/light fixture would be pointing directly
at the cage. If at any time your budgie
appears to become nervous because of
something going on in the house
(i.e. movers moving furniture, turned on
ceiling fan, etc), cover part or all of the
cage until the commotion is over. At night,
cover the cage for security and keep a
night-light on.
Toys - Budgies are curious, inquisitive,
playful creatures. They need to be
provided with toys to keep them
mentally stimulated. Budgies love bells,
rings, beads, swings, and chew toys.
I recommend buying several basic toys,
the simplest ones sold at the pet store,
and then buying one or two fancy
expensive ones. You don't need to have
all the toys in the cage at once. In fact, I
recommend only keeping two or three
in the cage at a time, and switching
them out every week or two. See my
FAQ article, "What Are Some Favorite
Budgie Toys?" for more detailed
information on budgie toys.
The one type of toy I recommend
avoiding is any toy with a mirror.
Budgies can sometimes develop
an unhealthy obsession with the
"other" bird in the mirror, which can
cause problems with tame budgies
as well as fighting and possessiveness
among budgies kept together.
Illness and Injury
Nobody wants or expects their
budgie to get sick or injured,
but every budgie owner should
be prepared in case this happens.
Illness - If you've established
what behavior, activity level,
and eating habits are normal
for your budgie, and you pay
close attention to him every day,
you need to be on the look out for
any changes, even subtle ones.
This is because any change can
be a sign that there is something
wrong. Since budgies are actually
wild creatures (not domesticated ''
like dogs or cats) all of their wild
instincts are still intact. In the wild,
budgies have to mask their illness,
because if the flock identifies a bird
as ill and weak, the flock will reject
that budgie. This is simply and purely
a survival instinct. Therefore, pet birds
are extremely good a hiding their illness
and pain, which is why it is very important
to be on the look out for subtle changes.
By the time there is something obviously
wrong with the bird, he/she has been sick
or in pain for a long time and is just now
too weak to hide it. The minute you suspect
something may be wrong, you should
schedule an appointment with your
avian vet. You can use
to help you look up an avian vet in
your area. Keep track of everything
you observe about the budgie until
the appointment, including eating
and sleeping habits and changes
in appearance and behavior.
Reporting this to the vet at
the appointment will help him/her
determine what may be wrong.
If your budgie has become obviously
sick and/or weak you should seriously
consider taking him/her in for an
emergency visit. You can call the
vet's office to let them know you
would like to take your budgie in to
be seen as an emergency. They
will be able to tell you the price of
the emergency visit, or, if they are
unequipped to help you at the time,
refer you to a facility that is.
Remember, the earlier you catch
an illness or problem with your budgie,
the better chances you'll have of
treating it and of avoiding very costly
treatments.
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