Parakeets / Budgies Food

Budgie Information ... Bird Nutrition

The key to a good parakeet diet is variety. This may sound easier than it really is. Parakeets can be picky especially if they are not familiar with a particular food item. It is easier if they have been used to fresh foods from early on. But if they did not have that advantage, it does time, patience and persistence! to get them to accept healthy food items.

Recommendations for a good parakeet diet:

• Base Diet:
  
  
  • I would start with a good quality (if possible organic) parakeet seed mix. I love Dr. Harvey's Bird Food Mixes as they lack the harmful additives that are commonly found in commercial mixes and have an AMAZING variety of quality ingredients (including dried fruits, veggies, herbs / greens and even superfoods, such as bee pollen!) - in short: myriad nourishing ingredients that are not found in other commercially available bird mixes (click here for product info). I would recommend that you ask your local pet store to add them to their product offerings. You can also buy it online (both WITH Seeds and WITHOUT) ...
    
    
  • A good quality formulated diet. Vets often recommend Harrison's -- which is a good diet, but mostly available at vet's offices and as is the case with pellets in general, acceptance may be an issue.



• Vegetables, fruits and greens should be part of a pet bird's daily diet. This includes apples, grapes, many garden vegetables such as spinach, watercress, field lettuce, poppy, chickweed, dandelions, carrots, corn on the cob, peas, endives and sweet potatoes.
  
  
  • Convenient Sources of Fruits / Veggies:
    • For days when I am too busy to prepare something for my pet birds, I always have available jars of baby food with fruits & vegetables (i.e. Gerbers).
  
  
  
  • Sprouting is an excellent method (and most certainly one of the most cost-effective) of providing nutrient-dense (living) foods to birds. Sprouted or germinated seeds are usually more easily accepted by "seed addicts" than fresh fruits and vegetables.
    • Sprouted seeds are healthier as the sprouting changes and enhances the nutritional quality and value of seeds and grains. Sprouted seeds are lower in fat, as the process of sprouting utilizes the fat in the seed to start the growing process - thus reducing the fat stored in the seeds.
    • Sprouted seeds will help balance your bird’s diet by adding a nutritious supply of high in vegetable proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and chlorophyll.
    • Soaked and germinated "oil" seeds, like niger and rape seeds, are rich in protein and carbohydrates; while "starch" seeds, such as canary and millets, are rich in carbohydrates, but lower in protein.
    • It is in invaluable food at all times; however, it is especially important for breeding or molting birds. Sprouted seeds also serve as a great rearing and weaning food as the softened shell is easier to break by chicks and gets them used to the texture of seeds.
    
    Sprouting is easy -- this webpage has step-by-step instructions. Simple Sprouts is an excellent sprouting mix, but you can also buy the ingredients at your local health food store and mix a batch yourself ... You can also germinate the sprouting mix - rather than going through the process of sprouting, which may be somewhat intimidating initially. Germinated seeds offer their own unique sets of valuable nutrition and are quicker to obtain and less likely to spoil.
  
  
  
  • Superior Nutrition Food:
    • Medicinal Herbs (an excellent herb mix with numerous health-supportive properties -- that birds actually like!)
    • Healthy Dried Fruits & Veggies

Never feed: caffeinated drinks, alcoholic beverages, chocolate, pits of most fruits, avocado ... More on "toxic foods"

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Other Helpful Websites on Feeding your Parakeet: Successful Budgie Feeding Systems - by Dr. Marshall ... Converting Seed Junkies ... Generic Diets & Additional Food Items: Healthy Bird Treats & Snacks ... Superior Nutrition Food: Herbs Specifically for Bird Health & Healthy Dried Fruits & Veggies - Make Excellent Healthy Bird Treats & Food! ... Cooked Diets ... Splay Millet & Millet Accessories ... Mineral / Calcium Blocks & Accessories

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Dr. Harveys Our Best Parakeet Food - 4 lbs Dr. Harvey's Parakeet Food includes nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, herbs and bee pollen in a unique blend that combines to give your companion bird the balanced nutrition that it needs to maintain health and longevity, vibrant color and remarkable plumage. Made with 100% Human consumption grade ingredients. Ingredients: Bee Pollen Granules: The ultimate whole food. Bee pollen is so packed with vitamins and amino acids that one tablespoon is the equivalent of three servings of fruits and vegetables. Nuts: Macadamia, Brazil pieces, Almond pieces, Filbert pieces, Cashew pieces, Pecan pieces, Pistachio meats, Pignolia pieces, Walnut pieces Dried Fruit: Banana Chips, Apples, Mango pieces, Coconut shreds, Orange Peel Granules Vegetables: Petite peas, Carrot Granules, Celery Stalk & Leaf, Parsley Flakes, Green Beans, Spinach Flakes, Green & Red Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Zucchini Seeds: Canary Grass, White Millet, Canola, Niger, Anise, Caraway, Hemp, Sesame, Flax, Red Millet Grain: Oat Groats Bean: Soy Bean Herbs: Echinacea Augustifolia, Dandelion Leaf, Red Clover blossoms, Papaya Leaf, Oat Straw, Peppermint Leaf, Calendula Flowers, Red Raspberry Leaf, Alfalfa, Fennel Seed, Thyme Leaf, Rose Hips, ROsemary Leaf, Basil Leaf

Nutri-Berries: Veterinarian recommended and bird approved.
Tropical Carnival Gourmet Parakeet Food 2 lb: Vitamin and mineral enriched food and treat, all in one, formulated to provide the proper nutrition your pet requires. Resealable zipper to maintain freshness. Contains mangos, bananas, carrots, peas, pistachios, almonds, macaroni wheels. Beneficial pro-biotics.
Pretty Bird Small Daily Select Extruded Foods: Packed in Nitrogen flushed, Resealable packaging to insure freshness, cleanliness, and freedom from insects. This is an excellent choice for all types of Cockatiels, Lovebrds, and Parakeets.
Premium Budgie 2lb: Budgies have special dietary needs. Not every food can meet those needs. Pretty Bird has developed a special food especially for budgies, using all premium, highest quality ingredients. Your budgies will enjoy the variety and you can rest assured they are receiving the essential vitamins and minerals required for their metabolism and energy level, as well as fiber for proper digestion. Premium Budgie is a complete diet for everyday feeding.
Fruit Bites Treat Garden Gourmet Veggie 1.5oz: Made with real fruit. Six great combination flavors. Soft and Chewy. Sun-ripened, all natural treat. Sweet, light and crunchy, freeze-dried veggies. Contains: peas, corn, carrots, etc.

Foods to Feed Only in Moderation:	Those veggies containing a high amount of oxalates. Some common examples include: spinach, chard, and bok choy. Fruits, which can provide too much sugar in the bird's diet. Diets that are based 100% on cooked beans/grains/pasta. These diets often have too much phosphorus and are very high in calories which can result in an obese bird. The diet should not be based on seeds. Seed diets contain too much fat and are deficient in many nutrients.
Foods you may consider NOT feeding	*Peanuts are often contaminated with aflatoxin, a fungal toxin. Aflatoxin is carcinogenic and causes liver damage in birds and other animals. Roasting reduces aflatoxin but does not eliminate it entirely. North American peanut producers are currently working on eliminating contaminated peanuts from their products. Especially peanuts with dark spots on them should be considered suspect, but even those that look clean and perfect could possibly be contaminated.
Foods to NEVER Feed:	Caffeine Chocolate The pits of most fruits, such as plums, peaches, apricots, and nectarines, contain cyanide. Cyanogenic glycosides are enzyme inhibitors that cause nausea, vomiting, and eventually coma Raw Beans: Many raw beans contain a trypsin inhibitor that interferes with protein metabolism; as well as hemaglutin (another toxin). Cooked or sprouted beans are fine. Eggplant, potato, tomato leaves, and green potatoes. Their leaves contain alkaloids that are poisonous for birds. Symptoms of ingestion in a bird include vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing. Avocado: The toxin persin is mostly found in the leaves, rind, and bark from avocado trees. However, even the fruit should be off-limits for pet birds. Persin poisoning causes respiratory distress and heart failure. Nutmeg contains a narcotic, myristicin, that can cause dizziness, nausea, and vomiting in birds. Rhubarb leaves contain high concentrations of oxalic acid, an intestinal irritant. Large doses are fatal. Tobacco contains the poisonous alkaloid, nicotine. Birds that ingest tobacco leaves suffer vomiting, diarrhea, seizures and other symptoms.