Parakeets (commonly referred to as budgies) in the wild consume mostly grass seeds – these should make up 50% of their diet.
But for optimal health, sprouted or fortified seeds, vegetables and fruits should make up 20 percent of one’s diet – this may include leafy greens, berries or carrots as safe choices.
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Pellets
Parakeets can be finicky eaters, so pellets offer an effective solution to ensure they receive all the nutrition they require. Constructed of seeds, vegetables and grains combined in one form provides an easily digestible meal option compared to whole seeds or pieces of fruits and veggies.
Sunflower seeds and safflower seeds should be limited as they contain high levels of fat that may exacerbate digestive issues for birds. Aiming for a mix designed specifically for birds would provide lower fat contents while still offering essential vitamins and minerals to their diets.
Bananas and berries can add some variety to your bird’s diet, but be sure to remove any pits or seeds before feeding it to them. Avoid dried fruits like raisins as these may be dangerously unhealthy for parakeets. Instead, offer your bird fresh, uncooked fruit instead.
Vegetables
Wild parakeets find food by foraging for food in their environment. This may involve picking at berries, insects off leaves or digging into the earth for food sources. Domesticated birds do not possess natural foraging behaviors so owners must provide their pets with a nutritionally balanced diet of pellets, seeds and vegetables for maximum wellbeing.
Vegetables such as romaine lettuce, broccoli, carrots, squash and kale should comprise at least half of a parakeet’s diet. Not only will these greens provide plenty of vitamins and minerals while cutting down on fat consumption and carbs intake.
When offering fresh produce to birds, organic options should always be selected in order to prevent herbicides, fungicides and pesticides from harming their health. Furthermore, fruits high in sugar may lead to digestive imbalances; suitable options include bananas, apples, apricots and oranges as they all fall within this category.
Fruits
Fruit is an integral component of a parakeet’s diet. (1) However, it’s crucial that owners know which fruits are safe and which should not be fed to their pet bird – for instance bananas can be popular among pet birds but should only be offered occasionally due to high sugar content (2)
Blueberries offer many health benefits to pets, such as Vitamin C, Potassium and Antioxidants. You can feed them either fresh or dried as long as the seeds are removed before feeding (3)
Strawberry (only organic varieties), peaches and other fruits rich in vitamins C and A are among the safest fruits to feed to birds, while be wary when giving pomegranate as it contains trace amounts of amygdalin which converts into cyanide in the body; onions and garlic should be avoided due to potential risk of gastric ulcers or death (4).
Seeds
Seeds are an important food source for wild parakeets, and providing them with high-quality seed mixes will attract an assortment of species to your feeder. Select black oil sunflower seeds with soft outer husks, which make opening them easier for smaller birds. Also include safflower and thistle which have higher protein levels to help the bird build strength. Be sure to refill and check your feeder on an ongoing basis so as to avoid starvation; periodically empty off empty husks from the top bowl, while changing entire batches regularly will ensure fresh food intake!
Assume the best quality seeds when purchasing cheap seed mixes at general pet stores and garden centres; these may contain filler seeds that most birds won’t eat; such as sorghum which often gets wet and can become moldy and toxic to birds feeding from feeders.
