Finger Training new Parakeet.

[Poultrybonkers]

Thank you for your concern! See that is what I thought at first too, but while wild budgies are naturally seed eaters they also often fly around 200-300 miles in a couple of days. Seeds are very high in fat which in a wild budgies case would give them the energy to fly for hours on end, but for a budge that lives in a cage and only has a couple of rooms to fly around all that fat isn't necessary. in fact, pet budgies that live on seed often become overweight, which puts a lot of pressure on their organs and can cause liver and kidney problems. Also while wild budgies eat a lot of seeds they also eat fruits, veggies, leafy greens, and the occasional bug. So a pet budgie that is living off a seed diet would not be getting all of the nutrients that they need. This is why I am trying to wean mine off his seed diet and into a pellet diet. Pellets are made to have most if not all the nutrients that a budgie would need. Of course, I will also try to convince him to try some fruits and veggies to help supplement his diet I will also offer seeds occasionally during training and as a treat.

My oldest is 8 he gets seeds along with veggies and some fruit but the first ingredient in pellets is ground corn, corn is fattening aswell and can cause fatty liver disease esp if birds are clipped mine are all flighted.

 

[asokatonu]

My oldest is 8 he gets seeds along with veggies and some fruit but the first ingredient in pellets is ground corn, corn is fattening aswell and can cause fatty liver disease esp if birds are clipped mine are all flighted.

Interesting! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. My bird's feathers are clipped because I got him from a pet store, but I do not plan on clipping them again once they grow out. Maybe I should allow him the seeds and work on convincing him to eat some fruits and veggies along with the seeds. Do you have any recommendations? I have tried a couple of veggies prepared in different ways, but he won't even touch them. In the long run, I just want whatever is best and most healthy for my baby!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Interesting! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. My bird's feathers are clipped because I got him from a pet store, but I do not plan on clipping them again once they grow out. Maybe I should allow him the seeds and work on convincing him to eat some fruits and veggies along with the seeds. Do you have any recommendations? I have tried a couple of veggies prepared in different ways, but he won't even touch them. In the long run, I just want whatever is best and most healthy for my baby!

I always started with fresh grass as its what they would forage in the wild you can even put it in water they like to bathe in it aswell. I have a flock so mine will eat anything infront of them and unless i soak pellets they wont eat them but i use 22% chicken pellets for the protien when molting and any pellet that doesnt have ground corn as the first ingredient should work harrisons a good brand of pellets I believe but they dont sell those near me. but pellets should not be the only thing they eat. And budgies prefer veggies over fruits and some fruits are to sugarly. Mine love corn, carrots, brocolli,etc heres a video of mine eating mixed veggies

Mine also love boiled eggs

 

[asokatonu]

I always started with fresh grass as its what they would forage in the wild you can even put it in water they like to bathe in it aswell. I have a flock so mine will eat anything infront of them and unless i soak pellets they wont eat them but i use 22% chicken pellets for the protien when molting and any pellet that doesnt have ground corn as the first ingredient should work harrisons a good brand of pellets I believe but they dont sell those near me. but pellets should not be the only thing they eat. And budgies prefer veggies over fruits and some fruits are to sugarly. Mine love corn, carrots, brocolli,etc heres a video of mine eating mixed veggies

Mine also love boiled eggs

Your birds are so pretty! I do have a water dish in Cielo's cage for bathing. I put fresh water in it multiple times a day, but he has yet to show any interest in it. he pretty much ignores it. Sometimes he will sit on it and on occasion he will drink from it. There currently is a little over a foot of snow on the ground so I don't have any fresh grass for him to try. Maybe if I floated some corn in his bath bowl he might give it a try? What are your thoughts? Also, I currently have a seed pellet blend that I got to use while I weaned him to pellets. It is just a generic seed and pellet mix. What seed blend/ seed pellet mix would you recommend?

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Your birds are so pretty! I do have a water dish in Cielo's cage for bathing. I put fresh water in it multiple times a day, but he has yet to show any interest in it. he pretty much ignores it. Sometimes he will sit on it and on occasion he will drink from it. There currently is a little over a foot of snow on the ground so I don't have any fresh grass for him to try. Maybe if I floated some corn in his bath bowl he might give it a try? What are your thoughts? Also, I currently have a seed pellet blend that I got to use while I weaned him to pellets. It is just a generic seed and pellet mix. What seed blend/ seed pellet mix would you recommend?

You could sprout the seed mix if it sprouts its fresh if it dont its old seeds. Also sprouts are healthy and nutritional. I use the brand from walmart as its close and easy to get to. You could also use lettuce instead of grass. There isnt much use for lettuce but gives them something to do. Or can use kale or spinach. Or if he likes corn can use corn. Mine love corn on the cob.

 

[Serin]

I feed pellet diets as a staple with seed somewhere around 10% of the diet, I have a society finch, also a strict seed-eater in the wild, who will be eight in a couple days and this has been his diet for his entire life.
Average lifespan for one is about five.

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Birds in captivity should not be fed mostly seeds. Their level of activity is much lower compared to a wild bird. I feed Harrisons pellets to my budgie, it is a very high quality brand.

 

[asokatonu]

The pellets that I have are zupreem brand which seems to be a pretty good brand (as far as I can tel). He refuses to touch them though. @Poultrybonkers mentioned that they soak their pellets? Maybe he would give them a try if they were moist? This morning I gave him just pellets for a couple hours and he went down multiple times to peak at it he even pulled a couple out. He might have tasted one or two it is hard to tell. In the long run though he was not impressed.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

The pellets that I have are zupreem brand which seems to be a pretty good brand (as far as I can tel). He refuses to touch them though. @Poultrybonkers mentioned that they soak their pellets? Maybe he would give them a try if they were moist? This morning I gave him just pellets for a couple hours and he went down multiple times to peak at it he even pulled a couple out. He might have tasted one or two it is hard to tell. In the long run though he was not impressed.

My quaker wont even eat pellets hard he soaks his in his water bowl

 

[asokatonu]

My quaker wont even eat pellets hard he soaks his in his water bowl

Interesting...
I will have to give that a try. Maybe he will be more interested in them that way.