Budgie food

If you decide to have a pet, you should initially learn all about the nuances of caring for it. Quite often, parents buy parrots for children because they think they require less attention than other pets.

If you are interested in budgies, then you should familiarize yourself with the features of choosing food for them, consider the rating of the best producers and figure out how to properly care for these birds.

As you know, the body temperature in birds is higher than in humans and is about + 41-42 degrees. Therefore, their metabolism is much faster and birds need more frequent feedings. If parrots live in nature, then they usually eat berries, twigs, seeds, greens, and even some insects. Of course, at home it is almost impossible to provide such food for budgies, but you can choose the right balanced food.

For proper nutrition of budgies, you should adhere to the daily feed rate. Most of the diet should be grains - 70%. Quite often, various types of millet are included in the diet. 20% of the volume should be reserved for flax seeds, wheat, hemp and only 10% is allocated to oats. In addition to grain, budgies need the following components:

• greens - you can add radish or carrot tops, pick grass from the garden;
• fruits and vegetables - not all species are suitable for parrots, so you should first consult a specialist;
• eggs - the daily dose is from 3 to 5 grams, which in volume will resemble a pea, but if the bird is preparing for breeding, then the number of eggs should be doubled;
• sprouted wheat - it contains all the necessary components for the normal development of the bird;
• water is a very important element in the diet of a bird; it is worth doing it every day in a drinking bowl;
• tree branches also need to be put in a cage, because occasionally a parrot likes to gnaw them.

For budgies, proper feeding is a prerequisite for normal development and full growth. To begin with, it is worth considering what kind of food for budgies is. These birds can be fed with two types of grain mixtures:

• ready-made feed that is sold in stores;
• Self-prepared feed from different types of grains.

To choose the best quality food for your pet, you should pay attention to rating of the best premium food manufacturers. It should be noted that there are not so many of these firms as, for example, producers of food for cats or dogs.

German manufacturer Vitakraft offers parrot food called Menu vital. It is very nutritious, because it contains a large number of useful components. Regular use of this food has a positive effect on the state of the immune system, plumage becomes strong and dense, and the color - expressive and bright. The presence of vitamins and minerals has a positive effect on the general condition of the parrot.

The advantages of this feed include the following points:

• the presence of vegetables and eucalyptus leaves in the composition, which are responsible for high nutritional value;
• It is of great benefit to birds;
• affordable price;
• properly selected and balanced composition.

But there are also disadvantages, namely:

• feed is sold in a bag of thin paper, which leads to a short shelf life after opening the package;
• the composition is quite difficult to find on sale.

The domestic company "Rio" is one of the best Russian manufacturers of bird feed. Brand products are characterized by the following advantages:

• carefully selected composition;
• high quality paper packaging;
• a wide variety - both main feed and specially selected for the period of molting or germination are on sale.

Among the minuses of this product, it is worth noting the following:

• high price, although the composition is made in Russia;
• a high probability of acquiring a fake.

The Belgian company Prestige is known for producing high-quality feed recommended by the best specialists. Prestige mixes have the following advantages:

• they are based on the highest quality grains, and additives and garbage are completely absent;
• the package is made of dense airtight material, which protects the food from insect attacks, as well as water or harmful substances;
• to protect the open pack from moisture, each package has a special lock;
• affordable price.

But among the disadvantages of Prestige products, the following can be distinguished:

• the food is very dry, so feeding birds with fruits and vegetables should be juicy;
• pretty hard to find on sale.

Trill products are quite popular, because it has such advantages:

• well-selected composition;
• high iodine content;
• A great option for feeding parrots that have problems with the thyroid gland.

Among the minuses of Trill brand products are the following:

• not suitable for regular feeding of healthy birds;
• high price.

Fiory products appeal to many bird owners. Mixture Fiory African has such advantages:

• the food contains many nutrients because it includes buckwheat, millet, hemp seed, corn, oats, millet and even raisins;
• exclusively natural dyes are used;
• packaging is characterized by convenience, because the feed is divided into three parts, with each being in a vacuum package.

Unfortunately, it has the following disadvantages:

• granules coated with honey are included in the feed; birds do not like this option;
• high price.

Baka is a fairly well-known brand of parrot products. The line includes 12 feed options, which allows you to choose a certain type of food depending on the breed of the parrot, as well as its age and health. But many users report poor product quality. So, the advantages of feed include the following characteristics:

• low price;
• correctly selected balance;
• a sufficient amount of vitamins in the composition.

Among the minuses are the following:

• poor quality packaging;
• Strong smell;
• the presence of foreign particles.

Beaphar from the Netherlands offers excellent XtraVital premium food for medium sized budgies. It includes all vital components for the normal growth and development of birds. Among the advantages are the following:

• well-selected composition;
• nice smell;
• birds like its taste;
• excellent nutritional value.

The bad features include the following:

• rarely found on sale;
• high price.

This is a German manufacturer that offers feed of excellent quality, because they are manufactured in accordance with European standards and requirements. This food has such advantages as:

• optimally selected balance;
• good packaging, characterized by tightness;
• due to the excellent nutritional composition, it has a small consumption;
• The composition includes additional components, for example, oyster shells, which help to ensure potassium-phosphorus metabolism.

Among the shortcomings, the following are often noted:

• a large number of fakes;
• high price.

The Spanish company Cunipic is quite famous in Russia, although its products have recently appeared on the domestic market. The advantages of the brand’s products include the following characteristics:

• correctly selected composition;
• regular use enhances immunity, improves the appearance of the parrot;
• packaging of excellent quality.

Among the minuses are the following:

• hard to find on sale;
• overcharge;
• fortified granules do not like feathered.

Today, a wide selection of high-quality food for budgies is on sale. The best manufacturers have been described above, and now it’s worth stopping at what products should be avoided.

• You should immediately refuse feedwhich are simply packed in a regular cardboard box. It is impossible to guess how they were stored and in what conditions. There is a high probability that the feed could become damp and dry several times before the sale. This negatively affects the beneficial properties of the product. Parasites could also get into paper boxes and mold may form. Therefore, you need to buy food exclusively in a hermetically packed package (polyethylene is often used).
• It’s worth immediately abandoning the compositions, which include fruits. They could adversely affect the storage of grains. In addition, dried fruits do not have such benefits as fresh.
• You should refrain from buying cheap analogues. It is better not to buy a mixture for birds by hand by weight.

The following rules must be followed in order to correctly calculate how much feed a bird needs per day:

• the daily norm should not exceed 2 teaspoons of food for young individuals, and for adults - no more than 2 tablespoons;
• it is necessary to exclude overeating of a feathered friend, therefore it is not necessary to pour food in excess of the daily norm into the trough;
• sometimes a bird eats its daily diet in half a day, but this happens very rarely;
• Before giving a parrot a new type of food, you should seek the advice of a specialist.

The number of feeds depends primarily on the birds themselves, or rather, on their well-being. At low air temperatures they eat more. Usually a budgerigar eats 1 tablespoon of food, but during the growth period this figure increases slightly.

Usually the food is poured only 1 time per day, and it is better to do this in the evening. From early morning, the bird can already have breakfast. If desired, the daily dose of food can be divided into 2 times and pour it in the morning and evening.

Particular attention should be paid to winter feeding, because during this period the birds need better nutrition. Experts recommend adding a little lemon juice to the water, which will be positively displayed on the immunity of a feathered friend. It is forbidden to be limited only to dry food, it is necessary to give boiled porridges to budgies. Birds love lentils, chickpeas and peas.

See how to feed the budgerigar in the next video.