Is my new budgie eating okay? (New to all this!)

[paulc]

Hi all,

I became a new bird owner on Saturday (a Christmas present to myself!) a bought a budgie which I believe is about 10 weeks old. I've spent hours reading forums full of all sorts of opinions so apologies for asking "the same old questions" but I could do with a bit of an idiot's guide in some areas!

I bought a bag of mixed seed which sits in a pot at the bottom of the cage, and there is some scattered on the floor. I also have Trill Toppers (tightly packed 'tablets' of seed) and have put one on the floor.

After a day or more he hadn't eaten, so I hung a millet spray near his 'favourite' perch. He'll now happily eat that when he's hungry, and we've progressed to the stage where I can put a hand in, holding a small piece of millet, and he'll nibble from my fingers if he feels in the mood.

I'm aware that all this millet is fattening though, and need to get him eating something else. But what? If I put a few seeds in my fingers then he might eat those, but how do I persuade him to head down the cage where the main supply is? If I withdraw all millet privileges, will he eventually get so hungry he goes down for the seed, or will he starve? Might he even get some sort of withdrawal symptoms?!

I've just tried putting some small piece of chopped apple in the cage - one on his perch and 3 in a pot on the floor. So far he hasn't shown any interest. How much fruit is advisable anyway? Are we talking a whole apple (chopped up of course) every now and then, or a slice out of my "apple a day"?

I'm pretty sure he hasn't been down for water, either, unless he's done it stealthily while I've been asleep. Is it not strange that he won't even check out what's on the bottom half of the cage?

Lots of questions there, sorry, but it all pretty much boils down to "how do I get him eating the right things"?

Thank you!

(Note for reference, I'm writing this on Tuesday evening, so had him about 3.5 days now)

[budgiedan]

how tall is your cage as if it is too tall they may not travel down there for food maybe hang a pot or 2 on the side of the cage half way up, a friend of mine bought a tall cage 3 feet tall and had the same problem he housed 4 budgies in the cage and they never went below half way done and certainly never touched the cage floor. budgies cant fly vertically so would seem un natural to go to the bottom of a tall cage even for food. as for apple and millet i give mine i piece once or twice a week

[budgiedan]

of course theres always the perfect explanation of your budgie being unsure of its new surroundings and probably wouldnt eat or drink much during this time, should be ok after a week or so

[barrieshutt]

An old wives tale that millet sprays are fattening................one bird alone will only eat a few seeds daily and you may just not be seeing it eating , if it was starving its droppings would be green.

[Deleted]

give it time to get used to things its a big thing for it come to terms with...please post pics of your budgie in its cage ....regards mick...

[stace]

About the vegetables...sometimes it takes them a while to get used to eating their fruit and veg. Give them a little bit each day, and even if they don't eat it at first, they will probably give it a try eventually as they get curious.

When mine was little, he would only eat his veges chopped up REALLY fine, almost the size of seed, and placed in a separate bowl. I would mix a little seed on the top to get him interested. Even then, it took a while for him to start eating it.

Later he progressed to eating fruit and veges off a skewer hung from the top or side of his cage.

Most budgies prefer vegetables to fruit, but not all. Mine likes apple, mango, and the outside of strawberries.

They really don't need very much. For one bird, the amount is tiny. A small leaf of spinach and thin slice of cucumber one day, a 1/2 inch round of corn and thin slice of apple the next. Maybe some thin slices of raw beetroot another day.

I tend to give him variety by thinking of colour. Red, yellow, green. Different coloured foods have different vitamins in them. It's the easiest way to give them a good range of vits and mins without having to think about it too much.

Here's my prep...you can see how little there is...Even with this amount, he'll only eat about 1/3 at the most. Also, make sure you cut the slice thin enough that a little beak can get around it okay. Too fat and they can't get at it.



And on the skewer.



So keep on giving him tiny amounts...you'll probably have to throw most of it away. Once he starts getting tamer, you can start feeding him little bits by hand to get him used to the taste. If he sees you eating something, he's more likely to try it.

Just remember to give them fresh stuff every day. Bacteria will grow quickly on sliced fruit and vege left out in the open. Same with their water.

The most common cause of budgie illness is bad food and water.

Now he's got to the point where he plays with the skewer and food, eating some of it while he's at it.

[stace]

If you really want to know about all the fruit, vege and seeding grass you can feed, have a read through this site some time...It's done by one of our members. Very thorough.

www.adnort.webs.com/My_html_Cookery_BookE.html

[Hezz]

Hi Paul. I have to agree with budgiedan in that your new friend is still settling in and probably very unsure about his new surrounding. Most new budgies won't be seen to drink for some days - drinking seems to be a vulnerable time for a budgie, they tend to have a drink when they don't have to watch you. Plus they can go days without a drink if needed but mostly it is simply that they will wait until you leave the room.

Personally, I would move the seed and water containers off the floor and up higher to where your bird spend most of its time. Depending on your water receptacle, this may not be possible, in which case you will have to closely moniter that budgie hasn't pooped in the water. In which case the water needs to be changed as soon as possible. By getting the containers off the floor, you will lessen the risk of your bird pooping in its seed or water. Another reason for moving them off the floor of the cage is that the birds feel vulnerable down low. For them, high is safer, low is where the danger is. When you do first let your bird out you will probably find it will head for a curtain rail, or light fitting etc - the highest place it can find a perch.

For a list of easily available veges and fruits, and that which most budgies have been know to take to, there is a sticky in this section of the forum - "Fresh foods to offer my Budgie":
budgerigarsforum.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=budgiefeeding&action=display&thread=509
While this is not a comprehensive list, it does give you the fresh foods more commonly accepted by budgies.

[paulc]

Thank you all for the comprehensive responses. It was reassuring not to be greeted with a barrage of people telling me it's time to panic!

I feel there's a fine balance between leaving a bird to settle in and taking an active role in making sure it eats (the right) things before it's too late. I think budgiedan, mick and hezz were right in that he was still trying to get used to the new surroundings, as things have certainly improved now.

I moved the Trill Topper up to his perch level and he started on that quite quickly. Ironically less than 24 hours later he ventured down to the cage floor! Only stayed for 20 or 30 seconds though and hasn't - at least in my company - been back down; it is quite a tall cage. I've invested today in a food cup that can hang on the side of the cage so hopefully I'll get birdie on basic seed soon too.

It's a handy fact to know about the green poo sign - thanks Barrie. And major thanks to Stace for the detailed photos and descriptions - they're exactly what I needed! It's a bit like when I first moved into my own place and had to learn to fend for myself: even the most basic of idiot's guides to cooking still left me head scratching with without some parental guidance!

Now that he's happy feeding I even took the bold step of letting (read: coaxing) him out of the cage for the first time today. I'm definitely possibly over the scary period...

[Hezz]

That's really good, then, Paul. Hopefully budgie is too (over the scary bit ) Now he just needs a name...........and we need photos.

[adrianabg60]

I have had my budgie two weeks now and have had a similar dilemma. I only saw him drink water for the first time yesterday, I had been so worried worried these past two weeks! I've found that he loves, crumbled dry cereal (I use a combination of Wheaties, Cheerios, and CornChex). He is not interested in fresh fruits or veggies though. So, I decided to chop a little cooked broccoli and mix it with his seed, which he did eat a good bit of. The next day I tried grated carrot mixed with seed..........again he ate a good bit. In the meantime I've been giving a main meal of pellets with dried veggies as opposed to strictly seeds. I've been told by my bird's veterinarian that this is a good option until I get him transitioned to people food. Seems that persistance and patience are the key. It also helps if I feed him the fresh food/seed mix out of his cage where I am close to him. Hope this helps. adriana

[Marianne Marlow]

Hi Paul, how is your budgie now?

Adriana, when you say that you have been told by your bird vet that pellets and vegetables are a good option until your bird gets used to "people food" what do you mean?

What "people food" will you be feeding your bird, are you going to cut out seeds and pellets entirely? - not sure this is wise if you are. Apologies if I misunderstood.

[Hezz]

I have to agree with Marianne, and dry cereal is not budgie food. In fact there are so many additives (sugar, for starters) in all those mentioned I wouldn't let my budgies anywhere near them. These are American cereals, so I am presuming Adriana is somewhere in America (does so help when people fill in their profile), but I think you will find that while some of us have tried pellets etc - often pushed (unwisely we mainly feel) by vets - mostly we are inclined to feel that the traditional food for budgies, being seeds, grasses, bark, eucalypts and fresh veges (not quite traditional, but then we can't all provide the bush tucker they have evolved with) are the best diet for our budgies.

Maybe a little more explanation is needed, Adriana, so we know exactly what you are talking about.

[sarah*glittergirl2212]

Hi Paul, how is your budgie getting on? Does he have a name and yes we want to see pictures please!