May 26, 2020 2:42:01 GMT
mapleesugar
Brand New Budgie
🌼❄️
Posts: 18
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Post by mapleesugar on Jun 3, 2020 15:05:23 GMT
Does anyone have any ideas for how I can get my two budgies to start eating fruits and vegetables? I've tried hanging them from the cage, keeping them large, cutting them into tiny pieces, putting millet on/near them, and even making little platters of fruits and vegetables. They just ignore them and don't seem to even think of them as food. I want my budgies to have the best quality of life possible with a good balanced diet, so I would greatly appreciate any help anyone could give me. Thank you so much!
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Post by jellybean on Jun 3, 2020 16:46:47 GMT
If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again, that's about it with budgies 😄
They are not big fruit eaters.
As for veggies, my two like, carrots, a whole carrot cut down the middle, so they each have a piece, tenderstem broccoli, sweetcorn (on the cob with a piece cut off), celery, especially the leaves.
Try those and see how it goes. Good luck.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Jun 3, 2020 17:06:08 GMT
With my guys, I had the best luck feeding them herbs - dill, cilantro, rosemary- and grasses. They love wheat grass. They are more inclined to try something that looks like grass rather than big leaves like kale. I also give them chop mixed with sprouts in a food cup. They seem to like the sprouts ore than the chop.
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Jun 2, 2020 13:44:30 GMT
zytherios
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 7
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Post by zytherios on Jun 3, 2020 19:19:23 GMT
i've had good luck giving mine lettuce and spinach. at first they though it was a chew toy, now they love it.
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Post by Hezz on Jun 4, 2020 0:00:38 GMT
As been said, more likely to have initial success feeding them something that looks the most like their true native foods - seeding grasses. And as also mentioned, you must be persistent. Keep trying, keep trying and continue to keep trying. I read a post a while back (not a budgie) where a person's bird had had its first nibble of fresh food after four years of trying, so while I doubt it will take that long you must give full credit to the owner who persisted for all that time. If either one is the more curious, trying eating veggies in front of them, making yummy noises all the while. Make out as though the food is yours only; they will want to know what they are missing out on. This does only (usually) work with bonded birds.
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May 26, 2020 2:42:01 GMT
mapleesugar
Brand New Budgie
🌼❄️
Posts: 18
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Post by mapleesugar on Jun 5, 2020 1:15:34 GMT
Thank all of you so much for your help! I will try all of these suggestions. Thanks again!
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May 7, 2020 23:43:49 GMT
destinycall
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 65
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Post by destinycall on Jun 5, 2020 18:01:45 GMT
At this time of year, I like to gather fresh seeding grasses for my flock. I live in the country and we let the grass on our property grow out in various places, so I have no shortage of options to harvest fresh, organic, pesticide-free grass seeds in the spring and summer, much to my birds delight. They go nuts for the green seed heads and leafy stalks. I'm considering gathering some to freeze for later in the year, if I can find the space (and time). I will typically clip a bunch of grass stalks to the side of the cage or lay them on top to let the birds pick at the seed heads.
If you don't have access to clean wild grasses where you live, you might try a fancy rabbit hay mix. These are made of predominantly dried grass hay, which includes stalks, leaves, and dried seed heads. Tropical Carnival offers a product line called "Timothy Hay Craveables" which include various forage items, like dried fruit, veggies, herbs, and oat sprays in the mix which is perfect. You can offer hay in a bowl or hopper ... or stuff it into a small cardboard box for destructible foraging fun. The birds will pick through the hay looking for the yummy goodies. The hay itself is also edible, although my birds mostly just like to play with it and throw it around a lot to make a mess!
Most rabbit hay will be timothy or orchard grass. You can also find oat and alfalfa. Good quality oat hay will include a lot of oat seed heads which are an excellent treat. High calorie, so avoid over-feeding, just like millet sprays. Alfalfa is higher in protein and calcium than grass hay. It doesn't contain seed heads because alfalfa is a legume, rather than a grass, but the green leaves are edible and nutritious. Alfalfa greens are considered a beneficial food for birds as it is a rich source of amino acids and other nutrients.
Be aware that birds like to use dry grass/hay as a nesting material, so keep an eye on them and remove the loose hay when the birds are done eating/playing, if you want to avoid stimulating breeding behaviors.
Another product I've used is Rosewood Pet Nature's Salad. This is a botanical mixed marketed toward "small animals" like bunnies and guienia pigs. But everything in it is safe and good for birds too. Ingredients include oat flakes, wheat flakes, marigold, parsley, red beet, alfalfa, nettle, pea flakes, carrots, dandelion, rose petals, and peppermint. The birds were initially drawn in by the grains but the rest of the mix got tasted too. Some ends up on the floor of course, and some stays in the bowl, but most of it gets eaten over the course of a few hours. With birds that have never eaten soft or fresh foods, I think dry veggies can be more easily recognized as "food", compared with trying to offer a wetter version. You can also find dehydrated veggie and herb mixes for birds from some sellers or make your own.
As far as feeding fresh veggies and fruits, a lot depends on your birds. I find that once you get them started trying new foods, it gets easier and easier. Once your birds get the idea that food comes in different shapes and sizes and textures they will be more open to experimenting.
Start with easier stuff, like broccoli heads, sprouted seed, eggfood and dried veggies mixed with seeds. You can even start by offering different types of treat seeds in the same bowl as you plan on offering healthier items, so the bird gets used to the idea of coming to that bowl for fun foods. Feed modest portions and anticipate that it might take multiple tries before the birds will show any interest. Don't give up. Keep offering different items and mixing it up by offering the same food item in different ways - like offering a whole carrot with the leafy top, or cut into rounds, diced up into tiny cubes, or sliced into slivers or grated over soft food or dried and mixed with seed. Eventually, you will find something that works and then you can build on that success, adding a few new items or re-trying old items every few days/weeks to see if the birds are willing to give them a chance.
You can also get creative and making your own DIY forage toys ... like carving a hole or pocket in a root veggie and stuffing it with wet seed mix. If you make the hole deep enough, the bird will need to chew through the vegetable to reach the goodies.
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