Baby budgie food recipes
What Can I Feed My Baby Parakeet? 5 Homemade Baby Budgie Food Recipes – My Pet Parakeet
Your baby is growing up! They're no longer a tiny newborn parakeet but are now an adolescent parakeet that needs to be fed.
Feeding your little feathered friend can be a daunting task, and there are many things you need to know about what they should eat.
In this blog post, we will discuss 5 homemade baby parakeet food recipes with step-by-step instructions. These recipes provide healthy nutrition without any dangerous chemicals or artificial flavors in them.
You'll also find out what types of foods baby parakeets can't eat and how much each recipe feeds!
You can feed any of these recipes to your newborn parakeets from day one to weaning if, for whatever reason, the mother parakeet is unable to feed and nurture them.
Table Of Contents
- 5 Homemade Baby Parakeet Food Recipes
- How To Prepare The Formula (Step-by-Step Guide)
- How To Feed The Formula To Your Baby Parakeet
- How To Preserve The Formula
- FAQ
- Don't Forget Your Pet Parakeet Must-Haves!
What Kind Of Nest Do Parakeets Need. ..
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What Kind Of Nest Do Parakeets Need? Choosing The Right One
5 Homemade Baby Parakeet Food RecipesThe following recipes are hand-feeding formulas that can be fed to your baby parakeet from the time it is hatched from the egg until it is time to wean and eat a regular diet of seeds and pellets.
- Check this post out to learn more about caring for baby budgies when their mother cannot!
These homemade formulas will help your baby parakeet to grow quicker and wean sooner, in addition to developing a brighter, fuller plumage.
We tend to gauge the measurements by eye when it comes to the dry ingredients such as ground oats and ground wheat, as you will find yourself adjusting the recipe based on what you have in your pantry and what your bird prefers.
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As long as you include good, whole sources of protein and fats and stay away from foods your bird shouldn't eat, your parakeet will be happy!
Baby parakeets require a high-protein diet and their stomachs are relatively small which requires them to eat small amounts of food at each meal.
1) Cornmeal, Ground Oat, Boiled Egg (whole), Coconut OilCornmeal is a good source of protein, calcium, and Vitamins B & E. Ground oats provide fiber as well as minerals iron, copper, and zinc.
Boiled eggs have a lot more nutrients than raw eggs, which are difficult to digest when eaten by baby birds who do not produce the proper enzymes needed to break down such food items quickly.
2) Ground Oats, Chia Seeds, Ground Corn, Dried Beetroot pulp
In this recipe, the ground oats provide a source of protein, calcium, and Vitamins B & E.
Chia seeds provide fiber as well as minerals iron, copper, and zinc.
Ground corn is rich in antioxidants and dietary fibers, while beetroot provides Vitamin A, which leads to a vibrant bright color of your baby parakeet's plumage by providing beta-carotene.
3) Ground Wheat, Egg Protein Powder, Ground Flaxseed, Dried Pumpkin
In this recipe, the pumpkin provides a source of Vitamins A, C, and E.
Flaxseed is rich in Omega- fatty acids while wheat provides a good amount of protein and fiber.
Egg Protein Powder contains all the essential vitamins and minerals for baby parakeets that are not able to be found from other ingredients listed in this recipe, as well as beta-carotene.
4) Ground Brown Rice (or Arrowroot Powder) , Dried Peas, Dried/Ground Sunflower Seeds
This recipe contains rice which is naturally enriched with Vitamin B.
The peas provide a source of protein and fiber, while the whole wheat flour provides Vitamins A and E as well as zinc for your baby parakeet's feather coloration.
Some birds do not like rice, so if you find that this is the case, for any recipe with ground brown rice listed, try replacing it with arrowroot powder).
5) Ground Oats, Ground Brown Rice (or Arrowroot Powder), Soy Protein, Flaxseed
This recipe contains oats that are naturally rich in Vitamin E. The brown rice provides a source of Vitamins A and B as well as zinc, while the soy protein is enriched with all eight essential amino acids.
The flaxseeds contain omega-fatty acids, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and phytoestrogens.
How To Prepare The Formula (Step-by-Step Guide)We recommend that you only use one of these at a time and see how your baby parakeet likes them.
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Place them in a high-speed blender for 30-60 seconds until you have a smooth (not thick and sticky) consistency.
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a boil with constant stirring for three minutes.
- Add more water if/when needed to maintain a thick liquid consistency.
- Remove from heat and let cool until the mixture is lukewarm but not cold.
- Feed your baby bird!
We also recommend adding some bird vitamin drops to your homemade formula for a vitamin boost. This should be added to the individual feed and not the entire batch, so you can manage how much you are giving your parakeet at any given feed.
If you have quite a busy schedule, it can be quite time-consuming to make your own baby bird feed. No worries, we've got you covered. This high-fat, nutrient-dense hand-feed formula will do just as well.
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You will need baby bird feeding syringes to feed formula to your baby bird. This is the “least messy” way to feed them. The tip of these syringes curves to allow easy feeding into your bird's beak.
You can also use a baby spoon, but it will be more difficult to get the food into their tiny beaks.
How To Preserve The FormulaIf you have used any wet ingredients, you will need to freeze the formula. We recommend freezing it in an icecube tray so you can separate and defrost smaller portions.
If you wish to preserve the formula as a powder instead, replace the wet ingredients with a dried variety (or dry them yourself).
Combine the ingredients and place them in a blender for 30-60 seconds (or until they become a fine powder.)
Store them in an airtight container until needed.
Once you have the blended powder formula in a container, you simply take out a few teaspoons at feeding time and blend with boiled water. Let it cool, or add cool boiled water before feeding your baby bird.
FAQCan Baby Parakeets Eat Baby Food?
No. Baby parakeets, regardless of age, require a high-protein diet. Baby parakeets are relatively small, and their smaller stomach requires that they eat small amounts of food at each meal.
Seeds and pellets should make up the bulk of a baby parakeet's diet, supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables every day (in appropriate portions).
The problems seen in captivity documented by avian veterinarians include stunted growth of the body organs internally as well as halted growth on the outside. When these birds are fed foods that are not natural to them, they may not grow properly and exhibit behavioral disorders.
Do Baby Parakeets Need To Be Hand-Fed?
Newborn parakeets who do not have their mother to feed them do need to be hand-fed their formula.
This is just to ensure that they are getting the nutrients and energy that their bodies need to grow. It can be quite difficult for a tiny, developing bird to get the formula into its mouth and consume enough of it to grow.
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Feeding it formula through a syringe directly into its beak is the best way until they begin to wean, and you can put a thicker formula mixed with small pellets on a surface or in a dish.
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Homemade Baby Budgie Food, How and When?
Homemade Baby Budgie Food? We gathered the top 5 homemade baby budgie food recipes! For hand-feeding Babies!
Since forever budgies have been fed with different seeds. This has been the prevailing way of feeding them. We have to be careful when choosing their food because these birds, especially babies, depend on us most of the time.
As we know, the best type of food even for us is homemade. Stay tuned because in the next few pages we will talk about homemade baby budgie food.
Mother budgie not feeding the baby
Like every baby in the world, baby budgies need their mother too. Unfortunately, what sometimes happens is that female budgie stops feeding her babies for some reason. That’s where we come in.
Female budgie abandons their babies for different reasons. Either the baby is sick or the female budgie just stops feeding one of her babies but continues feeding her other babies. Also, one of the reasons mentioned is that if a baby budgie falls off the nest, mother budgie refuses to give its baby extra care. Maybe the mother cannot provide sufficient food for her babies and therefore, she abandons them.
In order to be prepared if this happens to you, we give you a guide you can follow to save your baby budgie. What you need are formula and a needleless syringe. The syringe needs to be sterilized so wash it with soap and water, and then boil it for some time.
First, you put the formula into the syringe and then start injecting the food slowly, every 15 seconds. You continue doing this until you notice the baby’s full. You need to put the syringe on one side of the baby’s beak. Mind you, do not use force, but be gentle! After the feeding, use a piece of cloth to clean the baby’s beak.
One more thing you can do in order to make your baby budgie feel happier and to fill the void of an absent mother is playing budgie sounds. This can make them feel better as if they are surrounded by their own kind. But if you notice that your baby budgie starts screaming or moving after you play budgie sounds, then turn off the sounds. All baby budgies are different and some of them cannot stand these sounds.
Female budgie may abandons their babiesHow often do you hand feed baby budgies?
Now we come to the most important part. How often do you hand feed baby budgies and how much food do baby budgies need?
You should feed them 6 times a day, basically every 4 hours and once they are 5 weeks old, you can give them solid food. When it comes to solid food, baby budgies can eat fruits such as blueberries, cherries, bananas, grapes, strawberries, etc.
You can also notice if the baby’s hungry by observing when its crop becomes empty. When it’s full, it’s firm. This means that the usual advice to feed the baby every 4 hours does not have to apply to every baby. Don’t take this rule for granted but instead observe the baby and if the baby needs feeding every 2 hours, then do it. Some of the hunger symptoms are crying and moving as if the baby’s looking for food.
At 2 weeks old, babies need 2-4 ml of food each time you feed them. At 3 weeks old, they need 4-5 ml of food. At 4 weeks 5-7 ml. When it comes to a 3 week old and 5-week old baby budgie, it’s much easier.
How often do you hand feed baby budgies?What to feed a baby budgie?
Now, you must be wondering what is the formula or rather what to feed a baby budgie? In order to make the formula, you can buy a powdered baby bird food mix in a pet store. Then, mix the food with boiling water and let it cool a little bit. And there you go Budgie owners, you have the baby budgie formula!
The food should contain vitamins and minerals necessary for baby budgie’s development and consequently, its survival. Be careful to follow the instructions on how to prepare the food. It cannot be too cold or too hot because it can be damaging to the baby.
But since our topic is homemade food, we’ll provide you with a list of ingredients you can use to make a homemade formula for your baby budgie. You can use cornmeal, ground oat, coconut oil, boiled egg, chia seeds, dried pumpkin, dried peas, brown rice, soy protein, etc. These ingredients and many others can be combined in order to make a formula. These ingredients can definitely replace the store product because they contain the necessary vitamins and minerals.
Now you must be wondering, how am I supposed to hold the baby? Well, it’s pretty simple. Put your hand around it gently and place it on the warm cloth. The warm cloth is important for the baby’s body temperature. While feeding the baby, hold it gently with your hand. In addition, you have to make sure that your budgie has access to fresh water, especially in the summertime!
If you notice any complications or if the babies acting weird and not eating, please contact your vet! The problems could be that the baby’s sick or you are not feeding it correctly and your vet can definitely help you.
Homemade baby budgie food recipe
You’ll agree with me when I say that now we come to the most interesting part. There are many food recipes out there, but we’ll give you just the very best! These are the top 5 homemade baby budgie food recipes!
Budgie Recipe with brown rice
The first recipe that can be prepared quickly and easily is the recipe that contains brown rice, dried peas, and dried sunflower seeds. This recipe is rich in vitamins such as B, A, and E that are good for the baby. Also, rice is rich in fiber and carbohydrates that are good for babies. There are false statements that rice is not good (Ranjan, 2021). Like human babies, you can notice if your baby budgie likes the recipe. If it doesn’t like the recipe, try some of the others we prepared for you. In order to make this formula, you need to put all the ingredients in a big bowl. Then, you need to blend them all together and you can use your blender for this. Afterward, boil the ingredients in a saucepan for three minutes in order to get a really nice texture. Finally, let it cool and it’s ready for your baby!
High-protein Budgie Recipe
The second recipe is probably much easier since you can find most ingredients in your kitchen. You need high-protein baby cereal, sunflower seeds, glucose powder, almonds, and cornmeal. You mix it all together, boil it and cool it off („How To Make Baby Parakeet Formula“, 2022). According to dr. Muscarella, a well-known researcher at Cornell University’s Veterinary Medical Center in New York, when it comes to choosing the right cereals, it is better if they are low-sugar (Chewy Editorial, 2014).
Budgie Recipe with nuts
The third recipe contains nuts, cereals, and peanut butter. You boil it shortly and it’s ready for hand feeding. Be sure that it’s not too hot („How To Make Baby Parakeet Formula“, 2022). You probably noticed that peanut butter is mentioned in the recipe. Budgies can eat the same peanut butter we eat and buy in our stores. It is just important to give them small portions of it (Kaufman, 2020).
Baby Budgie ready for some homemade recipesBudgie Recipe with egg shell and brown rice
The fourth homemade baby budgie recipe includes one egg with its shell, cooked brown rice, mixed seeds, millet, and grinded mix of fruits and vegetables („How To Make Baby Parakeet Formula“, 2022). Eggs are rich in calcium that is good for young baby budgies. Fruits and vegetables are part of normal budgies’ diet and if their diet is balanced they don’t need any supplements. Millet is good for budgies but does not contain many nutrients. Therefore, it can be omitted from the recipe (Hess and Axelson, n.d.).
Budgie Recipe containing oats, chia seeds…
Last, but not least we have the fifth homemade budgie recipe. In order to make this recipe, you need to use ground oats, chia seeds, corn, and dried beetroot pulp („What Can I Feed My Baby Parakeet? 5 Homemade Baby Budgie Food Recipes“, 2022). When it comes to chia seeds, budgies can eat them. They are rich in calcium and proteins that are easily digested by budgies („Can birds eat chia seeds? Benefits, Serving, and What to avoid“, 2021).
As you can see, we talked about feeding baby budgies, and finally, we mentioned 5 homemade recipes that you can easily follow. Of course, there are many more available recipes.
If you want to do the best for your baby budgies, follow our pieces of advice. You can combine different seeds and fruits and vegetables. The most important thing is to be careful when choosing ingredients and the right dose.
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How to feed a budgerigar at home?
Bird feeding
March 31, 2016
148625
Contents
1 Corn 2 Vegetables 3 Greenery 4 Fruits
4 minutes
estimated reading time
Budgerigars are amazingly beautiful birds that are unpretentious and do not require complex care. The most important thing is to organize the right diet, because their health will depend on it!
What to feed budgerigars? The choice of "dishes" for the pet is varied. They love vegetables, fruits and herbs, but grains are the basis of the diet.
- Grain
Almost any pet store sells special grain mixes for parrots. It is better to choose food in transparent packaging, so you can evaluate the quality. And from opaque packages, you need to choose those in which the grains are stored in a vacuum (without air and other gases). Otherwise, be prepared for the fact that the products may not be of the best quality or even moldy.
If you want to combine food yourself, use only high-quality millet and oats. Grains are the basic food for birds, they determine the proper functioning of the digestive system, so the pet should always have access to them. The following ratio is recommended:
- yellow millet - 50%;
- red - 25%;
- white - 15%;
- oats (peeled) - 10%.
In the process of determining what to feed a budgerigar at home, one must remember that sprouted grain must be included in the diet: it contains useful vitamins E and B2. You can easily cook it yourself. To do this, put the grains on the bottom of the container (in one layer) and pour warm water so that it covers the grains a little. It will be great if you can renew the liquid in the container and rinse the grain every four hours. After a couple of days, sprouts will be visible, they will be tiny - only 2 mm in length, but it is at this stage that the grains are most useful for parrots. Rinse and dry before feeding.
Make sure that they do not become moldy and do not overgrow, as such sprouts lose their valuable properties.
What else can you feed a budgerigar? First of all, these are vegetables, fruits and herbs. Often young birds are wary of such food, but if you cut vegetables and fruits into small pieces or pass them through a grater, your pet will definitely appreciate them!
Before feeding, be sure to rinse the fruits and greens with running water!
- Vegetables
Parrots love them very much, and still: it is tasty and healthy! They contain many vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, so you should include such foods in your diet throughout the year.
Vegetables such as carrots, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, zucchini, etc. will be useful for your pet. You can also feed parrots with turnips and various types of cabbage, but first you need to pour boiling water over them.
- Greenery
Do not feed dill, green onions, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. to birds - these greens are harmful to them!
When you are planning the best food for your budgerigar, be careful with the parsley. It only works in small quantities. But horse sorrel, arugula, celery (not roots), tops of carrots and radishes can and should be included in the diet! In the summer, pamper the birds with strawberries (both berries and leaves will go with a bang), plantain, clover leaves and flowers, etc. Plants for feeding a parrot should be collected away from roads and factories, in areas with clean healthy soil.
Spinach can also be added to the diet, but not much, and if the bird does not have kidney pathology.
If your house has indoor plants or flowers in bouquets, do not let the parrot eat them: they are dangerous!
So that the pet does not lack greenery during the winter months, you can grow cereals and vegetables at home right on the windowsill. It's easy and the benefits are huge!
- Fruit
Among other things, feed budgerigars at home should be fruits and berries. It is recommended to include in the diet bananas, apples and pears (the seeds and the core must first be removed), peaches, pineapples, kiwi, peeled oranges, tangerines and lemons, as well as some grapes. Of the berries, pitted cherries, raspberries, strawberries, strawberries will be useful. You can also feed melon and watermelon to your pets, but it is better in the summer season.
In the winter months, include dried fruits in the parrot's diet: raisins, dried apricots (steamed), dates, etc., as well as frozen berries, for example, lingonberries and blueberries are useful.
You can not feed the birds persimmons, mangoes, papaya, avocados, as well as any nuts!
You can already see how varied the diet is, but that's not all! They will be happy to taste porridge, boiled or steamed in boiling water. It should be cooked only on water, you can not add oil, salt and sugar. Use only high-quality cereals, and never feed your parrot instant porridge, which contains additives that are harmful to birds.
The last key point on the question of what you can feed budgerigars is mineral supplements, which should always be freely available in the pet's cage. So what is it like and what is its use? For example, chalk saturates the body with calcium, mineral stones containing iodine and seaweed provide useful trace elements, sepia is used by parrots to sharpen their beaks, organic sand allows you to control the state of the digestive system (it should be given no more than once a week), etc.
Choose only special quality top dressings and in no case use inorganic sand, this will harm the bird!
Ready-made quality balanced food for budgerigars is another way to organize the ideal diet. Their composition is carefully selected for the needs of the pet, and you do not need to purchase additional vitamins and mineral supplements.
So, now we know how to feed a budgerigar, what can and cannot be eaten. If you want to please your pet with a new delicacy, but you do not know if it is possible to give it, or if you have any questions about mineral supplements, be sure to consult a specialist!
Now it may seem that there is a lot of information and it is easy to get confused in it, but in practice you can easily learn it. May your parrot always be full and happy!
What to feed a budgerigar? - Sami with Mustache
Most people who have budgies for the first time start out feeding them only grains. But the diet of birds should be varied: you need to include fruits, vegetables and even branches in it.
The second common mistake when feeding a pet is to give him human food, such as cheese or bread.
What products can be included in the pet menu, and which ones can be abandoned forever, we will consider in this article.
Grain mixtures
Cereals are the basic food for birds. This is the easiest answer to the question of how to feed a new friend.
Grains normalize the work of the digestive tract. Make sure your pet has constant access to food.
You can buy grain mixture at the pet store or make your own. The food is available in transparent and opaque packages. The advantage of the former is that you see the composition and quality.
In the second case, it is worth buying from trusted manufacturers. Grains must be sold in vacuum bags.
The best option is to make your own mixture. Optimal ratio of grains (in percent):
- yellow millet - 50;
- red millet - 25;
- white millet - 15;
- shelled oats - 10.
It is necessary to monitor the state of the mixture. If she has grown old, mold has appeared or bugs have started, you can’t feed the parrot with this.
The healthiest fruits and vegetables for parrots
Budgerigars' favorite treats are fruits and vegetables. They contain vitamins, trace elements and fiber, which are necessary for birds. It is recommended to add these products to their menu all year round.
- Cabbage. The main vegetable for a parrot in winter. It is stored for a long time, contains many useful trace elements. Give the leaves raw, without the stalk. Broccoli, white cabbage or Beijing cabbage are allowed.
- Carrot. Cut into small pieces or rubbed on a grater. Use only fresh vegetables. Bird from carrots receives vitamin C and beta-carotene. You can mix carrots with other vegetables.
- Cucumbers. Helps to better assimilate the rest of the products. Quench thirst, contain vitamins E, microelements.
- Tomatoes. In the summer season, be sure to include them in the bird's diet. Tomatoes contain vitamin B, ascorbic acid. Give the pulp only ripe fresh fruits. Unripe tomatoes are contraindicated for birds.
- Beets. Contains a large amount of antioxidants. It, like cabbage, is given raw all year round. In addition to saturating the bird's body with vitamin A and C, beets normalize digestion.
Zucchini is a storehouse of fiber. Be sure to give it raw. Helpful for proper bowel function.
From fruits and berries, you can give a feathered pet:
- bananas,
- apples,
- pears,
- peaches,
- pineapples,
- kiwi,
- citrus fruits,
- pomegranate,
- cherry,
- raspberries,
- strawberries,
- strawberries.
In summer, the parrot can be fed with melon and watermelon.
Fruits and berries must be peeled and pitted. Cut large fruits into pieces. In winter, fresh fruits are replaced by dried fruits, such as raisins or dates.
And now let's take a closer look at the vitamin and mineral composition of fruits:
- Bananas are rich in potassium. This microelement is necessary for pets as well as people.
- Apples contain many vitamins and enzymes useful for poultry. The use of these fruits normalizes the digestive system. It is advisable to give them every day.
- Pear contains pectin, carbohydrates, iron and phosphorus. Thanks to it, the pet's body is saturated with minerals, energy, and the digestion process improves. When choosing, give preference to hard fruits.
- Peaches improve digestion, contain copper and iron. These fruits are given to weakened birds to stimulate their appetite.
- Pineapples strengthen the muscular and vascular systems. It is recommended to give in canned form.
- Give kiwifruit to pets during beriberi (end of autumn, winter, beginning of spring). The fruit will strengthen the immune system and protect against diseases.
- Pomegranates will ensure the healthy functioning of the budgie's cardiovascular system. The maximum daily allowance reaches 1/6 of the fruit. A few grains are enough for a bird.
- Of citrus fruits, oranges are recommended: they contain carbohydrates, fiber, and antioxidants. Like kiwi, a great immune boosting food.
It is worth refraining from persimmons, mangoes, papaya and avocados. What harm they bring to birds, we will understand further.
Herbs and greens
Some types of greens can harm the pet's body. Do not give him parsley, dill and green onions. It is strictly forbidden to feed the budgerigar with tomato tops.
Will bring benefits:
- horse sorrel,
- arugula,
- celery,
- plantain,
- clover leaves.
Wild plants cannot be collected near the roadway.
Do not let the parrot peck at houseplants and bouquets - they are toxic to the bird.
Tree branches - how to give?
If you have had parrots before, you probably know how they love to “nibble” everything. Therefore, it is worth placing branches of fruit trees in a cage. They will be both a toy and food.
Choose trees away from roads, industrial areas. Check the branches for resin.
After pruning, the branches are soaked in water for 4 hours, washed and doused with boiling water. Branches of what plants can be given to a parrot?
- apple trees,
- birches,
- willows,
- rowan,
- viburnum,
- sea buckthorn,
- hazel.
You can also cut a bush of currants, raspberries.
Kashi
Porridge will give the parrot the necessary minerals, normalize metabolism. When cooking, only water is used, without the addition of oil, salt, sugar. Do not use instant cereals.
Cook for your pet only from high-quality buckwheat, oatmeal, lentils, barley. Grains should be boiled for 10 minutes.
You can also give rice and wheat porridge. Their cooking time is 20 minutes.
Germinated sprouts
It is necessary to include sprouted grain in the diet of a parrot so that its body receives vitamins E and B2.
How to cook sprouts at home?
- Fill the bottom of a deep dish with grains, fill with water to cover them a little.
- Change fluid every 4 hours and rinse beans.
- After a few days, sprouts will appear. For a parrot, a shoot up to 2 mm in height is enough.
- The sprouts are dried before being given to the bird.
Before the first molt, small chicks are given 1 tsp. sprouts 2 times a week. Then once a month.
Mineral additives
The key to feeding a parrot is mineral supplements. For example, a bird will benefit from feed chalk saturated with calcium. You need to buy special chalk for birds, because intended for rodents can harm the health of a parrot. Other sources of minerals:
- Combined mixtures. Those sold in pet stores contain a 70:30 ratio of shell rock to chalk. Manufacturers often add small amounts of eggshells and charcoal to them.
- Stones. They come with iodine, iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium. These elements are responsible for the health of the skeleton, endocrine glands.
- Sepia (cuttlefish shell). Rich in Na, K, Mg, P, which protect the beak from deformation. Give preference to sepia white with a slight yellow tint.
- Organic sand. Consists of crushed shells. Promotes the grinding of food in the goiter.
- Chicken eggshell. Due to the content of potassium, it strengthens the skeleton, creates a protective layer of the shell when laying eggs
- Birch charcoal. Storehouse of calcium and iron. It will be a detox for your pet.
Large solid minerals are attached to the bars of the cage, the mixture is poured into a plate.
Rehydration for parrot
Water is an essential element for all living things. When caring for a pet, make sure that the water in the drinking bowl is clean and fresh.
Change fluid every day. Its temperature should be 15-20 degrees. It is better to pour water in small portions.
However, water is not the only way for a parrot to replenish its water balance. There is another one - juicy fruits, vegetables and grass. He receives part of the necessary liquid from these products.
Periodically, to protect against a fungal infection, the parrot is given water with 2-3 drops of lemon vinegar or lemon juice. This amount is calculated for 100 ml of liquid.
Juices are useful for birds, but only cooked at home. From the list of allowed fruits and vegetables, prepare freshly squeezed juices. They can be diluted with water.
Natural products spoil quickly - make sure that the juice does not ferment, otherwise it will harm the pet.
Prohibited products for budgerigars
In some sections of the article, products that are prohibited for parrots have already been mentioned. In addition to them, you can not give your pet:
- salt and sugar;
- nuts of any kind;
- seeds and stones of certain fruits and berries;
- onion and garlic;
- meat products, fish;
- mushrooms;
- coffee, tea;
- dairy products;
- soda;
- alcohol;
- chips, crackers and other fast food.
For chicks aged 3 to 4 months, a boiled egg and cottage cheese are added to the diet. After the first molt, these products are excluded.
The most dangerous foods for a budgerigar that can lead to his death are avocados, alcohol, chocolate and salt.
Let us consider in more detail why it is forbidden to give the rest of the products from the list.
Herbs such as dill and parsley are high in essential oils. These substances, toxic to the bird, eventually lead to disruption of the functioning of its internal organs.
Opinions differ on spinach. It contains a large amount of oxalate, which binds calcium and other trace elements. Because of this, useful substances are not absorbed, and oxalates are deposited in the form of kidney stones.
Spinach can be given to birds with healthy organs, but in a minimal amount. If in doubt whether your pet has kidney problems, refrain from this greenery.
It is imperative to peel and pit fruits and berries: apple, pear, and cherry seeds contain cyanide, and pesticides accumulate in the skin of fruits.
Fresh onions and garlic can sometimes be given to your pet as a prophylaxis against parasites and fungi. But in small quantities. Excessive consumption of these vegetables will lead to hemolytic anemia, and subsequently to the death of the animal.
Coffee and tea contain caffeine, an overdose of which will cause a bird to have a heart attack. This is also the danger of energy and carbonated drinks.
If your parrot is sick, feels weak, it is permissible to give him weak tea: the drink will have a tonic effect.