I have often been asked “What Do Budgies Eat?”
The following is a list of tried and tested foods that budgies love to eat. Obviously all animals are different and like people some birds have exotic tastes but the following foods are those which all my budgies found delicious.
The foods are in no particular order but I will tell you when I list the food how much they liked it.
The image on the left is Chickweed but I couldn’t include all images on this page but I do have a link to images if you don’t know what it looks like click the Picture link after each food type.
1. Carrots
Fresh crunchy organic carrots (organic if possible, otherwise thorough washing is required because small animals are much more sensitive to pesticides, chemical fertilizers etc. than us human beings and what might give us bellyache could do a lot more damage to your birds…this goes for all fresh fruit and vegetables you buy which are non-organic) can be cut into strips or hung by string in the cage. I recommend hanging it low because I have found that the birds love the juice inside and tend to spit out the rest which will decorate your floor with orange colored flecks if it is placed too high in the cage.
2. Stale Hard Bread Rolls (Brötchen)
Yeah…I know…..”What … stale bread for my push-kins …is he crazy???? lol
Really…. not only do they love the taste but it keeps them amused for hours.
You need to take an old bread roll and drill (scissors) a hole through the middle and hang it in the cage again with string or cable making sure to secure the ends so that your birds don’t catch their claws. They love pecking the bread to play and they find it delicious to eat. Watch day-by-day as the bread roll begins to disappear piece by piece….mmmmh!
3. Stem Cabbage Leaves (Kohlrabi Blätter)
Budgies also love the leaves from stem cabbages (stem turnips) and eat them ravenously, but unfortunately, they find them so yummy that sometimes they don’t know when to stop…. therefore you must only give them this treat in small doses (one leaf per fortnight) as the strong taste can cause diarrhea if taken in large doses. Think very hot Thai Curry …. you can eat it every so often and it is delicious but not every day! It contains vitamins that they love but in small doses as a treat. Place them in a small feeding dish or basket.
4. Cucumber
My birds go wild for cucumber and they don’t leave even the skin go to waste. It is great for them because besides the minerals it contains it also has a high pure water content. This can be cut into cubes/strips and put into their feeding dish or hung whole. (1/4 of a regular sized cucumber) You can give this as often as you like cause it is good for your birds health.
5. Lettuce
Lettuce should be treated the same as No.3 because although budgies like to eat it too much is not good and so it should be given in moderation. Again try to use organic whenever possible.
6. Dog Biscuits
Really…. I swear… I’m not pulling your leg!!!!
Take a Bonio type dog biscuit (can be a regular generic dog biscuit as long as it contains similar ingredients) and hang it from a piece of string. Don’t ask me… I am not a budgie, contrary to popular belief… but whatever is in these doggie treats is a pure delicacy as far as my feathered friends are concerned. Again, like the cucumber, their is little leftover by the time they have feasted. lol
7. Cuttlefish Skeletons
Of course you shouldn’t replace the regular beak sharpening stone or chalk but the skeletons of cuttlefish which are available to buy in pet stores. (we take a trip to the beach once a year and collect a dozen or so which is more than enough for the year). But if you do collect it yourself make sure that it is totally dried out before you give it to your birds. It serves the same purpose as chalk but it must taste great because the budgies can’t get enough!
8. Chickweed
If it were possible for budgies to have a barroom brawl over food then this would be the cause of the fight. But budgies aren’t really aggressive by nature but they are very protective of this particular treat and will push and shove to be first (not normal pecking order lol) to partake of this special meal. Therefore, if you have more than one bird it is better to put a few sprigs in separate corners (parts) of the cage. This plant grows wild and can also be cultivated but needs really moist soil.
9. Red/Yellow Millet
When you buy most budgie food mixes either at the pet store or the supermarket it will contain millet seeds. This is a standard part of the diet of budgies. So why is this a treat?!?
My birds love it when I give them dried/fresh millet that is still on the stalk. Did I say love it…I meant that they crave it almost as much as the Chickweed. Also, for some reason they sing like opera singers after a dose of this delightful surprise. We have also found that if you take the red and brown millet seeds from regular “store bought” seed mixes and grow them for a few days (like mung beans to make Chinese water sprouts) in a dish with a little water (so the bottom of the dish is barely wet…let them grow till they are about an inch tall…make sure they stay moist or they will shrivel and be sure to rinse them before giving them to your budgies) the birds really love this vitamin rich gourmet side-dish.
10. Apples
Appropriately, apples come at the bottom of the list. They eat it and realize that it is good for them but they don’t necessarily go crackers about it! Again, this fruit should be sliced and placed into their feeding dish or quartered and hung for them to eat as they wish.
It should be common sense, but besides the bread rolls, cuttlefish chalk and the dog biscuits, you should keep an eye and see when it starts to wither… usually the next day because we are responsible for our pets and no matter what type of food we give them if it goes bad then it will likely cause problems and the vitamins and minerals will also be gone. So lets keep it fresh folks!!!
I hope this guide will help you but don’t forget that every animal also has their likes and dislikes and although I have tested these treats with many budgies (all of whom were completely satisfied) this is only a guide and it could be that you find the one exception….but I doubt it….
Please feel free to add suggestions by leaving a comment…..
Are you absoulutely sure about the dog biscuits because in all the years of having budgies I never in my life heard of this.
I know it sounds strange bu we discovered it by accident. Our budgies are allowed to fly free in the kitchen and we left a dog biscuit on they table and they started eating it so we hang a Bonio in the cage now and again….Obviously it doesn’t replace their regular diet but it must contain vitamins or something which they need. And funnily enough, they are normally very picky about what they eat. I just gave they some cucumber and they devoured it.
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My budgies love celery is this ok for them and thanks for telling me about carrots and stale bread and I love the idea of the dog biscuit so bonio for tea anyone
100%
someone told me that they tried there budgies on corn on the cob hung it in avariy and the birds went crazy over it ,is this alright to feed them
Budgies are smart like people and won’t purposely eat anything that doesn’t do them good. Also, they all have their own likes and dislikes like people do so some will like corn others not…try it out and see. Of course we have to use common sense and not hang a T-BONE steak in the aviary…just kidding!
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Hi, I’ve been given a budgie with a cage and all accessories, there is a box of grit in the bag and I don’t know how to give him it. Thanks
Hi Helen,
The grit can be put into a food dispenser (we sometimes us metal water dispensers and they work fine too) or a small ceramic/metal dish on the floor of the aviary or cage. They will take it as they need it. They mix it with the seeds they eat in their throat for the digestive process. If you listen closely after they feed you will hear they grinding the seeds. Just make sure its accessible and they will do they rest…it’s instinctive!
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this was soo much help as i have just got budgies and was sacared to let them out incase i cant get them back in, but now i no what to feed them to get them back in the cage, i am so happy i found this
And I am so happy that I have helped you!
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I have SIX budgies but only two of them likes the calcium biscuit that I provide them to eat..green leafy veg they eat but mostly millets are what they prefer!!
Hi Mayur,
Yes, millet is part of their staple diet but, now and again, like us humans, they like to try something different too.
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Hi Nigelnix. Found your info very helpful for our first white budgie “Bod” (Named after the main character in the Neil Gaiman book- The Graveyard book (in case you wondered).
I am now driving the family crazy by repeating the word HELLO to him, especially when he is being vocal. Do you have any tips for teaching them to talk or is it just constant, annoying repetition?
Also, what colour is the bridge of the nose for males/females. I am told that this is how you sex them.
Hi there, Thanks for your kind comments. Yes, you can put the cage near a tv or radio so he can hear voices. Maybe an audio children’s book would help too. Kids books are great because they are simple and clear. Kids songs can be fun too because they are repetitive. As for sexing the bird it is difficult for the six months until their beaks establish an adult coloring but your info. is correct. The females have a brown coloring around the nostrils and the males have blue. But as I say it is hard to tell until they are adults as they can look alike when they are young.
Hi im concerned about my budgie jake chewing the wallpaper as it has an anti fungal paint coating. He did this a few years ago at my moms, ive tried all other different foods. But ive noticed last time he did this was after my two guinea pigs died. I lost my last guinea pig a few months ago. Do you think hes doing this because he has lost his roomie. Please as treats dont distract him
Eating wallpaper is a bad habit they learn usually out of boredom and it is difficult (impossible) to untrain. It’s like playstation or tv for them.
My parakeep she LOVES corn! I cut it from the cob, she eats it all!! But I cannot get her to eat carrots! I put tiny grated bits in a bowl for her, hanging on the side of her cage, but she only throws them out. How can I get her to like carrots? I know they are good for her! She likes alfalfa too! I hang it from the top of her cage, & a Spinach leaf!!! She eats 1/3 of 1 entire leaf it too!!
Thank you! Sunny
I hate tomatoes…you could pay me $1,000,000 and I would spit it out. It sounds like she doesn’t need it. You are already doing a fantastic jod with her diet! ;o) Also different birds at different ages have different requirements. Birds are not like us, they don’t need to be told what is good for them, they know it instinctively. Sounds to me like you are already doing an excellent job and that you have a happy healthy bird!
Hi I have another questionfor you… I would like to get my female parakeet a male, so she has company, but I am not interested in them having baby parakeets! What can I do about this? She is about two years old. She only has had me & a cat as a friend for two years. I know she wishs she had a boyfriend.
Thank you,
Sunny
That is a very challenging situation. Firstly, they will not accept just any male as a partner…they are very choosy and will become aggressive and loud if they are not attracted to the male. Also, it needs to be a young bird which it sees as a kid and has no romantic interest or an bird that is old and has no interest in breeding. But if it is the same age and she falls in love then babies are inevitable.
( If you know someone who breeds budgies maybe you can try different young and old birds till she accepts a friend (NOT a boyfriend). Gay birds are very rare but that would be ideal (just kidding). But definitely NOT a female as they are very territorial and will attack each other and make tons of screamy noise which is really irritating on Sunday morning! ;oP (sometimes we learn the hard way)
thease advise’s are fantastic i used them on my budgies and they loved the carrot
thanks alot for the advise
Thank you very much! You are very welcome…keep up the good work!
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A blue budgie has settled on our balcony. We have done our best to feed him, and keep him warm during the night. He is still on the balcony. I am anxious to contact his owners.
Is he still there? Has he eaten? Pick him up and bring him inside, feed him and take a picture. Circulate the picture and see if you can contact the owner but the most important thing is that he doesn’t starve to death…. He own’t bite you…not hard anyway lol
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Hi Nigeinix, My budgie just loves trill treats, but I have been told they are no longer available, WHAT CAN i GIVE HIM THAT HE WILL ENJOY AS MUCH. I feel so guilty when he stands on his perch waiting for his treat, Please can you help.
That’s a tough question. You need to check what the ingredients in the Trill treats are and find a substitute. Or order a supply online. Or you could try an online shop like http://www.petspantry.tv/acatalog/budgie-treats.html or maybe ebay or amazon.
by budgie spongebob (spongie) goes wild for apple and lettuce i really like the idea of cucumber i will try that today
oh yeah by the way i called my bird spongebob because shes plain yellow.when we got her the pet store lady said she was a boy buy her beak is now brown which indicates “girl” blue beaks indacates “boy”:)
also try cuttlefish bone it wears down the sharpness of the beak so its not so pointy and my budgie loves it
Hello,
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thanks for your great comments
Yah, it’s very difficult to tell the gender of a young bird till it develops colour but it sounds like you got a lady budgie lol
Carrots are also great and my birds go nuts for them ;oP
We collect Sepia (Cuttlefish) every year on the beach, dry them out in the garden and have a big supply for the whole year…saves us a pretty penny!
Great to hear from another budgie lover
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i have a 6week old parakeet (male) and this is the 2nd day i have had him and he just sits on the perch and hasnt eaten and hasnt taken a drink of water im very concerned is there anything i can do??
Sorry about the late reply…
Has he adjusted yet?
They are often sad and lonely when they leave the brood. I don’t want to sound mean but I am against keeping a single budgie unless you are at home full time and play the partner roll. Budgies are highly social and can get depressed if they are alone all day. TV or Radio helps aleviate the boredom but it isn’t the answer. That’s why they are the perfect pet for tweenies, stay at home (moms/dads) and retired people who have time to mollycoddle them. Otherwise they should be kept in pairs.
But hopefully he has started eating…were there any signs of illness?
my budgie goes wild about apple, he loves it !!
Mine too!
But cucumber is also much loved! LOL
Hi, lots of people keep telling me that budgies should not eat bread, and please tell me if they are allowed to eat cashew nuts, almonds and dal. HERE is a picture of it http://images.search.conduit.com/ImagePreview/?q=dal&ctid=CT3072254&searchsource=49&start=0&pos=0
I give them bread that has gone hard and dry and I think it has a few functions. They play with it, use it to keep their beaks sharp and probably even eat a little but they definitely have fun with it. As for the other foods…animals aren’t stupid…I hate tomatoes so I don’t eat them…use common sense and if they don’t eat it simply remove it from the cage. Have you tried peanuts or oatmeal….these are great too. But don’t expect all the birds to have the same tastes…us people don’t either.
Hi i am going to get 2 budgies soon and i wanted to know can you have 2 boys in the same cage and will they fight. if not can you have 2 girls in the same cage because i dont wanted to have baby budgies so i dont wanted to get a boy and a girl.
2 boys YES…2 girls a BIG FAT NO!
With budgies it may seem like the males are the bosses but the women are the leaders. They are highly territorial and will bite each other till one is gone. The boys are like a gay couple and will feed and clean each other. Be sure to get them from the same brood (two brothers) if possible as even though they aren’t really aggressively territorial they like to see who can sing the loudest to show who is more macho…somewhat like blokes leaving the pub on Saturday night. lol
Thanks so much
I also have a few more question i would like to know the answer to before i get budgies
what is the average lifespan of a budgie?
what foods can’t budgies eat/whats poisonous to them?
What is a good price to buy a budgie/ how much do you think a pet budgie should cost?
Thanx for the other advise though
Whats poisonous to budgies