Parakeets (more accurately known as budgerigars) are like most other birds, they enjoy a varied diet rather than just the same old seed day in day out. So what do you feed your small feathered friends? Budgies are vegetarians so they enjoy a nice balanced diet of seeds, vegetables and fruits!
So what kind of fruits do we give to our budgerigars? Budgies are known to love a wide range of fruits including mandarins, apples, and pears, if you want to get really adventurous then you can try some tropical fruits as well! Fruits are an important part of a budgie diet so make sure you accommodate your little parakeet’s dietary needs and give them a slice of apple in their cage now and then.
Different fruits in different locations can add a bit of excitement to your budgies life as well as valuable nutrients! Use feeding time as another moment to bond with your parakeet, share an apple, hand feed mandarins or even prepare a wet lettuce leaf for your budgie to eat and bathe in!
You can mix up your budgies diet with a variety of green vegetables as well. Your parakeet will enjoy things like Broccoli &/or Cauliflower leaves, Bok-Choi, Cabbage leaves, Dandelion leaves, Mustard leaves and even Kelp! You have to be a little bit careful though as some greens can have negative effects on your Budgie, including calcium deficiencies and liver problems.
A good diet can be critical during budgie breeding and can make the difference between healthy and unhealthy chicks! For these reasons it is very important to have a piece of cuttlebone and also a mineral block for your budgie in your breeding cage.
Budgies love to eat a number of different seeds but people are often surprised that they also enjoy eating different nuts and grains! Budgies also will eat things like lentils, beans, almonds, tofu and even Sesame seeds.
As you can see budgies will eat a wide range of different fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds so you can easily add some entertainment and variety to their life by giving them more than the standard budgie seed mix. Like any animal with higher intelligence budgies need some stimulation and excitement! Ideally you will keep a couple of budgie’s together to give each other entertainment, but even then a mixed diet can really make the difference between a sad and unhealthy budgie and a happy and playful budgie.