Budgie diet (current looking for reccomendations)

[Bunchobird]

Hello, I can't spend more than $30 a month on just food, so i am here wondering if i can grow food or cheaper pelleted options.

If you have a shop please LMK

how do i grow chop?


my birds are currently eating zupreeem "just for fun", "zupreem sensible seed" and "zupreem fruit blend" I mix these all to make a mixture and they just eat it all lol, any better ideas?

 

[Mizzely]

I would probably stick to either the Sensible Seed or Fruit Blend and add in a separate seed mix. That will be cheaper overall and free up some budget.

As to how to grow chop, grow foods you also like to eat and share. When prepping dinner, keep the ends you cut off veggies and fruits or set aside a couple pieces for your birds. I have found this to be cheaper, easier, less wasteful, and my bird actually prefers the larger chunks.

Frozen veggies mixes are also super cheap and good to keep on hand

 

[Bunchobird]

I keep hearing that it is a common misconception that budgies should have a only store bought pellet diet and with fruits and veggies. is seed or pellets better?

I never thought of cutting off the ends when i eat fruits and veggies. I will start that.

are there any sprouting threads that are good out there, i surfed through but couldn't find like an "instruction manual" type one.

 

[Mizzely]

I did not ever say to not feed seeds I specifically say to feed the Sensible Seed mix which already includes seed, or to get the pellet only mix and add your own seed, as that will be cheaper in the long run.

I would not feed only pellets to a budgie. I would also not only feed seeds. I would feed both.

I use the easy sprouter

Easy Sprout Sprouter

Overwhelmingly our most popular sprouter of all time - Easy Sprout is also a personal favorite of ours and thanks to its small footprint we can have more than a dozen growing sprouts in our not large kitchen. It offers great drainage and the best air-circulation of any sprouter. BPA-free and...

sproutpeople.org

 

[Bunchobird]

I mean't that other people have told me not to feed seed in the past and was wondering if thats true. also thank you for answering! and for the easy sprouter!

 

[Mizzely]

I'm sorry for misunderstanding your post The Easy Sprouter video in that link shows how easy it can be! There are lots of other ways to sprout too but I've had very good success with that one and find it very beginner friendly.

Just soak most seeds for 8-12 hours, then rinse and drain thoroughly until tails start to sprout. Some birds will eat them with long tails, some will only eat them soaked. So you'll have to experiment with your birds to see which they prefer!

 

[AussieBird]

Some helpful posts about diet

I agree we have to be careful with fortified pellets. Not just the protein but the calcium too. One pellet that you can feed freely are Top's pellets, they're not fortified. If you can get Bonnie eating them you'll have a powerful tool for controlling her weight.
When I started on my journey I got a lot of help from a vet and between us we came to an easy diet - 25% seed, 25-35% fortified pellets (depending on activity levels) and the rest a mix of cooked grains and cooked and fresh veg. All this is measured by eye, a lot easier than measuring with a teaspoon or weighing.
We use the Top's pellets as a filler. If my flock is getting podgie they get more Top's and less of the other pellets.
We're at a stage now where they have 24/7 access to the Tops, seed goes in an hour before lights off and removed ½hour after lights on. Cooked grains and veg for breakfast, fresh veg chop at lunchtime and dinnertime. Between meals they get the fortified pellets - 1 tablespoon of a mix between 6 of them per day. When they moult they get some boiled egg white in their chop. An occasional slice of apple doesn't hurt (doesn't last long either )
It doesn't have to be scientific. It doesn't have to be accurate every day, it can be averaged weekly. Monitor the bird (can weigh them if they'll let you) and adjust the balance as needed.
Everybirdy is different. Watch the birdy.

Shez is right. You really shouldn't feed just pellets. My experience is too many fortified pellets gives them too much calcium leading to kidney problems. One exception would be Top's. They're not fortified making them a great diet tool - a filler.
Don't be tempted to remove seed either. When you put them back the birds will likely gorge on them just as they would in the wild. Finches and canaries eat lower fat seeds including grasses. If you mix finch/canary seeds with their budgie mix you'll reduce their fat intake without them noticing. Plus the grass seeds are a little harder to hull, making them eat slower.
Remove the mineral blocks but leave the Cuttlefish bone. They're eating pellets so they don't need any extras, while Cuttlefish is a great grooming tool.
Push the veggies. All the colours to ensure all the main vitamins.
Do they get out of the cages to fly? To me this is essential. Not just to help control weight but if they're out flying you can see who's having problems, get a better look at them for developing health issues, and gets them out and away from food. Plus it's much better exercise than just flitting around a flight cage.
Don't be over-concerned about them eating paper. Mine look like they eat cardboard but it does end up on the floor of the cage as fluff and dust.
Eating faeces is something they do naturally in the wild if there's something missing in their diet. I can't see that being the case here with the pellets you use. It certainly won't make them gain weight.

I try to stick to the 25% seed, 25-35% pellet, rest veggies, but I am a bit slack with the veggies sometimes

 

[Tara81]

Some helpful posts about diet


I try to stick to the 25% seed, 25-35% pellet, rest veggies, but I am a bit slack with the veggies sometimes

I feed my tiel and did feed my budgies the same. One budgie lived to 10, the other 11.

sprouting involves soaking organic seeds that are easily sproutable ( can check here for reference (Sprouting Easy or Complicated?) then rinsing 2-3 times a day.

how I sprout :
1. Soak organic seed for 10 hours.
2. Rinse them with cold water for about 2 mins in a stainless steel strainer. Or the easy sprout thingy. As an extra precaution , I spray diluted apple cider vinegar (1:4water) on my sprouts after the first rinse, shake them a bit, wait 5 mins, then rinse under cold water for 3 mins.
3. I put my sprouts in the fridge to grow slowly.
4. Rinse again with water 2-5 mins every 6 hours except when sleeping.
5. Repeat daily rinsing. Drain extra water from strainer bowl if necessary. keep storing in the fridge.
6. Feed the birds sprouts on day 2-6. Make sure to smell and taste test before serving. My sprouts smell a bit like a faint green peas smell, and taste like cereal. If it smells bad throw it away!
7. Day 4: after morning rinse spray with diluted apple cider vinegar.

rinse and repeat. You can use apple cider vinegar daily if u choose, just remember to rinse the sprouts good afterwards , otherwise they won’t grow.