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How often do budgies eat?

AA2403

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How often do budgies eat? I searched up this question online and didn’t get a real answer. What came up was something like you should give them a bowl of food and change it every day. What I actually wanna know is every how many minutes do they go for some food. I know that they have a high metabolism and so need to eat often.
 

ParrotNuts

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Birds don't generally have a specific time when they will eat food. In the wild, they forage the whole day, so eating time and quantity is not known. Birds are still wild, so the wild instincts, and that's the reason you won't get any info online.
Any reason why you ask?
 

Sparkles99

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One of mine eats more or less constantly. I fear he's becoming a bit pudgie. :xflove:
 

Mizzely

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Somewhere between 3 and 900. :lol:

It depends on the bird and the food I would think, as some food will be digested quicker.
 

Bookwyrm

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One of mine eats more or less constantly. I fear he's becoming a bit pudgie. :xflove:
If you're worried about him becoming overweight, I'd monitor his weight, to see if you need to worry about it or not. If he is getting a good variety of fresh foods, pellets, and seeds, and is getting enough exercise, there shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Good luck!
 

Destiny

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My parakeets eat any time they are not singing, playing, chewing, or sleeping.

I provide them pellets at all times and feed fresh foods and forage items once or twice a day.
 

Sparkles99

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He’s not, Bookwyrm. He won’t touch anything but seeds. And I have to be careful. Pistachio shares his cage & he’s a small budgie.
 

DesertBird

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They don't have a set schedule. They just eat whenever they feel hungry.
 

Fergus Mom

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Interesting question, and one that I certainly don't have an answer, but I am thinking mine hop to their food dishes at least once an hour when they are awake. I've not really thought about this until you brought it up.
 

Sparkles99

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This really depends on the time of day. There are some times when they're more interested in vocalizing, preening, flying or playing. Mine don't eat at consistent intervals.
 

ParrotNuts

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And how often do they get hungry? What I’m trying to find out (out of interest) is how often they decide to eat. For example every 10 minutes or every 30 minites etc. @ParrotNuts @Sparkles99 @Destiny
This really depends on the time of day. There are some times when they're more interested in vocalizing, preening, flying or playing. Mine don't eat at consistent intervals.
Yes, just like what @Destiny said, depends on a lot of factors. How much exercise they have done, what they have eaten before, species etc........ One thing you might do is to check how often they come to eat for a specified time daily, and then do it for a few days and average it out. Its the best you can do :shrug:
 

Tazlima

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This really depends on the time of day. There are some times when they're more interested in vocalizing, preening, flying or playing. Mine don't eat at consistent intervals.
This.

The closest I have to bird "meal times" is with my Quaker, Gus. He's a bit of a velcro bird, and when I'm around, he sometimes forgets to eat, and then gets all grumpy because he's hungry. When I can tell he needs to eat, I'll shut him in his cage for a few minutes, at which point, he'll be like "oh yeah! I have food!" and stuff his face.

Even that, though, doesn't give me a good idea of "standard" food intervals, because he doesn't eat the same amount at every meal. He also dunks his pellets in his water bowl and there's a lot of waste, so it's really hard to tell how much ends up in his belly vs. drifting in the water bowl or turned into dust and crumbled on the floor of the cage.

I don't watch the clock or his food intake - I watch his poop. When I notice his poop getting small, I know he's overdue for a snack.

If you're concerned about your bird being overweight, the best solution is to make him work for his food. This can be as simple as putting food at one end of the room and water at the other so they have to fly between the two. Of course, foraging toys are the gold standard for using food to encourage physical and mental exercise.
 

Britnicorn

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Mine probably grabs a snack every hour or so, and then eats a ton at night (enough to where I can see his crop is full).
when he’s grabbing a snack he only eats a few pellets at a time, he never eats until he’s full until it’s almost time for him to sleep
 

Dorcas George

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Mine eat quite frequently, but they seem to just have a few bites before getting distracted by a toy/a noise/a random object/a shadow/each other.
Ditto for mine. Sometimes it’s a quick bite and then off to something else. Other times they eat for a few minutes. They eat more in the AM but that makes sense. They get pellets anytime. I give a little dish of chop or I hang greens in AM. Seeds get offered in the evening.
 

Bluejayandemmy

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Mine eat just about all the time
 
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