Princely budgie only eats fruit/veg if actively fed to him by servant human (Advice on amount)

[millie3762]

I have a 3 year old male budgie who will only eat fresh fruit and veg if I slice it wafer thin and hold it up to him between my fingers. I've put out chops for him three times a day for three weeks now - I put seeds in the chops, eat the chops myself (yuck), and play around with chops trying to get him interested but he won't have it. I have also clipped slices of vegetable to his cage and he just ignores the veg and flirts with the clip.

I don't mind feeding him by hand but I'm worried that he might eat more of a certain food than he should just because I'm holding it up to his face. So what I wanted to ask everybody is can anybody help me with the "dosage" on this? Is possible to know how many bites should I allow and of what? These are the foods he will eat:

Carrot: He'll keep eating this until I take it away. I know that too much carrot is bad for him so I only let him have a few bites and only ever other day.
Spinach: Another veg he'll eat all day but I know he can't have too much of. I give this to him once a week.
Apple: Same with apple and most fruit, he'll eat this like mad but I only give this to him a few times a week.
Cucumber and Celery stalk: Loves them.

Squash (acorn, butternut, yellow, zucchini etc) he is ok with and will eat some of.

Hates (cooked or fresh): Collard greens, kale, carrot greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, radishes

All this amounts to is that he ends up not eating enough vegetables because the ones he likes, I'm too afraid to give him much off.

I appreciate any thoughts you all have! Thanks!

 

[Mizzely]

It's going to depend a lot on what your goals are. For example, is your goal for half of the diet to get veggies? 25%? 100%?

Let's say for example your goal is half of the diet to be fresh foods, and your bird eats 2 tbsp of food a day. That would mean about 1 tbsp of food would be fresh veggies. How that translates to bites I wouldn't be able to tell, but you can measure out the overall portions and offer those throughout the day. Focus on offering a variety day to day, so that overall it all balances out.

 

[millie3762]

It's going to depend a lot on what your goals are. For example, is your goal for half of the diet to get veggies? 25%? 100%?

Let's say for example your goal is half of the diet to be fresh foods, and your bird eats 2 tbsp of food a day. That would mean about 1 tbsp of food would be fresh veggies. How that translates to bites I wouldn't be able to tell, but you can measure out the overall portions and offer those throughout the day. Focus on offering a variety day to day, so that overall it all balances out.

Hello! Yes, I am trying for 25% fruit. So maybe 1/2 a tbsp of fruit?

 

[Mizzely]

Hello! Yes, I am trying for 25% fruit. So maybe 1/2 a tbsp of fruit?

Do you mean 25% fruit and veggies? 25% fruit seems a lot for a budgie so just want to clarify

Yes, if your bird is eating about 2 tbsp a day, 25% of that would be 1/2 tbsp.

 

[millie3762]

Do you mean 25% fruit and veggies? 25% fruit seems a lot for a budgie so just want to clarify

Yes, if your bird is eating about 2 tbsp a day, 25% of that would be 1/2 tbsp.

Thank you for the clarification! Yes, I miss typed, I mean vegetables not fruit. Fruit, I've read, isn't great for their gut microbiome although it seems to help with the bird's constipation. Would you say twice a week for fruit is ok?

 

[Mizzely]

Thank you for the clarification! Yes, I miss typed, I mean vegetables not fruit. Fruit, I've read, isn't great for their gut microbiome although it seems to help with the bird's constipation. Would you say twice a week for fruit is ok?

I'm not sure if there is a hard rule about how much or how often. Some weeks my birds get none, others they get some every day. I put a couple strawberries into their chop yesterday; it's enough for about 3 weeks of food so 2 strawberries between 3 birds over 3 weeks is not enough for me to worry about them having it daily.

 

[millie3762]

I'm not sure if there is a hard rule about how much or how often. Some weeks my birds get none, others they get some every day. I put a couple strawberries into their chop yesterday; it's enough for about 3 weeks of food so 2 strawberries between 3 birds over 3 weeks is not enough for me to worry about them having it daily.

Thanks! That makes sense!

 

[soundsfun]

Love the title. What a spoiled little guy! My budgies refuse to try any veggies unless finely chopped, so I envy you!