What can I feed my budgies if I run out of seeds?

[fancydance]

My mom is currently really poor and can't afford seeds for 14 days, im almost ran out and I don't know what to do. What can I feed them???

Edit:they don't eat alot of veggies, but they eat chopped carrots and cucumbers

 

[Beasley]

Is there a local bird store you can go to? Preferably one who sells bulk seeds? They may be willing to give you a pound or two to hold you over.

 

[Shezbug]

Is there a family member or friend who can lend you a few dollars for some regular feed for your birds?
14 days or even half of that without seed doesn’t sound like its gonna be too good for your birds...... I hope I am wrong if you really end up having no way to sort this out.
My budgies absolutely love fresh grass seeds and the grass, quinoa cooked or sprouted, sometimes a little bit of cooked brown rice but I can not say that they would happily fill up on anything that’s not their normal seed, pellet and dried veg mix other than a fresh variety of grass seeds.
I really am not sure though if the few things I’ve mentioned for the amount of time you’re saying are going to be the only source of food.
@Lady Jane, @Ripshod

 

[Zara]

14 days is a long time. It is not good to only feed them on carrots and cucumbers for that time.

Can you pick up a cheap seed mix at the supermarket? The quality won´t be good, but it is better than nothing. Budgies are granivores and really need their seeds.

 

[Zara]

If you are struggling to get a couple of dollars/pounds/euros together for a bag of cheap seeds, then sell something. Scan your wardrobe for a garment you don´t use and sell it. Or an ornament or candle holder, novelty mug, anything.

 

[Ripshod]

Try them with some cooked brown rice. 2 weeks isn't long to us but it's a long time for a budgie to go without any seed at all. Do you not have any friends with birds you could borrow a cup of seed from?
You could also try a little brocoli, that's often a first veg with parrots.
For 2 weeks we're not overly concerned about a balanced diet, but we need to sustain the bird for that period. Carrots do contain a lot of sugar so they do tick some boxes, but they can cause problems if fed a lot. If the budgie will take some rice you could mix a bit of mashed boiled egg into it

 

[Lady Jane]

If this is a continuing problem then I respectfully suggest you think about placing the birds in another home. I know this is not something you want to hear but it may come to this if you just cannot afford to feed them. Same for medical care which can be a high cost. In the meantime here are a few more food suggestions: 50% cooked beans, whole wheat bread, cooked rice, pasta

 

[Mizzely]

Do you have a local animal shelter or vet that you can contact about services in your area? Here we have a pet food pantry that will give you food if you are out - no cost. It apparently has been around for years and I just learned of it recently, so it's worth asking.

A bird rescue may also be able to assist you in bridging the gap.

For short term feeding I'd be looking in the cupboard for things like plain oatmeal, unseasoned rice, dried beans (never feed them dry, only cooked) or lentils, etc. These are also often things that food pantries carry. You can cook them together with some chopped frozen vegetables for a more complete meal

 

[Karen]

Do you have a local animal shelter or vet that you can contact about services in your area? Here we have a pet food pantry that will give you food if you are out - no cost. It apparently has been around for years and I just learned of it recently, so it's worth asking.

A bird rescue may also be able to assist you in bridging the gap.

Excellent ideas!

 

[Love My Zons]

Where do you live? I have no problem sending you some food if you are in the US.

By all means ask someone for help! Birds cannot go days without food. They can without seed if they eat other fresh and cooked grains.

Do your birds eat any pellet of any kind?

 

[WeasleyLover]

Do you have Reddit? There is a sub where people will buy pet food for others if they are out and struggling. You have to have an amazon wish list with your address attached to it and the pet food on the list. I don't think the people actually see your address, they just buy it from your list and amazon send it. The people there are very generous!

Random acts of pet food. Pet food for all the animals! • r/RandomActsOfPetFood

Random acts of pet food.

old.reddit.com

 

[Zara]

Great resource however:

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[Dorcas George]

Mine will eat wheat bread crumbs, though of course that is not a diet for two weeks.

 

[fancydance]

Where do you live? I have no problem sending you some food if you are in the US.

I live outside of USA unfortunately

 

[Love My Zons]

I live outside of USA unfortunately

So sorry, but any markets you can go to that sell bulk grains? Oats, groats, millet? You can easily get by with these, might even be able to find at the supermarket.

 

[Shezbug]

I live outside of USA unfortunately

If you are comfortable sharing what country you’re in the members here may be able to help with some other options

 

[Begone]

If this is a continuing problem then I respectfully suggest you think about placing the birds in another home. I know this is not something you want to hear but it may come to this if you just cannot afford to feed them. Same for medical care which can be a high cost. In the meantime here are a few more food suggestions: 50% cooked beans, whole wheat bread, cooked rice, pasta

Finally someone posted what I wanted to say.
If you can't afford food you probably can't afford vet care.
Give your budgies to someone that can. Don't give them low quality seed, always high quality and that is the same with veggies.

 

[Mizzely]

We never know someone's situation and how long it has been going on. There have been times in my life that I didn't know how I would feed my cats. Luckily, I didn't give up and made it work and Jasmine was with me for all of her 17 years. Yes, there were times when I had to borrow money to get her to the vet or feed cheap food to make it work, but overall I was able to take care of her. So let's not make broad assumptions based on a small window of time and information.

 

[Begone]

or feed cheap food

But you can't compare cheap food for cats/birds. Cheap food for cats always contain everything the cat needs, just not high quality meat.
The cat are not sensitive to bacterial or mold in food.
Cheap food for birds can kill them.

 

[Zara]

I live outside of USA unfortunately

Which country in Europe are you in?
Maybe someone local to your country knows a good place to get seed