New Here :)

Hey everyone, my name is Andrea. I currently have only one bird, a budgie named Fynn. I am currently working on hand taming him as he hasn't had much human interaction. :smiley2: He's a sweet little guy, and i'm also working on getting him off of the dreaded seed only diet. I'm pretty sure he has never seen a vegetable in his life - he's terrified of them even when they are diced up into parakeet sized cubes! I'm hoping to meet some more parrot enthusiasts so feel free to introduce yourself or give any advice! :innocent:

Hi there Andrea, and welcome to the forum right alongside with your Fynn.

Here is a GREAT read on how to convert your birdy to eat a healthier diet. Hope it works for you.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/23367-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

Hello! Nice to meet you. We'd love to see pictures of your birdies!

There's lots of help to be had around the forum, just ask away and we'll see what we can do! Wendy has given you a nice link for helping to swap diets. Good luck!

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new bird. Do you have some pictures you can post.

Welcome to the forum

Have you ever thought of making a chop mix? I make this in bulk and freeze it. Works great because you offer the same thing everyday for 2+ months and eventually they may want to try it. Rosie ignored hers as first, but now she LOVES it.

Chop Mix For Your Birds

Thank you so much for the tips everyone! I will try to get some pictures of him up soon. I have heard that budgies need more seeds in their diet than other species of birds...is this true? How much of his diet should be pellet percentage wise?

Welcome andi! My budgies were on a seed diet when I got them, one I got as an adult had been on them for years. What I do now is put a scoop of good quality seed mix at the bottom of the cup first, then the upper layer I crush Nutriberries for budgies and lay them over the top. I started slow, one Nutriberry added each week, always crushed. I can tell they're eating at least some because they're droppings have changed a bit...and I watch them eat. I also now pulverize Harrison's pellets into powder with a mortar and sprinkle it on top. In a different cup I've introduced sprouted seeds of: red clover, alfalfa, broccoli, radish. Alfalfa is a good start, it's tiny and inoffensive looking, but packs a nutritious punch. I do it all in jars. It all took a lot of time. The key for me was not giving up, but putting the things I wanted them to eat in the same spot every day. Corn on the cob (braised) in halves secured with a cob holder is usually irrestable to even the most phobic budgies. He may not try it at first, but curiosity usually gets the better of them!

To me one of the easiest birds to convert over to pellets, fruits & veggies was my parakeets. They eat anything I give them, even my finches. They're very curious birds and get into everything pretty much. Especially when there's multiple ones, when one does it, the rest follows. They wanna eat what the other birds are eating. But of course I still give them seeds as well, but they eat pellets and all the other goodies real good.

Ah thank you so much! So helpful! I've started to grind up Roudybush pellets and dust it on top of his seed dish. I've tried feeding him Nutriberries and even Avi Cakes but he won't touch them! I've only heard good things about Nutriberries and about how addicted parrots get to those things but Fynn won't budge. I guess i'll have to keep trying with the picky guy! I've only had him for 5 days though so hopefully his curiosity will begin to kick in soon.:32:

With the Nutriberries, you may need to break them apart into crumbs before the birds will eat them.

Small species like budgies and cockatiels should not be on a diet of more than 50% pellets, unless directed by an avian vet who fully understands the dangers of a pelleted diet for these small birds. You could do a diet of 50/50 seeds and pellets along with as many fresh foods that you can get them to eat... you can even exchange dry seeds for sprouted seeds as a healthier alternative.


Do check out the links!

Welcome to the forum Andrea I'm new here too, and it didn't take me long to realize how lovely and helpful everyone is! Budgies are awesome and so fun to have Looking forward to seeing your progression with him! Hopefully he opens up to you a bit more soon ^.^