Lots of diet questions

So, I have three parakeets who I have recently been able to convert to pellets after tons of wasted pellets. The catch is that they, of course, like the Zupreem Fruitblend. I know this isn't ideal, but they do seem to eat the Roudybush that I mix with it - they just don't like eating Roudybush by itself. I only mixed in the Fruitblend because one of my parakeets came with it when I got him, and I was using it up. I didn't think they would get hooked, but I guess it kind of worked out? Anyway, I ordered some Zupreem naturals so that I can hopefully switch them off the artificial dyes and flavors, at least.

That being said, I now really want to try to get them to eat chop (as of now they are just getting leafy greens, and they do eat those, but they aren't eating as much as I would like). I've been focusing mostly on pellets because I thought that was most important, but I've recently learned pellets aren't all that great either. So, I have some questions:

1. My plan is to have only fresh food available to them for a portion of the day, then have pellets out for the rest of the time and give them a smaller amount of seeds in the evening. Does this sound good?

2. How long can chop be left out? I assume no more than 2 hours or so, but if that's the case, then how do you keep them on a majority fresh food diet? I can regularly replace the fresh food every few hours right now because I'm home all the time, but after the pandemic, how do I make sure they're getting what they need? What schedules do you guys go by?

3. How much seed can parakeets have? I've read around 10% of their diet, but would anyone happen to know the amount?

4. How often do you offer bird bread? I think it could be a good way to sneak some veggies and healthier pellets in their diet (if they will eat the bread in the first place), but I'm not sure how much of it they can eat.

I might add more questions if I think of any, sorry if this is a lot! Thanks for reading.

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Hi TayKiren,


I have Eclectus parrots already on a special diet which includes mainly fresh fruit and vegetables. So I will answer Q2 and paste this article as one reference stating:
“Bacteria can start to grow in perishable foods in a couple of hours, or sooner during hot weather. Remove perishable food items within a half hour to an hour after serving them to your bird.”


Reference:



https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/dont-leave-these-in-your-birds-cage-2/

I'm not familiar with specific needs of parakeets and defer the question to those more knowledgeable. Some species are naturally seed eaters and/or require higher levels of fat. So my comments will be general and may apply to larger parrots.

Many folks feed Zupreem Fruit Blend as it is widely accepted. Same here, it was universally loved but I desired a change with less sugar and colorings. None of my flock recognized Zupreem Natural as food, so I wound up converting them to Harrison's. Generally speaking, almost any pellet is better than an all-seed diet. (sort of like burgers + fries)

Chop is a vital part of nutrition, your intended schedule looks great! My flock wakes to pellets given overnight, chop served around 11:00am. During cool seasons they graze for 4 to 6 hours, reduced to about 4 hours during summer. Chop removed and discarded, pellets reintroduced. Chop and pellets not available concurrently!

Some considerations for chop: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

A great birdie-bread recipe: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/65841-poppy-s-jolly-jungle-bread.html

Introducing chop can be challenging for stubborn birds! My technique is to prepare identical bowls - one or more for birds, another for yourself. Begin eating from yours, making "mmmm" sounds, bob your head in delight. Avians are flock eaters, and you are a member of the flock!

Honestly with parakeets seed isn't the devil. They eat a lot of seed in the wild and they are better adapted to a seed based diet than many other species. I feed a high quality mix of seeds and grains to my budgies, along with some harrisons high potentcy and TOPS mini. But most of their dry diet is seed. They especially relish the fresh stuff still on the stalk that I am able to get for them when it is warm enough to grow outside.



Another option for veg you can leave out is to put it in a food dehydrator. Leafy greens are an especially good choice for this, and many of our birds love munching on crispy kale or spinach.



Budgies also lovelovelove hay in my experience, but you have to be VERY careful to only get high quality, weed-free, CLEAN hay. Some brands are better than others at the pet shop. I never had an issue with Oxbow brand, but I don't buy hay from pet shops these days and haven't for quite some time.



I wouldn't worry about the zupreem fruitybits if I were you. My Alex bird(cockatiel) ate the fruitybits stuff for many years, and he is going on 19 years old(knock on wood). As some here say, the best pellet is the one your birds will eat. But again, pellets are not as critical for budgies and other grass parakeets as they are for some other species. They do need the cellulose in their diet tho, so veg is important. Many budgies take to eating wood when they don't get enough cellulose in their diet.

1 and 2. You're going to benefit a lot from meal feeding. Feed pellets in the morning, and chop in the evening (making sure the chop includes at least 1 orange veggie and 1 leafy green!). This way you dont need to worry about the chop staying out all day, and you can reserve seed for treats/taming/training throughout the day.

3. One thing to note about parakeets in the wild is their seed is VERY different than what we offer in captivity. They eat fresh grass seeds, like sprouts. You can feed your budgie an unlimited amount of sprouts, as they are healthy, natural, and they love them! As for dry seeds, again reserve those for treats - but make sure that if your budgies are active, they are getting at least a bit each day (10% sounds good for dry seed only, but again theres no limit to sprouts!!)

4. Birdie bread is a great way to convert your birdies to a better diet. I recommend BirdTricks pellets because they are cold-pressed - pellets baked at a high heat often lose their nutrients. BirdTricks has a birdie bread mix to convert (and even if you stay with your pellets I HIGHLY recommend checking them out - they answer every question youve ever had about birds!) However, its hard to diet convert budgies, so I commend you for even making it this far! Birdie bread has a higher fat content, so it really should be used as a tool to convert instead of a main part of diet long term. But do not feel bad if you have to feed birdie bread every day for a month for example, in order to get the birds onto something better. The diet for the rest of their lives is whats important!!

I hope that was helpful! <3

Thanks everyone for all the information! Very helpful. I actually have been looking into sprouting mixes. Do they go bad, or can I leave sprouts in all day? The one I'm looking at seems high in protein, so can I still give them an unlimited amount? Another question: Would taking their food away at night help? I would give them the chop mix first thing in the morning. How long is it okay to take their food away for, though? I usually put them to bed around 8-9, and they are covered for around 14 hours. Is this too long?

@bug_n_flock, when you say high quality seed mix, is it one you make yourself? I feed Volkman right now, and I was looking into Dr Harvey's to mix with it.

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I do much like you. In cage free choice pellets and seed mix. As I'm hope, fresh stuff most if the day changed outs needed.
My little budgies love all the veggies and leafy greens I offer to quakers and GCC. They really chow down. I dont do chop , I don't want to, and mine don't seem to need things minced up.

Yes, we make our own mix. With as many budgies as we have, it just makes more sense. We get many of the ingredients at our local feed shop, and order online most of the rest. we also forage for a large portion of the diet, weather permitting. that's one of the benefits of living in the wilderness, no pesticides or road contamination, or etcetera. That way we also can make sure they are fresh fresh fresh. Any time a bag has been open too long we start "sharing" that particular seed or grain with our fancy rats and fancy mice. Any longer than that and we "share" it with the chickens. When the chickens get involved, an entire 50lb sack can disappear in an hour.


Volkman is a good premade mix. We carried it at the parrot shop and everyone seemed to have a high opinion of ut.



And yes I agree with KitKat about the wild seed being completely different from the vast majority of captive seed. That said, the oldest parakeet I knew of was a 21 year old who belonged to a customer at the parrot shop. The bird had eaten Goldenfeast seed blends for most of its life. But a bird who eats high fat seeds isn't going to be as healthy as one eating grass seeds and the like(and also being active). A bad seed mix and a lazy perch potato life isn't going to do anybirdy any favors.

I love all the discussions on parakeet feed. This little species has long been a victim of poor diet information.

I myself once thought they only ate seeds. Long after I knew better about other species.

It makes me happy to think how many parakeet might benefit , from all tge readers threads like this get.

Yeah, I'm trying to do the best I can for them. My oldest parakeet is around 8 now, and I got him when I was like 11, so he has been on seeds for most of his life. Luckily, he just went to the vet and is seemingly very healthy (other than this weird wing twitching he's been doing, but the vet thinks it is most likely behavioral). I've been learning a lot lately, and I found all the grains and things I'll need for a chop on a website simply called nuts.com haha. Then I just need to go to the grocery store for fresh veggies, which I am NOT looking forward to, but oh well.

OH, EGGS! We have chickens - is their any danger in feeding their eggs to my birds, as long as they are washed before being cracked?

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Eggs are great in moderation. Their cleaned and sanitized shells(boiled) are even better.