How much does the diet influence the lifespan?

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
Hello. I have an addictive relation to my budgies. They are not tamed, they are scared of me, but despite that.... I am strongly addicted mainly on my older budgies.
My the most beloved budgies died in past 3 years.
13 years old male Kukuciacik ( Ciacik ) died on 11. 4. 2017 on chronic interstitial nephritis. Despite I use to let the doctor to do an autopsy and then histology examinations, I did not get an answer why those kidneys failed. It was not of an infectious origin. Do the older birds usually die on kidney failure? Hmm, I have not heard about before.
My previous probably overbred female budgie Blue was bought on 10. 2. 2013. I think I bought her like a handicaped female with some strange noises at the breathing. If it was a thyroid problem, I do not know. Blue died on 16. 5. 2018 on cholangiocarcinom of the liver. It was really a long proccess.

My beloved budgie male Bilko died recently on 25. 10. 2019. I bought him in the same store like I bought Blue. He was bought on 14. 3. 2013. He was bought like a handicaped male who had a broken wing in the past probably and a little curved legs. He also had a rubber ring on the leg. Bilko had an enlarged liver, but the autopsy showed it was probably enlarged due to massive hyperemia of the organs. I do not know what does the massive hyperemia means, I will have a histology report later. Bilko was a fragile budgie, when I touched him, he was making such noises like he had fragile bones. He had his children in the year I bought him, but his flying was limited. He used to spend his time on the top of the cage.

Severally times he fell down. IF not provoked by the dominant male budgie from the other room, he probably wanted to go somewhere. I have to admin, that more times when he fell down, I took him and pressed him into the cage bars like : I told you to be here and do not try to fly away. Yes, I am shaming for that very much snd regret that very much. I hope I did not hurt him, but visibly not. I am just an emotional person in such cases when I have a fear about my budgies.

I really do not know how old was Bilko when I bought him. He was not absolutely the english type of budgie or visibly overbred budgie.

I feed my budgies seeds from Germany during last 2 years maybe..., I use to give them millets, carrots sometimes, apples sometimes..., eggs with carrots and apples, some herbs where available...., they do not prefer grass seeds or canary seed.
I do not know whether it happened to my beloved Bilko due lack of exercise and higher income of the food. He was not overweight. He was pretty thin I think.
Mostly in the USA people are feeding their budgies pellets.
My question on you, people..., is : do you think that such cases and deaths can be caused be the lack of vitamine D or some other vitamine and therefore it is necessary to eat pellets?
I also have another handicaped female budgie who had 2 previous owners ( maybe 6 years old ) - Glory..., dominant male Vitko, albino budgie who is constantly in the bird box ... and their son.

Thank you.
 

Rozalka

Well-known member
May 23, 2018
8,595
Media
61
Albums
2
8,791
Poland
Parrots
Bourke's parrots, green cheeked conure
I also noticed that in US people feed parrots mainly pellets but they aren't necessary. Giving the most different food how only is possible is more important. I know sometimes that's hard to learn them eating other food than seeds, my budgies also eat mainly seeds (we don't buy pellets) but we also give eg. boiled eggs, veggies which they like. We also sometimes try to give something which they don't really like but that's hard, especially they aren't tamed
I think that if pellets were necessary, here (in Europe) they would be better available and exeperts would more often say to buy them
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Thank you for your reply, Rozalka. The pellets are to get here in Slovakia, once I had harrisons..., but I did not prefer to feed them. In the winter you probably use to sprout those seeds.
One woman from Czech who sold me some products which she sells, she recommended me this diet for budgies : grass seeds, once a week wet grass seeds, sprinkling humac pro or brewings yeasts or bee pollen on the wet grass seeds, chickweed, dandelion or some other herbs, maybe sometimes carrots, maybe dried fruits special for budgies. She told me that otherwise fruits and veggies are not natural for budgies. Cabbages, but not only those ones from cabbage family. I was affraid of converting to such strict diet. Oh, I forgot the iodine sticks also....
I wonder why some budgies are not having specially healthy diet, do not have animal companions, and they are living so long... Look here for budgie Kiky who reached 19 years and 4 months : https://www.youtube.com/user/kiki16sai/videos
 

Rozalka

Well-known member
May 23, 2018
8,595
Media
61
Albums
2
8,791
Poland
Parrots
Bourke's parrots, green cheeked conure
Here (in Poland) pellets also are available but expensive. About cabbages (and some other exceptions) I agree, this isn't good for budgies but other veggies and fruits? I don't agree here. I've just checked the wild died - that's truth they aren't natural but in capitivity other things are available than in the wild.
You wrote that one of your budgies was 13 years old - it's the old bird, 19 years old budgie is very old
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
I told you what I was recommended to feed with.

I had that budgie Ciacik for 12 years and 10 months, so I suggest he was about 13 years old. Maybe older.
If Bilko was not much older than 6 years and 8 months, I hope the histology will show why it happened.

Yes, see that link and you will see 19 years old budgie. On one czech forum somebody wrote me that he has a friend who had a budgie for almost 22 years. He was feeding him seeds from the store, some fruits and some human foods too, when he was eating. If that budgie reached 22 years old, it means his organs had to be perfect untill the death. They could not struggle. How is it possible, that it happens?
 

bug_n_flock

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2018
1,371
207
Isolated Holler in the Appalachian Wilderness
Parrots
B&G Macaw, Galah, 5 cockatiels, 50 billion and a half budgies. We breed and do rescue. Too many to list each individual's name and age etc, but they are each individuals and loved dearly.
Genes. Same as how some people live to 120 and they drink lots of alcohol, smoke many cigarettes, or eat a lot of burgers and candies. Some animals and people just have genes to live longer than others.



The oldest one I knew of belonged to a customer we had at the parrot shop. 21 years old and feed seed the whole time. Seed, fresh foods and cooked foods some times, vitamins in the water sometimes.



Genes play a big role in how long anything lives.
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #7
Bug, thank you for your reply. You mean 21 years old budgie, or some other bird?
Can you specify what fresh foods was he feeding his bird? Apples, carrots, or cooked meal for humans?
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Hi.
I feed a seed mix. I have lotta of different pellets for my other parrots, and they do nibble those.
On veggies mine love whole leaf of romaine lettuce I hang it on a branch. They red hot chili peppers, and bell peppers seeds and all, broccoli, squash, zucchini, cooker sweet potatoes, celery, shredded carrots, bok choy, water cress, brussel sprouts, green beans, peas, fresh corn on the cob, a small amount of whole grain bread with grains in it, cranberries, black berries, apple they eat all of the above very well, small amount of scrambled eggs. I feel I have left some veggies out lol...
I do not feed citrus of any kind due to possible links of iron storage disease.
I don't know how long they will live??
But diet , exercise, clean water, clean cage, social contact all do effect life span in all Earth's creatures. ;)!
I did read once that budgie are very active by nature and that not being able to fly around had been linked with shorter life span.
With the gusto my guys eat veggies, I'm sure wild budgie must eat leaves, buds, flowers, and vegetable matter in the wild..
 
Last edited:

18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
In a word? Everything, just like people, and dogs and everything else, I hope you find some peace about your budgies passing, I do not look forward to the day that Belle and Beau move on, but I cherish the idea now that they are paying dues as we all are to the love of God and that we will all meet again, don't beat yourself up too much, I know much is made about 15+ year budgies, but you can only do your best, which is better than they get in nature usually, love them, care for them, and give them the dignity they deserve when it is time for them to cross Rainbow bridge, they will be there to welcome you some day, and they will look forward to new adventures.
 

Noahs_Birds

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Oct 24, 2019
456
489
Toowoomba/Highfields, QLD, Australia
Parrots
Yellow Sided GCC's, Rosa Bourkes Parrots, Full Red Fronted Turqoisine Parrots, Quaker Parrots 'Scomo PM' 'Jenny PM's wife', PLUS: Rare Finches, Doves and Quail
I remember an article on a very respected Aussie Aviculturalist, Stan Sindel (RIP)
Him and another breeder did a trial with replacing all of their normal seeds (like sunflower and wheat) to feeding only millet to the parrots (plus they would feed veges as well)
The results were amazing and the birds were living longer than ever before in collections around the country
Say for example with Superb Parrots were living only around 8 or 9 years before the discovery, but now are living over 20 years on this change of diet
They don't call Stan Sindel the 'Father of Modern Aviculture' for nothing
Thanks
Noah Till
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #13
Laurasea, you mentioned too many veggies, I think I would not prefer that. I heard that sweet potatoes have too much starch. Despite I was giving them to my budgies. Zucchini? Hmm.
Look at the budgie Kiky on YouTube, who was living for almost 20 years. The care was not like by the patter ( sorry to the owners ). When he reached such age, it must mean that his organs were perfect till the death. So maybe it is not necessary that all these factors are majors in their lifespan.
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #15
18Wheels, thank you. You see, my budgies are frightened of my, I was never taming them and my frief is really big. Maybe you would say that let the doctor doing histology and atuopsy is not by ethics, but I am addicted to have an information about what happened.
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #16
Sorry. I was puting my posts into some other articel and this happened. I do not know who moved that.
 

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,045
8,742
Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
I'm tuning in late to this thread, but I will add my thoughts. My avian vet and I credit three main factors for my Patagonian's longevity.
*His parents were wild caught, so his genetic diversity and robustness is good.
*He has eaten Harrison's, supplemented with fresh stuff as the company recommends.
*I am a paranoid parrot owner who takes constant (often comical, so I'm told!) precautions regarding environment and supervision.
:)
 
OP
I

Ivan.Vanca

Active member
Nov 3, 2019
125
59
Slovakia
Parrots
budgies
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #19
Thank you. I did not understand the last point, but it does not matter. But you can not say that seed diet damaged your bird and the pelleted diet repared that. Mr. Harrisson has to be glad for you. :)
 

18WheelsOfSteel

New member
Jun 26, 2019
236
80
West Central Louisiana, originally from Portland O
Parrots
2 Budgies
"Southern Belle" a blue female
"Beau Dandy" a green male
I don't judge one way or the other about autopsy, it is undeniably a useful tool in answering some important questions that can help you to provide a superior level of care to future feathered friends, I know many people get upset at the process and what it means to the remains, but I like to believe that the body is just a vessel and that after the passing it is dust to dust ya know?
 

Most Reactions

Top