Seed Everywhere

[stony]

I came home to a mess, seed all over outside of cage. The little birdbrain emptied full bowl of seed. Is he tiring to tell me he doesn't like his food ? Do you feed the same food every day or do you change it up? How do I stop this if continues ? Very wasteful and messy . Thanks

 

[SilverSage]

1) an all dry seed diet is very harmful to birds. They need things like fresh produce, sprouts, or at least pellets.

2) if he emptied a full dish he probably has too much food. Feed only what he can finish in one day, then he will also be less likely to play with it instead of eat it.

3) Sprouting the seeds eliminates a lot of the mess and is incredibly nutritious.

4) fresh produce is a lot harder to toss than seed, try feeding chop.

5) how many toys does he have that he actually likes? He could just be bored.

6) is it possible that something frightened him while you were away and he emptied the seed dish in a frantic attempt to escape?

7) you could try feeding two meals a day and taking the food away in between and leaving only foraging toys for food during the day

8)how much out of the cage play time does he get? Again he could be bored, and also you could feed him in an easier to clean location.

What kind of bird, how old, and how long have you had him?

 

[AJBirds]

Pixie empties the bowls in her smaller cage for fun. (both the water and the pellet bowls - just for the heck of it, to watch the ensuing crash.)

Without knowing much more about your bird, I'd say that Silver Sage is on the money. Birds need a varied, nutritious diet, dependent on what type you have.

Also, you could try bowls that are harder to dislodge, eg the bowls in Pixie's larger cage are better attached, and I've now tied down the bowls in her smaller cage.

 

[RavensGryf]

I thought I'd answer in case the OP doesn't see the thread right away . They have a budgie who found them. It flew into their house recently.

 

[stony]

Thanks Raven !! I have only had him a short time, he flew in a open window. I tried finding owner, but no one claimed him. I know nothing about him ( don't know if its a him) He is alone all day, and sometimes at night. I have gotten several toys, but have not seen him play with any. I feed a mixed seed, but also after checking here have offered sliced cuke, melon and banana, I only leave in cage for a hour,I don't want flies. I have been thinking of getting him a friend. New much larger flight cage came yesterday.

 

[SilverSage]

If he is going to be alone all day I think a friend is a great idea. Please don't put him in his new cage until the friend arrives. Most budgies are very social and parent raised and will therefor except a new flock mate pretty easily, but they are still parrots and they are still territorial, so it's important never to add the new bird to a cage the old one already thinks is his.

Now, if you have already put the bird in the new cage, here is how I suggest adding the new one.

Take the bird out of the cage, and move the cage into a different room. Replace everything in the cage if you can. Anything that has to stay (like food dishes) should be put in a different place. You can save the old toys to give back later, but I would replace them for now. The point is for the bird not to know he is in the same cage. Leave the cage in the other room if possible. If not, leave it in the other room until you can put the birds in in, and then move it back into the first room in a different place. Again, the point being to trick him into not thinking it is his old space. Be sure to have one food and one water dish per bird until you are sure they are willing to peacefully share dishes. The dishes should be far enough apart that one bird cannot guard both dishes at once.

Budgies in the wild travel in giant flocks. I do love for them to have friends. Some will caution that your budgie may not stay tame if he has a friend, and there could be some truth to that, but please keep in mind that if the bird is alone in the cage all day, there is small chance of him staying tame anyway. Of course if you do get time to tame them, budgies are one of the easiest birds to tame (still hard, still takes time) and you could tame the other one as well.

 

[stony]

Silversage thank you I have not moved him in to new cage yet. I think the help of a rocket scientist is needed, I unpacked cage was surprised at number of parts.. i would like to ask you about #3 on your food list. Can you explaine more about sprouted seed? Where is the best place to get a friend. The one I have now, really wants nothing to do with me. i am kind of hoping maybe a 2nd bird already tame. But I guess it would be a lost cause if they are gong to live together. The birds at chain pet shop did not look to well, they where quite and fluffed up.

 

[SilverSage]

There are a lot of threads on here about sprouting, so go ahead and look them up lots of ways to do it, and I suggest starting with whatever seed mix he is already eating.

Finding a breeder or a rescue bird are both options other than pet stores, and most pet stores sell their budgies wild anyway. You CAN have tame budgies, it just takes some work and it sounds like you might not have the schedule to allow you to really work with them. It's all up to you and how much time you want to put in.

Sorry your cage is so difficult!

 

[Flboy]

Double the vote for sprouts. I use abba seed soak.