Top Rated Food for Your Budgie – Reviews & Guide
If you need to stock up on culinary treats for your budgie and you’re on the lookout for the best budgie food, you’ve come to the right place as Dr. Fox has examined the critically acclaimed products available for sale and concluded that the Living World Premium is the one to consider. The blend includes fruits, oils, and vegetables to meet your budgie’s nutritional needs and promote vibrant feathers, it is suitable for various birds and helps the pet develop stronger bones. If you can’t find this product, you might want to try the Kaytee Forti-Diet.
Comparison table
This gourmet alternative was made to meet all of your bird’s nutritional needs, as the blend includes various grains and specialty seeds, as well as nuts, vegetables, and naturally grown fruits. The mix comes packed in a CO2 Flushed air barrier bag, to preserve freshness.
As birds can sometimes be quite picky when it comes to food, in some cases they only eat certain grains of the blend, so you might need to throw some away.
With a rich mix of ingredients that ensure the dietary balance your bird needs, this food is one of those choices you should try out.
Developed by Kaytee, an avian nutritional expert, the Forti-Diet Pro Health pack includes probiotics and prebiotics that maintain the health of the digestive system. Moreover, the included Omega-3, vitamins, and minerals ensure the bird’s overall health and development.
In some cases, the pack was broken so it was a bit of a mess upon delivery. However, this can happen extremely rarely, so you shouldn’t worry about it too much.
The expert nutritional level and the wide range of ingredients used make this a very good alternative for keeping your bird healthy and happy.
Dr. Harvey’s Blend contains 4 pounds of a mix of various seeds and ingredients that work together to ensure your bird’s daily nutritional needs. The blend also includes vitamins, minerals, and proteins in optimal levels, and it’s free of any chemicals, dyes or synthetic elements.
In certain cases, the birds won’t eat the dried fruits, as this can be a matter of taste or preference. If that’s the case, you might need to throw some of the uneaten pieces away.
Given this mix’s rich nutritional value, you might want to add it to your list of foods to try out, since your bird will probably love eating it.
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Also To Consider
5 Best Budgie Foods (Reviews) in 2023
It’s true what they say that you are what you eat. The same goes for birds and since finding the best food for budgies might be time-consuming with all the products out there, we have examined the products that have received the best feedback and compiled several budgie food reviews to ease your shopping process.
1. Living World Premium Mix For Budgies
Your budgies’ health depends on various factors ranging from the food they get to how much they fly or play. If you’re looking for gourmet foods for your feathered friend, you might want to consider this Premium Parakeet/Budgie Mix made by Living World to meet your pet’s daily nutritional needs.
The blend includes grains, specialty seeds, vegetables, nuts, naturally grown fruits, and Tropican egg granules. They won’t just help your budgie get all the necessary nutrients for a good health but also make great palate-pleasers. The blend is packed in CO2 Flushed air barrier bags in order for the seed freshness and vitamin potency to be preserved.
The diverse nutrients included in the blend will cater to your companion bird’s various needs, promoting vibrant feathers and stronger bones. The seeds are air-cleaned and polished to ensure there is no dust on them. The stand-up zipper sealed bag includes 2 pounds of food suitable for budgies. It is also recommended as parakeet food.
This Living World product is made using premium ingredients in order for your budgie to get everything needed from a nutritional point of view, for a healthy development and life.
The mix includes a wide range of ingredients, such as nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits, that make it not only a complete alternative, but also one that offers a variety of tastes and textures.
Given that the product’s freshness is one of the key aspects to keep your pet interested in eating properly, the package comes as a CO2 flushed air barrier bag.
This type of package also preserves the vitamins’ potency, while the ingredients themselves are air-cleaned so they carry no dust that might hinder your pet’s experience.
This Living World product is a bit expensive, according to some of the previous buyers.
Some birds are not that excited about this mix, but this is a matter of what the little guy prefers.
2. Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health Hi-Calcium Grit for Small Birds
If you need to focus more on your pet’s digestive health, you might want to try the Forti-Diet Pro Health pack. Developed by Kaytee, an avian nutritional expert, this blend includes probiotics and prebiotics that will help your pet enjoy a strong and healthy digestive system. The bag includes 2 pounds of food suitable for budgies and parakeets.
The blend includes Omega-3, vitamins, and minerals that promote heart, brain, and eye health by enhancing the functions of these organs. Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro Health also contains rich antioxidants that support a budgie’s immune system and overall health. The other nutrients included support skin and feather health.
Introducing this blend into your pet’s diet will result in improved overall health, vibrant and healthy plumage, a stronger immune system, and enhanced brain and heart health. Moreover, the ingredients the pack comes with promote natural foraging behavior and are naturally preserved in order for their freshness to remain unaltered.
This Kaytee product was specially developed to preserve your pet’s health, given that the brand has extensive knowledge of avian nutrition.
The digestive system is a crucial and integral part of a long and healthy life, so this mix includes effective prebiotics and probiotics to keep your birds in top shape for a long time.
Thanks to its versatile formula, this Kaytee product is suitable for both parakeets and budgies, so it can also be a cost-effective solution.
The mix also features rich quantities of vitamins, minerals, and Omega-3, all of them working together to promote a healthy brain, heart, and support the entire body.
In rare cases, the birds might not be keen on eating this product, but the same goes for each type of food for our pets.
Some customers feel that this mix is a bit expensive, but it does come with plenty of benefits.
3. Dr. Harvey’s Our Best Parakeet Food
Another option when in need of quality foods for birds is this blend from Dr. Harvey’s. The generous bag contains 4 pounds of various seeds and ingredients birds require in order to meet their daily nutritional needs and support their overall health. The package is suitable for various birds including budgies and parakeets.
The ingredients were selected in such a way as to meet all the needs of a companion bird. They include vitamins, minerals, and proteins to provide optimal nutrition and improve the bird’s overall health. The blend contains nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and bee pollen that promote skin, feather, brain, and heart health.
The safety of the product is ensured by the use of natural ingredients. There are no chemicals, dyes, or synthetic ingredients included. Customers who’ve bought the product have noticed an improvement in their pet’s overall health. They also mention that the colors of the feathers are more vibrant and have an enhanced glow.
This Dr. Harvey’s product is a versatile one that does a great job keeping a wide range of birds healthy in the long run, so don’t hesitate to use it for parakeets and budgies alike.
The mix of ingredients was specially developed to meet the nutritional needs of companion birds, which also means an active and happy overall disposition and life.
The list of ingredients features proteins, vitamins, and minerals, among many others, these being sources from high-quality products such as vegetables, seeds, and bee pollen.
You’ll notice various improvements in your pet’s health, visible through shiny feathers and an increased overall level of activity.
This Dr. Harvey’s food is seen as a bit expensive, but the high-quality ingredients included are worth the extra cost.
Some birds were not that excited about eating it, but this rarely happens and most of the reviews praise it for its flavors.
4. Budgie Staple Vme Seed
If you find it more convenient to buy pet food in large packages that will cover your bird’s needs for longer periods of time, this Parakeet/Budgie blend from Hagen might be just what you need. The bag includes all the nutrients a bird needs in order to enjoy optimal nutrition and support health.
The blend contains only high-quality seeds that will please your budgie’s palate while meeting all of your pet’s daily nutritional requirements. The seeds are air-cleaned and polished in order to make sure your companion bird gets dust-free and appetizing food.
The fortified seed mixture is ideal for budgies and parakeets. It can be used as the main food for extended periods of time as it contains a variety of seeds. It is supplemented with vitamins and minerals for a balanced diet. The bag includes 25 pounds of food and comes vacuum-sealed. The people who tried this blend for their birds have appreciated the product for its high quality.
The high-quality seeds and ingredients this food contains provide not only a delicious meal for your bird but also nutritional balance.
This bag comes in a larger pack, which means that it might also be a more cost-effective solution, especially if you own more than one bird.
Given that it’s important for birds to enjoy their meals in order to have optimal food intake, the manufacturer made sure this is happening by air-cleaning the product, for a dust-free experience.
This food can be used for both budgies and parakeets, so you don’t need to worry about anything if you want to use it for both types of birds.
Given that this is a mix, some selective eating might occur, which means that you might throw some of it away.
This is a 25 lbs. package, so if you simply want to try it out for your birds, the quantity of food might be too large.
5. Sensible Seed Bird Food For Small Birds
Another option you should consider when looking for budgie food is the Sensible Seed mix from ZuPreem. It contains several types of seeds that were selected to meet a bird’s various nutritional needs while providing an appetizing feast for medium-sized birds such as budgies, canaries, and parakeets. It also makes great finch food.
The high-quality seeds are sized to suit a small bird’s needs, minimize risk, and ensure increased feeding efficiency. The ingredients include canary grass seeds, dried grapes, dried apples, and canola, just to name a few. The blend provides budgies with a sensible way to indulge in a seed mix.
The bag contains 2 pounds of food suitable for medium-sized birds. The customers who’ve tried the product for their birds have reviewed it positively saying that their feathered friends love the taste and the quality of the seeds is excellent. Moreover, some of them say the mix works well as conure food, too.
This ZuPreem mix is an excellent choice, especially if you have more than one type of bird, given that it was specially formulated to meet the dietary needs of medium-sized birds.
You can safely use it to feed parakeets, canaries, and budgies, while the little guys are definitely going to enjoy the rich taste offered by the various types of seeds included.
Furthermore, the mix can be used for small-sized birds as well, so there shouldn’t be any issues when it comes to this.
You should also know that besides seeds, the mix also features dried fruits so your bird can indulge with a treat, and the product itself is delivered in a 2-pound pack.
In this case, as well, given that we’re talking about a mix, some selective eating can take place.
The price might fluctuate over time, as some of those who have already bought it have noted.
Our Comprehensive Buying Guide
Budgies have eclectic tastes not only when it comes to birds toys but also when it comes to the food they eat. They can eat a great variety of readily-available vegetables, seeds, and fruits. Based on your companion bird’s preferences and several other factors we will mention below, you will be able to find good budgie food with greater ease.
Keep it balanced
There are many blends and mixes for birds such as budgies that contain multiple seeds and ingredients in order to provide birds with a balanced diet. Try to opt for such a package. The more diverse, the better. Go for a blend that includes vitamins, minerals, proteins, and all the other necessary nutrients to support health.
Choose a mix of dry and sprouting seeds and complete it with fresh foods. In case you can’t find a mix to satisfy your budgie’s nutritional needs, ask for an expert’s advice to be sure the mix you create includes the right amount of seeds, vegetables, and fruits.
Seeds
Many budgie owners opt for a ready-made seed mix instead of making their own mix. If you want to go this way, make sure the seeds are fresh because they have a limited shelf life. Once they reach the expiry date, most of the nutrients they contain will have disappeared. That happens if the seeds have been exposed to light and heat as well.
Make sure the supplier is trustworthy and it uses no herbicides or pesticides as they can also affect the safety of the seeds. To make sure your seed source is a good one, search for bird forums and reviews of the products you intend to buy. See what other bird owners have to say about it.
Seed categories
The seeds budgies usually eat fall into several major categories. Again, birds are different and so are their tastes. You might need to try out various seeds to learn what your pet likes. The most popular ones include grass, herb, and oily seeds.
Besides making sure the ones you buy are fresh, you need to go for the appropriate amount of every type of seed. Usually, readily-available mixes include a balanced blend of all the necessary seeds. If you’re still not sure about it, ask your veterinarian and get a custom seed combination for your budgie.
Legumes and food pellets
Your budgie’s diet should also include peas, lentils, and beans. They should not be hard and dry, though. Serve them whole and sprouting preferably. Don’t add more than 15% of such foods to the mix and try to combine only 2 of them if you don’t use just one.
The market offers many food pellets these days since they provide a rounded diet, yet many birds find them unpalatable unless they are fed on them from an early age. Experts recommend the traditional seeds-and-extras diet, however. You might want to check it with your pet’s doctor before you actually buy it and see if it suits your bird’s needs.
Fresh food
While regular budgie food and treats surely represent the best possible way to feed your beloved bird, some fresh food should never be out of reach as fruits and vegetables are full of nutritious things that can be imperative in order to ensure your budgie’s good health. While it’s true that most of these needs can also be reached with a good bird mix, allowing them to explore different tastes is also important.
Consider the fact that a budgie is a sensitive and active bird and this type of food diversity will go a long way toward keeping it alert, curious and happy. Unlike our own offsprings, it’s perfectly okay if your budgies get to play with their food!
Fruits and vegetables
Always remember that if you offer fresh fruits and veggies, you should always do so when they are raw and never cooked and processed in any way, shape or form. This shouldn’t be so hard to do because these birds naturally have an affinity for fresh food and the only way you could screw this up is if you’ve kept them on a “nothing-but-seeds” diet for too long.
If this happens, you will notice they can turn into quite the fussy eaters and the only way to solve the issue will be to possibly remove their seed tray for a few hours until they’ve plucked up the courage to nibble at the fresh food.
There are also some worst-case scenarios where your bird will be so shy that it’ll actually be scared of the food when you first introduce it. This type of temperament will require long hours of patience since this type of budgies will also take a lot of time to get used to new toys or other accessories that you want to offer as gifts.
Another thing to keep in mind is to remove the food item from the cage at the end of the day, regardless of the state it’s in. The obvious reasoning for this is that many of these fresh foods, fruits especially, are filled to the brim with sugar, and sugar will grow bacteria as readily and professionally as any petri dish out there. Since this type of bacterial blooms can kill budgies, please take a lot of care.
Budgie veggies
Vegetables should also be an important part of your bird’s daily diet. As long as you also keep a supply of seeds available, the budgies will generally sort out the balance for themselves so you won’t have much of a headache. Simply keep an eye out to see if the droppings turn watery, in which case cut back on the fresh foods for a couple of days until things get back to normal.
A list of some healthy vegetables that can be consumed without any issues includes asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, chopped up Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cilantro, cucumber, and a lot more.
Budgie weeds
You can also try and sometimes supplement their diet with some common weeds and see if they like it. Since picking wildflowers is illegal, stick to those that are commonly found in gardens and don’t worry because your budgie will eat both the leaves and the seeds.
Other than the obviously logical warning of not feeding your bird anything that you used a form of chemical pest-control on, you can feel pretty safe to get them to try and sample some chickweed, dandelion leaves, Shepherd’s purse (leaves, flowers, and seeds), and a few others.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What kind of bird is a Budgie?
The little budgie is one of the cutest and most popular pets of choice in the world, ranking third only behind the ever-so-popular dogs and cats. Once you get to know them this will cease to surprise you as this affectionate, fun-loving, and cute bird is not only small and inexpensive but can also be trained to mimic human speech quite exemplary.
There’s also a kind of “egg and chicken” circle here since many people always ask about the difference between budgies and parakeets. To sum it all up, all budgies are parakeets, but not all parakeets are budgies. Mind-blowing, right? The difference is that while budgies to belong to this group, there are quite a lot of other types of parakeets as well, in a variety of colors.
While not the smallest true parrot out there as long as the parrotlet is around, budgies are still quite tiny, measuring between 7 to 8 inches in captivity and are, as such, pretty special birds to have.
Q: What do Budgie birds eat?
Budgies are omnivores which means they are perfectly capable of digesting both vegetables and insects. In their natural habitat in the Land Down Under, they have a varied diet based on grass seeds, leaves, insects, and other similar things generously offered by the Australian continent.
While this isn’t a true option for a domesticated bird, a good owner will still try and stay as close to this diet as possible. A tamed budgie keeps its main characteristic when out in the wild and it is an extremely curious and active bird that will try and eat pretty much anything you offer it. Therefore, you’ll be responsible for what your bird puts in its mouth.
As a side note here, these cute birds qualify as omnivores because they are able to digest insects. For the love of all that’s good, do not offer them a slice of steak or other types of meat. No milk as well since their little stomachs can’t handle it.
Q: Do Budgie birds talk?
Budgies can definitely learn to talk but you, as the owner, are responsible for creating the perfect environment in which they can do so. Mimics need, before anything else, to be exposed to the sounds they are going to mimic. Therefore, a budgie needs to always be surrounded by human speech if you have any hopes of someday getting a “hello” out of it.
Another tip would be to only try speech training after you managed to train your companion to sit contently on your finger. At this point, it will be quite comfortable and happy to be in your presence so your voice will be one of the reassuring parts of the universe, much easier to be remembered and repeated.
Also, remember that some budgies prefer higher voices such as those of women and children compared to the lower voices of men. Even if you’re a guy and there’s not much you can do about it, you can still try speaking at the top end of your range when trying to teach your buddy.
Q: Do Budgies know their owners?
Some research shows that birds may just be able to recognize who their human friends are even if you, for instance, change clothes every day like normal people usually do. This is because it appears birds can recognize faces and differentiate between voices, something that was believed to be impossible in the past.
However, it’s not that hard to believe if you think about it because the ability to distinguish friend from potential foe could prove key to a bird’s ability to survive out in the world. The birds used in experiments showed the ability to spot differences when it came to photographs of objects that were known to them and those which were not.
Therefore, it’s quite possible to say that budgies will recognize you and understand that you are the person who takes care of them, something which can be very important in building your mutual relationship.
Q: How long do Budgies live?
While parrots and cockatoos are famous for their long, storied lives, the budgie has always been the subject of some talk regarding this subject. Genetically speaking, budgerigars have undergone the least genetic manipulation of breeding due to aesthetic reasons so they have the longest expected life out of all species of parakeets.
Other types of parakeets, bred to have bigger and longer feathers for instance, also live less because of this. A budgie’s life expectancy also varies based on whether it’s tamed or lives out in the wild, as well as the care it receives and possible illnesses through which it may have to go through.
Naturally, a wild budgie can be expected to live around four to six years, while those in captivity have even been able to reach 15 years of age when properly cared for and when some luck was also involved in the equation.
Bibliography:
1) How To Care For Budgie Birds
2) Choosing a Budgie or Parakeet
3) Should I be concerned about what my budgie eats?
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