My budgies won't even peck at their cuttle bone!

[Skip]

So I haven't gotten my budgies a cuttle bone for a long time. And my female budhie probaly doesn't even know what it is. It's been about 4 days since I put it in their cage. Do you guys have any ideas for getting them to eat their cuttle bone?

[GlassOnion]

A cuttle bone is not necessary if you feed pellets and a variety of vegetables. I wouldn't worry too much.

[marie83]

Agree with what previous poster said. Don't worry about it, leave it in though to give them the option of using it or not. It's not just for additional calcium (which shouldn't be needed if their diets good) but they can also chew on it to keep their beaks in good condition. Mine have them in but they rarely use them, they use them more for enrichment purposes than extra nutrition.

[Skip]

I feed seed is that ok?

[marie83]

Just seed or anything else?
If it's just plain budgie mix then you should definitely work on improving their diet. Gradually introduce fruit and vegetables, sprouted seeds, a small amount of healthy human food such as boiled egg, plain brown rice or pasta. My budgie used to go crazy for a bit of egg food once a week too. Also consider converting your budgies onto pellets as a base diet to work around. If they have had nothing but seed all their lives it may take a while to introduce them to new foods but it's important you persevere no matter how long it takes, I'm afraid an all seed diet is not very nutritious for a bird at all.

[Skip]

Wow, thanks for sharing!

Questions:
1) Should I cook the vegetables?

2) Should I chop up the fruits and put it into the food bowl?

3) Can my budgies eat scrambled eggs?

I'm going to be honest, I pretty much serve them all seed. And I really want to improve. Plus, I'm going to feed them pellets.

[marie83]

I suggest that you offer the fruits and vegetables in bowls chopped to different sizes, to a bird presentation sometimes counts! Some prefer it chopped smaller into mouthsized pieces as it's less scary, some bigger so they can chew bits off, at the moment for you it's a question of experimenting and seeing what works for your particular birds. Also try hanging chunks of it up on a birdy kebab stick, it looks more like a toy that way and might encourage them to sample some.

Raw is better because cooking can destroy the nutrients and enzymes found in the food, but some birds will only eat cooked, once again its a matter of experimenting. Some birds will only eat fruit and veg if its serves as a mash. See what works for you, try steamed, boiled, mashed etc repeatedly as it can take time for them to accept new foods.

You can also try eating certain foods in front of them and sharing it, sometimes this will tempt them into trying things. Be warned though don't feed anything you've bitten bits off of as our saliva contains bacteria which can make a bird ill or kill it. Also be aware that some foods are toxic to birds. Avocado should never be fed. Google safe and toxic foods for parrots and you will find lists of what is safe and what isn't.


Scrambled egg is fine but avoid putting dairy milk in it as birds are lactose intolerant, also avoid using oil when cooking food as it's too fatty. Also remember is a little of something is alot of food to a bird the size of a budgie.


Keep posting if you have any questions. I'm sure one of use forum users will be able to help you. There are some good articles online regarding introducing birds to new foods. I used Liz wilsons article on the northern parrots website. It's main purpose is introducing birds to pellets but the same principles can be used regarding any food. If you want a look at it and can't find it let me know.

One last thing, if your serving food hot make sure it isn't too hot as crop burn is serious in birds.

[GlassOnion]

What made you think they need nothing else but seed? Where do your guys get your protein, minerals, vitamins, etc? They need a VARIETY of foods including veggies just like us humans. A seed-only diet causes liver/kidney problems down the road...do you want to deal with that?

I would weave stalks of broccoli, peppers, carrots, etc through the bars or use a stainless steel skewer. Also, I'd feed grains like brown rice, barley, quinoa, etc. Remember, they can't survive on seed long term!

[Skip]

Okay thanks! I'm going to try this. I'll maybe give them little slices of a banana. And probably slices of carrots. I'll try my best to keep them healthy!

[143PARROTLOVE]

I gave my parrot ( I think it's a parakeet ) mango , raisins and pear but it does not eat it. Oh and could someone help me with my cuttlefish bone problem on my post?