Hi:

 

Here I am again asking more questions..everyone is always so helpful. I have had my budgie now for two weeks and he is settling in nicely. The problem I have found is that he sleeps up in the top corner of his cage which is directly over his food dish so of course every morning the food dish is full of poop. It is one of those plastic dishes that have the spot in the cage for it to fit. So what I am wondering is: Can I move his food dish without confusing him and also change the type of food dish I am using. I have purchased one of those taller fountain type that holds the seed in an enclosed clear capsule and the food sits in a narrow spout at the bottom and this dish clips in between the cage bars (I don't know how else to explain it). I put the food in there now and have moved it over to beside his water dish but it is on the opposite side of the cage now.

 

Is this okay, or is my guy going to starve now? Are these types of dishes any good or I should I be looking into something else. The problem with that other dish is obviously it only has one spot that it can go in the cage.

 

While I am on the subject of food dishes, is the consensus to feed seedmix or pellet and/or both? I have been feeding him seedmix which he seems to love and then someone else told me he should be eating the pellets instead (they smell yummy, but he doesn't seem to like them).

 

Thanking you all in advance as I know I will get answers to these questions...this site is awesome.

 

Casper's over-protective mommy!!

Yes you can move the food dish or you can move the perch if you feel more comfortable.

 

I know what dish you are talking about I don't use that I use the traditional but now I am using a coconut shell (Laughing out loud) and they love it.

 

It is good to give them veggies (60% of the diet) should be this, and then giving them seed and/or pellet is good too. When you change to pellet you have to be careful about not starving them because some budgies won't touch it. I have heard and agree it is good to give them seed so they can shell their food and work for it .

 

Make sure you are throwing in those veggies daily so very important and fruits 2x a week too .

Any kind of veggies...mainly greens I would imagine?? What would you suggest as a veggie meal? I have just been sticking a stalk of celery in the bars of his cage and/or clipping a cucumber to the bars. So far he enjoys celery, and he has had some cucumber, he won't eat strawberries or grapes. Do you just mix up some veggies and put them in a bowl? Are they cut up in tiny pieces?? Sorry for 20 questions?? I am used to feeding Boxers not Budgies. I feed my dogs a raw diet and they get a veggie slop in with their chicken necks and backs, so I do understand the importance of veggies.

 

At this point my budgie's cage I thought was fairly big enough (26" H x 18" w) but by the time I get him completely comfy in there, I am going to need it TWICE that size!!

 

Thanks again for your help.

go to the nutrition forum and you will find tons of suggestions, and even veggies that are toxic. I couldn't even start listing but there is so much information there and you can browse through all the different topics.

 

Celery gives no nutritional value, in fact it is a negative calorie food meaning it takes more energy to eat and digest it then is give, great for those looking to lose weight.

 

Kale, Spinach, Brocolli are all great.

 

Grapes are debatable because the pesticides and some will peel the skin others will not feed them at all.

 

Ask questions after you have checked it out there for sure.

 

I give mine chopped up and I used to mix seed with it first thing in the morning therefore by afternoon I could toss it because it gets yucky. Don't leave in the cage all night bacteria can grown.

I will definitely check out the Nutrition forum, I obviously have a lot more reading to do...no wonder I don't get my work done on a regular basis - too much studying to do to make sure I am doing the best for my pets. As for the kids and the hubby - they are on their own.

 

 

Thanks again (celery now goes on MY desk)

okay this is what annoys me about having these birds as pets--the panics about all sorts of things that will make them sick or die. If this is such a major problem, then why are we even bothering to keep them as pets? All birds die. All birds get sick and die or get hurt or injured some way and die. Nothing is perfect in regards to food, their health, our taking care of them!!!

It drives me crazy about all the dos and don'ts of taking care of these birds. So far, with mine, I have not had problems with sand perches (they are NOT the major perches and neither of them has bumble feet), they love their fruits and veggies (maybe it's because I let them smell it and check it out before deciding to try it and YES I live it in the cage for a day or so), I give them variety with foods and I know they don't like bananas. Yes my birds love blueberries and strawberries, and occasional apple cut without the seeds (cut in small pyramid way to make it easy for beak to reach). My birds are FINE! They have not fell over dead or gotten sick.

Why panic about things we have no control over?! It drives me nuts. Don't believe everything on the net. I believe budgies are the kind of birds that have their own preferences in regards to food and not all birds will follow what current research says.

KNOW your birds! I know I am a new bird owner...but I got tired of all the contradictions of "researching" budgies on the web.

 

We forget these birds are WILD birds and are just fine out in the wild of their native habitats. Why panic needlessly over things we have no control over? These birds are hardy birds. Of all the things I read of what "not" to do, I have yet to see Woodie and Cloud fall over dead or fall sick. Maybe these birds are not meant to be pet birds. But we have to ask ourselves--are any wild birds meant to be as pets? Such as parrots, macaws, cockatiels, etc.???

 

Sorry I had to vent. I get tired of reading people panicking needlessly.

WOW, sorry for asking questions. I am just trying to do the best for my pets as I have done for my children when I was pregnant with them and brought them home from the hospital. If people don't ask questions and do research, how will they learn? I believe it is called LOVE. May I ask you if you have ever lost a pet that you have really cared about?

 

Totally shocked by this response....wow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

okay this is what annoys me about having these birds as pets--the panics about all sorts of things that will make them sick or die. If this is such a major problem, then why are we even bothering to keep them as pets? All birds die. All birds get sick and die or get hurt or injured some way and die. Nothing is perfect in regards to food, their health, our taking care of them!!!

It drives me crazy about all the dos and don'ts of taking care of these birds. So far, with mine, I have not had problems with sand perches (they are NOT the major perches and neither of them has bumble feet), they love their fruits and veggies (maybe it's because I let them smell it and check it out before deciding to try it and YES I live it in the cage for a day or so), I give them variety with foods and I know they don't like bananas. Yes my birds love blueberries and strawberries, and occasional apple cut without the seeds (cut in small pyramid way to make it easy for beak to reach). My birds are FINE! They have not fell over dead or gotten sick.

Why panic about things we have no control over?! It drives me nuts. Don't believe everything on the net. I believe budgies are the kind of birds that have their own preferences in regards to food and not all birds will follow what current research says.

KNOW your birds! I know I am a new bird owner...but I got tired of all the contradictions of "researching" budgies on the web.

 

We forget these birds are WILD birds and are just fine out in the wild of their native habitats. Why panic needlessly over things we have no control over? These birds are hardy birds. Of all the things I read of what "not" to do, I have yet to see Woodie and Cloud fall over dead or fall sick. Maybe these birds are not meant to be pet birds. But we have to ask ourselves--are any wild birds meant to be as pets? Such as parrots, macaws, cockatiels, etc.???

 

Sorry I had to vent. I get tired of reading people panicking needlessly.

WOW, sorry for asking questions. I am just trying to do the best for my pets as I have done for my children when I was pregnant with them and brought them home from the hospital. If people don't ask questions and do research, how will they learn? I believe it is called LOVE. May I ask you if you have ever lost a pet that you have really cared about?

 

Totally shocked by this response....wow.

 

I have lost a pet. I had lost a dog to cancer, but birds are a whole new ball game. Thing is, I too have done research over the internet regarding these birds. I keep finding all sorts of contradictory things about how to take care of them. It gets aggravating. One camp says do this and other camp says do that. Or another camp would say don't do this or that??? I did my research before I had my birds and found myself muddled, aggravated and confused by what these experts, researchers and pet owners say.

I love my birds but I can't abide by different people saying different things on how to take care of these birds. I mean, please, look up things online and you will find people saying all sorts of different things? My question is: WHO do you believe? Whose word do you trust? Research is basically on a few birds as part of a sample. It is not reflective of all birds.

 

It makes me wonder if budgie care is one of the most diverse in terms of bird care. Budgies are as individual as people. Of course you don't feed them certain things, etc. Of course you don't want strong fumes and scents around them. If you're worried about teflon poisoning--get stainless steel or something else to cook from. If you're worried about strong scents, get something that is scentable but weak enough so as not to poison them. If you're worried about bacteria, etc. clean more often or whatever you usually do. The food I give my birds such as carrots and other fruit usually falls down to the sand tray. Birds have a sense of smell. If they aren't allowed to smell what a certain fruit or veggie is like, then they won't try it. Leave it for a day, then take it out. Birds are exposed to bacteria and other things in the wild too. Why should it be any different in a cage??? I love my birds, but they are naturally wild animals of Australia. Yes they are delicate. But if they can take the skin off your finger, then they aren't that delicate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

okay this is what annoys me about having these birds as pets--the panics about all sorts of things that will make them sick or die. If this is such a major problem, then why are we even bothering to keep them as pets? All birds die. All birds get sick and die or get hurt or injured some way and die. Nothing is perfect in regards to food, their health, our taking care of them!!!

It drives me crazy about all the dos and don'ts of taking care of these birds. So far, with mine, I have not had problems with sand perches (they are NOT the major perches and neither of them has bumble feet), they love their fruits and veggies (maybe it's because I let them smell it and check it out before deciding to try it and YES I live it in the cage for a day or so), I give them variety with foods and I know they don't like bananas. Yes my birds love blueberries and strawberries, and occasional apple cut without the seeds (cut in small pyramid way to make it easy for beak to reach). My birds are FINE! They have not fell over dead or gotten sick.

Why panic about things we have no control over?! It drives me nuts. Don't believe everything on the net. I believe budgies are the kind of birds that have their own preferences in regards to food and not all birds will follow what current research says.

KNOW your birds! I know I am a new bird owner...but I got tired of all the contradictions of "researching" budgies on the web.

 

We forget these birds are WILD birds and are just fine out in the wild of their native habitats. Why panic needlessly over things we have no control over? These birds are hardy birds. Of all the things I read of what "not" to do, I have yet to see Woodie and Cloud fall over dead or fall sick. Maybe these birds are not meant to be pet birds. But we have to ask ourselves--are any wild birds meant to be as pets? Such as parrots, macaws, cockatiels, etc.???

 

Sorry I had to vent. I get tired of reading people panicking needlessly.