I have just read an article in the Budgerigar Handbook by Ernest H Hart , (a renown keeper and breeder of budgies),which reads as follows:

 

PROTEIN: Eggs, Meat, Soybeans, dairy products

FAT: Butter, Milk, oils, cream, oil seeds

CARBOHYDRATES: Canary & millet seeds, cereals, vegetable and honey

VITAMIN A: Greens, Peas, eggs, milk, beans, asparagus

THIAMINE: Vegetables, legumes, eggs, muscle meat, milk, yeast, whole grains

RIBOFLAVIN: Milk, egg-yolk, wheatgerm, yeast, beef, chicken, green leaves

cottonseed meal, liver

NIACIN: Milk, liver, yeast, lean meat

VITAMIN D: Fortified milk, eggs, fish liver oils

ASCORBIC ACID: Raw Cabbage, tomatoes, citrus fruits

 

IRON, CALCIUM, PHOSPHORUS: Milk, eggs, soybeans, oatmeal, bone marrow, vegetable, liver,

green-ground bonemeal

 

I understood it was unsafe to give budgies dairy products. but I was suprised when I read, beef and liver.

Can someone shed some light on this please

Cindy

My understanding is that dairy in small quantities is not harmful - but birds cannot digest lactose, so it, to my mind, serves no purpose.

 

In the wild, all birds eat insects etc. In captivity we therefore need to provide a substitute for the protein in these insects. However, it is only a tiny serving. I would rather use chicken, but can't see any harm in those meats.

Many people offer their budgies an occasional bit of meat, especially for protein so seeing beef and liver is no surprise. As far as milk goes, it's not necessarily dangerous, just hard to digest. MOST animals have trouble digesting milk. To an extent, we're all lactose intolerant (just some more than others). It's odd to see milk listed so much here.

Thats what I thought etterie, especially the cream,

Cindy

So maybe it would be better to offer a hardboiled egg? :ausb:

I think so. The shell is good for them too, so if you offer hardboiled egg, crush the shell in with it. I think milk was listed so often because it is a source of those dietary essentials, not because you should offer it frequently. Why offer milk at all, knowing that it may cause digestive difficulties? The amount that would be necessary to cause problems I think would be so miniscule anyway if you take into consideration the small size of budgies and how little (by our standards) they need to eat every day. I wonder if you could give them a small enough amount for it NOT to cause problems eventually? To me it is not worth it since there are so many other sources of those nutrients. But that is just my opinion.

Doesn't eggfood provide alot of these essential needs, also I remember Bea had her homemade eggfood too it is in the Budgie Nutritional section.

You can hardboil an egg - 15 minutes, and crush the shell in. Or, try this egg and biscuit mix Of course you can grate carrots etc and add to the mix, whatever works best for you

used a new recipe for the chicks and mother last year a cube of bread soaked in milk as well as soft food my results to chicks surviving was up by about 15 % coincidence ?

My vet told me to give my sick budgie a bit of butter to help her digestion.

 

In one pet shop here I've been to, they sell worms and the shop assistant said that she give them to their budgies sometimes. I was thinking about buying some for my budgies, but I'm not sure about it

 

And I thought budgies can't eat cabbage

Edited July 18, 200619 yr by Zebra

I'm glad I found this thread. I did a search on 'meat' because I was just eating a leftover rissole (meat pattie) and Bluey was determined to have some. I wasn't sure if it was okay, so kept wrapping it up in the napkin when she got close. She was, however, more determined than me and I think she managed to peck a bit and then came back for more!