tease a budgie? do they really like rotten fruit Kaz? I thought better to protect them from it, perhaps have the same fruit accessible albeit fresh if concerned? I am just trying to duplicate their natural environment and indeed what they fly hundreds and hundreds of kilometers to find. Hi Renee, unfortunately "eagle" is an inside budgie...but I'm happy you found the concept stimulating

tease a budgie? do they really like rotten fruit Kaz?

No...but putting mesh around fruit will tease them

I think,if budgies,were insect eaters

they would have a different shape beak.

I don't quite see them catching insects.

I could be wrong,do your experment Richo

& tell us how it goes.

I think the easiest way of giving protein is boiled eggs, protein powder (like what Kaz uses) or meat meal if so inclined.

Quick & easy. I wouldnt get too hung up on meat as it would be a small part of their overall diet. One way to find out is

next time you find a fresh dead wild budgie, have a quick examination of its crop contents.

The ants do get into my soft food a bit but I Coopex the ground once a month or after rain and keeps them away

budgies do eat small bugs and things but not really all that much as macka said their got wrong beak for bug catching

i tryed putting meal worms in aviry once the birds just were more interested in what they were a few pecked at them but no one ate any i came in next day and they were just crawling around floor just as many as i placed in so thats that meat out ...the birds will eat the odd spider why you need to keep them out of aviry is alot are poisonus to them if eaten

and bugs with crunchy shells but they mostly just crunch them and thats it

I put chicken, turkey and duck carcesses in sometimes and the babies go nuts over it but I also get nubblys problem rotten ants so that puts me off too. AS for lemon and orange they all go for that and there is never any left the next day.

 

You could have two dishes one inside the other separated by a water moat?

I put chicken, turkey and duck carcesses in sometimes and the babies go nuts over it but I also get nubblys problem rotten ants so that puts me off too. AS for lemon and orange they all go for that and there is never any left the next day.

 

You could have two dishes one inside the other separated by a water moat?

I do that for my cats and dogs dishes if ants are around

Your dreaming if you think a budgie is going to a dam to catch bugs , more like a drink.

Wild budgies may eat the odd insect but more so as a chick in the hollow of a tree.

And I would like to see some proof of budgies eating a road kill in the wild!! , Ive seen many many road kills out west and too this day never seen a budgie on one , mmmm but then maybe the Wedgetails scared them off

Interestingly ........................

 

after one of my budgies bled all over the aviary floor earlier today...............

 

 

 

the others spent much of the rest of the day trying to eat and lick the blood off the aviary floor and metal structure....a need for meat protein perhaps ??

That's a lot of blood! Is that budgie okay?

That's a lot of blood! Is that budgie okay?

Check the aviary topic

Thanks, I hadn't read down that far yet

Interestingly ........................

 

after one of my budgies bled all over the aviary floor earlier today...............

 

 

 

the others spent much of the rest of the day trying to eat and lick the blood off the aviary floor and metal structure....a need for meat protein perhaps ??

 

Nope , more like mineral salts and trace elements.

Interestingly ........................

 

after one of my budgies bled all over the aviary floor earlier today...............

 

 

 

the others spent much of the rest of the day trying to eat and lick the blood off the aviary floor and metal structure....a need for meat protein perhaps ??

 

Nope , more like mineral salts and trace elements.

 

i say that their has to be something to the chicken caucus thing as mine love it

also i was told you should give the birds raw fish for the omega 3

i personally just add cod liver oil one a month into their seed

raw fish bones .mmmmm

by way thanks ric for the water dividing idea

Adding to the topic about budgies being meat eaters..................

 

Today I checked a nestbox because the cock in the breeder cage was "missing" and the hen had a suspicious mess on her face :laughter:

 

The cock was dead in the nestbox. The hen had eaten most of him.

What was left ? Wings, feet, tail and backbone. The hen had eaten the rest of him over two days.

I will never know what the cock died from or if the hen killed him as there wasnt enough of him left to determine cause of death.

A beautiful skyblue dominant pied cock.

 

Now I dare anyone to try and tell me budgies are not meat eaters or do not need meat protein.

 

 

 

PS I put her straight back in the flights where she chatted up a skyviolet spangle cock and bowed low over the perch to be mated.....and persistently followed him around assuming the mating position and expecting him to oblige :laughter:

Edited July 5, 201014 yr by KAZ

You and splat have some very scary hens :S

I hang suet [not sure of spelling] the fat from around the kidney of a sheep, in my avairy it has the added advantage of helping stop scally face, The birds love it! cheers Clearwing

I hang suet [not sure of spelling] the fat from around the kidney of a sheep, in my avairy it has the added advantage of helping stop scally face, The birds love it! cheers Clearwing

this also stops feather plucker clear wing if given a bit in the breeding cabinets

didnt know it helped with mites

I haven't read all of this thread, but I did read somewhere about a guy who feeds his show birds insects, they are higher in protein then meat and low in fat :laughter:

In the wild budgies rip open old logs etc looking for insects to eat. I think birds need protein and especial when breeding.

Next time I catch a grasshopper I'm going stick it in there seed :laughter:

Adding to the topic about budgies being meat eaters..................

 

Today I checked a nestbox because the cock in the breeder cage was "missing" and the hen had a suspicious mess on her face

 

The cock was dead in the nestbox. The hen had eaten most of him.

What was left ? Wings, feet, tail and backbone. The hen had eaten the rest of him over two days.

I will never know what the cock died from or if the hen killed him as there wasnt enough of him left to determine cause of death.

A beautiful skyblue dominant pied cock.

 

Now I dare anyone to try and tell me budgies are not meat eaters or do not need meat protein.

 

 

 

PS I put her straight back in the flights where she chatted up a skyviolet spangle cock and bowed low over the perch to be mated.....and persistently followed him around assuming the mating position and expecting him to oblige

Meat eaters and cannibalistic. :fear

I once saw my budgies try to eat a wasp! It was weird watching them try to catch it while they were flying. They were fascinated!

I once saw my budgies try to eat a wasp! It was weird watching them try to catch it while they were flying. They were fascinated!

:fear and some people call budgies VEGETARIANS

I hang suet [not sure of spelling] the fat from around the kidney of a sheep, in my avairy it has the added advantage of helping stop scally face, The birds love it! cheers Clearwing

i was wondering clearwing

do you give this suet to birds uncooked or cooked is it solid form or jelly like ?

Uncooked Gb, I have seen it hanging in the aviary. Ask him what it was.

I hang suet [not sure of spelling] the fat from around the kidney of a sheep, in my avairy it has the added advantage of helping stop scally face, The birds love it! cheers Clearwing

i was wondering clearwing

do you give this suet to birds uncooked or cooked is it solid form or jelly like ?

If you cooked it,It would just melt down into Fat.