My birds love grass in the bottom of the cage by their grit and they ea it and nest in it.

 

Is it okay for them to do this?

 

an B/c I have 1 budgie and 1 cockatiel i put 2 feed bowls in of 1 x budgie seed and 1 x cockatile mix (sunflower seeds etc) along with their eggs and chicken pieces.

 

but the budgie eats the cockaitiel mix she loves sunflower seeds - is it okay for her to eat that?

 

Tank u

I wouldn't offer them grass because you don't know what animals or chemicals may have come in contact with it. I also wouldn't offer them grit as it really isn't necessary. Budgies (and cockatiels) hull their seeds and don't need grit. In fact, grit can sometimes cause problems like crop impaction. It would be a good idea to not give them grit anymore.

 

Sunflower seeds are okay for budgies to eat but they're very high in fat. A high fat diet can lead to malnutrition and other health issues later in life. It can ultimately shorten your budgie's life span.

 

I believe that seed SHOULD be offered but a high quality seed mix won't contain many sunflower or safflower seeds. I also think a high quality pellet is a great way to get more nutrients in your birds' diets. Pellets that have no added dyes are the best.

 

And of course, give your birds plenty of fresh foods. Nearly everything *healthy* that we consume is okay for your birds to consume. Some things that you should absolutely stay away from are avocados, chocolate, alcohol, and the seeds from apples. (Apples are okay, just don't give them the seeds.) There are tons of other foods that are good for them so do some research and ask your vet.

its the first time theyve had grit - they love it.

 

and theyu dont have alot of sunflower seeds

 

where can i get pellets iv never heard or seen them??

mine have access to grit 24/7 and i have never had any problems,but some budgies can go over the top with it

its the first time theyve had grit - they love it.

 

and theyu dont have alot of sunflower seeds

 

where can i get pellets iv never heard or seen them??

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Here is some pretty good information about pellets: http://www.petcaretips.net/pellet-bird-food.html

 

Pellets can be hard to come by and if you decide to feed them pellets you might have to order them online. I think the easiest way to find them is to call the avian vet closest to you and ask if they know where you might be able to purchase them.

 

I do want to say though, that an all-pellet diet isn't good either. They're more nutritious than seeds but I feel that birds need a wide variety in order to get all their nutrients. I feed my birds pellets, seed, and fresh fruits and vegetables as well as some cooked foods. (They love rice and pasta!)

 

As for grit, many birds do appear to love it but the way I see it, if it's not needed why give it? If I knew grit was harmless maybe it would be worth it but in my opinion, if there's even a small risk of something going wrong, why give it to them? It certainly isn't needed so it's not at all worth that risk.

Edited May 4, 200520 yr by devvle

giving grit to one bird that does not breed fair enough but i actually think a breeding hen uses the grit to get the different textures fed to the different aged chicks

I know i agree.

 

umm can i ask this? if my budgie (the ill one) if shes really sick would she still be acting normal, still bugging the cockatiel and flying around the room? today shes been very normal and hasnt looked sick at all...is there any possibility she wasnt sick in the first place?

Budgies hide their illness very very well. I'm saying this from experience. I lost a budgie about a month ago and five minutes before she began to appear distressed she was running around the cage playing as normal. Before I knew it, she was on her stomach flopping around. Forty minutes later I lost her.

 

So, it is very common for a sick budgie to appear well. In the wild they are prey animals. Any sign of weakness would make a predator think they're easy targets and they'd get picked off pretty fast so they instinctively try to appear as normal as possible.

 

It's also possible that she was feeling very ill but is starting to feel better now. It's really hard to tell with budgies.

yeah

Im glad i have had this site and im really praying she gets better.

 

My cockatiel has never been Ill - in the 4 yrs wev had him,wev only had the budgie foir 6 months!!

 

What would have made my budgie ill? and will my cockatiel catch whatever shes got? oh i hope not

It's always best to separate an ill bird from your other birds. Your cockatiel could very easily catch whatever your budgie has. As for how she got sick, she probably came to you that way. They can carry diseases for a long time without showing signs of them. Sometimes they don't show a single symptom until they finally pass away and sometimes they can just carry and spread the illness without being very affected by it themselves.

 

If you've got a small spare cage you should put your budgie in there and keep a very close eye on her. Ideally, she needs to be checked out by a vet before putting her back in with the cockatiel but I think I remember you saying there were no avian vets near you? Have you tried regular vets? (They're not always good with birds but much better than nothing.)

I rang the normal vets, but they all gave me this attitude that birds are too "fidgetty" and they charge double rate (?50 +) per HR to see them. so minimum of ?50...i cant afford that.

 

I feel bad i cant take her to a vet believe me, I love her alot.

 

I just dont have that money anywhere.

 

I have horses that cost an arm and a leg, so iv left it all upto prayer and faith now

 

I dont have a spare cage BUT weve been keeping them as far apart as poss - Cockatiel flys around the bedroom all day and stays sitting on the window lesge - shes in cage most the time (though she can fly out freely if she wats)

 

thats the best i can do.

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated and everyone here has been extrememly helpful esp Devvle.

 

and im very thankful.

Yeah, some of the dog/cat vets can be really rude when it comes to budgies. It's very sad that they can be so disrespectful to a living thing just because it's smaller and "cheaper" than other animals.

 

We're all happy to help whenever we can. I hope your budgie keeps improving.

Thank you really.

 

I hope she gets better too

 

IF now were talking if the worst happened and she passed away, even though her and my cockatiel arent really "bonded" im sure *** miss her - will it be better to leave him on his own or buy him a mate?

 

another budgie or cokcatiel female?

 

This is if thw worst happens, just to be prepared

If the worst happened I think it would be better to wait and not get another bird. There's no gaurantee that another budgie or cockatiel will get along with the one you already have and even more importantly, he could be carrying the illness that your budgie has. You wouldn't want to keep passing it on to other birds.

 

Also, any time you get a new bird it should be quarantined in a seperate cage and a separate room for at least 30 days so that you can watch it closely and look for any signs of illness. So, even if you got another bird you'd have to first get a second cage in order to do things properly.

 

So, yeah. This is just my opinion but I think that if your little budgie passes (and I truly hope that doesn't happen) it would be best not to get another bird any time soon. You wouldn't want to keep spreading the illness.

okay Thanks

Im sure she will pull through.

 

we were looking at starting breeding cokatiels - if the budgie survives and we buy a female cockatiel - and we quarantinbe for 30 days etc will there be any probs with keeping a breeding pair and 1 budgie together (the cage is big nough)

I don't think it would be safe to leave your budgie with pair of breeding 'tiels. It's really better not to mix parrot species at all but I'd think it would be more dangerous if your cockatiels were breeding. They're usually far less aggressive than budgies but if they have a nest and/or chicks to defend that might change.

 

As far as breeding goes, I don't mean to be harsh but if you can't even afford to take your budgie to a vet you really shouldn't be breeding any animals or even adding more animals to your home until you're more financially stable. A lot of of time and money and research should go into breeding. Not to mention, the breeding of any animal should be done for the purpose of improving the species, not purely for fun.

I hope your budgie gets all better soon. I also think you should do some further research before making the decision to breed. It has the potential to cost a lot of money.

i wouldnt keep the cockatiels with the budgie. cockatiels can become very teritorial of their cage and toys when the hormones are rushing around during breeding time.

our baby cockatiel alredy has become posessive of his seed dish! hehe