So far I have been feeding my Budgie this premium seed mixture and veggies, and I know that feeding him only seeds is bad for him.

Unfortunately I've been to every pet store in my area and beyond and found no pellets that aren't brightly coloured. Does anyone know a good brand of food that may be sold in stores? Or should i just feed him the colored pellets instead of an only seed diet.

I would purchase pellets online, but i'm only 16 with no credit card, and my parents hate using a credit card online. Any suggestions?

i honastly dont think there is much wrong with that diet its what i feed mine

okay good. I just read on 'Budgie Talk' things like...

"Never buy from a breeder who gives their budgies only seed diets. And if you do you are leading your budgie to a slow death"

and it just scared me... but you are more knowledgable than I am, so I don't have to worry. Thanks!

thats what Gooby has - seed and veggies

"Never buy from a breeder who gives their budgies only seed diets. And if you do you are leading your budgie to a slow death"

 

mmmm well what can i say ................... not a lot

okay good. That makes me feel A LOT better!

Well, that's what Danny had all his life. He's only very recently died - at the grand old age of 12 1/2!! So it can't be that bad a diet surely.....

I don't think seed diets are that bad so long as you feed them vegetables and fruits too. My Cha Pou looks fabulous and perky on a diet of seeds, vegetables, sprouted seeds that I planted myself from bird seeds and red beans, black beans, green beans and an occasional cooked egg and egg shell diet.

the thing about seed diets is that budgies are very picky eaters and more often than not they will just eat the particular type of seed in the mix that is their favourite and leave the rest.

 

pellets combat this problem and make sure that the bird gets an equal amount of all the right nutrients in every pellet. some vegetables are also included and there are vitamin supplements already in them that seed simply cant provide. some people spend a lot of money on vitamin supplements for the water - i personally would not recommend this, and try to get the bird eating pellets instead.

 

an all pellet diet is also not ideal. the best thing you can do is get your budgie interested in as many different healthy cooked foods/fresh foods as possible and feed them daily and on a rotation. this will stimulate your budgies mind and give him something new to look forward to and investigate every day. in my eyes this is just as important for parrots as good nutrition.

 

i think it is a good idea to feed pellets in the diet, but it is a long hard time trying to convert them, but it can be done.

 

pet shops do not stock any pellets brands over here in the uk, the best place to buy them is online. do a google search for a particular brand. i would recommend harrisons, but there are others like zupreem that have versions without artificial colours and additives. i like the harrisons because it comes in a foil fresh bag and can be stored in the bag for 6 weeks without it going off. :hap: some of the others come in a plastic bag and there is a chance that they would go stale if not kept properly and your budgies wouldnt even attempt to eat them.

 

most people that feed pellets feed a small amount of seed once a week as a treat once the birds have been on a successful conversion.

To be totally honest - until I came on here I'd never even heard of feeding pellets. and I 'pride myself' on feeding the best I can to my pets. They do get / always have had fruit and veg regularly as well as cuttlefish, iodine block etc etc.

 

I've just been looking at an old topic about pellet 'conversion'. I'm pretty certain Danny wouldn't have touched pellets - he was a very 'staid' bird, bless him! But Phil and Lil are 'into' everything and they love exploring new things, so they might be tempted! Hmmm.... I'll have to look into this all more. I'll have to convert mum and dad too, not just the birds! :hap: They'll think I'm nutty!

 

(I feed my rats a 'home-made' diet based on a recipe from the internet, so I do strongly believe in feeding the best and it contributing very much to a birds / animals overall health and well-being. I would never feed my rats a 'pellet-only' diet either - way too boring, I think)

i have tried and tried with the harrisons with no avail, but i still think if you can get your budgie to eat them they are of great benefit.

 

i hadnt heard of pellets until i came here and to a few other forums and started looking up on them. pellets are more commonly used for larger parrots. but budgies are parrots so i think they deserve to get the best too. seed eaters more commonly suffer from lipomas and obesity but pellet eaters more commonly suffer from renal problems, that why variety is so important above anything else.