Can You Give Your Budgie Too Much Calcium?

[Daz 0]

Yes

 

A Study of the Dietary Requirements and Toxic Levels of Calcium and Vitamin D3 in Budgerigars.

 

A moderately common problem seen in budgerigars and some other species of birds is calcium deposition in the kidney resulting in kidney failure. The cause of this disease has been hypothesized to be either excess calcium or vitamin D3 in the diet. To determine the cause of this disease, groups of budgerigars were fed diets containing various concentrations of calcium and vitamin D3 and allowed to breed. Results of this study showed that budgerigars need less dietary calcium (0.3%) than most other species for growth and egg laying. When dietary calcium concentrations reached 0.7%, mild calcium deposition occurred in nestlings and adults. When calcium concentrations reached 1.5%, death occurred in chicks and adult birds. All seed diets containing less than 0.3% calcium resulted in weak bones in laying hens and their eggs did not hatch. Vitamin D3 concentrations ranging from 500 to 3,300 International Units of vitamin D3 per kilogram of diet did not cause calcium deposition in the kidney as long as diet did not contain more than 0.3% calcium.

 

This research is important because it shows that budgerigars can only tolerate a narrow range of calcium in their diet. Calcium concentrations in seeds are insufficient, but calcium concentrations found in most pelleted diets will be too high and could be toxic. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement seed diets with some form of calcium, e.g., cuttlebone and if you are going to feed pellets, they should be no more than 25% of what a budgerigar eats. This research also shows that budgerigars can tolerate a wide range of vitamin D3 concentrations in the diet without problems.

 

World Budgerigar Organisation. - Atricle by Dr. D. Phalen (USA)

[*Nerwen* 0]

wow thanks for that daz.

[Daz 0]

....and I've been pumping the calcium into them.

[*Nerwen* 0]

me too I was adding some to the freah food thinking I was doing good. Now I wll leave it to them to chew at the cuttle bone when they wish.

[Elly 0]

very interesting, thank you Daz

[Daz 0]

Well instead of a "knee jerk reaction" I had a good look at my birds. Some arn't touching there cuttle fish so those in the breeding oxes I have still given a calcium suppliment. The ones in the house are demolishing thier cuttle bone so no calcium additive. The ones in the flight have been on a calcium additive so I have stoped it, but they seem to be eating thier cuttle bone.

 

So I think you have to make some decissions from what you see. They still need calcium.

[Guest pixie25]

mine will nibble on and off at their cuttlebone. i give them a vitamin supplement (very tiny pinch) when they are moulting and once weekly/fortnightly. it has a little bit of everything in it.

 

the problem with supplements i suppose is that it is all too easy to just give a supplement as a lazy option. there is also calcium in green leafy vegetables and broccoli, so if your birds eat enough of their greens they may not need to use their cuttlebone so much. broccoli is almost as rich in calcium as milk...

Edited March 13, 2006 by pixie25

[Bea 0]

Is it really?! Wow, that's good cause Blinkie loves his brocolli. :hap:

[»-(¯`Una´¯)-» 0]

Oh Pixie that is good to hear as mine love Love LOVE their Brocolli

[Daz 0]

One thing to be careful of if you are giving vegitables is that you don't want to overdose on vitamins with suppliments.

[Guest pixie25]

excatly daz much better to offer fresh veg and cuttlebone rather than resort to a supplement, if you offer fresh veg daily you shouldnt need a supplement at all. it is handy to have around the house for say when i go away for work or something and im not always there to give them their daily veg. (which is happening pretty often at the moment) *sigh*

[Elly 0]

Here is a good link that breaks done which veggie and how much calcium you can get from it.

This is for human, so if there is any veggies that shouldn't be feed to birds please make note of it okay

 

http://www.carrotcafe.com/f/calevel.html

[Bea 0]

A lot of stuff has lots of calcium.

[*Nerwen* 0]

I give veggsi every day and the ones in the big cage and Marine and tootie nibble at their cuttle bones so I've stopped given extra on the veggies. I didn't do it every day maybe every secodn or third and they havn't dug into the bone since I stopped so I think they have enough.