Getting budgie to eat new things...

[blueberrybuns]

I have been trying to get Kiki to try some new foods but have not been havign any luck. Today I mixed some cheese in with her pellets but she would just pick around the cheese. I have also tried giving her broccoli for dinner rather than her pellets so I know she will be hungry but she just does not want anything to do with it. Any suggestions? :confused:

[Dave]

Be careful what you try to feed Kiki. Keep in mind that budgies are lactose intolerant, so don't give them anything that a lactose intolerant person couldn't eat (ex: anything with milk, chocolate, etc.). Also, avacado is on their bad list. And obviously, be sure you wash any fruits/veggies you give them.

My previous budgies would eat just about anything. If we gave them tomato, they'd eat it. If we gave them apple, they'd eat. At first they'd be afraid of it, but after they got used to it they'd eat it. We have a food clip in their cage to keep their treats in. This way it doesn't get in the way of their seed.

So if you try a food clip it might work better than putting the food directly in their seed. My budgies love celery and carrots. One of my previous budgies would mince the garlic as good as food processor, that's how much she loved it.

[blueberrybuns]

Thanks! I did not know that they were lactose-intolerant infact I read things online and in pamphlets the vet gave me that said cheese was a good source of protein for them...

I will look into the food clip. I know she likes to play with random things in her cage so that may work.

Thank you!

[Bea]

Cheese in very small amounts and very occasionally can be a nice treat but like Dave said it's generally a no-no. Good veggies to start with are spinch leaves, brocolli, celery leaves. Try offering new foods in different ways: grated, hanging from the roof, clipped to the side, big chunks, tiny pieces, etc. Persistance is the key with budgies because they seem to think that anything new is out to kill them.;) Is Kiki tame? If she is then perhaps you could use the method i use with Blinkie which is eat the foods you want her to eat yourself while she's hanging out with you. Whenever i do this Blinkie can't help but steal some of MY food.....anything I'M eating must be SOOOO delicious.:P I've gotten him to eat so many new foods this way. I'm not sure what Kiki is being fed at the moment but for protein a combined pellet/seed diet is great. Pellets are a little more pricey than seed but are a fantastic source of all sorts of vitamins and minerals.:)

[blueberrybuns]

Thanks for the advice! Kiki at the moment is eating LaFeber Nutriberries which is a pellet diet but it looks like seeds. I have been told that it is the seed hulls with the pellet food on the inside. I bought them for her because she was eating seed only so I needed something that would help go from seed to pellet. I am still trying to get her to eat new food. I have to run to the pet store today so while I am there I will look into getting a food clip and try that method next.

[Bea]

From what i've heard on other forums nutriberries shouldn't be the main part of the diet. I'm pretty sure you can get lafeber pellets for budgies and i know of one other brand which is hagens.