# Budgie Diet



## aliceANDjoey (Jan 28, 2016)

After a few months of settling down and training, my little buddy Joey is doing great. He's climbing on my shoulder, 'stepping up' and being pretty vocal in the mornings and sometimes in the evening. He's majority of the time relaxed and calm and happy. 

With his diet though, I'm not sure what to do. Some people are saying it's vital to have fruit and veg in a budgie's diet and I don't disagree, however, how do I actually get Joey to eat the fruit and veg and what fruit and veg is safe for him to eat?

All help is greatly appreciated,

alice and joey


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## aluz (Jul 24, 2011)

Hi Alice! I'm glad things have been going well with your Joey. 

About the diet, it's true that your Joey will benefit from a well balanced and varied diet of dry and fresh foods.
Regarding veggies, budgies can have them on a daily basis and as to fruit, due to the high sugar content, it's best to only offer a small portion occasionally.
You can encourage Joey to try out veggies by sprinkling a few seeds on the leafy green. A good starter veggie that most budgies will go for is romaine lettuce, as to fruit you can try a little slice of apple (no apple seeds).
When offering fresh foods, it's important to thoroughly wash/rinse them before serving.

You will find detailed information on this subject by checking the stickies at the Diet and Nutrition section, here: http://talkbudgies.com/314-diet-nutrition/

You can start by checking these links: 
http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/315033-healthy-diet-your-budgie.html

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-diet-nutrition/309849-quality-seed-mix.html

http://talkbudgies.com/diet-nutrition/338818-safe-foods-budgies.html


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Alice, 

Joey sounds like he's doing wonderfully! Aluz has given some great advice and links  

Remember, the most important thing to remember when introducing veggies is consistency and variety--try to offer some veggies daily, and vary how you serve them. Some budgies love shredded carrot but refuse a whole carrot, so he may try something if it's in a different form :thumbsup: 

Best of luck with your boy!


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## Pegg (Jun 7, 2011)

I feed Banana by the links aluz posted. Banana is one of the budgie that prefers his veggies whole. 
Good luck on getting Joey to eat veggies!


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## aliceANDjoey (Jan 28, 2016)

thank you so much for your help, I'll try get him started right away


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## SouthernFried (Sep 24, 2011)

When shopping for veggies don't forget fresh herbs count! They are chock full of vitamins and antioxidants, too! Some of my budgies' absolute favorites are parsley and cilantro. Good luck


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## mexicoandice (Sep 15, 2015)

Good luck getting Joey to eat veggies! My boys didn't like veggies when I first got them either, so I tried making the veggies and incorporating them into toys. For instance, I replaced the wooden perch part of a swing with a carrot stick: Carrot swing! I also had a little plastic ball from a kids' kinder surprise egg that has little links that snap together, since it's hollow I can put fruits and veggies inside of it, so it becomes a game of trying to get it out and chew on it. Trying things like that might help. Aluz has also given you GREAT advice for daily vegetable consumption.


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