How to ensure budgies are eating when switching to pellets

[Stephable]

Hi everyone,

I have two budgies, they aren't hand tame and are pretty flighty around me. They're both originally from pet shops and my male has a deformed wing and foot (still flies/perches but a little slow and awkward). They live in a cage next door to my GCC and get along really well.

I've been trying to switch them to a pellet diet (which my conure is already on) for a long time and they have recently been eating them! I was super excited. They started with 3 bowls of seeds, then 2 seed 1 pellets, then 2 pellets 1 seed, and then I moved them to only pellets. They also get fruit and veg which they love but this is just about the base diet.

My problem now is that I'm not sure if they're eating enough. They've been fluffing up a lot recently (it is getting cold but they aren't in a drafty area and I've had the heater on) and seem to be constantly eating (pellets!). I had to grab them to do a nail trim today and them seem pretty thin too.

I've given them a bowl of seed for now and they're out of the cage having a snack but I'm wondering what I should do from now on.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[SailBoat]

Each owner must make their own choice regarding diet.
IMHO, I prefer a well balanced 'dry' food section to include a very wide cross-section of high-quality and fresh: Seeds, Grains, Nuts with crushed, high-quality Pellets and Pasta bits. Normally to this dry base we add freeze-dried Veggies. And for our Amazon, the Fresh Veggies make-up the greatest volume of the daily food provided. We adjust the volume of pellets based on the the most recent blood test.

Each Species have specific needs and their provided meal needs to be blended for their needs. For that reason, we have elected to not provide a Pellet only dry section.


FYI: No Peanuts and No Sun Flower Seed!