New budgie owner

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Hello I inadvertently became the smitten caretaker for a budgie about a month ago. I've never had a bird so everything is new. I have multiple questions under different topics so I hope it's okay if I post them here. As a background, birdie was in a very loving house but the owners didn't know about diet or nail clipping so he was in need of immediate attention. Once his nails were clipped I started introducing him to vegetables and fruits, as his only food was seed... mostly millet...(and he had been offered veggies but not regularly because he showed no interest). My first question is about diet. He now eats peas, carrots, walnuts and boiled egg. I decreased his seed (new-to-him organic fruit nut veggie seed blend which he goes nuts over) so he would try peas first, then added the others. I pushed quite a bit because he is molting and came to me with sore red feet due to lack of clipping. I thought his immune system probably needed immediate nutrition. Sometimes though he refuses to eat any of the fresh food so I end up giving him seed because I don't want him starving himself. He always gets seed after he eats the fresh food anyway. How much seed should he be getting? Right now he gets about 2 TBSP a day but goes through that quickly as he has his favorite bits and picks over the fruit/veggie bits in the mix. Do I keep giving him fresh seed if he hasn't eaten half of it? My second question is about aggression. He bites. Hard. Not beaking. He happily jumps on your hand and then turns into a sweet little flesh monster .. I've tried wearing cotton gloves, ignoring it, saying NO in a low growl, inadvertently yelling ow and shaking him off my hand... When he was with the other owner he bit but not flesh piercing like now. Is he not getting enough to eat? I never let him go without food...thank you for any advice you have. Also he is extra grumpy right now because he's been locked in his cage for three days.The HVAC went out and I'm afraid to let him out because of the space heaters. Any ideas for keeping him happy in a cramped cage...

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

"Peas aren't so scary anymore. But lettuce sure is..." -Ollie

Hello I inadvertently became the smitten caretaker for a budgie about a month ago. I've never had a bird so everything is new. I have multiple questions under different topics so I hope it's okay if I post them here. As a background, birdie was in a very loving house but the owners didn't know about diet or nail clipping so he was in need of immediate attention. Once his nails were clipped I started introducing him to vegetables and fruits, as his only food was seed... mostly millet...(and he had been offered veggies but not regularly because he showed no interest). My first question is about diet. He now eats peas, carrots, walnuts and boiled egg. I decreased his seed (new-to-him organic fruit nut veggie seed blend which he goes nuts over) so he would try peas first, then added the others. I pushed quite a bit because he is molting and came to me with sore red feet due to lack of clipping. I thought his immune system probably needed immediate nutrition. Sometimes though he refuses to eat any of the fresh food so I end up giving him seed because I don't want him starving himself. He always gets seed after he eats the fresh food anyway. How much seed should he be getting? Right now he gets about 2 TBSP a day but goes through that quickly as he has his favorite bits and picks over the fruit/veggie bits in the mix. Do I keep giving him fresh seed if he hasn't eaten half of it? My second question is about aggression. He bites. Hard. Not beaking. He happily jumps on your hand and then turns into a sweet little flesh monster .. I've tried wearing cotton gloves, ignoring it, saying NO in a low growl, inadvertently yelling ow and shaking him off my hand... When he was with the other owner he bit but not flesh piercing like now. Is he not getting enough to eat? I never let him go without food...thank you for any advice you have. Also he is extra grumpy right now because he's been locked in his cage for three days.The HVAC went out and I'm afraid to let him out because of the space heaters. Any ideas for keeping him happy in a cramped cage...

 

[corkscr.ew]

Hi!

2 tbsp of seed is okay, but it would be ideal to make him forage or train for it. Free-feeding seed is not a good idea because it reduces food-motivation and has potential to cause poor health, even in small amounts.

If you are using seed as a method of getting him to eat vegetables, then it's most effective to offer a small amount mixed in with a larger amount of fresh food. He'll become familiar with the taste and texture of the veggies if he needs to forage through them to find the seed.

The best way to discourage biting is to avoid acknowledging it. Don't negatively reinforce it by scolding him; that can cause more harm than good. If you can't stay calm enough to ignore him, then gently place him onto a perch without any large reaction. Usually, aggression is called by stress, inadequate sleep (budgies need 10-12 hours per night), diet, and the owner’s lack of understanding of body language. If you struggle to notice his cues or aren’t able to identify how he’s feeling, I’d recommend researching budgies’ body language and observing his behavior from a healthy distance. Otherwise, make sure he is getting enough sleep, try to keep his environment calm, and continue to work on his diet.

If you need to keep him in a small cage, then give him a variety of toys to keep him occupied. Interacting with you can also help him stay happy and active, but don’t try to force anything (especially because he’s aggressive).

Good luck, and congratulations on your new buddy! He is beautiful and I sincerely hope he will thrive in your care for years to come.

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Thank you for your reply! I have been mixing the seed into his fresh food during the transition, but was worried he isn't getting enough to eat because he throws tantrums when all his favorite bits are gone. He yells and divebombs my head and bobs his head... There's always fresh food available but he goes to town on the seeds like I'm starving him...he only eats four fresh things so far but trying to add more as he tolerates it. He's still scared of lettuce lol. Thankfully the heat came back on so he isn't cooped up at least...

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Basically how it goes is first thing in the morning he gets plain fresh food chopped/mashed. After he eats some I mix in seeds. He picks out seeds. Grinds beak, looks pleased..Runs out of seeds starts getting riled...fresh food replaced with no seeds. Refuses to eat fresh food. I give in and mix in more seed...he acts starved. Fresh food for dinner he won't eat. Goes to bed with me worrying that he didn't eat his dinner. Eats well next morning because he didn't eat dinner...

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Basically how it goes is first thing in the morning he gets plain fresh food chopped/mashed. After he eats some I mix in seeds. He picks out seeds. Grinds beak, looks pleased..Runs out of seeds starts getting riled...fresh food replaced with no seeds. Refuses to eat fresh food. I give in and mix in more seed...he acts starved. Fresh food for dinner he won't eat. Goes to bed with me worrying that he didn't eat his dinner. Eats well next morning because he didn't eat dinner...

He's probably on some forum trying to figure out how to train his human.

 

[Jcas]

Congrats on your new birdie! I love budgies and have kept them as pets/ friends for over a decade. Regarding diet: there is some confusion with feeding budgies as the recent trend is that birds shouldn’t eat seeds or should get very little seed. For some birds, a fresh food and pellet diet is healthiest, but a few of the smaller birds from dry habitats ( especially budgies and cockatiels) should actually have a diet that is 60-70% high quality seed blend with the remaining 30-40% being a combination of fresh foods and possibly pellets. Fresh foods are ALWAYS good and it sounds like you’re doing a great job introducing some fresh fruits, veggies, and nuts etc. into your budgie’s diet. They can be very stubborn about trying new foods so good job with that!

My guess is that your bird is biting hard for two reasons: they can get very cranky when they are molting and he may genuinely be hungry and is angry at you for withholding seeds!

I actually free- feed seed in a separate dish ( actually two dishes as my current budgies occasionally bicker over food) and put fresh food out every morning in a different dish. My birds are allowed to fly around all day and are very active so obesity is not a problem for them. But I also make sure that their food dishes are just a little hard to get to. If they have to work for it, it helps keep them from just sitting there and pigging out all day! All of my birds over the years have had great energy and beautiful feathers on this diet, so it seems to work well for us. Hope some of this helps with your new buddy!

My current budgies, Cooper and Fay

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Your budgies are beautiful! Thank you for your reply-I ordered about 15 different organic grains/seeds yesterday to make my own mix. Maybe to sprout as well if that is healthier. If he doesn't like them I can eat them since they are all human grade! Hoping to add green beans next. I tried sneaking green beans into his peas about a week ago and he gave me a withering look that said "how could you betray me like that" and refused to take another bite. He actually ate peas and walnuts for dinner tonight (!) without complaining for the first time and now he's sleeping.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Here are some good budgie threads I've saved... I don't have one myself but I admire them tremendously.
for beginners reeb parakeets

http://www.parrotforums.com/tutorial

-parakeets/72068-taming-bonding-budgerigars-tips-beginners.html

Taming and bonding with budgerigars: tips for beginners

I have seen a lot of questions on the forums about taming budgies. Some users have suggested that I create a single post with some helpful information. There's a lot of myths about budgies. Firstly, many people do not regard them as parrots. Budgies ARE parrots: they can bond with their owner...

www.parrotforums.com

Here's my usual advice on food...
Here's what I've used for 40 years with the my bird.

HARRISON’S BIRD FOODS – CERTIFIED ORGANIC BIRD FOOD

See what's new at Harrison's Bird Foods: Certified organic, non-GMO diets for birds. Nutritionally complete for all life stages.

www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com

I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
Another couple of ideas...
My ol' man is an athlete and health nut. He actually EATS all the good stuff, so it's always around. I find that tossing various stuff into the food bowls at random is good... the variations and differences seem to stimulate curiosity and attention.
The other idea... if you can stand it (lol) EAT the stuff in front of the birds, yes. That encourages them. I have also found that if my ol' man eats stuff in front of the bird, the bird WANTS it for himself. Kinda a rivalry thing!
Since you're a new parront, I'll just drop a note about avoiding teflon pans, which can be lethal to birds if overheated.

I'm glad you're here. Lots to learn and share and enjoy!

 

[GivemeSeedsorgivemeFlesh]

Thank you so much! I will check out the links! I only use cast iron and stainless steel-no plastics at all for cooking in my kitchen except...I only have a toaster oven and electric plug in burner. No working stove. Hopefully it's okay. I've been using them since Ollie came to me a few weeks ago and he seems to be fine...