I have tried broccolli in a couple of different ways and some fruit (before I knew that they didn't eat fruit much) But she hasn't even looked at it at all or checked it out. So I will try some different veggies.. and try misting them, or leaving them wet when I put them inside the cage. Do you know what kind of pellets I should get...

I have heard good things about these http://www.naturechest.com/roudmain.html
and these http://www.naturechest.com/harrisons.html
I get these http://www.gourmetparrot.com/exact-organic.html because it's what my pet store carries and when i first got them Levi liked them so i stuck with em. I didn't want to have to order online all the time.
Check out what ur petstore has and if you have any questions about them come here and ask if anyone uses that kind?

Thank you so much!! I'm addicted to going to the pet store!! any reason I'm gone! heehee

hey im about to get a budgie/parakeet and was hopeing to get some pointers befor i get one.i bought 3 items already(didnt have enough money for everything)i got a toy it looks kind of like a ladder with 2 bells with gnawable parts, a sand perch, and a hony seed mix parakeet feed can anyone list me what else i need?(besides cage and the budgie)

oh,and i hope this is the right place to post this.

I am going to start this in a new thread for you If you aren't sure how to start a new thread, send me (or anyone) a PM and we will be glad to offer you help.

Find your new thread here: http://www.wineintro.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=375856&#Post375856

Now, back to our scheduled broadcast:

as far as do you take the seeds out for extended periods of time. No matter what you decide about that AFTER they are eating veggies and pellets, do NOT do it right away. As mentioned above, budgies can starve to death if they do not realize the veggies are food.

As to the protein issue. I am not going to debate with anyone. I suggest you talk to your avian vet and get his/her input. What my vet told me is this: The pellets are designed to give your bird the closest possible nutrients to what they get in the wild. If you are giving pellets and LOTS of veggies w/a little fruit once in a while, they will be fine.

What works for me, my boys AND my vet is this, they have pellets 24/7. They get seeds occasionally sprinkled on their veggies and almost every night offered out of our hands. I work from home so from the time they are uncovered until they are covered at night, I am offering a variety of veggies. They always have at least one veggie available at all times through out the day.

That is just what works for us and I can tell you I have had Aruba just over a year, Caico, Antigua and Cayman for almost a year now and the only time any of them have been to the vet is for a well check which they have passed w/flying colors. That's not to say they couldn't all get sick tomorrow.

Oh oh, I do also have Herb Salad in their coconut shell swing on top of the cage so they can munch on that as they wish from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Whoever it was who thanked me for putting in time to get this thread set up and started, you are welcome.

A good way to eliminate waste with seeds, if you are home and can keep an eye on your bird(s) to make sure what their needs are, is to only offer 1 teaspoon at a time. Most birds will not consume more than 1-3 teaspoons a day, so why give them more? And if they are eating a variety of foods, there is no need to give them more than 1 teaspoons a day.
Regarding pellets, something to think about with pet Budgies is you should not feed them what they would eat in the wild because they do not fly (or move around) as much in captivity as they would free, so they do not burn as many calories or require as much protein. A Budgie in the wild will fly many miles a day to find food & water. At home, even if left out all day, realistically they may fly 1 mile. That said, you need to calculate your bird(s) activity level and fly time, calculate calories, and manage their weight to find the perfect food/pellet balance for your bird(s) -no Avian Vet or person elsewhere can say exactly what is right unless they weigh and monitor each individual bird regularly/often.

My keets are *very* excited when the see wet greens coming their way. They are usually very cautious with any new object (To the point of, when being offered millet by my left hand instead of the right, they wouldn't come near. They were scared of my wedding band).

Anyway, the very first time I offered them curly kale, they couldn't get to it fast enough. They dashed over and drank the water drops, nibbled and rolled around in the kale.

So maybe some dripping wet greens would be a way to entice them.

Good luck!

some1 plz gimmie a hint of how to crush his pellets up. i have the lefeber's premium daily diet for parakeets. any good ideas?

Nice to see this thread back! I posted early on and its interesting to read what I did then. I still offer veggies and fruit. Now I feed grains and legumes every day and veggies. Fruit if I am not out! Peanut butter toast is a hit with the big guys, not so much with the budgies. They are picky. Some days they will eat veggies and some days not. I also started making bird corn bread. I put pellets in and they will eat them that way!