Budgie Question

[Tycos_mom]

I haven't had budgies for allot of years since my girls where little and they are now grown with kids of their own. I know years ago everyone fed their bird grit or gravel my question is Do budgies need grit or if you feed them like you would other birds can they do without it ? I bought a Budgie for a little girls birthday and want to make sure I tell her how to look after it properly Thanks in advance

[dblhelix]

Grit is not needed at all to keep a healthy Budgie and some data shows its actually dangerous. My little Lucky lived almost 14 years on a balanced diet of a seed mix and daily fresh veggies (lettuce, broccoli, grapes and other seasonal fresh goodies).

 

Budgies are amazing little parrots. Lucky had a 50+ word vocab, flew to me on command and was a great companion. Never underestimate the mighty little budgie and enjoy!

[spookyhurst]

I totally agree! People don't give the little guys enough credit. I love budgies, and hope to get another one someday (I had 2 when I was a kid).

[BMustee]

The only birds that need grit are doves, with the exception to Diamond doves. The whole idea behind grit is it hulls the seeds while in the crop, but as we all know from just looking at our floors our parrots are able to hulls seeds before they eat them. Some people just can't get it out of their heads that their smaller birds need grit so I tell them to use an oyster shell grit that is soluble so there is less risk of crop impaction.

[Tycos_mom]

Thanks I didn't think they needed grit so I told her not to give him any I told her as long as she feeds him good stuff like the Zupreem fruity pellets and the seed mix I gave her and mabie a peice of apple and some romaine lettace and mabie grate some carrots up for him he sould be fine. I also told her if her mom buy's the organic baby greens mix for salads she could give him some or that she could come over to my house and I will give her a little bag of it to take home for him. I always have it in the house for my birds the baby green and the Italian baby greens seems to be my birds favorite salad I also told her if her mom makes scrambled eggs she could mash up a 1/2 a teasoon or so for him but no more than that and only once a week or so. My kids had budgies when they where young and Tommy my oldest daughters budgie lived 12 years she took that bird everywhere with her he was the best little budgie he would go to anyone and just loved to be with people they really are great little companions and they seem to really identify with children.

[darth_mint]

I've had budgies for years and they definitely don't need grit, as they have a very messy habit of regurgitating whatever's in their crop, chewing it up and then swallowing it again once it's sufficiently mashed! But if grit is made available to them, some birds will gorge themselves on it (seems to be a personal preference).

 

I'd be careful about letting them have grit at all, as budgies can be greedy little things and sometimes don't know when to stop eating. I've had birds that when presented with a millet spray meant to last a day, would eat the whole thing in ten minutes (a millet spray bigger than they are!) and then be very miserable for the rest of the day because they were so bloated. :sick: Not good if they did that with grit.