THE BUDGIE
GUIDE
when and what we feed our birds—
BREAKFAST
tablespoons worth of VEGGIE CHOP
sprinkle of ground linseed on top (optional)
+ finish with a teaspoon sprinkle of seeds
AFTERNOON/DINNER
tablespoon of PELLETS
ANYTIME
for any training or interaction we use MILLET.
budgies also love natural grasses—here is a great article on what natural options you can feed your bird from around your neighbourhood:
https://currumbinvetservices.com.au/wildfood-for-your-birds/
DIET
we feed our birds twice a day and use millet for human interaction/training. A budgies diet should consist of three main food sources which includes:
-
https://lazzislegacy.org/diet has a great rundown of how to make your own chop — I highly recommend having a look!
if you’d prefer not to make the chop you can buy season chop here -
we recommend TOPS brand pellets.
they’re expensive, but will last you a long time.
They are hard to find locally but available online here:
https://parrotsupplies.com.au/products/tops-mini-size-pellets -
You want to make sure you buy seed labelled for budgies.
AusOrganics is a great brand and can be found at Petbarn and Petstock. -
Millet can be found at your local pet store or supermarket.
Songbird Gourmet is our favourite for a wonderful selection of toppers & treat for your bird.
CAGE & TOYS
The bigger the cage the better!
You want to choose a cage with a minimum of 60cm width to give your budgie room to fly from one side to the other.
in your cage you want to have:
a water bowl
a food bowl
2-3 shredding toys:
you want to invest in toys that they can shred and destroy. We recommend investing in a few toys every couple of months and just rotate them around once they’ve shredded them.
a few natural perches of different sizes
These are some places we like to buy toys & perches from:
Pixie Paw Pets
Queensland Aviaries
Songbird Gourmet - use code LITTLEGRACEFEATHERS for a 5% discount
TRAINING & BONDING
Training your budgie is a wonderful way to create a wonderful bond with your bird.
we highly recommend taking the time to watch these videos by BIRDTRICKS
following these principles will give you the most delightful pet bird!
One mistake we made with our very first budgie was not being educated and because we constantly forced her to step up and do things - we destroyed her trust and she became a hard core biter. We eventually re-homed her for a fresh start. Which was so heartbreaking.
After this I was determined to learn more and I really wished we had educated ourselves before getting our first budgie - which is why I strive to give our adoptive families the education I wish we had!
Don’t make our mistake! — educate yourself and the fruit of that will be to experience the beautiful bond of budgie companionship!
SLEEP
It is really important your budgie gets an uninterrupted 10-12 hours of sleep each night in a quiet dark spot.
this might mean covering the cage at night OR putting your budgie in a tiny sleeper cage somewhere quiet & dark (like the laundry?).
this is one of the key factors in preventing behavioural / hormonal issues such as aggression, mating behaviour etc.
BRINGING YOUR BUDGIE HOME
My biggest advice in the first few days with your new budgie is to be super gentle and calm. Show your new friend that they can trust you, and that you’re not going to smother it and force it to do lots of things…
think quality over quantity - its not about the amount of time you spend with your bird but the number of positive interactions.
take advantage of millet to reward your bird for being with you.
eventually a wonderful bond will happen and you’ll start to see your birds personality shine through.
go slow :)
enjoy bonding!
