Why Budgies Should Not Eat Grapes

We all know that a healthy diet is important for budgies and a lot of owners love to feed their birds grapes. After all, fruits and vegetables are healthy foods and contain a lot of healthy vitamins and minerals.

While grapes are a healthy fruit, they also contain a lot of fructose for a small bird and it is important to remember that grapes should only be fed in small amounts to your budgie. Feeding too much of it can lead to obesity and other health problems.

Let’s find out more about why budgies should not eat grapes on a regular basis, as well as the right diet you should be following for your feathered friend to be healthy.

Budgies and Grapes

Fruits and vegetables are always thought to be a healthy snack. While lots of grapes are not harmful to humans, the same cannot be said when it comes to budgies. Our feathered friends are small and their digestive system is a lot more sensitive than a human.

This means that a lot of foods we think are healthy can actually make a budgie sick if they are fed too much. This includes grapes.

It is easy to assume that since grapes are small they are suitable for your budgie to snack on. But they actually contain high levels of fructose. This is another word that is used for sugar and this makes them very sweet for your feathered friend.

Feeding your budgie too many grapes can make them sick and lead to obesity and health problems.

Yet, this does not mean that budgies can never be fed grapes; they are safe to feed your budgie from time to time, just not on a regular basis. This fruit is not toxic in any way to your feathered friend.

Think about grapes as a treat for a budgie. It is recommended to only feed your budgie grapes once a week as a healthy treat and to limit this to one or two small grapes.

If you want to learn about safe treats that you can give your budgie, read our article on that here! We show you 12 great treats for your budgie there!

The Best Diet for Your Budgie

So, what is the best diet for your little, feathered friend? Well, it is pretty simple. It all starts by looking for a good seed mix in your local pet store. This can be one of the parts of your budgie’s diet since they would eat seeds out in the wild.

But, you do have to be careful when you are choosing a seed mix. This is because they can contain different mixtures of seeds, which can mean that they are too high in fat or carbohydrates for your feathered friend.

A seed mix should not make up the whole diet for your budgie. In fact, a lot of owners are choosing pellets to feed their bird so that they get all the nutrition that they need to stay healthy. It is recommended that pellets make up around 75% of your budgie’s diet.

Of course, like any new food, it is important to switch your budgie’s food slowly. It can be a difficult task if you have an older budgie who is set in their ways.

But over a number of weeks, you can slowly increase the number of pellets that you offer your budgie, as well as reducing any seed mixes or other foods you are offering.

The right amount is important

By the way, feeding the right amount of food is important as well. We have created an entire article on how much budgies should be fed. Read it here!

Safe Vegetables for Budgies

Of course, a varied diet is always important for your budgie. This means that you can offer your feathered friend some delicious and fresh vegetables. Vegetables offer water, vitamins, and minerals to your budgie, as well as a good taste they will enjoy.

It is recommended to make the fresh vegetables around 20% of your budgie’s diet.

So, what vegetables can you feed your budgie? There is a lot that you can choose from. This includes:

Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower (Cauliflower is actually very healthy for budgies and cockatiels – We explain why in this article)
Celery
Cucumber (Cucumber is another very healthy veggie for your budgie- Read here why itis so good.)
Spring greens.

Mix up the vegetables you feed your bird and see if you can work out what one is your budgie’s favorite!

Safe Fruits for Budgies

Fruit is like a treat to a budgie. While they are allowed to eat some fruits, it is essential that they are not fed too much. Think about fruit as something that is like chocolate or candy to humans; full of sugar!

Any fruits that are given to your budgie, including grapes, should be in small amounts and only around once or twice per week. Fruit should only make up around 5% of your budgie’s diet.

Fruits that are safe and healthy to feed your budgie include:

Banana
Apple segments
Blueberries (If you want to know why blueberries are good for parrots and parakeets and how to minimize the mess when feeding them, read this article!)
Melon (More on budgies and watermelon in this article!)
Raspberries

It is best to not give your budgie citrus fruits, as these contain high amounts of citric acid. This is a substance that can cause an upset stomach for your bird and it is found in fruits such as lemons and limes.

The last thing you want is for your feathered friend to feel unwell. In addition, be careful with apricots and peaches. These fruits contain stones that could contain cyanide, which can be fatal for your budgie.

Make sure that you do not give your budgie the apple seeds either, as they can be toxic. So, make sure they are served peeled and sliced so that your budgie can enjoy the inside that is nutritious.

A lot of owners wonder if they can feel dry fruits to their budgies. The answer to this question is yes, as long as it is in small amounts.

This includes raisins and dried mangoes. It is all about watching the amount of sugar you feed your bird, which means limited their daily intake of any fruit that you give your bird.

Budgie Diet Tips

Just like humans, budgies can be picky when it comes to eating. This means that you will need to have some patience when you are introducing your bird to a new diet. In fact, your budgie may not want to eat the new food at all at first.

But, do not lose hope. You just have to give him or her some time to try it by themselves.

The trick is to leave it in their cage for a while so that they can investigate and taste it on their own. Removing any food they are used to too quickly can make your feathered friend stressed.

There are also some other tips you should remember when feeding your budgie; check them out.

Choose Raw

If you do provide your budgie with fruit and vegetables, it is always best to do this with pieces that are raw. This means not to give your budgie any cooked or processed fruit and vegetables, as they can often contain other ingredients that can be harmful.

Since the pieces that you give to your budgie should be small and only a couple of times a week, you will not have to worry about the cost of fresh food.

Wash Fruit and Vegetables

You should always wash any fruit and vegetables that you buy for your budgie before you offer it to them. This is good hygiene and it is going to help remove any chemicals that are present on the food.

Of course, even a small amount of chemicals can be harmful to your small bird, so spend a few minutes washing any fruit and vegetables before putting them into the cage.

Remove Old Food

It is also important to remove any fruit or vegetables that have not been eaten at the end of the day. Fresh food can go off pretty quickly, especially when it is exposed to the temperatures inside the home and outside of the fridge.

Be sure not to pile on fresh food on top of the old stuff. This will prevent any bacteria growing that could become harmful to your little bird friend.

Make it Fun

Do not forget that new food and experiences can be fun for your budgie. Something as simple as providing a variety of fruit and vegetables will provide the fun your budgie needs to be happy.

They love to explore everything this world has to offer and tasting new flavors and feeling new textures with their tongue are natural behaviors that budgies enjoy.

Thus, providing some new fruit and vegetables will be healthy for your budgie, as well as enjoyable and satisfy his or her curious side.

Be Vigilant

If you notice that your budgie’s droppings have become watery since eating fruit or vegetables, make sure you remove them.

This can be a sign that your budgie is eating too many fresh foods and you should cut back on the amount that you are giving them.

This will make sure they return to normal. Always introduce new foods slowly since a budgie’s digestive system is sensitive. There is no rush!