Budgerigars are omnivores, meaning they eat both insects and plants at the same time. In nature, budgerigars consume a wide variety of foods, including seeds, fruits, greens, leaves, grains, legumes, insects, worms, berries, and vegetation.
A proper budgie diet includes 10% protein (insects etc.), 25% greens, fruits, and berries, and 65% seeds (grass seeds, etc.).
In exceptional circumstances, such as during competition and breeding season, budgerigar owners and budgerigar specialists may decide to feed their budgies with a special mix instead of a regular budgie diet.
What is a budgie seed mix?
Budgerigar seed mix contains many types of seeds with specific percentages for certain conditions, such as mating seasons, competitions, or routine budgerigar diets.
What are the seed types for the budgie seed mix?
Budgie seed mixes have different seeds depending on companies, budgie experts, and different conditions.
Every budgie seed mix may have different seed types.
The common seed contents of budgie seed mixes can be listed as follows:
- White millet,
- Yellow millet,
- Red millet,
- Japanese millet,
- Canary seed,
- Peeled/Naked oats,
- Yellow panicum millet,
- Hemp seed,
- Linseed,
- Niger seed,
- Safflower seed,
- Quinoa,
- Chia seed,
- Canola seed/rapeseed,
- Kodo millet,
- Flaxseed.
Companies produce different products by choosing among the seeds in the list above and changing the percentage of seeds in these selections.
Budgie fanciers and experts create seed mixes for a particular budgie or particular conditions such as exhibitions, and mating seasons.
However, budgie experts and fanciers often choose to buy seed mixes from specialist companies for stable quality concerns.
How much seed should a budgie eat daily?
Budgies should eat 1-2 teaspoons of seed, which is approximately 65% of daily food intake. Daily seed intake should be a combination of various seeds such as millets, canary seed, hemp seed, oats, niger seed, etc.
What seeds do budgies like the most?
Budgies like and eat many seeds. It is hard to say a seed name as a favorite budgie seed for budgies. However, companies and budgie experts include seed that is commonly liked by budgies.
Here is the seed list that budgies like the most, as follows:
- White, yellow, red millets,
- Canary seed,
- Naked oats,
- Hemp seed,
- Niger seed,
- Safflower seed,
- Chia seed,
- Flaxseed.
What is a budgie seed stick (bar)?
Budgie seed sticks are specially designed as a stick (bar) form for budgies containing different types of seeds (such as flaxseeds, sunflower seeds), cereals, oats, different types of millet, sugar, honey, and dried fruits.
Budgie seed sticks (bars) often have a hook for hanging on cages.
What is a budgie seed ring?
Budgie seed rings are designed in ring form that can be slid over a perch easily. Budgie seed rings contain different types of seeds (such as flaxseeds, sunflower seeds), cereals, oats, different types of millet, sugar, honey, and dried fruits.
What is budgie tonic seed?
Budgie tonic or tonic seed mix is a special budgie food with high protein and energy content to provide vitality to budgies, especially during pre-breeding seasons. Budgerigar tonic seed mixes contain seeds rich in oil.
Many companies have different budgie tonics which have various recipes. However, budgie tonics may contain the seeds and other ingredients listed below:
- Aniseed oil
- Cod liver oil
- Japanese millet
- Panicum millet
- Red millet
- White millet
- Naked oats
- Niger seed
- Screened linseed
What is a Budgie Breeder Seed Mix?
Budgie breeder seed mix products are the most liked seed mixes by budgies that contain specially selected seeds by leading professionals of budgie breeders.
Budgie breeder seed mixes are often used by budgerigar professionals competing in budgerigar competitions.
Budgie seed only diet
A Budgie seed-only diet is not suitable for a daily diet of budgies and has negative effects of the incompetence of vitamins, minerals such as calcium, and protein.
A budgie seed-only diet is too high in fat and fiber.
Seed-only diets cause feathers to become dull, dry, and brittle.
DIY Homemade budgie seed mix recipe
There are many DIY homemade budgie seed mix recipes from all over the world with different country-specific seeds.
It is hard to say that there is a βBest homemade budgie seed mixβ. However, budgie owners can create recipes for different purposes, such as a daily seed mix or a pre-breeding season seed mix.
Budgie seed mix list and seed ratios
Companies and budgie owners can create different recipes that contain different ratios of seeds in budgie seed mixes.
Budgerigar seed mixes usually contain equal ratios of budgerigar seeds in the mix.
Budgies often ignore seeds they donβt like. This is why budgie owners should choose seeds that budgies love.
Budgie owners should include extra ingredients such as banana, orange peel, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, filbert, cashews, almonds, pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, soybeans, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, freeze-dried peas, spinach, celery, parsley, etc. to prevent an unbalanced diet.
Example seed mix list 1
- White millet
- Canola seed
- Niger seed
- Canary grass seed
- Red millet
- Hemp seed
- Sesame seed
- Flaxseed
- Anise seed
- Poppy seed
- Caraway seed
All ingredient seeds may be in equal ratios.
Example seed mix table 2
Millet | 20% |
Red millet | 20% |
Sunflower | 25% |
Canary seed | 10% |
Safflower seed | 20% |
Canola seed | 5% |
Paddy seed | 5% |
Can budgies eat sunflower seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat sunflower seeds. Sunflower seed is a good source of vitamin E, fiber, fat, and selenium. Sunflower seed is often used in the budgie seed mixes.
Can budgies have pumpkin seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat pumpkin seeds that are rich in vitamin K, antioxidants, iron, zinc, and magnesium.
Can budgies eat sesame seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat small amounts of sesame. Sesame seeds can be given twice a month as a single meal or in a budgerigar seed mix. Excess sesame seeds can cause an unbalanced diet.
Can budgies eat flax seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat small amounts of flaxseed. Flaxseed is an oilseed that can cause rapid weight gain, and therefore should not be more than 5% of a daily serving of seeds.
Can budgies eat chia seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat small amounts of chia seeds. Chia seeds contain omega 3, vitamin E, B, and calcium that help keep hair and skin healthy.
Can budgies eat niger seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat niger seed often. The fat content of niger seed is about 35% percent and protein content is about 18%, which is good as winter food for budgies. Niger seed is often used by budgerigar owners during the pre-breeding season to increase vitality.
Can budgies eat hemp seeds?
Yes, budgies can eat hemp seeds without any problem. Hemp seeds are high in protein, omega 3, and omega 6.
Many budgerigar owners report that their budgies love to eat hemp seeds and actively seek hemp seeds in their seed mix.
Budgie owners often serve hemp seeds by cooking hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds) that are bought from online marketplaces such as Amazon.
Can budgies eat millet?
Yes, budgies can eat millet, which is one of the favorite foods of budgies. Budgies have a special love for millets that can cause an addiction that makes them reject other seeds and foods.
Millet is high in fat but not enough nutrients for budgies and should be limited to 1-2 teaspoons daily.
The seeds are not bad for budgies. In nature, budgies often eat seeds, which is 65% of their daily food intake. Seeds shouldnβt be more than 65% of daily intake and should be a mix of different seeds to prevent from unbalanced diet and nutritional deficiency.
Budgerigar seeds will last for approximately 6 months if kept dry, airtight, cool, and out of direct light.
Niger seeds and canola seeds are possible black seeds in the budgie mix.
Budgie seed is ok for wild birds. Wild birds eat seeds for up to 65% of their daily food intake.