If you’re looking for more information about feeding cabbage to your budgies, this guide is for you. Cabbage is one of the most common veggies consumed by humans. And you may have thought of sharing it with your budgie. But is it good for the pet birds?
Can budgies eat cabbage? Yes, budgies can eat cabbage. This vegetable is safe for budgies and contains helpful nutrients like Vitamin C and calcium that promote a strong immune system and strong bones, respectively. Consider giving cabbages to your budgies 1-2 times a week for a balanced, healthy diet. But avoid overfeeding it to budgies because it can upset their tummy and bring up digestive issues.
In this guide, you’ll get more information about feeding cabbages to your budgies. You’ll discover whether to feed it raw or cooked, its health benefits, how you should prepare the veggie for your pets, and other important things you need to know.
Can you feed cabbage to budgies?
Cabbage is a non-toxic vegetable and safe for consumption by budgies. It contains helpful nutrients that your budgie’s body needs to stay healthy. It is an excellent source of vitamin C that keeps your feathered friend’s immune system strong.
It also packs other essential minerals and vitamins that are helpful to the birdie body. Not to forget, it contains fiber that keeps your pet’s digestive system functioning smoothly.
You can give cabbage to your budgie in either raw or cooked form. However, you’d want to go with the raw option as it contains more nutrients than the cooked cabbage.
Also, budgies can eat various kinds of cabbages, including red cabbage, purple cabbage, savoy cabbage, Napa cabbage, and Chinese cabbage. Almost all cabbage varieties are safe and non-poisonous for budgies to consume—just ensure you feed them moderately.
However, cabbage is not highly nutritious compared to other vegetables out there. This explains why it is not always on the list of the best vegetables for budgies.
For this reason, we don’t recommend making it a daily diet for your budgie. Instead, you should feed your pet bird moderately to maintain good health.
You also need to know that cabbage contains oxalic acid, a chemical found in many leafy greens. It combines with calcium and prevents it from getting absorbed in the body, denying the pet this essential mineral.
However, oxalic acid is present in low amounts in cabbage. Thus, it shouldn’t cause problems to your budgie if you give it the vegetable in moderation.
Do Budgies Like cabbage?
Budgies like cabbage due to its delicious and crunchy taste. They’ll eat this cabbage when you throw it their way without hesitation. Whether you give them raw or cooked, the budgies will happily feed on the vegetable.
However, some budgies can choose to ignore cabbages. If your pet bird falls in this category, you can still try other tricks to see if they’ll get to eat this vegetable.
One method involves feeding them cooked instead of raw cabbage. Boil the cabbage in a pot until it becomes soft, and then serve it to your bird. It might feel that this cabbage has a different texture from the raw one and start eating it.
But keeping in mind that cooking strips cabbage off most of its nutrients, you should switch back to raw after your parakeet gets used to the cooked veggie.
You may also try cutting the cabbage into smaller pieces and then mix it with the food your regularly feed your budgie. If this method works, continue using it to convince the bird to eat the cabbage.
As most bird owners agree, hand-feeding your budgie is also an effective trick to make it eat cabbage. The bird might see this as a game or a treat.
If your budgie still doesn’t want to eat cabbage after trying all the above tricks, don’t lose hope. Move on to alternative types of foods that are even healthier than cabbage. Examples include kale, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, etc.
Health benefits for budgies eating cabbage
Cabbage is a healthy fresh vegetable to feed your budgies. It is packed with vital nutrients that ensure your bird stays healthy. It also packs plenty of moisture to keep your bird hydrated.
These are key health benefits your budgie will get from a cabbage treat:
Calcium
One of the top benefits of cabbage is that it comes packed with calcium. This mineral plays an important role in your budgie’s body by stimulating enzymes, promoting fertility, and boosting the immune system. Other nutrients in cabbage beneficial to your pet bird’s health include manganese, copper, potassium, and iron.
Vitamins
Cabbages also provide budgies with vitamins C and A, essential for a strong immune system and healthy eyesight. The veggie also contains vitamin K, which promotes blood clotting and prevents excessive bleeding in budgies.
Improved digestion
Cabbage is also a source of soluble fiber that keeps digestion smooth in your budgie’s body. It absorbs stools and water to make them easier to pass. The fiber is also responsible for preventing constipation which can be hazardous to your pet’s health and cause dehydration and weight loss.
Carotenoids
Cabbage also contains carotenoids, the antioxidants responsible for clear vision and healthy skin. These antioxidants promote good heart health, brain function, cell regeneration, and lung development in baby budgies.
How much cabbage should budgies eat?
We advise you to give cabbages to your pet bird twice a week, whether cooked or in raw form. Too much cabbage can cause digestive issues in budgies, upset their tummies, and even cause bloating.
With this in mind, you should control how much cabbage you feed your pet birds. This way, they can enjoy maximum health benefits from the vegetable without experiencing any downsides.
How do you prepare cabbage for budgies?
You need to wash the cabbage thoroughly before feeding it to your budgies. This step is important as it helps you remove as much pesticide residue as possible from the vegetable and make it safe for your pet.
Getting organically grown cabbage is even safer as there are no pesticides to worry about (but you’ll still need to wash it to remove dirt and other unwanted substances).
Next, cut the vegetable into small pieces that are easy for your feathered friend to eat.
If your budgies don’t eat the cabbage, consider taking out their seeds and other food for around 1-2. This will give them time to get hungry, so when you introduce cabbage again, they’ll most likely eat it.
IMPORTANT: Only give fresh cabbage to your budgies. Avoid cutting the cabbage until you’re ready to prepare it for your pet birds. You should also not chop the cabbage into too small pieces that can cause a choking hazard.
Can you feed cabbage to baby budgies?
You can feed cabbage to baby budgies. The vegetable is safe for the young budgies and will not hurt them as long as you give it to them moderately.
Before you feed cabbage to baby budgies, you must wash it thoroughly to remove hazardous pesticides and other hazardous chemicals.
You should then cut the cabbage into small pieces that are easy for the young budgie to eat.
Alternatively, you can boil the cabbage to make it even softer and easier for the baby budgie to eat. But don’t include any add-ons or ingredients to the meal. Just boil it!
Remember that cabbages don’t pack many nutrients and aren’t the healthiest vegetable to feed baby budgies. If you can find alternative, more nutritious veggies for the young budgie, the better.
Also, feed the veggie to your baby budgies moderately to avoid upsetting their stomach and causing issues with their digestive system.
Video of a budgie eating cabbage:
Watch this video of a bunch of happy budgies eating cabbage
Related questions (FAQ):
Budgies can eat cooked cabbage. However, the vegetable’s nutritional value becomes compromised when you cook it. Vital nutrients Vitamin B and C are drained from the cabbage. But other nutrients that get enhanced as a result of boiling cabbage, including vitamins A, D, K, and E.
Avoid adding anything, including salt, when cooking cabbages for budgies. Also, remove the cooked vegetables from your bird’s cage in time as it easily encourages mold, bacteria, and fungi that threaten your budgie’s health.
If possible, just give your budgies cabbage in raw form as it’s more nutritious for the little bird’s body.
Yes, budgies can eat cabbage leaves. They love eating them due to their high water content. Plus, they carry some helpful nutrients like Vitamins A, B, and K.
However, you must wash the leaves to remove pesticide residue before feeding them to your budgies (soaking them in baking soda solution for around 20 minutes can help). Or better off, get organic cabbage free of these harmful chemicals.
Since these leaves don’t offer much nutritional value, you should not provide them to the budgies daily or regularly. Just slice them into their feeding dish occasionally.
Final word
Cabbage contains no harmful substances or compounds that may harm your budgies. The little pets love this veggie and will happily eat it in raw or cooked form. But we advise giving raw cabbage to them since cooking deprives the veggie of most nutrients.
The fresh vegetable is easy to prepare for budgies and packs essential minerals and vitamins that keep your budgie healthy.
The only bad thing about cabbage is that overfeeding it to your budgie can easily upset its tummy and cause digestive problems. To prevent this e advise you to limit how much cabbage you give your budgie. Also, limit the number of times you feed your budgie cabbage to around 2 times a week.
Do you know if your budgies can eat celery or oranges? Read our articles about it to learn more.
