Treats are a great way to strengthen your bond with your budgie and to reward them for their good behavior. Treats also help add variety to your bird’s diet while providing them with essential nutrients. But what are the best budgie treats that will make your bird happy?
Treats for budgies to make your bird happy include spray millet, seed sticks, nuts, oats, sprouts, nuts, fruits, fresh veggies, etc. You can also give your birds homemade bird treats for budgies such as homemade popcorn, oatmeal, seed sticks/balls, and hardboiled eggs.
The following article goes into full detail about all the nice treats for budgies, including their favorite veggies and fruits, foods to avoid, and more.
11 Treats For Budgies To Make Your Birds Happy
Budgies usually love treats with intriguing colors flavors and textures. They’ll appreciate treats ranging from fresh vegetables, fruits, cuttlebones, and proteins. However, you should give these treats to your pet bird only 1-2 per week to keep it from refusing to eat its regular healthy diet.
Below is our list of the best treats for budgies to keep them happy:
1. Seed sticks
If you’re looking for store-bought treats that are healthy for your budgies, consider the seed sticks. These are usually made from healthy grains and seeds such as millet, oats, and seeds (sunflower seeds are usually used).
However, most manufacturers may also add honey, nuts, dried fruits, and eggs—further increasing the nutritional value of this snack.
Seed sticks for budgerigars are readily available in all pet stores and you can store them for months without worrying about them going bad.
However, if you can’t get them at your local pet store or don’t like the store-bought feeds, you can make your own seed sticks at home. This gives you total control over what ingredients to use. The process is also pretty easy and anyone can do it.
You simply mix peanuts, sunflower seeds, grains, and dried fruits. Put the mixture in a food processor to reduce it into tiny bits. Add egg whites or honey to act as a binder for the seeds and mix them together. Now mold the mixture into bars or balls. Finally, bake the mixture at 200 degrees F for 20-30 minutes to enable it to harden.
2. Spray millet
Millet is one of the favorite treats for budgies. It is crunchy, flavorful, and fun to forage. The food is also pretty easy to store and the golden honey color makes it an enticing treat for your budgie.
Millet will provide your budgie with various essential nutrients including iron, phosphorous, vitamin B magnesium, calcium, and protein.
However, you should only give it to your budgies occasionally, as too much of it can lead to millet addiction. And your pet bird may refuse to eat other foods.
Also, millet alone won’t supply your bird with all the necessary nutrients.
3. Nuts
Nuts are rich in essential nutrients and vitamins, which makes them another great treat for your budgies. They also taste great, so your budgie will love them.
However, they’re high in fat, so you should give them to your budgie as an occasional treat.
Some of the best options to consider include walnuts, cashew nuts, and almonds.
If possible, give your budgie these nuts while they’re still in the shells to provide them with a way to exercise as they try to get the seeds out of the shells.
Make sure you ONLY give your budgies unsalted nuts. Salted nuts have high sodium amounts which can negatively impact your bird’s health.
And don’t forget to clean the nuts thoroughly before offering them to your budgie.
4. Rice
Rice is favorite for budgies, probably due to its small, bite-sized shape. However, you shouldn’t give your budgies white rice due to its high content of sugar and low nutritional value.
Brown rice is recommended for budgies. It contains antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals that your budgie requires for healthy body growth.
Black rice is even better for budgies as it contains fewer calories compared to brown rice and is packed with the same quantity of minerals and vitamins and higher amounts of antioxidants.
You can mix the rice with other snacks, e.g. nut butter, for added flavor and variety.
5. Pasta
Pasta may be low in nutrients but it has high levels of carbohydrates for energy. You can mix it with some colorful vegetables to ensure your budgie acquires more minerals and vitamins.
A good type of pasta to give your budgies is the bowtie pasta whose bright shades and rough edges will make your budgies want to eat it.
Note that you can give cooked or uncooked pasta to your budgies. The latter is crunchy while the cooked one has a great flavor.
6. Homemade popcorn
Your budgie will also appreciate a popcorns treat. But you shouldn’t give your budgie store-bought popcorn. These contain salt and fats which will harm your pet’s health.
Homemade popcorns are the healthiest option for budgies since you’re in control of the ingredients. You can not only use corn kernels but other grain options including Amaranth, wheat, quinoa, wild rice, etc.
Air fry your popcorn or just use a small amount of oil (we recommend coconut oil) to make your grains pop. Don’t use any salt or seasonings.
7. Homemade oatmeal
You can also combine oats and honey to make a flavorful chewy treat for your parakeet. After combining the ingredients, bake them for 8-10 minutes in the oven, but constantly monitor them to ensure they don’t get too sticky or hard.
Adding veggies to the oatmeal will enrich it with more nutrients for your pet bird.
However, make sure you store these treats in an airtight container for not more than 3 days. And place them in a place that’s not too hot or cold so they stay in good condition.
8. Vegetables
Budgies in the wild eat a variety of vegetables, a chance that their captive relatives don’t usually get to enjoy.
For this reason, a few bits of vegetables once every week will make a fun treat for them. Plus, offering them extra minerals and vitamins they may not get from their seed mixture diet.
Examples of safe veggies to consider for your pet budgie include carrots, spinach, broccoli, sweet potato, and cauliflower, to name but a few.
9. Fruits
Just like vegetables, wild budgies are also fond of nibbling on fruits native to their natural habitats such as kiwi and mango.
This makes fruits another great treat to give your pet budgie to make it happy.
There is a whole list of fruits that are safe for budgies, and giving them in small quantities can help expand their palette while giving them a break from their usual seed diet.
Examples of fruits to consider for your pet include native fruits like apples, (mango and kiwi), peaches, melons, strawberries, etc.
Be sure to wash these fruits thoroughly and remove the seeds before you give them to your budgie.
10. Cuttlefish bone
Your budgie requires calcium. And cuttlebone is one of the best sources of calcium for your budgies as it’s made from cuttlefish’s calcified internal shell.
Throwing this hard-chew mineral supplement in your parakeet’s cage will allow it to play, exercise, sharpen its beak, and most importantly—get a calcium mineral boost!
11. Eggs
Cooked eggs will make a good protein treat for your budgie. The egg is highly nutritious for your budgies as it contains white, yolk, and shell (which are a good source of calcium).
You can prepare the egg for your budgie by boiling it for 12 minutes. afterward, give it to your parakeet in a few sliced-up pieces 1-2 times every week.
Alternatively, scramble the eggs to add a new texture and flavor to your pet’s meals. But make sure you don’t use salt or oil.
What treats should you avoid for budgies?
Some foods are harmful and toxic to your budgie’s system and you should avoid them at all costs.
You should avoid giving your budgie any food containing tobacco, caffeine, can sugar, or alcohol. Also, avoid all high-fat and sugar-content foods such as chocolate and sweets.
Above all, avoid adding salt to any type of food meant for budgies. Too much salt (sodium chloride) can cause dehydration, kidney problems, and even death!
Final Verdict
There are many treats you can give your pet budgie to make it happy. These treats range from fruits and vegetables to nuts, seed sticks, homemade popcorn, cuttlebone, eggs, nuts, and rice/pasta, among others. Give your bird these treats as a reward for their good behavior and to help supplement their diet with helpful nutrients.
However, keep in mind that these treats should be given to budgies in moderation or occasionally as they don’t contain all the nutrients necessary for your pet. Avoid feeding your budgie any high-fat and sugar-content foods or salted foods as they’re toxic to small birds and lead to serious health issues.
