Like all living organism, birds also required a proper and balanced diet of carbs, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. It has been getting very common that people are very fond of keeping birds and other animals as pets but don’t like to take care of them in any terms especially when it comes to diet. As time passes, many animals and birds are coming in this ratio of neglected diet due to lack of knowledge about their behavior and needs. The main reason for this problem is that people think birds can easily survive up to seeds and pellets, which is not valid. Many other sources of dietary nutrients are also necessary if you want your bird to stay healthy.
Like if we talk about parakeets, those are the most affectionate and easy-going birds and people are very inclined towards these because of their loving and speaking habits. Another best thing about parakeet when it comes to their diet is that they can easily consume a wide variety of food that is primarily being consumed by humans as well. So you don’t have to worry much about what special food they eat. However there are list of things that budgies like to eat, but here we will talk specifically on their one of the favorite treat food i.e. Strawberries.
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Budgies And Strawberries
In this article we have discuss all about the aspects of parakeet’s diet generally but in this we will be sharing details about parakeet’s strawberry eating habits and how much strawberries are safe for parakeets. Parakeets are known to be fruits and vegetable lover in pet birds. The main reason is that its taste attracts them, but they are deluded with their wide range of colors. Also, parakeets are very intrigued in eating what their owners eat that’s why they like fruits and vegetables a lot.
The question arises are budgies fond of strawberries or can we feed them with as a part of their diet?
The answer we got to know is that parakeets are blueberries and strawberries lovers, not only this, they also like their smell. Since there are no such prominent effects on giving strawberries as a part of their diet, feedings them strawberries can be very beneficial for them as it is rich in vitamins necessary for budgies growth. Who knows strawberries can turn out as their favourite treat and they start to like you more even before.
Are Strawberries A Safe Diet Option For Budgies?
One thing to make sure of before buying the strawberries is that either they are organic or non-organic. How will you get to know about this? Usually, the strawberries and berries available in the market that are packed have antioxidants with some content of pesticides. Such non-organic strawberries will not be safe for your parakeets; they might also have some toxins in it that can be harmful for your parakeets. So if you want to feed your parakeet strawberries, then organic ones are preferred while keeping in mind about their health as well.
Another thing to be sure of while feeding your budgies strawberries is that it can turn out to be harmful to them even though it is safe if you provide them too much on a regular basis. The main reason is that strawberries contain some amount of fructose and salicylic too, which can be bad for their health if they start to linger in their body, leading to harmful conditions.
To maintain a balance in that, you can give them strawberries twice a week, as to treat their rapid learning behavior and when they respond to your stimulus. Another beneficial property of strawberry is that these are rich in Vitamin C and folic acid which is quite essential for parakeets in their developmental ages.
Simple Steps To Serve Strawberries To Your Parakeets
Serving strawberries to your parakeets is a very effortless task to do as you can chop them and make small chunks for your pet as per their size. The tiny seeds of strawberries isn’t also a problem as they can be easily digested through parakeets gut.
Wondering how you can efficiently serve strawberries to your budgies and make them love you more than ever before. To make sure is that whenever you do them, make sure the strawberries are fresh and healthy for your budgies friend. However, there are some of the precautionary steps to be taken to make sure that your strawberries are good to go for your pet and won’t effect on their health that are, starting with:
Swept Up Pesticides
It is pretty simple to wash off all the pesticides by simply washing the strawberries for your budgies. Just like you wash the strawberries for eating for yourself, that’s it is. This is the easiest way to make sure of washing out all the germs and pesticides for your little buddy and giving them their favorite treat.
Small Chunks
As strawberries are quite large enough to engulf by parakeets with their small beak. You can make it easier for them by cutting the strawberries into small pieces as this will help them eat the berries more easily.
Even though it’s not very common in budgies, but if your parakeets are afraid of red colour; then to feed them you can also cut strawberries into smaller pieces. This will also help them in making.
Add Greens In Their Diet
In case your budgies are afraid of red colour, you can try this another hack and still give them strawberries. By simply adding some green leafy vegetables into their food dish, they’ll not be able to distinguish it. And you can still serve them healthy snacks.
You can give green veggies like parsley, cucumber, spinach, broccoli even herbs too.
Give Time To Adjust
What if budgies are not showing a positive response towards strawberries, or what if they are terrified of red color. In such scenarios, all you have to do is be patient with your budgies and try to see their response after giving them strawberries to eat.
Firstly, they won’t mind putting the strawberries into their cages but afterwards, then try to notice their behavior throughout the day. If you see any body language change or some distress or discomfort, then try to remove it from their cell and try again later. The main thing you have to keep in mind is that you don’t have to rush with them or force anything on them. It might take some time, but they’ll grab their attention soon and will be curious on their own.
Stay Calm
It has been seen in many pet parakeets that there is a colour change in their droppings after consuming strawberries. If your budgies have a different colour dropping, then there is no need to panic as it is pretty standard after serving them fruits, which is quite common in parakeets. So there is no need to create panic in such situations. However, if the condition gets worse then visit your veterinarian.
Take Off The Dish
If your budgies have shown hatred or disliked the strawberries after a whole day, then you should take off the strawberries from their cage. The main reason is that after being exposed to the air the whole day, there is the possibility that strawberries might have caught some bacteria in them, which is still quite harmful to your budgies. It is better safe than to be sorry!
Number Of Strawberries You Can Feed To Your Parakeet?
The best thing to offer budgies is the fresh fruits and fresh strawberries by adding them in a part of their diet while keeping a balanced portions diet.
Instead of feeding them strawberries daily, it would be better that you should provide them once or twice a week. As per keeping in moderation, large-sized 1-2 strawberries would also be better to feed them.
The main reason for mentioning is that whenever you want your budgie to try something new, start with a bit of that and monitor their reaction and set the amount of quantity in their diet. The excessive amount will also be not suitable for their health.
Once your parakeet shows interest in eating strawberries, and now you can simply introduce them to some more fruits, you can try to add more fruits in their dish and mix it with strawberries. Then you will get to know if they will eat it after end up eating the other fruits or not. Also, this will not develop any particular preference, and they will eat many fruits as they can.
Nutrition In Strawberries
We know that strawberries are very healthy, and several nutrients in them can be very beneficial for your parakeet’s growth and health. Wondering what exactly they do contain. Sharing the list of vitamins and minerals present in the strawberries that are:
| Name | Amount |
| Energy | 5 Calories |
| Protein | 0.12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1.3 g |
| Of which sugars | (0.88 g) |
| Fiber | 0.36 g |
| Calcium | 2.8 mg |
| Magnesium | 2.34 mg |
| Potassium | 27.5 mg |
| Selenium | 0.072 µg |
| Vitamin C | 10.6 mg |
| Vitamin A | 0.18 µg |
| Folate | 4.32 µg |
Per 1 Large Strawberry (17g). Source: USDA
Benefits Of Eating Strawberries:
As we are pretty aware that there are many vitamins and essentials nutrients present in the strawberries, but what benefits they have. Mentioning down some of the benefits of feeding strawberries to your budgies because of the number of nutrients hidden in them also promoting the health of your bird:
Rich in Vitamin C:
Strawberries have rich content of vitamin C, which is quite good for your budgie’s health as it will help them have a solid immune system and good skin.
Some Amount Of Folate:
Folate is reasonably necessary for normal tissue activities, development, and cell functioning. This will be pretty beneficial for parakeets.
High Content Of Potassium:
A good amount of Potassium is also necessary for maintaining the parakeet’s blood pressure and some other bodily functions.
Manganese For Metabolism:
Manganese is also necessary for parakeets. As it helps their body in the fast metabolic functions in the budgies body as a co-enzyme.
Some Fibre:
Strawberries have some amount of threads too. Fibres help the parakeets in their gut by feeding the friendly bacteria in the stomach, improving digestion and preventing them from potential numbers of diseases.
Vitamin B9:
For the tissue development and management in the body of the budgies, vitamin B9 helps them feel alive and fly as much as they can without the worry of tear of their muscles.
Some Other Nutrients Benefits
However, we have seen small traces of vitamins K, E and magnesium, which are also beneficial for the parakeet’s health.
That’s why choosing strawberries for your parakeets as a portion of their diet will turn out as a good plan with ease.
Conclusion
Suppose you are still worried about choosing the strawberries for your parakeet’s diet to ensure that there is no harm in giving them. Instead, strawberries will help you to keep them safe, fresh, lively and energetic all the time while maintaining their health as well. As we know that everything works well in moderation similarly goes for even healthy food as well. It can have some unlikely changes as well. So be aware of what you are feeding to your pet birds.
The main reason for adding organic diet source to budgies diet in comparison to other food is that they promote a good diet and health conditions than dried fruits and staple food. Sometimes dried fruits may contain some toxins which aren’t harmful to humans, but it can be for parakeets.
So if you want your budgies to grow up on a good diet, nothing is better than fruits, especially strawberries. It contains a majority of vitamins and minerals, which are very beneficial for parakeet growth. The most significant relief while feeding budgies strawberries is that they can easily take the whole strawberry without worrying about the seeds.
But that doesn’t mean you are entirely shifting to strawberries which are also not safe as it contains high levels of sugar, vitamins and minerals, which can also be risky for them. Also, the elementary diet is essential for them. Seeds and pellets are still stapled for them, and try to keep it that way. Try to give them strawberries twice or once a week or on special occasions as their treat food. You can also give them as a reward to them only in tiny portions of their diet. Try to ensure that your pet bird is getting all the required nutrients in its diet and living and growing as a healthy birdie.
