When feeding budgies, you should pay attention to some things, especially in terms of hygiene, to prevent possible diseases.
Grain feed
Each budgie should be fed daily about 2 teaspoons of a species-appropriate grain mixture receive.
The old food should always be completely replaced , as the food remains under the husks are no longer accessible to the budgies.
After removing the husks (e.g. feed cleaning machine), the collected feed residues can of course be used again .
Proper nutrition
Drinking water
Budgies need fresh drinking water every day. However, it is not enough to change the drinking water, but also the drinking bowl must be changed daily.
The used drinking bowls must be cleaned with hot water and a brush to remove the bacterial film at the bottom of the bowl. In addition, the bowl must then be allowed to dry through for 24 hours in order to prevent flagellates ( trichomonads ) etc.
Tea or boiled water
For this reason, teas should also be offered only in exceptional cases or as a supplement.
Grit
No matter what bedding you use, you should still always offer grit in an extra dish or bowl for hygienic reasons. The grit contained in bird sand is usually contaminated by the droppings of budgies.
Bird sand & grit
Fresh food
Fresh food should not be left in the cage for too long and, depending on susceptibility to mold and bacteria (especially fruit and vegetables) or temperature (especially in summer), should be removed after a few hours or the next day at the latest.
Wash fresh food
- Doris Quinten: “Ziervogelkrankheiten”, p. 29f.
- Trichomoniasis in budgies (CVUA)