Grasskeets and Seed

[dunker817]

I was wondering if there were any particular seeds that grasskeets are fond of. Mine only seem to be eating safflower seeds. I offer them a parakeet mix and a cockatiel mix. They won't touch the parakeet mix. I'm doing an order from Herman Bros. Next week and would like to get them a seed mix they will enjoy.

[finchandlovebird]

I feed a parakeet mix. They don't seem to care for the larger size seeds in a cockatiel size mix.
Are safflowers the white ones? That is in one of the blends I use & they don't seem to care for them.
I recently started feeding dried mealworms & they LOVE them.
Also Hemp seed in a separate cup on the cage floor; they absolutely devour the Hemp. And Romaine lettuce every day; plus egg food (which they don't seem to care for at all)

[Nipper06]

I feed my Bourkes an enriched "parakeet mix" that is mostly seed but has some pellets. They also get spray millet (1 or 2 sprays a week). Mine love small quantities of fresh egg food (mashed hard-boiled egg mixed with Miracle Meal and a little Spirulina [kelp] powder), hemp seed, and thawed (frozen) veggies (like peas, corn, and carrots), as supplemental foods. I also give mine green food a few times a week (usually one of those pre-packaged "salad" mixes).

My Bourkes love for me to lay on the floor with them, with a millet spray (which I pretend to eat). As soon as I lay on the floor, they fly right down and start walking around and pecking at the millet. They seem to like to graze on the floor but feel safer about it, when I am there too, I think.






Here is my Budgie, eating the kind of veggies my Bourkes also get. I would have to say that my Budgie is more enthusiastic about veggies than the Bourkes ...but the Bourkes definitely eat some (but I feed them on the bottom of their cages because they like to graze on the cage floor - I don't use any kind of cage grate on the bottom of my Bourke's cages because they like to walk and eat on a flat cage floor).

[cindy]

little word of caution with dried mealworms.... The exoskeletons could be irritating the digestive tract. Birds do swallow live food whole, but usually squeeze out the insides and remove the outer skeleton, especially when feeding chicks. They can't do that with the dried so they are ingesting the outer skeleton. You may see gritty brown droppings as a result of the birds not being able to digest the hard exoskeletons of dried mealworms. Grasskeets do not require live food or dried insects they are primarily seed foragers.

Fortified seed should not be relied on as giving your birds what they require, the vitamins and minerals are impregnated into the hull of the seed which is discarded. Very unreliable as to how much the bird is actually getting, best to use a powdered supplement in soft foods. Some of the prepackage seeds with pellets (found in petstores) added often contain pellets that are stale or too hard or too big. Blending a fresh bag of Zupreem or Roudybush Nibbles or Prettbirdy mini works well.

From one of the leading authorities on grasskeets

"Diet

In the wild, Grass Parakeets spend most of their day foraging for their regular staple of grass seeds. In the aviary, they also spend a good part of their day eating. You need to accommodate their habits by feeding them a variety of foods that are not only nutritious, but will also keep them busy. A quality parakeet seed mixture with an occasional spray millet as a treat, cuttlebone and fresh water daily will serve their basic needs. They relish fresh fruits and vegetables, such as apples, oranges, kale, broccoli, carrots, corn and wheat grass. All fresh produce should be washed thoroughly; these birds are very sensitive to even small amounts of pesticides. I go so far as to feed my birds only organically grown fruits and vegetables purchased from a health-food store.

During breeding season, my birds receive honey-wheat bread and a custom-blend of dry egg-food mix. This is prepared by mixing commercial egg food, hemp seed, some small black oily sunflower seed, calcium powder and spirulina.

Neophemas, especially those kept in outdoor aviaries in warmer climates, are susceptible to Candida infections. Therefore, keep their food and water dishes scrupulously clean and remove any uneaten fruits and vegetables from the aviary within one hour after feeding. I do not add vitamins to their drinking water; the mixture can grow bacteria in warm weather and cause fungal or bacterial problems. I also never medicate my birds via their drinking water, because they are desert birds and drink very little. Not only will they not receive enough medication this way, but a sick bird will dehydrate from not drinking. It may be more time-consuming, but I medicate my ill parakeets orally. This way I am sure they are receiving an accurate dose."

http://www.proaviculture.com/neophemas.htm

[cindy]

I feed a parakeet mix. They don't seem to care for the larger size seeds in a cockatiel size mix.
Are safflowers the white ones? That is in one of the blends I use & they don't seem to care for them.
I recently started feeding dried mealworms & they LOVE them.
Also Hemp seed in a separate cup on the cage floor; they absolutely devour the Hemp. And Romaine lettuce every day; plus egg food (which they don't seem to care for at all)

Try the dried Higgins ProTeen 25 eggfood... also with the boiled grated try adding chopped kale or froze, thawed, warm baby peas to it along with finely grated carrots.... all my bourkes, scarlets down this. Start the young off as soon as they fledge with foods you want them to try and eat long term.

[finchandlovebird]

Interesting cautionary note about the dried mealworms, Cindy. I was wondering about how much to feed them the mealworms as they absolutely scarf down all that I put in their cage.
Should I just offer them once a week as a treat????
I have found a seedmix by Kaytee called Foraging Diet for parakeets. This seems to be a real hit with the birds; has little pieces of greens in it.
I make my own dried herbs from organic herbs & mix this in w/their egg food.

[cindy]

They do not really need it... to me if the dried could be irritating to the digestive tract, why use it? They get enough protein from pellets and egg food. The diet is fairly simple as outlined in the article. Too much protein in any bird's diet can cause kidney issues.