Homemade Parakeet Treats With Romaine Lettuce

Parakeets, also known as budgies, love greens including romaine lettuce. Romaine lettuce is easy to find in most any grocery store no matter the season. This makes it a great option for adding leafy vegetables to your bird's diet. You can give it plain or add other ingredients to make a treat out of it.

  1. Hanging Romaine Lettuce

    • Break off whole lettuce leaves from the bunch (after washing) and hang leaves around the cage by stuffing them through the bars. Budgies love to nibble on hanging greens much like they would in the wild. For added enrichment you can soak the leaves really well in water and then hang them around the cage. You'll then get to watch your budgie take a bath in the leaves, another natural behavior found in the wild.

    Peanut Butter and Seed

    • After washing the lettuce leaves spread peanut butter on a leaf. Then sprinkle seeds onto the peanut butter. This will make for a heavier leaf so you may need to hang the leaf with a clip. Simple pull one part of the leaf through the cage bars and attach it from the outside with a clothespin or other clip.

    Let Your Budgie Forage

    • Birds spend most of their wild life foraging for food. As pets they spend most of their life inactive. You can get your budgie naturally foraging for his food by using the entire clump of romaine lettuce. First wash the lettuce but do not remove or separate the leaves. Fluff open the lettuce leaves a bit and put treats such as seeds, chopped carrots, chopped apple, or cooked beans inside the lettuce. Then place the whole thing on a flat surface where your bird can see and get into the lettuce leaves. This may have to be given to your bird outside his cage on his play stand or table because it may not fit into the cage.

    Chop and Mix

    • Chop up the romaine lettuce into small bites and mix it with some baby food. You can be creative and experiment with your own recipe. Any baby food can be used. If you like, add seeds or your bird's favorite chopped fruits and veggies. Mix and serve in a bowl.