How to Transition a Parakeet to a Healthy Diet

One of the challenges of getting a new parakeet is putting the bird on a healthy diet. A healthy diet includes pellet, fruits, vegetables and seed; all-seed diets can cut down on the bird’s life expectancy. Parakeets may eat seeds in the wild, but there they get a lot more exercise than does the average pet bird. Pet birds are often quite similar to toddlers with wings. Some birds are easy to transition, while others are a little more difficult. Some parakeets have been known to throw food out of their dishes if they find it unpleasing.

Things You'll Need

  • Seed
  • Pellet
  • Extra food dish
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find out what the bird will eat. If you buy him from a breeder or store, ask what they feed their parakeets. If the bird is a rescue, this issue is more complicated. You may have to try a few different types of food before you win.

    • 2

      Try making the bird go cold turkey. Substitute pellet for seed and see what happens. Some parakeets will eat just about anything you put in their food dish. Others will resist at first, but eventually get hungry enough to eat it. Others will not be impressed at all. These birds will refuse to eat and throw the food out of the cage--possibly at you. If this is the case, you have more work to do.

    • 3

      For the next week, continue to feed the bird straight seed. Then start mixing in a very small amount of pellet. After a week or so, increase the amount of pellet. If the bird again reacts poorly, cut back a little and slow down the transition. Each bird is different. Use good judgment. Be forceful when you need to be, but also know if the bird isn’t eating enough. Losing even 5g in weight is bad for such a small bird.

    • 4

      Once the pellet conversion is underway, start introducing the bird to fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as pasta and breads. You may want to do this in a separate food dish. You can “hang” leafy greens in the cage and see if they perk up the parakeet’s interest. Learn you bird’s likes and dislikes. Just like a human, your parakeet has his own opinions on food.

    • 5

      Know that seed isn’t all bad. You do not want to eliminate seed from the parakeet’s diet. Use millet sprays as a treat and for training. Have a special “treat” bowl just for seed, millet and other treats for outside the cage. At first, start with only millet. Once you have the bird totally transitioned to pellet, start reintroducing seed as a snack.