Have you got some spare lettuce that’s leftover from your salad that you don’t want to throw out but want to know, can Budgies eat lettuce?
Budgies love leafy green vegetables as a treat so in short, yes, budgies can eat lettuce.
However, you should only give your budgie small amounts of lettuce and try to avoid introducing it into their diet on a regular basis.
but as with most alternative food types the same treats shouldn’t be made part of their feeding plan because lettuce is low in nutrients and full of water.
Budgies should eat a diet that is 60-80% pellet foods and the remainder should be a mixture of seeds, leafy vegetables, nuts, sprouting seeds and other treats that can be bought online, like at Amazon or a local bird store.
How Do I Prepare Lettuce Before Feeding it to my Budgie?
People store lettuce in different places such as in a kitchen cupboard whilst others store it in their refrigerator.
However, regardless of where you keep your lettuce, you should always rinse it under cold running water before serving to your budgie.
Then shake off any excess water before placing between the bars of your budgie cage.
If your budgie is loose in your home and you’re eating a salad and thinking of feeding it from your plate, then you should still rinse the lettuce before feeding, regardless again of how small it is.
Feeding a budgie directly from your plate may feel like you’ve really got a connection and lots of trust from your budgie but unfortunately, your salad plate may contain salt in large quantities or egg.
Budgies & Salt
Budgies love salt but unfortunately, it is really bad for them. They only eat it because they like the taste of it. You must in no way feed salt to a budgie as a treat because even though they will eat it gladly, it is very bad for them.
Therefore, salt licks that can be bought online and at a local store should be avoided. Budgies do not need any extra salt apart from what they get in a balanced diet.
Budgies & Egg
Budgies can eat egg but feeding a budgie from your plate of salad is not a good idea for the same reasons that I’ve mentioned before. Egg on your salad plate may have other sauces mixed into it or may contain salt.
Crushed eggshells are beneficial to your bird because they contain a valuable source of calcium but rather than using eggshells that you’ve used for your salad, you’re better off buying them online ready to use and feed to your budgie.
Alternative Foods instead of Lettuce
We love to feed budgies scraps of food from our plates. Ensuring that we feed budgies food that is beneficial to them and meets their needs for a healthy diet is important, check out the following budgie food alternatives.
- Green Beans
- Carrots
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Sweetcorn
- Sweet Potato
Quantities should be no more than a teaspoon and removed in a few hours before it begins to dry out or starts degrading in quality. These treats should not be fed on a regular basis and given more as an occasional treat.