After Xmas lunch, there’s a good chance that Christmas pudding or cake is probably the dessert. Surely you’d offer a slice to your budgie bird, but, can budgies eat Xmas pudding?
Yes, budgies can usually share in this holiday dish, and it will have them tweeting carols. But, with this fat-rich, sugary treat, moderation is key.
How to Make Xmas Cake Safe for Budgies to Eat?
Christmas pudding recipes vary but the basic premise is the same. Your family recipe may call for mostly apples or whiskey and brandy, and I wouldn’t dream of suggesting you break tradition.
After all, sharing with your budgie is more fun when you eat the same things.
However, there are many potent ingredients that can have a dramatic impact on your budgie’s tiny body. Preparing a portion for them requires careful consideration of the pudding’s contents.
To begin with, you’ll want to limit a serving to roughly a half-inch cube.
It may seem small, but keep in mind that one serving of Christmas pudding for a person is often measured as about 100 g. Scaled-down to budgie bites, a few grams is all you need.
Aim to get more fruit chunks than filler, as they’ll contain lower concentrations of the alcohol and sugar. You can serve the little slice whole, but breaking it up into crumbles is better.
This will result in less of the gooey sugar and fat mixture getting on the outside of your budgie’s beak, potentially obstructing the nares.
Be sure your bird’s water supply is fully refreshed before serving this special meal. The moisture here is mostly fat, and eating the alcohol tinged bits of flour and dried fruit will generate a thirst.
If you’d rather prepare a budgie-style Christmas pudding, you can approximate the experience in a much healthier manner by making a little faux pudding in the form of a suet ball.
Take the same suet, dried fruits, and citrus zest, and mix them together with a sprinkle of nutmeg. This is a gift for your budgie, be sure to add their favourite fruit, nuts, or seeds to this mini-pudding.
Simply form the mixture into the classic Christmas pudding shape, and voila. With the excess sugars and alcohol removed, you can even offer up a bigger portion.
During the holidays, even birds binge.
Is Christmas Pudding Good for Budgies?
Despite being primarily fruit, Christmas pudding can’t be considered a healthy meal for your budgie.
One little piece served once a year isn’t going to do them any harm, but, without strict portion control, the high amount of sugar could be damaging.
That said, as long as it isn’t a regular part of your bird’s diet, you shouldn’t be worried. One high sugar morsel won’t cause diabetes, nor will the fat in a beak-full or two lead to obesity.
Alcohol isn’t recommended fare for birds either, but the small amount present in this baked good poses no danger. Remember, birds in the wild sometimes feast on fermented fruit with no long term ill effects.
While Christmas pudding isn’t health food, that doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer. Your budgie will appreciate the healthy animal fats and the protein courtesy of the eggs in the mix.
Vitamins commonly present in this baked good include:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
This list will vary with the specifics of your recipes, but the dried fruit, flour, and eggs make it likely they will all show up. This is good news for your budgie’s eyesight (vitamin A), mood and nerves (B vitamins), and immune system (vitamins C, D, and E).
Christmas pudding also contains many minerals, such as:
- Calcium
- Iron
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Zinc
If your budgie wanted good bone structure for Christmas, the calcium and manganese will help with that. Iron is beneficial to their blood, while zinc bolsters the immune system and metabolism.
Last, but definitely not least, potassium helps with the nervous system, fluid levels, and a host of other body functions.
However, while these nutrients are undeniably good for your bird, they are present in very small amounts in a bird-appropriate serving of Christmas pudding, especially relative to the sugar and fat.
That doesn’t make it any less delicious, and your budgie won’t hesitate to eat as much of it as you put on their plate. Just remember, for their sake, to make that a small amount.
Good as it is, this dessert is not an ideal source of nutrition — for humans or birds. If you’re looking for a really healthy alternative, see these food types