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Parakeets : new member intro and a question on vitamins
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Recommend  Message 1 of 2 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknamedressagelvr3  (Original Message)Sent: 2/6/2008 2:51 AM
Hi everyone,
My name is Heather, I live in Wisconsin and I'm a newbie to bird ownership.  We have two parakeets that we really enjoy (I once said that I would never own a bird ). We also have 2 dogs, 4 cats and 3 horses - we are a animal loving family. 
 
Thanks Equilover6 for the referral.  I look forward to reading this board!
 
Now for the questions:
Do you give your keets vitamins?
If so, do you use the liquid or powder?
Do you prefer one brand over another?
 
Oh, another question - what veggies/fruits do you feed?  Do you feed fresh veggies or frozen?


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Recommend  Message 2 of 2 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknameannieokie100Sent: 2/6/2008 3:54 AM
I will answer even though I have no budgies. A parrot is a parrot.  A budgie is a parrot.
 
If they are eating a pelleted diet plus fresh and/or frozen veggies, including high Vit A foods like greens, carrots, squash, there is no need to add vitamins. You can overdose them if you add vitamins to an already fortified food.
 
If they are on a mostly seed diet plus just a few veggies, you can sprinkle the veggies very lightly with a vitamin/mineral powder. About like you would salt an egg. Not much.
Also get them some cuttlebone and hang it with a safe hanger, not those little metal things that come with them. They can be toxic if chewed. Cuttlebone a great source of calcium for strong bones.
 
You may need to try the veggies for many days or even weeks before they accept them as food. Budgies can be stubborn little creatures about new foods. Eventually they will nibble on them and may decide it's pretty tasty.
 
Try to get vitamins and minerals made by good companies like Prime. Don't waste money on Hartz and those cheapie discount store and grocery store brands.
 
Here's a great page giving Vitamin levels on various foods. Each item is for 100 grams of the food, which is three times the weight of your birds. So just go by the foods with higher numbers, not the amount of weight of the food.
 
My birds love dried red pepper flakes from the spices aisle. I mix them in eggs before scrambling them and sprinkle them on their fresh foods. Just don't kiss a bird after feeding them or you'll burn your lips. Birds don't feel the burn so they love them.
 
Other members may help you with other ideas.
Annie