Budgie Parakeet Food and Feeding Recommendations. Parakeets should eat vegetables, fruit and sprouts — not just seed or processed pellets. The Problem With An All Seed Diet. Don’t let your feathered friend become a seed junkie. Mass- produced bird seed has too much fat and not enough vitamins, minerals and proteins. Budgie parakeets fed seed- only diets have a much shorter life span — in fact, malnourishment is a leading cause of premature death in pet birds! Furthermore, “Avian veterinarians estimate that poor nourishment is the underlying cause of about 7. Source: Bird Talk April 2. Mass- produced dry seed parakeet food should constitute no more than about 2. If offered dry seeds as a free- choice diet component, budgies and other parrots will usually eat it to the exclusion of everything else offered. In other words, don’t put a dish of just dry seeds in your bird’s cage and expect them to eat their vegetables, too! ![]() ![]() I used this 30-day reset autoimmune diet plan to help manage my Hashimotos Thyroiditis and get my autoimmune disease into remission. The Problem With Pellets. So if a seed- only diet is lacking in nutrition, should you feed those “complete nutrition” pelleted diets instead? In a word, NO. Avoid processed foods whenever possible and feed “live”, enzyme- rich whole foods as nature intended. Heck, I don’t feed my family a daily diet of processed meal bars or bowls of boxed cereal just because they’re packed full of synthetic vitamins! Quick tips: Buy mealworms online for the best price, train bluebirds to come to the feeder, and offer about 15 worms/bird/day in a glass/plastic dish 100 feet away. I feed my family whole, natural, enzyme- rich, unprocessed foods. Likewise with my birds. Feeding pellets exclusively can lead to health problems, especially with the kidneys and liver. A diet of cooked and processed food does not contain as much nutritional value or enzymes as fresh raw foods. So What SHOULD You Feed Your Parakeet or Parrot? ![]() 4 K-E DIET, AKA THE FEEDING-TUBE DIET. Talk about extreme! This doctor-affiliated/monitored recent fad diet has you eating via a feeding tube. Yes, a feeding tube. Information About Feeding Tubes. By Theresa Imperato, RN and Lorraine Danowski, RD. What is a feeding tube? It is a small, flexible tube, about ¼” in diameter that. Sprouts: Sprouted seeds, grains, legumes and peas provide your bird with nutrient and enzyme- rich food as nature intended. Sprouting offers the opportunity to give birds the live food that they are biologically adapted to consume. Sprouting changes and enhances the nutritional quality of vegetable proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and chlorophyll. Research at the University of Minnesota found that sprouting increases the total nutrient density of food. For example, sprouted whole wheat was found to have 3. B2, 3. 00% more vitamin C, 2. B3, 6. 5% more vitamin B5, and 2. There is also a significant increase in beneficial enzymes after sprouting. And this phenomenon isn’t limited to just wheat — ALL grains are substantially transformed by sprouting! Keep reading to learn how to make your own sprouting parakeet food (see below) or buy an organic sprouting mix from me. Vegetables: For optimal health, organic vegetables should be offered daily. Vegetables are best fed raw. For the biggest nutritional punch, focus mostly on dark green leafy vegetables (some favorites are dandelion leaves, parsley, cilantro, kale, spinach) and orange veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkin). Herbs and spices are excellent as well – keep reading for details. Fruit: Offer fruit only occasionally (perhaps 1- 2 times weekly) as it contains more sugar. Keep reading for lists of safe vegetables and fruits to feed your birds (see below). Egg Food: Once a week (or 2- 3 times weekly for molting or nesting birds); see my EGG FOOD RECIPE below. Jen’s Daily Feeding Routine. Feed sprouts and vegetables daily. Breakfast: 1- 2 teaspoons (per budgie) of an organic, sprouted mix of seeds, grains, and legumes. Or for your convenience, I sell an organic sprouting mix) Add 1 tablespoon of chopped, organic vegetables and/or fruit. ![]() Afternoon Meal: Throw away breakfast meal remains and wash the food dish with soap and hot water. This meal is identical to the breakfast meal however it is important to offer a fresh batch to avoid spoilage or bacterial infection. Bedtime: An hour before you tuck your budgie(s) in for the night, remove the afternoon meal remains and wash the dish. Provide 1 scant teaspoon (per budgie) of a dry seed or pellet mix for late night munching. Avoid products that contain color dyes, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives, and other additives. Try Kaylor of Colorado, Harrison’s, or Dr. Remember to limit processed convenience foods to 2. Note: Parakeets hull their seeds, which means they take the “skin” off the outside of the seed before eating it.
This “skin” normally drops back into the dish, so it may look like their dish is full. Don’t be fooled by a dish of empty seed hulls! Keep in the cage at all times: Once a week (or 2- 3 times weekly for molting or nesting birds), feed this EGG FOOD RECIPE: Feed egg food once a week (more often if molting or raising babies). Wash an organic egg. Drop the entire egg into a food processor or blender. The shell is a good source of calcium. Whir it all up to mince the shell into the egg. Cook thoroughly. DO NOT USE TEFLON OR NON- STICK COOKWARE as the fumes are toxic to birds! It’s fine to use a little vegetable oil in your skillet to prevent sticking. Mix in finely diced vegetables and/or herbs and diced whole grain bread cubes. Serve lukewarm. Remove remains from dish within 1- 2 hours to prevent spoilage. Treats: One of my favorite treats to use during handling and training is organic hulled millet. Using hulled seeds means there’s no shell mess to clean up afterward, yay! Sprouts (The Main Course)Sprouting Instructions. INGREDIENTS: Below, I provide a list of suitable ingredients so you can make your own sprouting mix. For your convenience, I also make and sell an organic sprouting mix – order it directly from me here. CLEAN: Place 4 days worth of an organic sprouting mix into a small stainless steel fine mesh strainer. Rinse the mix with cool water until the water runs clear. Cover the mix with cool water. Soak the mix for 8- 1. RINSE and DRAIN: After soaking for 8- 1. Using cold water, rinse the mix in the strainer until the water runs clear. Drain thoroughly. SPROUT: Place the strainer over a bowl to catch water drips. Keep the strainer at room temperature (7. While sprouting, make sure to thoroughly rinse and drain the mix in the strainer AT LEAST TWICE DAILY. Let the sprouting progress for at least 8 hours and up to 4 days. Long sprout tails are NOT necessary, in fact, most birds prefer to eat them while the sprout tails or roots are just barely visible. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR and SERVE: Adding a short apple cider vinegar soak right before serving is beneficial as it helps to guard against bacteria and fungi. Buy your apple cider vinegar from the natural food store — it should be organic, raw, and unfiltered. Right before serving each meal portion, rinse the sprouts in the strainer, then soak one meal portion of the sprouts in 1/2 cup water containing 1/2 teaspoon of organic apple cider vinegar for 1. Drain well and serve the food immediately. CLEANLINESS AND FRESHNESS: To avoid toxic bacterial infections, remove old food and replace with a fresh batch at least every 8 hours (feed twice daily). If you live in a hot or humid climate without air conditioning, you may need to remove the remains as soon as 1- 2 hours. Scrub all feeding and sprouting utensils, strainers, dishes and jars with hot, soapy water after each use. I keep twice as many feeding dishes as I have cages so that I can run the used ones through the dishwasher for easy sterilization. If your cage doesn’t have a bottom grill, remove and replace the newspapers on the bottom of the cage EVERY DAY so that your birds won’t have access to old, rotting food that has fallen from their food bowl. REFRIGERATE: I feed the sprouted mix straight from the strainer, at room temperature, within 4 days. However, if you still have some leftovers after sprouting for 4 days, then thoroughly rinse, drain, and refrigerate the leftovers. Smell the sprouts before feeding — if it smells musty or sour, toss it out and start a new batch. Sprouting Ingredients. Jen’s Organic Sprouting Parakeet Food. You don’t need to buy every ingredient listed below all at once. Instead, provide a variety over time. Mix a few types of ingredients from each subcategory. For example, buy 2+ herb seeds, 2+ grains, 2+ oil seeds, and 2+ legumes. The diversity and balance of seeds, grains and legumes are complementary so that by feeding a variety, the blend alone is capable of providing the nutrients parrots require. The weighted ratio I typically aim for in the total mix is roughly 5. Buy seeds for sprouting from reputable sources. To take a standard mass- produced birdseed mix and attempt to sprout it may be asking for trouble. I use only human- grade, organic, vacuum- bagged seeds, legumes and grains that I buy from a natural health food grocer. If you don’t have access to a natural health store or don’t care to mix your own, I do offer my organic sprouting mix for sale — it contains a variety of at least 1. Note: All sprouting ingredients need to be raw and whole or “hulless” (not hulled). Do NOT used canned or roasted ingredients. Herb Seeds. Combine 2 or more from this subcategory: Alfalfa. Broccoli. Cabbage. Canola. Chia. Clover. Dill. Fennel. Fenugreek. Kale. Mustard Seeds (yellow, red, and black)Radish Seeds. Red Clover Seeds. Grain Seeds. Combine 2 or more from this subcategory: Amaranth. Barley (whole; NOT unhulled or pearl)Brown Rice (short grain is best as the seed is more likely to be intact/unbroken)Buckwheat (whole; NOT toasted)Canary. Hemp Seed. Kamut. Millets (yellow, red, white)Niger. Oat (whole; NOT rolled or groat)Quinoa. Rape. Rye Berries. Spring Rye. Triticale. Wheatberries (winter)Whole kernel corn (popcorn)Oil Seeds. Combine 2 or more from this subcategory: Flax Seeds (brown or golden)Sesame Seeds (black, white, or brown)Sunflower Seeds (raw, hulled or unhulled; NOT roasted)Legumes (Beans, Peas, Lentils)Combine 2 or more from this subcategory: Adzuki Beans. Black- eyed Peas. Garbanzo / Chick Peas (yellow, brown, black)Green Whole Peas. Lentils (french, red, green)Mung Beans. Speckled Peas. Yellow Whole Peas. Herbs and Spices (Nature’s Pharmacy)Herb and spice food I make for my budgie parakeets. Following is a list of antioxidant- rich herbs and spices known to be beneficial in a wide variety of ways. Information About Feeding Tubes. By Theresa Imperato, RN and Lorraine Danowski, RDWhat is a feeding tube? It is a small, flexible tube, about . Patients who aspirate are at a higher risk for pneumonia or infection. Before lung capacity (FVC= forced vital capacity) falls below 5. What are the advantages of getting a feeding tube? To maintain adequate hydration. To administer medications in a safe way. To decrease the risk of aspiration pneumonia. To decrease the risk of choking, chewing or swallowing problems when eating. To help maintain weight, reduce fatigue and improve your resistance to infection. To reduce meal times to less than 3. To help ensure a stable, balanced and nutritious diet with adequate hydration. What are some reasons people don’t want a feeding tube? Insertion of a tube is a surgical procedure. Fear of potential side effects: A slight risk of infection at the tube site. Pain or discomfort at site of insertion. It does not prevent the progression of ALS. How will I know if a feeding tube is right for me? If you feel that the advantages of a feeding tube outweigh the disadvantages. If you are spending more than 4. If you spend your entire day consumed with getting adequate nutrition. If you have lost more than 5- 1. When is the right time to have a feeding tube placed? Most doctors recommend getting a feeding tube early – before you absolutely need one. The sooner you have a feeding tube placed, the better your body will be able to recover from the procedure. While you still have adequate nutrition and respiratory function. A forced vital capacity at no less than 5. If food intake drops below the recommended levels of the following servings per day: Three or more servings of meat or protein alternative. Two or more servings of dairy. Five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Six to eleven servings of grains and starches. Four to seven servings of fat. Less than estimated calories and protein needs. When fluid intake drops? Here are guidelines to monitor hydration: Darker than straw- colored urine reflects inadequate hydration. If you cannot consume six to eight ounce glasses of water or non- caffeinated beverages per day to maintain hydration. Food that are liquids at room temperature, such as sherbet, gelatin and ice cream can contribute to daily fluid requirements. Adequate fluid intake also helps to prevent constipation, maintain bladder function, keep the lungs clear, maintain skin and oral cavity integrity. Can the feeding tube be removed? The feeding tube can be removed at any time, for any reason. The tube is simply removed by a healthcare provider and the skin closes up in time. The removal of the feeding tube may result in mild discomfort, however these tubes are designed to have easy removal and replacement when needed. Can I still eat with a fedding tube? Yes, here’s what you need to know: Having a feeding tube provides an alternate access to deliver nutrients, fluids and medications. Your speech pathologist and nutritionist will discuss with you what kinds of foods you can safely eat, depending on your ability to swallow safely. Many people initially use the tube to deliver liquids and medication and as problems with swallowing progress, the feeding tube is utilized to deliver nutrition. Ultimately, the feeding tube can be used as the sole method of nutrition. Can I take medications through the tube? Yes, these are your options: Some medications come in liquid form and they can be easily put down the tube. Some medications come only in pills, most can be crushed, dissolved in water and put through the feeding tube. Verify with your pharmacist which medications can be crushed, dissolved or are available as liquid (time- released and enteric- coated medications cannot be crushed and sent down tube)How is the tube placed? Prior to placement, you will likely be required to have a pre- procedure assessment and lab work. At this time, all medication, vitamins, supplements (especially blood thinners) should be discussed with your doctor. You will be given instructions in preparation for the procedure and will not be able take anything by mouth (NPO) the evening and morning prior to the procedure. A gastroenterologist may place a tube by endoscopic technique or a RIG may be performed by an Interventional Radiologist. For a PEG: The procedure is usually done under mild sedation (so you are in a twilight sleep state) with a local anesthetic in a GI or endoscopy lab. Rarely the placement of the tube is done under general anesthesia, due to increased respiratory risk, therefore placement is suggested early prior to changes in your respiratory function. Placement of the tube takes less than thirty minutes. A thin, flexible tube, or endoscope, is passed through the mouth, and into the stomach for visualization. There is a light at the tip of the endoscope that can be seen through the abdominal wall. A small incision is made externally at the location of the light and then the tube is threaded into the stomach and secured. For a RIG: A nasogastric (NG) tube is placed and air is pumped into the stomach. Scanning equipment is used to determine proper position. Once the tube is placed, dye is flushed into the tube and an x- ray confirms placement and the NG Tube is removed. Recovery from tube placement. Recovery from the sedation is usually within hours and the tube may be used for feedings within a day or two as per physician or discharge instructions. An overnight stay is generally not necessary, but may be required for malnourished or dehydrated patients. Home health nursing should be ordered to provide education and to evaluate the tube site once you return home. Formula and needed equipment will be ordered by your doctor and delivered to your home from a certified medical equipment/supply provider. If feeding tube placement is done early, formula may not be required immediately and teaching will be done with water flushes only. Formula selection. Formulas may contain different calorie concentrations so that feedings may be accomplished with less volume. Formulas will be recommended by a Registered Dietitian based on the patient’s specific medical history. Disease specific formulas may also be prescribed. How many Calories are necessary to maintain proper nutrition? Cals/kg =weight maintenance. Cals/kg=weight gain. Cals/kg=Calories for a highly stressed individual (i. You will need to be at a 4. Gravity feed – One can of formula, is placed in a feeding bag, put on a pole or hook 2- 3 feet above you and the formula is then allowed to flow gradually through the tube for at least 3. Continuous feed – A pump delivers a constant amount of formula throughout the day or night. A Registered Dietitian or healthcare provider can calculate Calorie and Fluid needs and pump settings would be provided by your healthcare provider. No matter what form of administration you select, you must remain upright or 4. If using a continuous pump feeding, you will be required to remain at the 4. What goes down the tube? Formula. Water, juice and Gatorade. Most medications. Carbonated beverages (club soda, but never cola as this erodes the tube)Enzyme treatments. Electrolyte replacement solution- under medical supervision. Almost any clear fluids. The ALS Association thanks and acknowledges Theresa Imperato, RN and Lorraine Danowski, RD, from The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter and Certified Center at Stony Brook for sharing their time and expertise on this factsheet. Drawings by A. D. A. M. Related PDFs.
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