Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 11/1/2006

Question
I love your idea for the budgies diet that you use, but I'm wondering about bacteria.  How long can the food be left in the cage?  Right now the budgies are on a pellet and seed mix diet, with fresh vegies and fruit every other day.  The dry food gets changed every morning, and is good for the day.  What do you do with your wet food mix, and how long can you leave it in the cage?  Oh, and oil of oregano, or oregano leaves, can budgies have them?

Answer
Hi, Jenny.  Thanks for posting!

I don't have a problem with this, as all my parrots love their soft food mix (and veggies, fruits, etc.) and readily eat it up as soon as I place it in their cages.  I also don't overfeed...I only give them what I think they can eat within an hour.  In fact, they are waiting for me to feed them as soon as I come in the door from work each day.  

To answer your question though, you can leave the food in the cage for a couple of hours before it will spoil.  I keep any food not fed to my birds in the refrigerator so it won't spoil.  In other words, I make about 5 quarts of soft food mix every other day and I put any that's left in between making it in the frig.  I cut up fresh veggies and fruit, etc., every day for my larger parrots (conure size and up).  

I wouldn't feed budgies oil of oregano or any type of oil (not good for their health).  I don't know anything bad about oregano leaves, but you might want to check on the internet to see if they are poisonous or anything to animals or birds.  If they aren't and your birds like them, by all means, variety is key in feeding birds.  You can also give them fresh greens, such as spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc. (but not iceburg lettuce, which has 0 nutritional value).  

Chrys