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My budgie only eats sunflower seeds. How do I get her to eat pellets?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Female | unspayed | 2 months and 24 days old | 95 lbs
Luna is a very picky eater. Got her from a breeder that fed her the budgie seed mix and vegies. We offer her the vegies and seeds. She doesn't always accept vegies though. There is a small amount of sunflower seeds in the seed mix we give her. She only picks them out to eat. Since yesterday didnt eat rest. Started avoiding giving her sunflower. How can we fix it? How can we get her to eat the smaller seeds too? Can she starve herself? Also what age can she start eating pellets and sprouts? Thx
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on January 21st, 2018
1Pet Parents found this answer helpfulRelated Answers from Veterinarians
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on September 7th, 2017
Pellets are the best to feed birds. I don't know what website your sister was reading. An all seed diet is considered bad.
As a guideline, most budgies can be maintained on 1.5 - 2 level measure teaspoons of seeds per bird, per day in a shallow dish, depending on the size of the bird. If there are any seeds left over in the dish at the end of the day, it suggests that too many seeds were offered originally. Seeds are more like a "treat" than anything compromising maybe 5% of the diet. They should not be the main staple.
Pellets have been developed to meet all the bird's nutritional needs. Pellets are the ideal diet. Pellets should ideally represent approximately 75-80% of the bird's diet.
Fruits, vegetables and greens should account for approximately 20 - 25% of the daily diet. They must be washed thoroughly to remove chemicals. Cut them into manageable pieces depending on the size of the bird. Offer fruits and vegetables in a separate dish. If your bird appears to develop a particular fancy for one food item, reduce its volume or stop feeding it temporarily to promote the eating of other foods.
I like Lafeber diets but I'm not sure you can get them in Australia. I hope this helps. If you have more questions please feel free to post again!1Pet Parents found this answer helpful