My new budgie won't eat his food after two days. Is this normal?

Thanks for reaching out about your birds. Since they are new arrivals to your home, it is probably stress. Try offering some treats, as in bread or pasta, in a try to stimulate appetite. If continues to be anorexic, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

The best thing you can do is to keep offering them. If they won't take it from your hand, start by just placing the treats in a cup in your budgie's cage so that they can try it out on their own terms. If they enjoy the food, you can offer it to them every time you come by, but without giving it by hand. Once they are comfortable eating with you just observing and staying near, you can then work up to offering it by hand and then interacting with them more closely. If they become stressed out, or don't want to try the item, give them some time to relax and settle down before trying again.

It can take a day or so for new birds to settle into their environment until they are comfortable enough to eat, drink and resume normal activity. I would make sure they are kept in a quiet, draft-free area to give them a chance to settle in, relax, and get used to things. If they still aren't eating or drinking (or you notice there aren't eaten seeds in their cup-- some birds may not want to eat while being watched at first) after more than a day, or you see visible signs of illness, a vet checkup is best.

If he just arrived in your home, then give him a little longer to adjust. These birds tend to be very wary when they are in a new environment and will often take weeks before they are fully themselves. For now, I would give him some space. Usually, when we get a new pet, we are interested in them and give them a lot of attention. This can be very intimidating for a bird, so the more space you can give him, the better. If you can, leave him alone for two hours in a well-lit room. Junk food for parrots are usually fruits, nuts and seeds. They also tend to like cooked oatmeal, rice, lentils and beans. You can have this available along with the formulated pelleted food and see if he eats any of it. Ideally, you want most of his diet to be the pelleted food, because this contains all the nutrients they need. Once he is eating good, start reducing the junk food and increasing the pellets. If he goes a whole day without eating, then you may want to try syringe feeding him, or taking him to a vet to ensure he is OK. I hope that helps and you get him to eat something soon.

Give Buddy some time! It takes awhile for birds to get used to new surroundings. Make sure he has many perches, toys, and fresh food and water available, and try to leave him alone for a few days to adjust to his new environment.

Sometimes it is very difficult to see a bird drink, they don't do it very often and usually in private. If he had not drank in 2 days I would expect him to be very poorly by now. I would keep an eye that he is bright and eating and he should be okay. In terms of taking him gradually put your hand in the cage, don't touch him at first. Once he is comfortable move your hand closer and so on until you can eventually have him on your finger.

Thank you for your question, and congratulations on your new pet! Budgies can be a very shy species, and this is often exaggerated when they are put into unfamiliar settings (such as a new house). I would recommend giving her a little more time to adjust, as long as she is eating and producing feces. You can find these at the bottom of the cage. Alternatively, you can also take her to a veterinarian for evaluation. This is a good idea from a wellness perspective, as it will slow you to gather information about her baseline health, and your vet can determine whether Frost is ill or not. They can also provide you with basic information on husbandry and nutrition as well. I hope that gives you a place to start, and good luck with your new bird!