Budgerigars, or budgies, are the long-tailed birds of the parrot family. They are social birds and can turn out to be lovely pets when you treat them well. A budgie’s daily diet should contain leafy greens, veggies, and small amounts of fruits. But have you wondered which fruits are safe for your budgies? While they can eat most fruits, there are some exceptions. What about apples?
So, can budgies eat apples? Yes, budgies can eat apples. Apples are rich in many vitamins and minerals and make nutritious snacks for budgies. Although too much of it can be harmful due to the sugar content, you can feed them small amounts of it every day. However, don’t forget to remove the seeds before feeding them apples. Apple seeds contain cyanide, which is toxic to all birds, including budgies.
Do budgies like eating apples?
Budgies, in general, enjoy eating apples as much as they do any other fruit. The sugar content in apples appeals to them. While most of their diet include leafy vegetables, apples are like slices of refreshing sweetness.
However, there’s a chance your budgie might not like apples as well. Budgies can sometimes be selective about their food. Therefore, if you notice them picking around the apple slices, or not eating them at all, take the hint.
You can try feeding them other fruits to determine their preferences. Feeding budgies what they like is a sure-shot way of keeping them happy.
Before including apples in their regular diet, it is essential for you to understand whether apples are healthy for your feathered pets or not. Let’s find out about it in the next section.
Are apples healthy for budgies?
While about 70% of your budgie’s diet should contain green vegetables, fruits make the rest of it.
However, what makes apples healthy for budgies? To determine whether apples are healthy for your budgies, let’s take a look at the fruit’s nutritional contents.
Vitamins
Budgies require high levels of Vitamin A to keep their respiratory system healthy. Apple is rich in Vitamin A and contains in smaller quantities Vitamins C, E, and K. An average-sized (100g) apple contains about 36 mg of Vitamin A.
Apple also contains a series of B-Vitamins, such as niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and pantothenic acid. All these vitamins, particularly thiamine, ensure a speedy recovery of your budgies if they fall ill.
Minerals
Apple is rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Even iron and zinc are present in the fruit in smaller quantities. Minerals like calcium strengthen the bones of your budgies and keep them healthy.
Proteins and antioxidants
Apple contains proteins and antioxidants in moderate quantities. While budgies depend on protein as a source of energy, antioxidants keep their cells healthy.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates make an essential part of a budgie’s diet. An average-sized apple contains about 13 grams of carbohydrates. Therefore, apples are healthy and nutritious for your feathered pet.
Nutritional chart of apple:
Nutrients | Amount |
Vitamin A | 54 IU |
Vitamin C | 4.6 mg |
Vitamin E | 0.18 mg |
Vitamin K | 2.2 µg |
Folates | 3 µg |
Niacin | 0.091 mg |
Thiamin | 0.017 mg |
Riboflavin | 0.025 mg |
Pyridoxine | 0.042 mg |
Pantothenic acid | 0.062 mg |
Sodium | 1 mg |
Magnesium | 5 mg |
Iron | 0.13 mg |
Potassium | 106 mg |
Zinc | 0.04 mg |
Calcium | 6 mg |
Phosphorous | 11 mg |
Carbohydrates | 13.80 g |
Protein | 0.25 g |
Fats | 0.18 g |
Dietary fibers | 2.41 g |
Energy | 52 Kcal |
Apples are rich in many vitamins and minerals and healthy for all birds, including budgies. A budgie’s daily diet should ideally contain about 15%-30% of fruits. You can, therefore, make apples a constant in their diet.
How should you feed apples to budgies?
To feed apples to your budgie, you must first wash the fruit thoroughly to get rid of any chemicals on their skin that might harm budgies.
Soak the apple in a bowl of water for a few minutes, and wash it with clean water afterward.
Then, cut the apple into slices, and remove all the seeds from it. Once you get rid of the seeds, you should cut the slices into smaller cubes to make it easier for them to eat.
Budgies find warm fruits more appetizing than fresh fruits. Thus, you can warm it up a little in the microwave before feeding it to them.
Budgies sometimes like to dip apples in water before eating them. To make this convenient for them, place the apple bowl next to their water dish. Budgies love variety in their snack, so you can serve them a softer fruit with apples, such as strawberries.
At the end of the day, remove the fruits your budgie hasn’t eaten so that they don’t go bad inside their cage.
Can budgies eat apple leaves and branches?
Budgies have a habit of nibbling on different parts of a tree. While apple seeds are toxic for your budgie, the leaves and branches of an apple tree are, by all means, safe. However, if the trees are sprayed with pesticides, it can create a problem.
To avoid this, you should try to go with trees of your own garden, and thoroughly wash them before giving them to your budgie.
Can budgies eat apple seeds?
No, you should never feed your budgie apple seeds. The seeds of apple contain a compound called amygdalin. When consumed intact, the apple seed is mostly harmless. However, if your budgie chews on it or manages to break it somehow, the amygdalin degrades into cyanide.
Cyanide prevents the cells for your body from using oxygen, ultimately leading to death. While it takes a considerable amount of cyanide to harm humans fatally, your budgies are more vulnerable to it.
Even a single apple seed can potentially kill them. Therefore, you should be extra cautious of removing all seeds while feeding them apples.
Can you feed apples to baby budgies?
Yes, you can feed apples to baby budgies. However, to feed apples to baby budgies, you should opt for softer apples that they can bite easily.
Also, don’t add apples or any other fruit to the daily diet of a baby budgie. Too much sugar can harm them. Feeding them small slices of apples once or twice a week is more than enough.
Other fruits budgies can eat
Peaches
Rich in Vitamin A and C, peaches are safe as well as healthy for budgies, as long as you avoid their seeds. Just like apple seeds, they contain cyanide forming compounds as well and are poisonous to budgies.
To feed peaches to budgies, wash them, remove their seeds, and chop them up into pieces small enough to fit their mouths.
Blackberry
Blackberries contain small seeds that pose no threat to budgies and pass right through their systems. It’s best to feed them blackberries in their cage since the berries can leave a lasting stain.
Blueberry
Although budgies love all berries, they have a weak spot for blueberries. They are small enough to fit into the budgie’s mouth easily and taste delicious. A high content of Vitamin C and antioxidants make them healthy for your pet as well.
Oranges
Oranges are the natural source of Vitamin C, and thus very healthy for budgies. To feed your budgie oranges, remove their seeds and skin carefully. While the seeds are toxic to them, the skin is harmless, but may lead to choking.
Grapes
Budgies love grapes and can eat them. Grapes are rich in Vitamin K and Copper and need no preparation to feed them to budgies. You can wash them and serve them to your pet as they are. Go for seedless grapes while feeding budgies.
Plum
Plum contains soluble fibers in abundance. You can chop them up into small pieces to feed them to your budgie.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is a nutritious fruit with high quantities of Vitamins A and C. To feed your budgie a cantaloupe, you have to remove its skin, seeds and cut it into pieces small enough for their mouths. Although cantaloupe seeds are not toxic, they can cause choking hazards.
Grapefruits
In addition to containing Vitamin C, like all other citrus fruits, grapefruits are also rich in phytonutrients such as flavonoids and carotenoids.
Pineapple
Budgies are fond of all tropical fruits, and pineapple is no exception. Rich in Vitamins B and C, the fruit is both a healthy and tasty treat for them. To feed them pineapple, you need to remove the outer layer and cut it into pieces as you do for yourself. Only the pieces for budgies have to be smaller than yours.
Strawberry
We have already established that budgies love all berries, including strawberry. Rich in Vitamin C and folic acids, they are soft and healthy for budgies. Since they have no seeds, you can feed them to your budgie without much work.
Watermelon
Watermelons are rich in lycopene and Vitamin C and make a great snack for budgies. Since they have a high water content, they can keep them hydrated in summers. To feed them watermelon, remove all the seeds to avoid choking.
Banana
Bananas are all-season fruits and can be a consistent part of your budgie’s diet. There’s no struggle with preparing banana treats for them either. All you need to do is peel off the skin, and it’s ready.
Mango
Mangoes are juicy treats your budgies will love. Rich in Vitamins A and C, they’re healthy for them as well. To feed them to budgies, peel off their skin, and cut it into bite-sized cubes.
Fruits you should avoid feeding your budgie
Avocado
The skin, flesh, and seeds of Avocado are all highly poisonous to budgies. Eating Avocado can lead your budgie to cardiac arrhythmia, and may even lead to death from heart failure. Therefore, don’t ever feed them avocados.
Tomato
Even though smaller portions of tomato fed in moderation don’t harm your budgie fatally, it’s best to avoid them altogether. Tomato belongs to the nightshade family, that contain tomatine in high quantities.
While not toxic to humans, these chemicals are lethal to all birds, including budgies. Although the fruit doesn’t contain concentrated tomatine, it’s still safer not to feed your budgie tomatoes.
Dried fruits
While fresh fruits are ideal for budgies, dried fruits can be toxic. It is because of the addition of sulfur dioxide to them. Sulfur helps dried fruits last longer. While it doesn’t affect us, sulfur can harm budgies.
Final takeaway
Coming back to our initial question: can budgies eat apples? Yes, they can eat apples as long as their seeds are carefully removed. Apples have many nutritional benefits for budgies, can be included in their daily diet.