The FARMA Budgie & Small Parakeet Food is a complete seed diet for budgerigars and other small parakeets, sold in 20 kg sacks for aviaries, breeders and anyone feeding more than a couple of birds.

Key Features

• Two recipes at the same 20 kg size: the economical Budget Mix, or the eight-seed Budgie Mix
• The Budgie Mix is built on yellow, red and white millet with canary seed, peeled oats, linseed, safflower and bread crumbs
• Millet-led, which is what a budgie diet should be — budgerigars are small-seed specialists and do poorly on sunflower-heavy mixes
• Cleaned and screened at the factory, so there is less dust and chaff in the sack
• Made in Greece by Farma Friends, a pet-food maker near Thessaloniki that has been blending seed since 1997

Feeding

• One to two level teaspoons of seed per budgie per day is the usual guide. Measure it rather than keeping the bowl permanently full
• Tip the husks off the top of the bowl every day — a bowl that looks full is usually nothing but empty shells
• Seed alone is not a complete diet. Add fresh greens, a cuttlebone or mineral block, and grit
• Clean, fresh water at all times, changed at least daily in hot weather

Available in: Budget Mix (20 kg) and Budgie Mix (20 kg)

Good To Know

• A 20 kg sack is aviary and breeder quantity. For one or two birds, buy the retail bag instead — seed goes stale and oily seed goes rancid
• Budgies fed on seed alone commonly end up overweight and short of calcium, iodine and vitamin A. Greens and a cuttlebone are not optional extras
• Change a bird's diet gradually. Budgies can refuse unfamiliar food to the point of starving, so blend the new seed in over a week or more
• Oil-rich seed goes rancid with time and heat. Keep it sealed and cool, and throw out anything that smells sharp or musty
• Birds hide illness until very late. One sitting fluffed up on the floor of the cage is an emergency, not an off day