As well as enjoying a fresh dish of budgie seed, you will soon discover that your budgie adores vegetables too!
Give him the chance to peck at new textures and flavors, regularly tempting your budgie with different vegetables is the ideal way to ensure they are getting a balanced diet rich in nutrients.
You probably regularly serve your family broccoli so the natural question is
Can budgies eat broccoli?
The short answer to this is yes! They can eat broccoli
In fact it is very healthy for your budgie and makes a nutritious treat for your little birdie!
In this article you’re going to learn
- Can budgies eat raw broccoli
- Benefits of broccoli to your budgie
- How to feed your budgie broccoli
- What vegetables budgies can eat
- What vegetables they can’t eat
Lots to cover which you will find really interesting for sure!
Sound good?
Let’s get started!
(There’s a cute video at the end of this article of a budgie eat broccoli so make sure to check it out!)
Can Budgies (Parakeet) Eat Raw Broccoli?
Budgies really enjoy eating raw broccoli which is good news as it is very nutritious for them.
Preparing the broccoli could not be easier!
Simply cut a stalk from a bunch of broccoli and stand back and watch your budgie happily nibble away at it.
Broccoli is very nutritious as it is packed with vitamins and minerals.
Your budgie will happily peck at raw broccoli but remember that budgies do not like cold food any more than we do, so don’t serve it straight from the fridge.
If you have some leftover cooked broccoli, this will prove popular too.
Want to know the benefits this vegetable has for our budgie?
Let’s find out!
Benefits Of Broccoli For Your Budgie
Broccoli is highly nutritious for budgies as well as humans so it is really good if you can give your budgie some regularly to enjoy.
Raw broccoli is actually more nutritious for your budgie as many of the nutrients are killed by heat.
On the mineral front, broccoli contains vitamin A which is good for eyes and quills, vitamin B which helps your bird keep fit or helps if they are ill or stressed and vitamin K which is vital for strong bones.
Broccoli is also packed with different minerals that are good for budgies including calcium which again is good for bones, potassium which boosts vitality and iron which helps prevent your budgie from being anaemic.
Okay so we know budgies can eat broccoli
And we also know how healthy it is
But what about how to feed it to your birdie?
Let’s find out..
How To Feed Broccoli To Your Birdie?
If your budgie is hand-friendly, it is the ideal treat for you to have in your hand or you can pop a piece of broccoli in a food clip in the cage.
If you are giving your budgie broccoli for the first time, they may need a little encouragement to try eating it!
The best way to get over this hurdle is to sprinkle the broccoli with millet seed as budgies usually find these irresistible!
What Other Vegetables Can Budgies Eat?
Budgies love vegetables and vegetables are really good for them so it is a winning combination!
It is so easy to prepare some vegetable for your budgie whilst you are preparing your own meal and the best news is that they can eat many vegetables raw.
The main thing to remember is to always wash the vegetables thoroughly before giving them to your budgie.
Among the array of vegetables that budgies enjoy are chopped celery stalks, finely shredded cabbage (wash it well first), grated carrot and either raw or cooked pumpkin that has been cut into small pieces or grated.
Make sure that the pumpkin contains no seeds.
Budgies enjoy chopped, cooked sweet potato and love half a beetroot clipped in their cage – be warmed they look very comical with purple faces for several days afterwards!
Cauliflower is also a popular treat, enjoyed raw in florets.
One thing that will surprise you is that budgies enjoy nibbling on a pepper too, but have no preference in color!
Here’s 21 vegetables you can give your budgie
- Spinach – Can budgies eat spinach?
- Silver Beet / Swiss Chard
- Podded Peas
- Carrots
- Celery (stalks only)
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Pumpkin
- Sweet Potato (cooked)
- Beetroot
- Aubergine / Egg Plant (without stalk)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Cucumber – Check my article Can budgies eat cucumber?
- Kale
- Pak Choi
- Peppers / Capsicum
- Radish
- Squash
- Sweet Corn
- Tomato (ripe only & no stems or leaves) – Can budgies eat tomato?
What Vegetables Can Budgies Not Eat?
Although budgies can enjoy a great selection of vegetables there are several that must be avoided as they are toxic to birds.
Top of the list is avocados which humans find so nutritious.
Others, include all fruit and vegetable seeds and nibs as well as uncooked beans, mushrooms and tomato leaves.
Giving your budgie a choice of vegetables regularly will ensure that he has a balanced diet and of course it will bring him plenty of fun to enjoy something different to eat.
As well as all types of vegetables to enjoy, budgies enjoy eating many different fruit too.
The key to success is to regularly give them a variety of fresh vegetables but only the equivalent of a tablespoon as they are only little!
Make sure that you clear away any uneaten vegetables after a few hours to ensure their cage stays clean and healthy for them.
Check out my article – Can budgies eat bananas?
Wrapping Up
Budgies can eat broccoli
It’s very healthy for your parakeet to eat them as mentioned in the article
Don’t overfeed your birdie but do make sure they have their veggie and fruits
They do love them and it makes a nice healthy treat!
Giving your budgie raw broccoli is ideal