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homebird
Flier
Joined: 09 Apr 2006
Posts: 502
Location: Toronto, Canada |
| Fresh Grass & Grass Seeds ~ for Budgies or other birds |
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I have been having a lot of fun giving my birds fresh grass to work over & harvest the unripe seeds [i was reading about giving my birds natural foods] - the seeds are getting riper & still they are enjoying the new batches that i supply almost every day - it is a great motivator for me to go for walks.
http://i100.photobucket.com/al.....haring.jpg
I have been warned that the seed might make my birds hormonal but so far they're Ok with it & love to nibble on the grasses.
quote:
http://www.budgieworld.net/budgie_advice.htm
Budgerigar Diet
Budgies in the wild eat both ripe and unripe seeds. The reason for the consumption of unripe seeds is that they carry more assimilative lysine. You can, in part, duplicate this situation at home with your pet budgie by giving him/her grass seeds from your gardens. Wild budgerigars feed upon grass seeds; mainly on the ripening seeds of the Australian Spinifex and the Mitchell grass which they supplement on a daily basis with Eucalyptus leaves, buds and bark. They sometimes also feed on a few other plants depending on where they are.
You can also look at my diary or home pages for more photos.
 I get carried away I know, but they are so fun to document. |
Monday June 11, 2007 2:24 am |
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Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
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| Re: Fresh Grass & Grass Seeds ~ for Budgies or other bir |
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It's great to see your birdies eating that.  It look so much more fun to eat than dried seeds. |
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Monday June 11, 2007 9:50 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
oh yeah, those budgies do love the grass seeds!! I'm so glad to see your two chowing down on them!!  yes definitely gives you insentives to go out for walks.. hehe |
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Monday June 11, 2007 2:18 pm |
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homebird
Flier
Joined: 09 Apr 2006
Posts: 502
Location: Toronto, Canada |
Well now is the right time of year to be doing all these fun things for your birds.
I tried the Willow
- it worked rally well - in that it gave the new mat lots of stability. However i had to get rid of it - the smell was killing me.  I'm very sensitive to odours - i normally like Willow - but i guess having it around all day in my room was too much. I put it out on the balcony to air dry - i am hoping to use the larger pieces as perches. Maybe it won't be smelly when it's dry. or i'll go with my other choice - Mulberry - there are lots of them along the creek.
Wonder what an herbal perch would be like???
Lavender, Rosemary, thyme.....
they all get woody & the leaves are edible.......... |
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Thursday June 14, 2007 5:11 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
I am sure you are already aware of too much herbs being bad for budgies. I'm not sure what the effect would be if they birds were to chew on the woody stems. I don't give any of my budgies herbs of any kinda, well may be except for a sprig of pasley here and there. Too much of herbs is not good for birds. |
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Thursday June 14, 2007 5:37 pm |
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meg832
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 365
Location: Ohio |
I let my parotlet have new perches of rosemary wood with rosemary leaves still clinging to them. She loved it but ate so much she got a bit of the runs. Although it was no worse than she'd get after gorging on greens, I decided to limit the number of leaves she could actually get in a day. Now she has a perch of a leafless rosemary branch. She chews at the twigs, and that hasn't changed her poop. Cheeta is right, though. Herbs have medicinal qualities, so it makes sense to limit the amount a bird can get. The active components of rosemary are mostly in the leaves; and of lavender, in the blossoms and leaves.
Perhaps we will hear of others who have let their birds chew on the wood of herb plants and learn from their experience. If anyone lives in Arizona or California, where rosemary is commonly planted outdoors; or along the Mediterranean Sea-- can you tell us if the wild birds eat rosemary leaves or if people use the branches for pet birds' perches? |
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Friday June 15, 2007 8:03 pm |
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Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
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Hmmm we don't have rosemary wood over here. I would love a branch or two though! Did you buy it or is it growing where you live? |
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Saturday June 16, 2007 12:27 pm |
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homebird
Flier
Joined: 09 Apr 2006
Posts: 502
Location: Toronto, Canada |
Thanks for the reminder - it's good to review - taking herbs is like taking medicine - there are some benefits but overdoing it could be an issue. Sometimes you hope that their natural instincts will get them thru any situation - but that is not a given with a captive animal.
I've noticed the Budgies love to work the tougher grass sticks, even when dried out. I think they enjoy the tastes & the intellectual stimulation this kind of exploring gives them.
I'm going to see if i can dry/bag/store some for the winter - I used to keep lemon grass tops in the freezer for a cough tea remedy. Again storage is a concern as i do use my freezer for food. |
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Saturday June 16, 2007 1:16 pm |
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meg832
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 365
Location: Ohio |
quote:
Hmmm we don't have rosemary wood over here. I would love a branch or two though! Did you buy it or is it growing where you live?
I am a curator for a rosemary collection of over 60 different species. ALl but a few were purchased from nurseries. The others were collectd as cuttings and grown to adulthood. They can't survive our winters, so we grow them in pots-- not an easy task! It grows wild in Spain and Italy. Maybe you could plan your whole summer vacation around getting a branch of it!
quote:
I'm going to see if i can dry/bag/store some for the winter - I used to keep lemon grass tops in the freezer for a cough tea remedy. Again storage is a concern as i do use my freezer for food.
I've never forzen it. Do you blanch them before you freeze them? I've dried lemon grass for colds. I spread the leaves on a flat, bamboo tray. Once they are as dry as breakfast cereal flakes, I put them in glass jars in a dark place. I have vanilla grass growing this year for the cats. |
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Saturday June 16, 2007 5:36 pm |
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homebird
Flier
Joined: 09 Apr 2006
Posts: 502
Location: Toronto, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by meg832
.........I've never frozen [lemon grass]. Do you blanch them before you freeze them? I've dried lemon grass for colds. I spread the leaves on a flat, bamboo tray. Once they are as dry as breakfast cereal flakes, I put them in glass jars in a dark place. I have vanilla grass growing this year for the cats.
I just bag it & freeze it but when it's a bit dry. Frozen it is very dry 'hay' like in the end, just as you described the dry grass, but it is still green after many months. I imagine the dark environment of the freezer helps. |
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Saturday June 16, 2007 9:52 pm |
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meg832
Fledgeling
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Posts: 365
Location: Ohio |
quote:
I just bag it & freeze it but when it's a bit dry. Frozen it is very dry 'hay' like in the end....
There is a way to freeze dry herbs. I think it involved putting herbs in the freezer inside a paper bag and letting them get a controlled freezer burn, that is, dry out. That sounds like what you do. |
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Sunday June 17, 2007 4:57 pm |
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