Our 7 Favorite Parakeet Foods To Keep Your Bird Happy And Healthy (2024)

• Our Picks

• Seeds or Pellets?

• What to Know About Parakeet Food

• FAQ

• Why Trust The Spruce

Pellets are generally considered to be superior to seeds as a parakeet staple, since they are nutritionally balanced and protein-rich compared to high-fat, low-protein seeds. It is crucial to provide snacks and other ingredients as sides—usually fresh fruit and vegetables—but all of the essential nutritional needs your parakeet or budgie needs are in most organic pellet products.

Lafeber Premium Daily Diet Parakeet Food is full of antioxidants, chelated minerals, and omega fatty acids that have benefits for skin, feather, and immune system health.Lafeber’s pellet diet contains no artificial preservatives or flavors.

Lafeber Company is a highly trusted brand, which released the first commercially available, nutritionally complete bird food pellets in the 1970s. Still manufactured in Cornell, Illinois, Lafeber’s bird seed uses domestic-grown grain in all its pellets. The care Lafeber puts into developing the product is evident in their directions and recommendations for use, which include advice about what fresh fruit and vegetables it should ideally be served with, and how to get your bird to transition comfortably to pellet-based meals.

Lafeber Premium Daily Diet Parakeet Food comes in a variety of sizes. You can even get a 25-pound box of Lafeber Premium Daily Diet.

_{Main Ingredients: Ground corn, wheat, oat groats, soybean meal, cane molasses, dried whole egg, corn gluten meal | Sizes: 1.25-pound, 5-pound, 25-pound, 85-pound tubs}

Made from natural grains, these fruit-forward pellets cover all the major dietary requirements for your budgie to stay well-fed and healthy. While it’s important to diversify your parakeet’s diet, these cost-effective and tasty pellets can account for at least 60-percent of their nutritional needs. The secret to this is not only its protein content, but also its spread of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Its positive effects on your budgie extend beyond just diet and nutrition. ZuPreem’s pellets are lower in fat than many seed-based mixes, thus promoting cardiovascular health. The whole grain makeup also results in meals that are heavy on fiber, which is crucial for maintaining healthy digestion.

ZuPreem FruitBlend Flavor Pellets are a perennial favorite with parakeet owners and also get a stamp of approval from veterinarians and bird specialists. Their shape and size are ideal for small and medium-sized birds, making them a flexible option for a wide range of pet bird species.

_{Main Ingredients: Ground corn, soybean meal, ground wheat, oranges, apples, grapes, bananas | Sizes: 2-pound bag, 4 pounds (pack of two 2-pound bags), 10-pound bag}

Wild Harvest Daily Blend Nutrition Diet Parakeet Food is a high-quality seed mix that is excellent for pairing with other mineral-rich items, like fresh fruits and vegetables.

Seeds on their own are not generally recommended as the main staple of a parakeet diet because seeds alone are low on amino acids, vitamins, and mineral, and high in fat content. But this mix is enriched with extra vitamins and minerals—including vitamins A, D3, and B12—to push it above the levels of less hearty seed mixes, making it fortified enough to serve as your bird’s main diet if necessary. And it is infused with orange oil, which brings an orange, citrusy flavor that birds enjoy.

This mix comes in a bag that is resealable to help keep the food fresh and ready for your budgie to enjoy.

^{Main Ingredients: White millet, oat groats, canary grass seed, red millet, rapeseed, orange oil, dicalcium phosphate, soybean oil, maltodextrin, salt, wheat germ oil | Sizes: 5-pound bag}

This mix designed for hungry budgies from Dr. Harvey's includes a variety of seeds, grains, dried fruits, vegetables, and nuts—a bit of all the options you might hope to put in front of your beloved bird at lunch or dinnertime.

Dr. Harvey's Our Best Parakeet Food provides a nutrient-rich profile made up of 34 all-natural ingredients, including ten different types of seeds, nine kinds of nuts, seven varieties of fruits, seven different veggies, and oat groats as the grain. Plus, the food is made without added preservatives, dyes, or added vitamins. But it is only available in one size—a four pound bag, and it is a bit pricier than others on the list.

^{Main Ingredients: White millet, canola seed, canary grass seed, oat groats, red millet, apple, coconut, carrot, mango, pineapple, papaya, hemp seed, sesame seed, flaxseed, anise seed, poppy seed, caraway seed, banana, orange peel | Sizes: 4-pound bag}

Combining the best of seed and pellet diets, this budget-friendly mix from Living World includes a variety of seeds, grains, dried fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Each serving of Living World’s Premium Mix provides a nutrient rich meal made with eight types of grains and nuts that are heavy on essential nutrients.

The Canada-based avian research organized Hagen Avicultural Research Institute (HARI)—which in part specializes in nutritional studies—has given the Premium Mix from Living World its official seal of approval. The food is formulated for parakeets, parrots, and other birds and is beneficial in promoting weight regulation, healthy plumage, bone strength, and high metabolism.

_{Main Ingredients:Papaya, pineapple, coconut, cCanary seed, oat groats, white millet, flaxseed, rapeseed, hemp seed, niger seed, sesame seed, carrot, caraway seed |Sizes:2-pound bag}

The best snacks you can give your parakeet or budgie are usually considered to be fresh fruit and vegetables. But if you’re looking for a solid store-bought product that can provide the benefit and tasty appeal of those items, Lafeber’s Classic Nutri-Berries Parakeet Food provides a combination of hulled seeds, peanuts, cracked corn, and more.

Nutri-Berries are all-natural and non-GMO, covered with stabilized vitamins, chelated minerals, and amino acids, plus this food contains a variety of sweet and savory flavors that encourage foraging. Similar to Lafeber’s pellets, Classic Nutri-Berries are nutritionally complete, which makes this a potential alternative for parakeets that don’t respond to standardized pellets. But for most budgies, this blend is a perfect periodic snack.

_{Main Ingredients: Hulled white proso millet, hulled canary grass seed, hulled oats, maltodextrin, peanuts, red millet, soybean meal, ground corn, wheat flour, corn syrup, glycerin, hydrolyzed soy protein, canola oil, ground limestone, ground rice, dicalcium phosphate, carrageenan, iodized salt | Sizes: 10-ounce, 4-pound, 14-pound tubs}

Harrison’s Bird Food is a widely respected purveyor of nutritionally balanced, veterinarian-formulated bird diets. If you are looking for an ideal primary meal source for your small, growing parakeet, budgie, or parrotlet, Harrison’s Adult Lifetime Super Fine is a fine-grained mix which is meant to make up 75 percent of a healthy bird’s diet. Its ingredients are certified organic and non-GMO.

_{Main Ingredients: Corn, hull-less barley, hulled gray millet, toasted soybean meal, peas, lentils, peanut kernels, sunflower kernels, toasted oat groats, alfalfa, brown rice, chia, calcium carbonate | Sizes: 1-pound bag}

Final Verdict

Recommendations differ, but higher-fat seeds should constitute only a small portion of your parakeet’s diet. Our favorite staple food for most parakeets is Lafeber's Premium Daily Diet Pellets, which are nutritionally complete, available in a wide range of sizes, and made entirely from premium natural ingredients. We also love ZuPreem’s FruitBlend Flavor Pellets Bird Food. Made from natural grains, FruitBlend pellets are high in nutrients, low in fat, and rich in vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are missing from most seed-based mixes.

FAQ

• What foods are best for parakeets?

  Many kinds of foods are great for parakeets, and your birds can (and usually should) try several of them. This is not just to find the best nutritional mix, consisting of the best possible ingredients, but also to figure out which foods your budgie actually enjoys. Pellets, seeds, fruit, vegetables, and nuts are all options that are on the table, but it’s important to make sure the specific items that you select as staples for your parakeet’s daily meals are not too heavy on fat and sugar. It is crucial to balance out the protein-rich food sources with a suitable amount of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals.

• Can parakeets eat co*ckatiel food?

  In many cases, yes, but since co*ckatiels are larger than parakeets, it is important that your parakeet doesn’t bite off more than it can chew, literally. Some seeds will be hard for them to crack or chew, especially sunflower seeds, which should be avoided in budgie diets. Because they are larger, co*ckatiels also need and be able to consume more protein at once than parakeets, so it’s important to reduce the recommended serving size of co*ckatiel food if you are going to give some to your budgies.

• What human foods can parakeets eat?

  Many fruits, vegetables, and nuts are fair game for parakeets, and usually recommended as an addition to their diet. Parakeets enjoy a surprisingly wide range of recognizable foods.

  Vegetables:

  • Broccoli
  • Beets
  • Asparagus
  • Carrots
  • Mustard greens
  • Parsley
  • Radish
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Corn
  • Peas
  • Watercress
  • Cucumber
  • Pumpkin
  • Cauliflower

  Fruits:

  • Apples
  • Strawberries
  • Mango
  • Raspberries
  • Papaya
  • Kiwi
  • Grapes
  • Blueberries
  • Bananas
  • Cherries (no pits)

  When contemplating other snacks, it is mostly important to not give your bird any human food that is high in calories, fat, and sugar. Make sure you research specific items before you introduce them as part of a meal to check if there are any toxic ingredients, such as persin, which is in avocados and can be deadly for birds.

A Complete Guide to Keeping a Pet Parakeet