Parakeet Seed

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

Does anyone have parakeets and can recommend a name brand to feed my bird. She's use to a certain brand and went to the store to get a new supply and they longer sell it and other stores don't either. Will have to buy something new and mix it with the seed I have left. Good thing I'm not completely out.

spumoni99 · ‎02-16-2019

I buy wild harvest daily blend on Amazon, I also buy Kaytee spray millet on Amazon as sort of a treat.

I got two parakeets for my granddaughters during covid and now the girls have lost interest in them because they are a bonded pair and don't want anything to do with us. I would love to rehome them but I don't want to risk them being separated or not taken care of.

FancyPhillyshopper · ‎05-02-2017

How sad to buy parakeets as gifts and think they are "disposable." If they cost the same perhaps as parrots or macaws, maybe people would think more carefully before they purchase. Children should not be allowed to have pets unless they fully understand the responsibility for their care (time, cost). There are too many unwanted, unloved animals in this world due to impulse decisions.

Of course, I absolutely do NOT believe in animals being apart from others of their same species. I think it is very important for animals to be able to communicate and play with each other, as well as be around people. I always have at least two dogs, two cats, and multiple parakeets. Parakeets are flock creatures, and love to feed, sing to, and groom each other. People can never give one parakeet all the attention and stimulation it truly needs.

All pets require ongoing care and commitment. There are many parakeet care books on the market, as well as many online forums. Almost all pet stores have a bird section that sell a variety of food brands, many formulated especially for parakeets. Chewy also has a bird section.

Parakeets should have fresh food (vegetables, fruits) daily, as well as pellets, and only some seed. I mix three different kinds of seeds and pellets for my birds. They need cuttlebones for their beaks. Millet sprays are treats.

I love all my pets,and I always try to learn as much as possible about their needs so I can give them the best possible care.

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@kismet

I'm sure you've already tried Petco, Chewy and whatever.

I've had good luck with discontinued items showing up on Ebay, so do a search and ask for notifications when new auctions for that seed are listed. You just never know.

Good luck.

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

The pellets/granular feed are most commonly used these days rather than seed. They're better nutritionally assuming the birds will eat them. Some birds insist on seed and if that's the case then you want the freshest possible seed. Back when I kept birds (80's-90's) there was a parrot aviary on Long Island that imported seeds directly from overseas growers and that seed was so fresh and ripe that you could almost pour it into a bowl and eat it yourself. You had to buy 25 or 50-pound bags and the shipping costs were pretty high, but the seed was worth it. It was so vastly different from the normal boxed/bagged stuff you could get in pet shops that it almost didn't even seem like the same stuff. My birds loved it. Fresh seed is vastly better than most of the stuff you can buy commercially.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

redbird · ‎03-24-2010

I shop at a bird mega store here in St Louis county and buy their own blend. They carry a wide variety of branded seeds as well and ship. Google Varietiees Bird Store to shop the web site. My little buddies eat seed, fruit flavored pellets,fresh shredded carrots, broccoli, and thawed corn and peas. Millet spray, oat groats, and Kaytee fruit and veggie treats are given on occasion as a treat. I have had many parakeets over the years. One lived to be 16 years old.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

I don't know today, but back in the 1960's and early 70's we had a parakeet that was a family member, was often out of his cage to be with us, and died at almost 10 years old.

We got him from a tiny pet shop that sold bird seedl and "vitamines" which we always fed him. They were a mix of various seeds of different shapes and colors, and he seemed to like them. So I do believe diet helps birds a lot.

It was so sad when he died--he was such a big part of the family.

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

I've had parakeets, several at one time, since the 70s. My first one did talk. I wouldn't separate a pair because one or both may not want to eat resulting in death. My oldest was 9, she started laying eggs, and guess she had one stuck. She was dead on the bottom of the cage when I uncovered her in the morning. It was the same day my husband died. The seed I had was Lafaber and I did try to change the seed but none of the birds would eat it. I use to get the 20lb bag of seed and just freeze it. The store I always got it at said they couldn't get it from their supplier. Called several and no one had it. We had a bird store here that has since closed and I even tried their store brand they put together and no one would eat it. Maybe mine was really good. Anyway I use to be able to buy seed in bulk and get a small amount to try but no one does that anymore. Most of the smaller pet stores have closed here and the big ones don't carry much. Guess I'll just have to see what's out there.

kismet · ‎03-10-2010

A few months ago I saw an add for free parakeets on craigslist. I couldn't take them but I did send a message to the person to not just give them away free. It's been said that people feed them to snakes. She got back to me a few days later and said she did ask a lot of questions when someone came to see them and decided on a woman that already had parakeets and she went to her home to see them. She asked me if I wanted the double cage she had and in the past I would of taken it but only having one bird now it was too big. I have a lot of different size cages I've gotten over the years. Parakeets have always been a part of my family just as my dogs are. The 9 year old parakeet that died, I took to the vet and had her cremated. Her little urn sits on the furniture where her cage was. I requested some of her feathers (blue, white and black) with the urn and they came in a pretty blue velvet pouch. She was from a private home where the lady's two parakeets got together with no nest. The most precious bird I've had and was shy at first but came around and played all the time. I also got her brother, they looked like twins, but he died from what I suspect from a bad liver at 4.

spumoni99 · ‎02-16-2019

@Sooner wrote:
I don't know today, but back in the 1960's and early 70's we had a parakeet that was a family member, was often out of his cage to be with us, and died at almost 10 years old.

We got him from a tiny pet shop that sold bird seedl and "vitamines" which we always fed him. They were a mix of various seeds of different shapes and colors, and he seemed to like them. So I do believe diet helps birds a lot.

It was so sad when he died--he was such a big part of the family.

I would love to do that but don't trust one of my kitties, she is way too curious.