Can Budgies Eat Corn? Is Corn Good For Budgies?
Once you bring home the adorable fluff-featured budgies, training and looking after them is your only responsibility. It’s no wonder they’re so popular, followed by dogs and cats.
Our first research should be learning about the food palate. Remember that it is completely different from humans! Budgies or budgerigars’ diet mostly contains seeds, vegetables, and fruits.
So what does it mean? Can budgies eat corn? If so, how should you offer it? Having several pairs of them myself has taught me many things over the course of years, including what to feed my chirping babies.
Can You Feed Corn To Budgies?
Let’s proceed according to the corn types. Honestly, the history between the corn and budgies is quite old. The problem is that most pet owners are in the learning phase. While it’s an optimistic gesture for us, it might be irritating for the new winged members in the house. So get a few points straight, fellows!
1. Corn on the Cob
Budgies/parakeets love new treats so long it is within their favorable meal list. I like to surprise my budgies with surprising fruits and vegetables all the time.
Of course, you must ensure not to give different treats simultaneously in a week. That can lead to indigestion. So, can you give a budgie corn on the cob? Why it is one of the treats, I love to provide for my budgies! But limit it to only once a week or two as a pleasant surprise.
How to Serve it
There are many myths surrounding how to offer the corn cob to parakeets. Some say raw is unhealthy, while others frown at cooked corn on the cob.
Let me clear something for you. You can feed your budgies raw or cooked corn on the cob without stress! If it’s cooked, make sure to cool down the cob before serving it.
Offering raw corn can also be entertaining for your budgies as they can peck and work through it like an activity.
2. Even the tough stalk can help sharpen/file budgie’s beak while accepting the treat. Hard Corn
Are hard corns any different? Then can budgies eat hard corn too? I’ve given mine a handful of hard corn a few times so far.
The only difference I found was that they are eliminated from pecking and working through the cob. Instead, the budgerigars treat it like any hard seed and eat it bit by bit.
How to Serve it
Simply place a small mound of hard corns on the bird feeder. The first time may take some time for the cute parakeets to get near it. Nevertheless, no creature on Earth has been able to resist favorite treats!
3. Baby Corn
I have a saying that summarizes everything I’m about to explain here – ‘Baby corns are for baby budgies. So should parakeets eat corn if both the bird and the corn are babies? Always focus on the fact that corns are not a highly nutritional meal. It isn’t ideal for adults or hatchlings.
However, you might feel bad seeing how your newborn parakeets are deprived of the tasty treat. Hence, you provide baby corns. These corns are in the early growth stage of a mature corn husk. Therefore, everything is edible and soft, including the tiny stalk.
Furthermore, I once provided a couple of baby corns to one of my budgies whose beak was fragile at the time. I mean, being sick should not rob away her chance of weekly treats.
How to Serve It
Always wash the baby corn before offering it to the lovely budgies. It can eliminate the pesticide residuals since they’re produced commercially. Place them where the budgerigars expect food. Also, baby corn should be offered in moderation.
4. Canned Corn
Humans call them sweet corn in a tinned container. It’s one of my favorite treats (for me) that I always store in bulk at home. If you have opened a sweet corn can before, you should know that there are preservatives and artificial flavors too.
While we can stomach them without any problem, they’re a big deal for the petit digestion system of a parakeet. We’re used to the processed canned corn, but it can cause health concerns for our beloved budgies. For example, they can gain unhealthy weight, increase fat and cholesterol in the heart (also known as heart calcification).
So, avoid keeping it as a dietary staple and offer it more as a supplementary snack once a week or month.
How to Serve It
Take a small handful of sweet corn and wash away the added sugar/sodium/preservatives. Place them in the feeder for the budgies to approach and eat.
5. Cornflakes
Don’t laugh! Cornflakes are somewhat corn in a sense. If we can munch on them with milk for breakfast, can parakeets have corn as flakes too?
Here’s what you should know:
- Sugary cornflakes are tasty for us, all right, but they’re not beneficial for our budgies.
- Opt for plain cornflakes.
- You can grind the hard textured cornflakes in portions for budgies to digest easily.
- Technically, plain cornflakes fall within the seeds and cereals of the dietary chart. So offering commercial ones are okay so long you give them in moderation.
How to Serve It
I tried mixing some plain cornflakes with regular seedy ingredients. The result was exquisite!
FAQs
How often should budgies eat corn?
Feed them corn only once a week or two. If you offer hard/soft corn on the cob, avoid giving any other type of corn to budgies that week.
What are the risk factors of corn?
A 100g corn kernels lack sufficient A and B vitamins and minerals despite containing 75% of water.
Which is better for budgies – soft or hard corns?
Both are enjoyable for budgies, though it depends on their preference. Just make sure to give them either one only once per week.
Final Words
If you’re a parent of a human child who has just finished a large pack of McDonald’s fries and asking for more, would you give in?
Similarly, can budgies eat corn regularly if they chirp ‘more corn’ all the time? The answer is no. Corns are occasional treats, not a fundamental meal ingredient. Good luck, parakeet parents!
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