Budgie & Cockatiel Diet Calculator (Pellets vs Seed, Veg, Weight & Cage Check)
Portion a pet bird's food by species and weight: daily pellets and seed in grams and teaspoons for budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, conures and parrotlets, the pellet-to-seed ratio and how to convert a seed junkie, fresh vegetables and chop, egg food in moult and breeding, cuttlebone and grit rules, the healthy weight range and keel check, minimum cage and bar spacing, and monthly cost.
How it works
daily dry intake ≈ 12–16% of body weight (species factor), × 1.15 in moult/breeding · split: pellets 60–70% (canary 40%), seed ≤ 15–25%, the rest fresh veg (× 3 by fresh weight) · 1 level tsp ≈ 4 g of pellets/seed · egg food ≈ 3% of body weight 3–4×/week when moulting · water ≈ 15% of body weight
Small parrots eat a startlingly large share of their weight each day but from a very small bowl, and the classic all-seed diet lets them pick the fatty millet and sunflower and leave the rest, which is why fatty liver and obesity are the commonest problems the vet sees; the modern target is a formulated pellet base, a measured seed portion for foraging and enjoyment, and a daily plate of vegetables, with egg food added when feathers are being grown. Because birds hide illness and the difference between healthy and thin is a few grams, a kitchen scale and a finger on the keel do more than any feeding chart, and the cage matters as much as the food: wide enough to fly, safe bar spacing, and daily time out of it.
Worked example
Two 35 g budgies on a mostly-seed diet each eat about 5 g of dry food a day — currently only about 0.6 g of pellets and 3.6 g of seed plus around 3 g of vegetables — and the plan is to raise pellets 10% a week to a 60/25/15 split while weighing daily so neither drops below 31.5 g. The pair uses about 38 g of pellets and 214 g of seed a month now (about $6), and needs a 76 × 46 × 46 cm cage with ≤ 1.2 cm bar spacing and daily flight time.
Frequently asked questions
Do budgies need grit?
No — hookbills dehusk their seed and do not need insoluble grit; too much causes impaction. They do need calcium: a cuttlebone or mineral block available at all times, plus dark leafy greens.
My bird refuses pellets — what now?
Go slower and use hunger, not starvation: pellets in the morning, seed for a limited hour in the evening; crush pellets on damp greens; try a different brand or size; sprouted seed as a bridge; eat "with" the bird — they copy. Weigh daily and never let weight fall more than 10%.
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Husbandry guidelines drawn from veterinary and keeper references (RSPCA, ARAV, species care sheets). Individual animals, breeds and climates vary — use these as starting points and confirm with an exotics veterinarian, especially for diet changes, temperatures and health concerns.