Top-rated pellet food for budgies (for optimal nutrition)
A complete high-quality pellet mix with Vitamin D3 and other nutrients your budgie needs is most acceptable. Brands like Harrisons, ZuPreem, and Roudybush are supeior, but there are other good options for a cheaper price, and are readily available in pet stores.
Roudybush, Harrisons, and ZuPreem are my top choices for any healthy bird, including budgies, becaus they offer the best ingridient mix and compositions, plus Harrisons and Roudybush offer clinical diets for birds with special dietary needs.
Haggins, Hagen, Goldenfeast, Kaytee, Caitec, TOP, and LaFaber are ideal budget purchases, especially if you have several budgies to feed or in case you unexpectedly run out of budgie food, but they are not as superior in quality.
Here are my go-to brand choices:
1. Roudybush Nibble (Mini-Size) or Crumble
Roudybush is a well-known brand that produces high-quality pelleted diets for birds, including budgies. They are formulated to provide a balanced and nutritious diet for budgerigars in two options, nibble and crumble.
These pellets are made from several ingredients, including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are finely ground and then formed into bite-sized pellets.
Roudybush budgie (and bird) pellets compare well to Harrisons and ZuPreem in ingredients and quality.
Both nibble and crumble Roudybush pellets are safe for budgies, but mini-sized nibbles work best for baby budgies and tinnier birds like canaries and finches.
Crumble pellets are best for adult budgies and equally-sized birds, like cockatiels.
Feeding budgie pellets like Roudybush Budgie Pellets has several advantages:
Pros:
Roudybush pellets offer a more nutritionally balanced diet than most pellet and seed-based diet brands, which can be deficient in several vitamins and minerals.
Both nibble and crumble Roudybush pellets also help prevent selective feeding, where birds pick out their favorite seeds and leave the rest, leading to an imbalanced diet. Better than a seed-based budgie mix.
Roudybush and Harrisons offer clinical diets for budgies with specific diet needs.
Cons:
- Roundybush pellets crumble around and can create a lot of waste.
- Roundybush bird food is a high-quality brand with a hefty price tag.
2. Harrisons Adult Lifetime Pellets
Harrisons Lifetime is a complete, high-quality pellet bird food with super and extra fine pellets best for small parrots, like budgies and cockatiels, and other tiny pet birds, such as canaries.
The food is available in the USA, UK, Newzealand, Canada, and Australian bird stores, though not as accessible in some parts of Europe, like Denmark.
Harrisons budgie pellets do not have added sugars or artificial dyes (colors), so your budgie won’t run the risk of yeast infections or colored poop.
Your budgie’s poop color will be very consistent.
Bird owners also notice fewer health issues with their budgies when they feed them Harrison’s lifetime pellets. The feathers and skin are prettier, and birds molt less often.
Pros:
Harrisons is a complete high-quality pellet food, with Vitamin D3 and other nutrients necessary for budgies’ healthy growth.
Your budgie weight is easier to control when feeding them Harrison’s pellets, than when they eat high-quality seed mix.
Harrison does not color their pellets with food coloring or artificially scented fruity flavors to entice your budgie.
The food comes in different pellet sizes to suit your budgie’s preference.
Harrisons have assorted pellets for healing birds, increasing weight on underweight budgies, and for baby budgies (6 months and below).
Cons:
- The only downside of Harrison’s budgie pellets is they are high-quality bird food and hence come with a hefty price tag. They are more expensive than most bird foods you will find in any bird store.
3. ZuPreem Natural Pellets
ZuPreem is another superior brand of budgie pellets. They come in several options, including natural, smart select, and fruit blend, all better than any seed mix and most pellet brands.
However, ZuPreem nutritionists and vets add a little sugar to their pellet formula, which is less desirable. For this reason, many bird owners prefer Harrisons and Roudybush pellet better.
The fruit blend line particularly has a lot of added sugars and artificial coloring, including Red40 (supposedly). The natural pellets are better, though they also have extra sugar, but not as much.
Harrisons and Roudybush also have unique clinical formulas for budgies and birds with specific needs, something ZuPreem does not offer (at least none that I know).
One upside of ZuPreem pellets is they are readily available in pet stores and online, including on Amazon.
Pros:
ZuPreem pellets might not be as good as Harrisons or Roudybush, but they are still well-formulated and balanced. They are much better quality than many pellets brands and seed mixes.
ZuPreem is a famous pellet brand, so you will find it in most stores and even online on platforms like Amazon.
ZuPreem offers several pellet options, such as Natural, Fruit blend, and smart selects, so you have several options.
Cons:
ZuPreem pellets have some added sugars, which are not ideal for budgies and other pet birds. Too much sugar in a budgie’s diet is problematic because it causes yeast infections and other issues.
ZuPreem pellets are expensive, sometimes even more than some superior brands, like Roudybush.
ZuPreem is not often the best option when you want pellets for birds with specific needs, like overweight, underweight, molting etc.
4. LaFaber
5. Higgins
6. Caitec
7. Hagen
8. Kaytee
9. Goldenfest
10. TOPS
Factors to Consider When Choosing Pellets for Budgies
When purchasing budgie pellets, you need to consider the ingredients used to formulate your budgie pellets and the amounts of each element, to ensure you do not end up with an unbalanced diet.
There is also a need to ensure the formulation, nutritional value, texture, and pellets sizes are recommended (and preferred) for your budgie’s size.
For instance, Harrisons make high potency super fine pellets, which are ideal for baby budgies, but for adult budgies, the best formula is the adult lifetime super fine. The lifetime pellets are larger-than super fine-and the texture is not as soft.
When looking for the best pellets for your budgie, there are several factors to consider (in detail):