I got 2 kinds of food from the breeder and Bob likes it but if I can't get over to her shop what brand of foods should I buy at the pet store outlets? I looked at Lisa's list of foods and she doesn't like any of them. I am confused.

myself i dont use ANY commercial pet store foods...and i dont know what your breeder fed either...i buy organic grains which you can find a lot in your health food section of grocery stores or in K MART i believe i was told in the pet dept or near it they sell a brand of organic grains i use which is BOBS RED MILL...and i get my seeds with no food coloring to them and add several kitchen spices and herbs...to that...

you should also get a good dry egg mix for when the bird will moult as they use a tremdous amount of protein during that time and keep a MINERAL BLOCK and also a CUTTLEBONE for calcium in the cage.

Good info but please explain more about the different grains you buy and are the grains like seed? where would I get dry egg for moult time? I have a cuttlebone but will get a mineral block too. I really appreciate any nutritional info because I am new to this and I am big into nutrition for all my animals. Going shopping tomorrow and will get some new things for Bob.

https://www.birdsupplynh.com/catalog/pro...2bcd42870e10e74

or ebay search for Petamine

for good fresh spices this site...i NEVER buy my spices any longer from grocery stores they dont compare to this place

http://www.myspicesage.com/name-az-g-c-1_50.html?page=3&sort=20a

like crushed red pepper, parsley flakes, celery flake, anise, fennel, spinach flakes..beet powder and carrot powder ..thats a good starter

http://stores.ebay.com/Alta-Loma-Seed-Company?_trksid=p4340.l2563
to order a ***basic budgie seed mix and there is a lot of other things there too...

add to that grains for BOBS RED MILL like buckwheat , golden flax, barley, hemp, oat groats, etc...

http://www.bobsredmill.com/grains-beans-seeds/

all without any food coloring etc...google for some things...or check out ebay...there is a lot of available resources without using commercial feeds.

forgot to mention also nice green fresh veggies google whats safe and what isnt...there is a huge list...budgies dont eat much in the way of nuts or fruits so dont worry too much about them...also any honey treat items the honey is of no health benefit unless honey is harvested ****locally.

here is another site with info

http://www.birds-online.de/nahrung/gruenfutter/gruenfutter_en.htm

the Petamine and Abba are foods to add to seeds when in major moults ONLY as its high in protein which you dont want to keep your budgie on

here is even more info...lol

http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen.html#foods

want more or will that do ya for awhile giggle...do not feed chard for a veggie as its way to high in sodium also on brocolli and spinach and parsley those are calcium binders so feed those sparingly...

cuttlebone and mineral blocks i recommend sticking with non flavored ones with coloring and be sure not to overlook above post ..this is all stuff i forgot to add ...HAPPY READING.

once you get your seeds no matter what they are ...dont buy more than you could use in a 4 - 5 month time to preserve the freshness and always reseal in something like a zip lock bag thoroughly squeezing out as much air as you can...keep the bulk of your seed sealed like that leaving out only a small amt of what you would use in say a month...

im really doing a happy dance as i just got lucky on ebay at getting a vacuum sealer for foods...so ill be able to vacuum seal everything

I feed the same as illusive..no color added or preservatives.

Myspiceage is an awesome place for herbs n spices and dehydrated veggies. Not just for the birds but for us too. Their spices are sooo much fresher than ones bought at the grocery store. mmmmm
Levi and Ziggy both LOVE the dehydrated red bell peppers from that site, and also the dehydrated carrots. It seems the larger the quantity you buy, the bigger the pieces, so some might have to be chopped a bit.
Oh and the crushed red pepper is another big time fav. mmmmm good!LOL
The thing about dehydrated veggies is that they are just as nutritious as fresh veggies. Better even than frozen. And you can mix them in ti their seed mix Fresh is certainly good/GREAT too and mine love them too, but adding dehydrated keeps the worry out of having to provide fresh and wash n slice n dice all the time. Niiice when you are busy!

One thing I might add when considering making your own,or adding to the mix you get...both hemp and flax are oily seeds and high in protein. They are both SUPER nutritious tho and very good for our birds. They just should not make up much of the overall mix. Use sparingly. Hemp seeds are virtual little powerhouses of nutrition-for birds AND humans!

Ditto on the eggfood mix illusive linked at the birdsupplynh, it's great stuff for molting periods.
The Petamine can usually be found at petstores if you prefer not buying online.

I see you both have crushed red pepper. I use that for heat in recipes. Keets like that?

yah but barley has 92 MINERALS and 22 VITAMINS its a powerhouse...lol

keets LOVEEEEE the crushed red pepper the heat to them is barely noticeable...

allllll those sites and links i provided for you be sure to poke thru all the links in them too...educate yourself...take notes...keep the site links for frequent referral etc...makes for some very informational reading and ideas.

the my spice site ...things on left take you thru their list in a alphabetized way...and every order gets you a free sample of a herb or spice....and its a decent size sample too

all those sites are lightning fast at processing and shipping too i just dont use the site for BOBS RED MILL cuz i have a source not far from me that carries the entire line almost...so i just do a pickup there and in fact im hitting there friday...lol

Reading through all this is so fascinating, had no idea keets liked crushed red pepper! I've fed my dogs raw food for around 14 or so years so I'm totally into feeding a species appropriate diet. I remember feeling overwhelmed at first and now it's so natural to feed that way so I know I'll get used to this too. <g> Just had no idea that there wasn't a decent premade mix out there for birds. I know I'll worry about getting the right combination of nutrients. I've answered many a question about feeding raw to people just starting out so it's weird feeling like such a novice again. Thanks for all the links and info.

Just a note: iherb.com also has some of the seeds n grains and such. They carry some of the Bob's Redmill brand and also others. I would, and DO, get ORGANIC whenever possible

Oh, and if ordering from iherb there is a coupon code: BUY123 that gives $5 off your first order. Gotta save where we can now days.