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Post by Laraine on Jun 18, 2012 16:29:36 GMT 10
A woman who bought one of my baby budgies asked me if it was OK to feed her budgies cheese. Aparently he loves it and she hasn't noticed any change in his droppings.
Can someone advise me if this is OK, I have never heard of feeding birds cheese before.
Thanks.
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Post by madaussie on Jun 18, 2012 17:55:16 GMT 10
Thats a new one for me as well never heard off it .
jjjj
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Post by avinet on Jun 19, 2012 10:21:41 GMT 10
Small amounts of cheese such as cheddar isn't a problem - and can be a useful source of calcium for breeding hens - I know some breeders who will give grated cheese to their breeding birds. Just how much to give is a bit difficult to quantify but I would suggest that for a budgie 3 or 4 pieces of the bits of grated cheese you can buy ready grated from the supermarkets might be a maximum to give daily.
Birds do not produce the enzyme lactase, and so cannot breakdown the lactose in milk. This means that there is a risk of a digestive problem if they swallow too much lactose bearing food or milk. However processed cheese such as cheddar does not contain lactose so doesn't cause problems. Cream cheese does contain lactose so is best avoided.
However small amounts of milk are not an issue for birds from my experience - some of my birds enjoy sharing my breakfast cereal (with milk) and they certainly have no ill-effects from doing so.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by madaussie on Jun 19, 2012 12:25:48 GMT 10
You should write a book on birds mike i would but it .
jjjj
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Post by Rooster on Jun 29, 2012 20:50:30 GMT 10
No, not good for the bird. Try to stick with what the bird would get in nature. Most dairy products are cooked and therefore bad for animals 
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Post by avinet on Jun 29, 2012 22:23:36 GMT 10
No, not good for the bird. Try to stick with what the bird would get in nature. Most dairy products are cooked and therefore bad for animals Most of what we feed birds is not found in their natural habitat. For instance none of the seed varieties used in commercial seed mixes are native to Australia and so are not part of the diet our parrots would get in nature. There is no harm in a small amount of cheese, and there is ample practical experience to show it is perfectly acceptable and a useful supplementary food for birds. A food being cooked does not make it bad for animals. Many owners cook up a cake for their birds for instance, using commonly found recipes on many bird sites. My own birds love a bit of (cooked) biscuit - some prefer Ginger Nut (my favourite) while others prefer Nice biscuits. And there are many excellent cooked mash recipes on the net that form an excellent food for those with the time to prepare them. cheers, Mike |
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