Budgie · Snacks & drinks
Can budgies eat alcohol?
No. Alcohol depresses the nervous system and can cause loss of coordination, breathing problems and death. For a bird as small as a budgie, even a few sips of a drink could be a large dose.
- Sugar
- 0 g / 100 g
If your budgie already ate some
Treat this as an emergency and call an avian vet at once. While you arrange care, move your budgie to a small, warm, quiet cage with a low perch or none, to prevent falls, and do not force food or water.
Why
Risks. Ethanol is absorbed quickly and depresses the brain and breathing. In pets it can cause vomiting, incoordination, depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, changes in blood chemistry, coma and death. An unsteady bird can also be injured falling from a perch. Raw yeast dough produces alcohol as it ferments.
Questions owners ask 2
What if my budgie drank from my glass of wine or beer?
Call an avian vet immediately, even if it seems normal, because signs can appear quickly. Keep drinks covered or out of reach whenever your bird is out of its cage.
Can fermenting fruit give a budgie alcohol?
Very overripe fruit can ferment and contain some alcohol. Remove fresh fruit after a few hours and do not offer fruit that smells boozy.
Alcohol: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 92 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 43 kcal |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Protein | 0.5 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Calcium | 4 mg |
| Phosphorus | 14 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.29 : 1 |
| Sodium | 4 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Alcohol | 3.9 g |
“Alcoholic beverage, beer, regular, all”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 168746). Public domain.
Sources & method 4
The sources below discuss alcohol for budgies (or for pet birds generally). Confidence: high. Rated on the JOMIZOO Feeding Scale; when good sources disagree we choose the more cautious level.
- Feeding Budgies — VCA Animal Hospitals
- Nutritional Diseases of Pet Birds — Merck Veterinary Manual
- People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Food Hazards — Merck Veterinary Manual (Pet Owner Version)
