Budgie · Vegetables
Can budgies eat onions?
No. Onions contain sulfur compounds that damage red blood cells, and avian vets list them among foods budgies must avoid. Raw, cooked and powdered onion are all unsafe.
- Sugar
- 4.2 g / 100 g
If your budgie already ate some
Remove any remaining onion and call your avian vet, especially if more than a tiny bit or a concentrated form (powder, soup mix, fried onion) was eaten. Signs can be delayed by a day or more and include weakness, lethargy, fluffed feathers, breathing effort and red-brown or unusually dark droppings.
Why
Risks. Onions and other alliums (garlic, leeks, chives, spring onions) contain compounds that damage red blood cells and can cause anemia. Concentrated forms such as onion powder are more potent, and fatal poisoning has been reported in geese fed large amounts of green onions.
Questions owners ask 2
Is cooked onion safe for budgies?
No. Cooking does not remove the harmful compounds, and dried or powdered onion is even more potent than raw.
Can budgies have food seasoned with onion, like crackers or stock?
No. Keep seasoned people food away from budgies; much of it contains onion or garlic powder as well as salt.
Onions: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 89.1 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 40 kcal |
| Sugars | 4.2 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g |
| Protein | 1.1 g |
| Fibre | 1.7 g |
| Calcium | 23 mg |
| Phosphorus | 29 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.79 : 1 |
| Sodium | 4 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 7.4 mg |
“Onions, raw”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 170000). Public domain.
Sources & method 5
The sources below discuss onions 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.
- Fruits and Vegetables in Birds' Diets — VCA Animal Hospitals
- Unsafe Foods for Birds — LafeberVet
- People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Garlic and Onion (Allium spp) Toxicosis in Animals — Merck Veterinary Manual (Cristine Hayes, DVM, ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center)
- Foods That Are Toxic to Birds (Lauren Jones, VMD) — PetMD
Other pets
More vegetables
Yes
Carrot
Yes
Broccoli
Yes
Cucumber
Small amounts
Tomato
Yes
Bell pepper
Small amounts
Chili pepper
Small amounts
Celery
Small amounts
Cabbage
Small amounts
Cauliflower
Yes
Zucchini
Yes
Sweet potato
Small amounts
Potato
Yes
Pumpkin
Yes
Peas
Small amounts
Corn
Yes
Green beans
Never
Garlic
Better not
Mushroom
Never
Rhubarb