Why

Cooked egg is one of the more genuinely nutritious treats you can offer a budgie, being rich in protein and, if you include a little crushed shell, calcium too. It is especially useful during moulting or for birds raising chicks. The one firm rule is that it must be fully cooked, never raw, and served completely plain. Even so, it stays an occasional food rather than a daily one, because a budgie's staple diet should still be built around quality seed or pellets and fresh vegetables.

How to feed it

Hard-boil an egg or scramble it in a dry non-stick pan with no oil, butter, milk or salt. Let it cool to room temperature, then mash a small piece and offer it in a dish. You can crush a little of the clean, cooked shell over it for extra calcium. Remove any leftovers within a couple of hours.

How much & how often

A piece of cooked egg roughly the size of a pea, offered once or twice a week at most. During a moult you might give it slightly more often, but it should never replace the everyday diet.