Find out what feeding your pet bird costs each month before you buy the next bag. Enter how much food one bird eats a day, the price per kg, how many birds you have, the days in the month and what you spend on treats, then see your monthly food cost, the yearly total, the daily cost and the cost per bird.
Formula: monthly food cost = daily food in grams x number of birds x days in the month x price per kg / 1000, plus treats and supplements per month.
Food is the one bird cost that never stops, so it helps to know the monthly number before the bag runs out. This calculator turns the two numbers on the bag, the daily amount and the price per kg, into a monthly and yearly total.
Monthly food cost = daily food in grams x number of birds x days in the month x price per kg / 1000, plus treats and supplements per month. The division by 1000 turns grams into kilograms, because food is sold by the kilogram while birds eat by the gram. Daily food means the dry food one bird eats, and treats are added at the end because they are usually bought separately and priced per month rather than per kg.
Yearly cost = monthly food cost x 12. Daily cost = monthly food cost / days in the month. Cost per bird = monthly food cost / number of birds. The daily cost is useful for comparing food brands, because a cheaper bag that your bird wastes may cost more per day than a dearer bag it actually eats. Our budget calculator can fit the monthly total into the rest of your household spending.
One bird eats 30 grams of dry food a day. The food costs $12 per kg, the month has 30 days and treats cost $5 a month.
As a second check, take a budgie eating 5 grams a day at the same $12 per kg with $5 of treats. The food eaten is 150 grams or 0.15 kg, the food cost is $1.80 and the monthly total is $6.80, which is $81.60 a year.
Bird size moves the total more than anything else. At $12 per kg with $5 of treats over 30 days, a budgie eating 5 grams a day costs $6.80 a month, a bird eating 15 grams a day costs $10.40, a bird eating 30 grams a day costs $15.80 and a large parrot eating 60 grams a day costs $26.60. That is why the daily grams matter more than the bag price, since doubling the grams doubles the food cost while the treats stay the same.
Price per kg is the next biggest lever. At 30 grams a day with $5 of treats, food at $8 per kg costs $12.20 a month, food at $12 per kg costs $15.80 and food at $20 per kg costs $23.00. Adding a second bird at the same daily amount adds the full food cost again, so two birds at 30 grams a day cost $26.60 a month instead of $15.80.
Avian vets recommend pellets as 60 to 80 percent of the daily diet, with fresh vegetables making up most of the rest and seeds kept as treats. That mix matters for the budget as well as for health, because pellets and seed do not cost the same per kg. Published retail ranges put seed at about $2 to $6 per pound and pellets at about $3 to $10 per pound.
Premium pellets can cost far more than the $12 per kg default in this calculator. A 1 pound bag of Harrison's High Potency Coarse pellets costs $19.47 on Chewy, which is $42.92 per kg, while the 25 pound bag costs $233.05, which is $20.57 per kg. At $42.92 per kg, the worked example bird would cost $43.63 a month for food and treats instead of $15.80, so always enter the price of the food you actually buy rather than the default.
A seed only diet is a false saving. Seeds are high in fat and low in vitamin A, calcium and protein, and over time that can lead to fatty liver disease and vitamin deficiency, which cost far more at the vet than pellets ever will. Fresh vegetables add a small extra cost that this calculator does not count, so add your weekly produce spend to the monthly total if you want the full food bill.
Buy the bigger bag when the price per kg is lower. The Harrison's example above shows the same pellets at $42.92 per kg in a 1 pound bag and $20.57 per kg in a 25 pound bag, so the larger bag more than halves the cost per kg. Check the use by date first, and store the food sealed and dry.
Weigh the food instead of filling the bowl to the top. Birds scatter and drop a surprising share of what is offered, and a full bowl that is thrown out each evening costs more than a measured portion. Offer the daily grams in the morning and keep treats to a small share of the day, since millet sprays and nuts are the dearest grams in the cage. Our pet bird cage setup cost calculator covers the one-time cage cost, so use it beside this page when you plan the full first year cost of a new bird.
It depends on the bird size and the food price. In the worked example, one bird eating 30 grams a day at $12 per kg with $5 of treats costs $15.80 a month. A budgie eating 5 grams a day costs $6.80 a month on the same price and treats, while a large parrot eating 60 grams a day costs $26.60 a month.
Small birds eat about 3 to 8 grams a day, medium birds about 8 to 15 grams and large birds about 20 to 60 grams. A typical budgie eats about 5 grams a day and a cockatiel about 10 grams, but weigh your bird on a gram scale and adjust the amount to keep it at a healthy weight.
Divide the bag price by the bag weight in kilograms. A 2 kg bag that costs $24 is $12 per kg, and a 1 kg bag that costs $12 is also $12 per kg. If the bag weight is in pounds, multiply the pounds by 0.4536 to get kilograms first.
No. It covers dry food priced per kg plus treats and supplements only. Vet visits, toys, the cage and fresh produce bought separately are not included, so add those to your budget on top of the food total.
The usual reasons are wasted food, fresh produce and premium pellets. Birds scatter and drop food, so the amount you buy is more than the amount eaten. Premium pellets in small bags also cost far more per kg, since a 1 pound bag of Harrison's pellets at $19.47 works out to $42.92 per kg.
Work out the monthly weight first, which is daily grams x birds x days / 1000. In the worked example that is 30 x 1 x 30 / 1000, which is 0.9 kg a month, so a 1 kg bag lasts about 33 days. Buy the next bag when about a week of food is left, so you never run out.
This is an estimate for planning. Actual costs come from your local store prices and your bird's needs.
Pet Bird Cage Setup Cost CalculatorWork out the one-time cost of setting up a pet bird cage before you bring your bird home.Use calculator
Pet Grooming Van Insurance Cost CalculatorAdd each coverage premium to see the annual total, the monthly cost and the cost per van.Use calculator
Cat Dental Cleaning Cost CalculatorWork out what a cat dental cleaning costs before you book the vet visit.Use calculator
Dog Kennel Per Night Cost CalculatorWork out what boarding your dog in a kennel costs per night and in total before you travel.Use calculator
