Cockatiel Nutrition
It has come to our attention lately that perfumed candles, including plug-in scented oils are toxic to birds, especially in closed homes in the winter. So is tobacco smoke, marijuana smoke and teflon over heated pans.
Cockatiel care - what foods should I avoid?
Never give them alcohol, avocado or chocolate - these can kill your cockatiel. Also avoid asparagus, aubergine or eggplant, cabbage, caffeine (tea and coffee), junk food, milk and cream, raw potato, and rhubarb (including the leaves). House plants to avoid are philodendron.
Please just use your common sense when it comes to feeding. Some plants and food items are unsafe, so if you have any doubt, do not offer it to your cockatiel.
Cockatiel care - what is the best food ?
Their diet is extremely important and is the key to having a healthy cockatiel - along with exercise. Give your bird a good-quality cockatiel seed mix (not parrot mix). These are readily available at pet suppliers and supermarkets. Be aware though that most ready-mixed cockatiel seed contains far too many sunflower seeds and these are extremely fattening. For this reason I tend to make up my own mix without sun flower seeds. My cockatiels love daily servings of fresh vegetables, including leafy greens.
During breeding times, if your birds are feeding babies, they must have a source of soft foods 4 times a day. We make up a mix of equal parts cooked rice, cooked egg noodles, cooked whole wheat and frozen mixed vegetables.
Alternatively, you can offer them a pelleted diet.
We share our 'people' food too, occasionally. They can have a nibble on bread, crackers, cereal such as cornflakes and hard-boiled egg. Also try rice, pasta, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato - these must be offered cooked, not raw.
Cockatiels enjoy spray millet and seed treats such as honey bells or sticks. However, these are fattening and should be offered occasionally as treats only. Pet cockatiels can become overweight very easily so I recommend offering spray millet once a week . Seed treats are best given at two monthly intervals.
Fresh drinking water is required daily. Also make available cuttlebone, and calcium, iodine, and pieces of salt block.
Cockatiel diet - are fruits and vegetables necessary?
A cockatiel diet must be supplemented with fresh vegetables on a daily basis. An all seed diet often results in an unhealthy or overweight bird.
FRUIT: (My cocktails ignore fruit in favor of vegetables)
Apple, grape, guava, kiwi fruit, mango, melon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pomegranate, plum, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon
Vegetables:
Bok choy, broccoli, carrot (chopped or grated), celery, chard, lettuce, fresh spinach leaves, peas, silver beet, sweet corn, watercress, zucchini.
Favorites tend to be hard cooked egg, pasta, peas, rice, silver beet, spinach, sweet corn.
Note that the fruit and vegetables should be provided:
Be aware that your cockatiel's droppings may be runnier than usual with an intake of fruit and vegetables.
Some cockatiels may not take to vegetables immediately, however, our birds are offered them from 2 weeks on. Persevere as it can take up to a year before they will eat them. Vegetables are an essential part of their diet so offer them washed and fresh each day - do not give up!
Cockatiel care - what foods should I avoid?
Never give them alcohol, avocado or chocolate - these can kill your cockatiel. Also avoid asparagus, aubergine or eggplant, cabbage, caffeine (tea and coffee), junk food, milk and cream, raw potato, and rhubarb (including the leaves). House plants to avoid are philodendron.
Please just use your common sense when it comes to feeding. Some plants and food items are unsafe, so if you have any doubt, do not offer it to your cockatiel.
Cockatiel care - what is the best food ?
Their diet is extremely important and is the key to having a healthy cockatiel - along with exercise. Give your bird a good-quality cockatiel seed mix (not parrot mix). These are readily available at pet suppliers and supermarkets. Be aware though that most ready-mixed cockatiel seed contains far too many sunflower seeds and these are extremely fattening. For this reason I tend to make up my own mix without sun flower seeds. My cockatiels love daily servings of fresh vegetables, including leafy greens.
During breeding times, if your birds are feeding babies, they must have a source of soft foods 4 times a day. We make up a mix of equal parts cooked rice, cooked egg noodles, cooked whole wheat and frozen mixed vegetables.
Alternatively, you can offer them a pelleted diet.
We share our 'people' food too, occasionally. They can have a nibble on bread, crackers, cereal such as cornflakes and hard-boiled egg. Also try rice, pasta, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato - these must be offered cooked, not raw.
Cockatiels enjoy spray millet and seed treats such as honey bells or sticks. However, these are fattening and should be offered occasionally as treats only. Pet cockatiels can become overweight very easily so I recommend offering spray millet once a week . Seed treats are best given at two monthly intervals.
Fresh drinking water is required daily. Also make available cuttlebone, and calcium, iodine, and pieces of salt block.
Cockatiel diet - are fruits and vegetables necessary?
A cockatiel diet must be supplemented with fresh vegetables on a daily basis. An all seed diet often results in an unhealthy or overweight bird.
FRUIT: (My cocktails ignore fruit in favor of vegetables)
Apple, grape, guava, kiwi fruit, mango, melon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pomegranate, plum, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon
Vegetables:
Bok choy, broccoli, carrot (chopped or grated), celery, chard, lettuce, fresh spinach leaves, peas, silver beet, sweet corn, watercress, zucchini.
Favorites tend to be hard cooked egg, pasta, peas, rice, silver beet, spinach, sweet corn.
Note that the fruit and vegetables should be provided:
- thoroughly washed
- in small pieces
- at room temperature
- unpeeled
- free of cores, stones, pits or pips
- raw (some prefer certain vegetables cooked as in peas and sweet corn)
- you can use frozen, canned or fresh
Be aware that your cockatiel's droppings may be runnier than usual with an intake of fruit and vegetables.
Some cockatiels may not take to vegetables immediately, however, our birds are offered them from 2 weeks on. Persevere as it can take up to a year before they will eat them. Vegetables are an essential part of their diet so offer them washed and fresh each day - do not give up!
