Cockatiel Food

You are what you eat! This old adage also holds true not only for us but also for cockatiels so it is really important you know what to feed your bird. Whether you are a dog, cat, bird or human, what you eat determines how healthy you are, combined with exercise and you have 2 key factors that decide how long you will live! Getting the right cockatiel food isn’t super hard and considering cockatiels have been known to live up to 30 years of age you might just extend the life span of your feathered friend considerably!

Some cockatiels can be a little picky about their food so you may want to start off their diet by offering them a wide variety of different foods to try to see what they like. The beauty of a cockatiel is that they also eat real foods! If you have any leftover apple or vegetables your cockatiel will love you to bits. Try not to leave fruits out too long to avoid your bird eating any spoiled food as it could cause some issues. I have heard of parrots eating fermented fruit in the wild however…I guess anything with a higher intelligence enjoys a little change of perspective now and then!

After some digging around the internet there seems to be a little bit of conflict on what the exact ideal diet for a cockatiel is but they all seem to agree that the right foods for a balanced diet include the following: Firstly, always give your bird access to fresh water! Some of those seeds can make your throat a bit dry and we want our cockatiels to sing for us! A general diet consists of 25% regular cockatiel food pellets, 25% of leafy (dark) greens, 25% enriched vitamin cockatiel seed mix, 15% of a mixture of cooked rice, beans corn and also 10% of regular human foods such as grains, cheeses, some meats even, bread and pasta. My old cockatiel really loved cooked pasta as a food but every cockatiel is different!

Equally as important as what your cockatiel should eat is what your cockatiel shouldn’t eat! Every animal is susceptible to different poisons and toxins, a lot of new bird owners don’t appreciate that a Cockatiel may be at risk to certain foods! The following foods should not be consumed by cockatiels: Chocolate, rhubarb, avocado (seriously, no avocado, it’s deadly for cockatiels). Whilst a little bit of sugar won’t kill your cockatiel it is generally a good idea to steer clear from the sweets as they are quite unhealthy for your bird. Seeds and pits from fruit can also be potentially problems as they are toxic. It may sound like a no brainer but avoid giving your cockatiel alcohol; it will only damage their liver!