What Should You Feed Your Cockatiel

What type of food should you provide for your cockatiel? Tiels like to eat a variety of foods. Seeds should not be the mainstay of their diet and given only as a treat a few times a week. Specially made cockatiel pellets are said to be the healthiest food for your bird. I never owned a bird that would eat pellets. No matter how much I tried, my birds turned their noses up at them. I have found success with Lafeber Nutri-Berries. I keep the container in the freezer and every morning I heat up a couple of Nutri-Berries in the microwave (about 40 seconds or so) until they soften. I break them up a little and give them to my birds. My birds love them and they are happy and healthy.

I also give my birds a tablespoon of mixed veggies a day. The frozen kind is fine (you do need to heat them up). I also mix in a little cooked pasta, I have one bird that loves pasta so much, if it's not in his bowl with the veggies, he turns his head and looks at the wall and doesn't eat. Not the best scenario, but knowing that he gets his nutrients from other foods I give him, I'm not concerned. Fresh fruits and veggies should be thoroughly washed to make sure you remove the pesticides.

Three or four times a week, I scramble up an egg and mash it up a bit and put it in their bowl. They inhale it. Your tiel can eat many of the different foods that you eat with some exceptions I'll mention below. But remember, it might take weeks of giving your bird something before they decide to eat it. It was maybe my twentieth attempt with corn on the cob before my birds decided to investigate it and eat it. Tiels are fussy and choosy and you must have patience and you will persevere.

Never give your bird the following foods: Avocados, dairy (eggs are ok), chocolate, sugar, salt, coffee, tea, alcohol, fruit seeds and pits, greasy foods, shellfish, canned veggies, rhubarb, eggplant and others. As a general rule, If you are not sure, don't give it to your bird until you ask an expert. Remember to remove any food such as eggs and meat from the bowl after about an hour so it doesn't spoil. And water bowls should be freshened with with cool, clean water every few hours.

As special treats, I give my birds seeds, Cheerios (plain) toast, mashed sweet potato, and a variety of other foods a few times a week, Honey and fruit sticks and other special treats made for tiels can be found in your local pet shop.

Experiment with different foods to ensure a balanced diet. You will be surprised and pleased when your bird finally accepts a food they have ignored for weeks.