Cockatiel Diet

LemonZaz

LemonZaz

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Ive had my little cockatiel for 2 days now- he is 12 weeks old (i wasnt given an exact day despite asking). I bought a pre made seed mix from my local bird shop (£5.25 for just 500g!) which looks like it contains red millet, yellow millet, sunflower seeds, a white seed that i dont know and little black ones that look like peppercorns. I also offer chopped up veg, tiny bits of cheese etc. He only eats the millet seeds, nothing else. Im not even sure he knows HOW to open the sunflower seeds. I opened a few for him and i cant see them there now. Im worried hes not getting what he needs or cant eat it.

He has small amount of veg because he wont touch it, and a full small bowl of seed mix.
Im thinking of getting a seed mix from somewhere else, plus some nutribird pellets, plus some blue maw seeds (along with veg for when he eventually eats it).

My questions are;

- what seed mix would you recommend?
(Was thinking prestige cockatiel/large patakeet mix)
- Am i giving too much seed? (I give a full small bowl which he never finishes)
- which pellets would you recommend?
- is blue maw seed a good idea to mix in? (Thinking conditioning)
- what if he never eats veg!?
- is it possible he cant actually open the sunflower seeds?
 
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We have kept tails for years. They eat when hungry. You must not worry. Little birdies, enjoy them. Just a cocktail sead mix plus veg is fine

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cockatiels are dry grass land birds. They are designed by nature to eat dry seed and grasses.
he has only just arrived with you and is a baby- it will take him time to get experimental with his food and I would expect for first couple of weeks he will stick to the very easiest to eat food as everything is so new to him. in time he will devour other seeds in the mix.
I am not a fan of pellets, the act of selecting a seed, shelling it, or rejecting it is an enrichment of their lives. pellets are processed food and not the wonder food their makers would have everyone believe.
give him a good quality cockatiel mix, he is a tiny bird so won't eat much. offer a tiny amount of vegetables /fruit but do not be offended if he does not eat it- he is designed for dry grass land- rich food is thin on the ground there! a treat my cockatiels love is a little bit of grass - not much - just a bit and even better if has seed heads on.
he does not need conditioning seed, he is not breeding or flying great distances, all very rich seed will do is make him fat and obesity is even worse for birds then it is for us. I would not give him cheese either- cockatiels are designed for a hard life- cheese is far too rich.
has he got a cuttle fish bone and iodine block? these are essentials for cockatiels.
 
ps if you haven't already go google wild cockatiels , there are some wonderful videos and info. they really are designed for a hard dry life.
 
sunnyring said:
cockatiels are dry grass land birds. They are designed by nature to eat dry seed and grasses.
he has only just arrived with you and is a baby- it will take him time to get experimental with his food and I would expect for first couple of weeks he will stick to the very easiest to eat food as everything is so new to him. in time he will devour other seeds in the mix.
I am not a fan of pellets, the act of selecting a seed, shelling it, or rejecting it is an enrichment of their lives. pellets are processed food and not the wonder food their makers would have everyone believe.
give him a good quality cockatiel mix, he is a tiny bird so won't eat much. offer a tiny amount of vegetables /fruit but do not be offended if he does not eat it- he is designed for dry grass land- rich food is thin on the ground there! a treat my cockatiels love is a little bit of grass - not much - just a bit and even better if has seed heads on.
he does not need conditioning seed, he is not breeding or flying great distances, all very rich seed will do is make him fat and obesity is even worse for birds then it is for us.
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Thank you :) Didnt realise conditioning seed was for breeding or long distance. I thought it was just for good conditioned feathers etc
The pellets would have been to mix if needs be but if a good quality seed mix is fine by iteself then i will stick to that. Just want to make sure he gets all he needs :)
I think ill switch to prestige premium cockatiel seed mix then - it has vitamins added in! And the grass is a good tip. We have lots of medow grass in our garden
 
by the way- in my experience with some birds you have to offer the new novel food item every day for a couple of weeks or more before they even consider trying it. eating it yourself in front of them sometimes encourages.... do not try this with raw broccoli- i did once and can honestly say have never tasted anything so vile in all my life- i like cooked broccoli but raw was indeed a taste sensation-and one that kept giving- could not get rid of taste!!
 
sunnyring said:
by the way- in my experience with some birds you have to offer the new novel food item every day for a couple of weeks or more before they even consider trying it. eating it yourself in front of them sometimes encourages.... do not try this with raw broccoli- i did once and can honestly say have never tasted anything so vile in all my life- i like cooked broccoli but raw was indeed a taste sensation-and one that kept giving- could not get rid of taste!!
Click to expand...
:pancarta: Noted lol
 
i wouldn't worry about your tiel eating just the millet, too much sunflower seeds an be fattening.

I give all our birds either fruit or veg daily. I alternate between veg and fruit on alternative days. I give them a good variety. Some of our birds only eat the fruit, others are more incline to eat the veg. It can take them months (and I've heard of instances where it's even taken years) before your bird will start to eat the fresh fruit or veg. Whether our birds eat it or not, I just offer them the fruit or veg each day regardless. I try not to fuss or make a big thing out of them eating it, they will eat it when they are ready.
 
My aviary gang get higher fat content diet offered everyday in colder weather due to needing the extra to ensure warmth. Both safflower and sunflower
Too much of a good thing in any format can be detrimental.
My house birds get sunflowers BUT not on-mass they can be beneficial. They exercise regularly but not as much as my outdoor aviary birds who also have very high metabolic rates so they get them but limited supply.
Really have zero idea why everybody thinks that sunflowers are so bad, the vast majority of feeds that reduce or indeed remove sunflowers add safflowers instead. Going to start a new thread before I have a total brain flip about sunflowers
 
sunflower seed just has to be controlled. I allow Sophie some- she is naked and thus burns more calories keeping warm-and as she is naked I do not find it hard to keep an eye on how much flesh is on her. my new bourkes get a few- not many as quite chunky well feathered little birds . aviary birds I am adding them and other rich food in now as its getting cold and they need it
 
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