Advise needed on cockatiel diet

[Pipers chicks]

Hi I'm wondering what all of you would suggest for me and my tiel. I've been feeding him Kaytee pellets for a long time. Just lately I looked up how much of the pellets cockatiels are supposed to eat a day. It's a 1/4 cup! I measured how much he ate and it was only about half that! If I feed him a seed mixture he eats more but only eats the millet out of it which isn't a complete diet. I don't have a scale but by feeling his keel bone I'd say he's a little thin. So what should I do? Let him eat however many pellets he wants? Or is there a way to add more calories to his diet? Thanks for any advise!

 

[AusHen]

The main food i offer mine is a "chop", its consists of many things such as a wide variety of vegetables, sprouts, herbs and flowers. I add lots of different things to keep it different and interesting. I do offer a small amount of pellets and budgie seed, some small parrot seed which includes sunflower seeds goes to those out in the aviary

 

[Quailobsessed]

 

[2hotchicks]

Hi I'm wondering what all of you would suggest for me and my tiel. I've been feeding him Kaytee pellets for a long time. Just lately I looked up how much of the pellets cockatiels are supposed to eat a day. It's a 1/4 cup! I measured how much he ate and it was only about half that! If I feed him a seed mixture he eats more but only eats the millet out of it which isn't a complete diet. I don't have a scale but by feeling his keel bone I'd say he's a little thin. So what should I do? Let him eat however many pellets he wants? Or is there a way to add more calories to his diet? Thanks for any advise!

I feed Clarence the cockatiel Kaytee Fiesta. It is a seed diet. I supplement with fresh veggies. Clarence is 20 years old.

 

[Serin]

Cockatiels shoyld eat about half pellets.. Kaytee is the worst brand though... And half low fat seed mix with as much veggies as they'll eat and hard boiled egg twice a week.

 

[Parront]

It might seem counter-intuitive, since you said that he feels thin, but exercise and training time with attention from you might give him more appetite. Give him his favorite treat, such as millet or sunflower seed, as a reward for training time a couple of times a day. Say in the morning, have a routine where he does his best trick and you give him the seed treat or the nutriberry treat. For example, my African Grey goes to the toilet every morning and gets safflower seed as a reward for that. He might try the new pellet if it is a treat once you get the habit going. In the evening is also a good time to do training so that the good routine takes the place of noisy calling! Best of luck!

 

[Pipers chicks]

Yes, I agree they should eat veggies and fruits but mine is extremely picky and will not even taste anything like that. What I want to know is not what kind of foods he should be eating, but how to make him eat the food.

 

[AusHen]

Persistance. Dice/process the veggies and mix the pellets in with it, he will have to at least taste it so he can get to what hes after. Make it fun. Hang leafy greens, broccolini, carrots tops with greens, chili peppers and such in his cage. Make veggi kababs. Use their foraging instincts in your favor.
You may waste a fair bit but dont give up

 

[IslandChickenWhisperer]

Since he will already eat a pelleted diet you are much better off than a seed diet as that is a balanced diet. You can try transitioning to a higher quality pelleted diet, gradually mixing it in. I used to work with an avian vet and his favorites were Lafebers and Roudybush. I remember a lot of birds would love to eat the Nutri-berries.

 

[Alaskan]

Most of the pellet manufacturers will send you free samples... if you want to try a different brand.

But often with parrots, lots of exposure helps, and acting like the new pellet or veggie is something super wonderful, or eating with them or the same time as them helps too.

I do find cockatiels super slow to transition food wise... so LOTS of persistence is needed. And, if you don't think he is eating as much as he should, a good fresh seed can be a good addition to the diet. Slights sprouted seed is way better for him, and he might see it as a familiar item, so ok to eat.