Healthy Food for Cockatiels Birds Cockatiels birds which are also known as a weird bird, or quarrion and they are both cuddly and bright. If you have a cockatiel in your home, then you can hear their chirps and whistles. Cockatiel birds are generally available in grey color, but they are available in various colors like pearl, white-faced, pearl, lutino, variegated, and many other color varieties. An average Cockatiel's size is 11 to 14 inches long, and a well-cared cockatiel can live up to 25 years. A cockatiel who gets good care and the food lives long and lives healthily, so here we are going to discuss diet and nutrients required by a Cockatiel.
Cockatiel Diet and Nutrition
A bird's health shows how healthy it is fed, and different sorts of birds often require different foods. While choosing the menu for your cockatiels, the essential things to consider are various nutritions, carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and water, and other diets. By observing your Cockatiels routine, you came to know what your bird likes and does not like. Do not force your cockatiel to eat something which it doesn't want to eat.
Generally, we are thinking that we are providing proper food to our cockatiels, but sometimes we are not. Many of us are neglecting nutrition in the bird's food and diet plan. And that is one of the reasons for the bad health of a pet bird. It is essential to regularly try to keep the good health of your cockatiel bird and enhance their diet, and for it, you can also visit a good veterinarian.
Cockatiels generally suffer from obesity, lack of iodine, or any other diet associated problems like feather picking, egg covering, etc. A well-balanced and diverse diet must be kept at all times, and for this, you can feed your cockatiels various types of seeds, fruits, veggies and berries, water, etc.
Seeds
You can offer your cockatiel birds a variety of seeds! Mix seed packets may include 4 - 10 various types of seeds and nuts. Different seeds like molting foods, song foods, conditioning foods, honey sticks, millet spray, sunflower seeds are also available. Most of the cockatiels can be fed 1.5 - 2 tablespoons of seeds per bird, per day, but it also depends upon the size of the bird. Yet, seeds have to be high in fat and carbohydrates; otherwise, it may lead to adverse health of the bird. Also, cockatiels do not like every type of grain, and they only eat selectively 1 or 2 of their preferred kinds of seed.
Commercial seed product packets are just mixtures of seeds that have not all the things they claim. Like millet spray and sunflower seeds are preferred by many owners, but they are high in fat, and lack calcium and Vitamin A. Honey Sticks are various seeds that are just stuck with each other with sugar and honey. So only find the best seeds for your pet and keep the diet maintained.
Also, just ensure that your seeds are clean, and your seed tray is well washed with hot water and dry properly. Otherwise, there is a chance of fungus or bacteria in them. Also, cockatiels eat seeds by extracting them from the husk, so after eating the seeds, the tray may fill with shells, so clean them as often as you can.
Fruits and Vegetables
Approximately 20-25% of cockatiels' diet food includes fruits, veggies, and green. Veggies with high water composition like celery, iceberg contain very few nutrition values. Avocado is stated to be toxic. Vegetables like Sprouts, Mustard, Broccoli, Escarole, Chicory, Tomatoes, Beet, Bok Choy, Grated Carrots, Collard greens, Endive, Kale, Yams, Pumpkin, variegated green leaves, etc. you can feed. And Fruits like Mangos, rockmelon, Apricots, Peach, papaw, Apples, Bananas, Berries, Peaches.
But ensure that fruits and vegetables must be rinsed thoroughly to exclude chemicals on it. Also, fruits with seeds are dangerous for birds as they contain cyanide. Wash the dish and cut the fruits or veggies in a proper size, so it is easy to eat. It is not essential in fruits and vegetables to remove the peel. Also, if your cockatiel starts to love fruit and eat it more, then do not feed it for some time to increase the eating of other foods.
Pelleted Diets
Pellets are specially produced to satisfy all your bird's nutritional requirements. Several formulations are available for cockatiels of different ages to manage several illnesses. It is hard to convert mature cockatiels into a pallet diet, but it's straightforward to start for baby cockatiels. Pellets can cover around 75-80% of the bird's food, and that's why you can try to convert your pets from seed diet to pallet diet. There is a vast range of pellet brands available and offer various tastes, colors, and patterns.
Some of the owners also mix the pellets in a lessened amount of seed as a bird will not casually eat a bullet. It may need some days, weeks, or periods to alter a bird's food. Also, serve some food and veggies with pallets. This can be a hard period for you and your cockatiel, but remember that birds are obstinate but can be trained.
Water
Pure, clean water must be available in your bird's cage. Keep your cockatiel's drinking water always neat and replaced daily or any time it becomes worse with droppings or food bits. The water dishes should always be cleaned and rinsed with hot foamy water to evade bacteria to thrive. Keep in mind that feed only that water to your bird, which is drinkable to you too.
Other Food to Keep your Bird Healthy
Some of the birds also enjoy a little quantity of lean backed meat, seafood, egg, or cheese sometimes. But dairy products should be eaten in balance. And never think to offer any junk food, chocolate, caffeine products, or any alcoholic drinks.
Also, food requirements are varied as per the age and condition of a bird-like, very young birds, stressed, hurt, laying eggs, or growing newborn. For them, there are specially formed pelleted foods available for cockatiels with particular nutritional elements. One more conclusion implies that a bird feeding 75 - 80% of its diet in the form of a pelleted diet may not require supplements. Particular vitamins or minerals or supplements may be more valuable at different points while a bird's growth. Powdered supplements are usually marked as more durable. Combine these supplements in water or instead use directly onto wet food. Do not mix such supplements with seeds or dried food as powder may not mix well and stick on the dish.
Some people also prefer gravel or grit, but there is also controversy over the requirement for gravel. It was concluded that courage was needed for the routine breakdown of food in the gizzard as an aid to ingestion. But, we now recognize that birds do healthy without grit. Some birds also have difficulties if grit is overeaten.
You can also visit and ask your veterinarian about the condition and age of your bird. Your veterinarian can help you assess your bird's diet and its particular needs.
You must be logged in to post a comment.