Q: What to feed my cockatiel?

Answered by chestnut on 10/9/2004, 11:27 pm

A: What to feed my cockatiel?

> I was wondering what types of fruit and nuts that my
> cockatiel is allowed to eat because seed is boring.
>
You should never have your bird on an all seed diet as this will shorten its life span.

Below are some food facts for you things to stay away from, and some you can feed just not over feed, also some websites to help you out

Birds that are on Seed and Pellets
A good brand will:
Not contain any preservatives.
Not contain any artificial flavorings or colorings.
Not contain sugar.

Read these sites you may find it helpful
http://www.epah.net/birds/avnnutrition.html
http://budgies-n-tiels.com/contents/diet.html

FOOD
Birds should never be on an all seed diet as this shortens their life spans compared to one that is on a healthy diet; make sure to add greens and veggies and fruit.

Just to give you an idea of possible lifespan differences a budgie on a seed only diet is only 3-5 years VS a budgie on a good diet is 10-15, and cockatiel on a seed only diet is 5-8 years VS a cockatiel on a good diet is 12-20 years get the idea.

Some birds tend to not always eat new food but never be afraid to offer it up its takes some time for a bird to get used to new food. As long as the bird nibbles at it and plays with it he is feeling the texture of the food.

Do not give up it takes time, and patience, and eating it with the bird right in front of them. Try making yummmy noises and such, telling them how good it is

Birds should not have grit this can cause crop impaction, if your bird should get this he will not be able to digest it and in time this will cause problems in his digestive tract.

I am not big on pellets as there are so many additives, which can be harmful over time to your bird.

I prefer to feed not just the seed but also mikes mash, sprouts, or soak n cook, along with veggies greens and fruit.

Foods you should avoid are avocado, chocolate, onions (said to be toxic), Eggplant and Potato (both from the night shade family and are potentially toxic) Milk (birds are lactose in tolerant), caffeine, mushrooms, black olives, Lima beans can have traces of toxicity left in them if not cooked thoroughly or fed in a large amount.

Soup beans are also recommended not to feed. Rhubarb, and the seed and pits to many fruits contain toxic chemicals, alcohol. Too much pasta and peas and raisins can put the iron levels to high so do not over feed these. Diabetes is often caused and/or aided by excess iron in the diet being to high and too much sugar, if your bird should ever come up with liver problems look into this as it is one step from the liver to the pancreas. Spinach can block vitamin A absorption.

Sugar can make them hyper like a kid, and fruit has a natural sugar to it. With little birds it does not take to much for the bird to be hyper for a few hours after eating this. This is simply the sugar rush like a child would have lots of a big burst of energy.

Then like any sugar rush they take a bit coming down off the rush if you get my meaning. It does not mean you can not feed this to them it simply means to be on the look out for it.

A few things to keep in mind when feeding fruit they are sugary and watery so the dropping my change and appear loose for about a day. Do not panic over this you just need to know what your birds dropping look like for normal and then with in about 24 hours after eating this type of food they should go back to what they looked like before they ate this.

Too much salt is as harmful to them as it is to us, they do need some salt but only some, and usually they can get this in some of the foods you feed. Too much vitamin C does double up on the iron intake, which is not safe in birds. Soybeans can cause digestive problems.


Try to stay away from Iceberg lettuce as much as you can it only makes the dropping loose and runny and then if the bird is really sick it would be hard to tell cause the droppings may be runny from the lettuce instead of from the whatever is making the bird ill it would mask the correct signs, plus it has no nutritional value.

Here are some sites that will help
http://www.ahc.umn.edu/rar/MNAALAS/Brdfd.html
http://www.birdstheword.com/birds/avian.htm
http://www.itsagreysworld.com/diet/food.htm#fruit
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww21eii.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/efsep3.htm
http://www.parrotislandinc.com/articles/apeople.htm
http://birdmart.com/convert_other.html
http://www.pionusparrot.com/Nutrition.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww24eii.htm
For sprouting food
http://www.herbsnbirds.com/sprouting.htm

Vitamins I recommend are Avia and Prime they are they best two on the market in my own opinion, these are both a powder formula that you lightly sprinkle on the food and it adheres to it. Stay away from vitamins that go in the water as 9 out of 10 times it will detour them from drinking the water they need cause the taste is awful.

Below I have listed a few sites as to reasons why birds need vitamins like this.
http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/vitamina.htm
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww22eii.htm
http://www.naturallyhealthypet.com/vitamins.htm

This page is on different minerals that your birds needs to get to keep your friend nice and healthy
http://www.tuxford.dabsol.co.uk/masterbreeder/chap5/chap5minerals2.htm

For calcium a cuttlebone, or pulverized eggshell mixed in with scrambled eggs (make sure the shell has been sterilized first) is good especially if a hen is laying eggs as she is decreasing her calcium level with the forming of each egg.

Bottled or filtered water is best for your bird also NOT TAP, just like TAP is not good for us cause of all the chemicals in it neither is it good for you bird or any other animal.

Here’s an example, recently a friend of mine came back from vacation up in northern CA and said how much they just loved the tap water up there it tasted just great.

So I tried a bit it was ok left a tiny after taste but not to bad, so I gave my Macaw some to try, he did not even take a drink just but is head down to the water and backed away shaking his head. I gave him his normal water and he drank.

A few days after this a had a chance to talk to my friends buddy that had been with him up in this part of CA and asked him about the water. He told me the water contained IRON, not knowing the IRON levels that are in the water this could have made my bird very sick.

Do not think it is just cause my bird wanted his own water either my bird is used to drinking lots of different types of bottled water from Evian, Crystal Geyser to Sparkletts so this was not the case.

INFO ON NUTS
Also no peanuts (they also can contain aflatoxin contamination which is mold growth) or sunflower unless they are dropping weight form being ill to much fat and you do not want you birds having fatty liver disease.

When feeding nuts you have to be careful as your smaller birds do not need to much extra fat, as this can cause health problems for them.
Smaller birds gain weight easily so everything you feed to them in nuts must be done in moderation.

Almonds - source of calcium
No brazil nuts for your guys
Cashews - good energy food
Remember everything RAW
Hazel nuts & filberts - rich in protein, complex, complex in carbohydrate, good dietary fiber, calcium and vit E
No Macadamia nuts (the ones I am telling you no on are for your large parrots only that really need these)
Pecans - High oil content but low in sodium, high protein and unsaturated fats, no cholesterol, good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
Pine nuts - even though they are fatty they are good weaning food cause they are very soft like cashews and pecans.
Pistachios - good nuts but can be fatty give sparingly but great treat
Soy nuts - lots of people say feed soy nuts others say not can cause health problem major so I stay away from things I do not have enough info on.
Walnuts - stay away from black walnuts most that you find in the stores are the English Walnut any way good source of vit B1, thiamin and calcium.
Star Anise - it smells like licorice and they smell real good after they munch on it.

FEEDING A PICKY BIRD

Do not give up it takes time, and patience, and eating it with the bird right in front of them. Try making yummmy noises and such, telling them how good it is. This is something you really will have to do as birds are flock animals and will be more interested in trying this is they see you eating the food also.

Try eating away from the cage with a bowl that is meant just for these types of food, never mix with the regular food.

Let the bird see you eating it making all the goodie noises also if your bird has a sound they use for when they are excited use it copy that noise to get the bird more interested in the food you are eating, then when the are give them a bit, small bit hand feed at 1st hold it in your hand and get them to take a bite.

Once they eat or nibble this way then place it in the bowl. Make sure the bowl is not to small and cramped so they can get at the food easily.

The information below on pellets you can print out take with you and compare to the labels at your pet stores.

PELLETS

Let's talk about the additives in pellets.

Ethoxyquin: Is listed and identified as a harsh hazardous chemical by OSHA. It was originally used to preserve rubber. This is not allowed in human food and some feel it is not a chemical that they want in their bird food. The FDA has asked manufacturers for voluntary reduction in its use in pet foods and is in the process of deciding whether or not to ban the use of it altogether. Bird’s bodies can not get rid of it like a dog or cat and it then builds up and causes problems. Ethoxyquin promotes kidney carcinogenesis, significantly increases the incidence of stomach tumors, enhanced bladder carcinogenesis and urinary bladder carcinogenesis. Cancers of this type are the most lethal and fastest acting, the swiftest effects being seen among animals.

Artificial Colors: Most people are aware of toxic side effects of artificial colors and flavors from coal tar derivatives such as Red #40, a possible carcinogen, and Yellow #6, which causes sensitivity to fatal viruses in animals. Artificial colors DO cause yellow feather discoloration in Eclectus.

BHT/BHA: These petroleum products are used to stabilize fats in foods. In the process of metabolizing BHA and BHT, chemical changes occur in the body. These changes have caused reduced growth rates and they inhibit white blood cell stimulation. In pets, they can exhibit reactions such as skin blisters, hemorrhaging of the eye, weakness, discomfort in breathing, a reduction of the body's own antioxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidase and may cause cancer. According to Dr. Wendell Belfield, DVM, a practicing vet for some 26 years, both BHA and BHT are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries.

Propylene Glycol: Used as a de-icing fluid for airplanes, this chemical is added to food and skin products to maintain texture and moisture as well as inhibiting bacteria growth in products. It also inhibits the growth of friendly bacteria in the digestive system by decreasing the amount of moisture in the intestinal tract leading to constipation and cancer. It can affect the liver and kidneys and causes the destruction of red blood cells.

Salt: Added as a preservative, salt can irritate the stomach lining, cause increased thirst and aggravate heart and kidney problems through fluid retention.

Sodium Nitrite: Used in the curing of meats, this substance participates in a chemical reaction in the body that becomes carcinogenic. It is used also in pet foods to add color.

Sugar and other Sweeteners: The most common sweeteners in pet/bird foods are beet sugar, corn sugar, molasses and sucrose. They are used as preservatives and have the side effect of creating sugar addicts in pets. They require almost no digestion and are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream. These will provide sugar highs (just as humans experience) and subsequent lows (moodiness), inhibit the proper growth of friendly intestinal bacteria and they virtually shut down the digestive system while being processed. Sugar can also contribute to diabetes and hypoglycemia, cataract development, obesity and arthritis.

Go to your cupboard and get your pellets out and find out how many of these additives are in the brand you buy. If there is something else on the ingredients list and you don't know what it is, FIND OUT.

Do your research or ask questions of someone who can find out for you. Did you see the natural ingredients on your pellet ingredients list? Why not feed those items in their fresh, natural state instead?

How do YOUR pellets stack up?
(This list may need updating...check labels!)

Abba = ethoxyquin, artificial color, artificial flavor
Avian Special Needs = fish solubles, mineral oil
Avi-Sci =ethoxyquin
Breeders Blend=artificial flavors, salt
Hagen =salt
Harrison's = salt
Kaytee =ethoxyquin, artificial color, salt, BHT or BHA
Kellogg =ethoxyquin, artificial flavor, salt
Lafeber Pellets=ethoxyquin
Lefeber Nutriberries=ethoxyquin, propylene glycol
L&M Pellets=ethoxyquin, artificial color, artificial flavor
Pretty Bird Pellets=ethoxyquin, artificial flavor, salt, added sugar, BHT or BHA
Roudybush Pellets=ethoxyquin
Scenic=salt
ZuPreem=artificial flavor, BHT or BHA

I hope this is helpful to you