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| Question about Pets:What do I feed a runaway cockateal? |
Here is some helpful information
4) cockatiel care - what is the best cockatiel food ?
Cockatiel diet is extremely important and is the key to having a healthy cockatiel - along with exercise.
Give your bird a good-quality cockatiel seed mix (not parrot mix). These are readily available at pet suppliers and supermarkets. Be aware though that most ready-mixed cockatiel seed contains far too many sunflower seeds and these are extremely fattening. For this reason I tend to make up my own mix for my cockatiels. I buy a 50/50 mix of budgie seed and plain canary seed and then add a few sunflower seeds. Do not buy the seed in bulk - you are best to purchase small fresh amounts.
Alternatively, you can offer your cockatiel a pelleted diet.
Your cockatiel's diet must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis - refer to the fruit and vegetables question below.
Small amounts of 'people' food are fine for cockatiels occasionally. They can have a nibble on crackers, cereal such as cornflakes, hard-boiled egg and wholemeal bread. Also try rice, pasta, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato - these must be offered cooked, not raw.
Cockatiels enjoy spray millet and seed treats such as honey bells or sticks. However, these are fattening and should be offered occasionally as treats only. Pet cockatiels can become overweight very easily so I recommend offering spray millet once a week if your cockatiel is fairly active, or if not, only once a fortnight. Seed treats are best given at two monthly intervals.
Fresh drinking water is required daily. Also make available cuttlebone, and calcium, iodine and mineral blocks. Vitamin supplements in the drinking water once a week or fortnight are a good idea, although do not leave these in the water for long as bugs can grow very quickly. Some people prefer to sprinkle powdered vitamins onto the seed or moist food, eg apple pieces or spinach. Either way, be sure to follow the product's directions with regard to dosage amount and frequency.
5) cockatiel diet - are fruit and vegetables necessary ?
A cockatiel diet must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. An all seed diet often results in an unhealthy or overweight cockatiel.
Try the following:
FRUIT:
apple, grape, guava, kiwi fruit, mango, melon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pomegranate, plum, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon
VEGETABLES:
bok choy, broccoli, carrot (chopped or grated), celery, chard, lettuce (but small amounts of lettuce and not too often as not a lot of goodness), peas, silverbeet, spinach, sweetcorn, watercress, zucchini.
Favorites with cockatiels tend to be apple, egg, pasta, peas, rice, silverbeet, spinach, sweetcorn.
Note that the fruit and vegetables should be provided:
thoroughly washed
in small pieces
at room temperature
unpeeled
free of cores, stones, pits or pips
raw (some cockatiels prefer certain vegetables cooked eg peas and
sweetcorn - use your judgment here)
fresh (obviously this will be the most nutritious for your cockatiel but
you can use frozen or canned)
Be aware that your cockatiel's droppings may be runnier than usual with an intake of fruit and vegetables.
Some cockatiels will not take to fruit and vegetables straight away. Persevere as it can take up to a year before your cockatiel will eat them. Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of your cockatiel's diet so offer them washed and fresh each day - do not give up!
6) cockatiel care - what cockatiel food can I not feed ?
Never give your cockatiel alcohol, avocado or chocolate - these can kill your cockatiel.
Also avoid asparagus, aubergine or eggplant, cabbage, caffeine (tea and coffee), junk food, milk and cream, raw potato, and rhubarb (including the leaves).
Please just use your common sense when it comes to feeding your cockatiel. Many plants and food items are unsafe, so if you have any doubt, do not offer it to your cockatiel.
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