How to Change a Cockatiel's Diet
Just because cockatiels love and readily eat seed does not mean that they know what is best for them. An all-seed diet for a cockatiel will eventually lead to severe and even life-threatening health problems. To feed your bird a healthy diet, he should be given a balance of pellets, fresh fruits and vegetables, and some seed every day. The challenge is converting the seed junkie cockatiel to a more nutritious meal plan. Here are some steps that may work for your bird.
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Instructions
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Have your cockatiel examined by your avian veterinarian. Before making any dietary changes, you want to be sure that your bird is healthy. Birds suffering from malnutrition or other illness need an avian veterinarian involved in their diet conversion.
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Mix the pellets with baby food in the morning. Give this to your cockatiel in one bowl.
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Give your cockatiel fruits and vegetables in another bowl in the morning. A third bowl should have fresh, clean water.
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Remove the produce and pellet mix in the afternoon. Produce and pellets can go bad if left out too long and make your bird sick if eaten.
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Give your bird dry pellets in one bowl and seeds in another in the afternoon. Leave the seeds in one bowl for only one hour and then remove them. Leave the dry pellets out overnight.
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Repeat this process daily until your bird is eating a variety of foods other than seeds every day. This process may take a few days or a few months depending on the bird.
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Monitor your cockatiel's droppings. When the droppings are the color of the pellets, stop giving any seed for several days. Continue to monitor your bird's eating during this time; give him seed again if he stops eating completely or is consistently eating pellets.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose pellets that are not artificially colored. It is believed by some avian experts that the artificial colors can at worst cause health problems, and at best have no nutritional value and are unnecessary. Any fruit or vegetable baby food can be used.
If you live in hot and/or humid climates, change the pellet mixture and produce twice a day to avoid an overgrowth of yeast, fungi, or bacteria that could make your bird sick.
