[Food] Some Foods to Never Feed Your Cockatiel

[Tviokh]

It'd be much easier to list things they CAN'T have

Iceberg lettuce: mostly water, can cause runny poops. Romaine lettuce is okay.

High amounts of spinach, parsley, turnip greens and beet greens: contain elements that prevent proper absorption of calcium

Rhubarb: Toxic

Avocado in ANY form: Deadly

Chocolate: Toxic

Anything high in sugar: Unhealthy

Anything with caffiene: Toxic

Anything with alcohol: Toxic; can severely damage the liver.

Pits and seeds from fruits: Many contain small amounts of things like cyanide. Toxic.

Dairy: Cockatiels are lactose intolerant; they can, however have plain yogurt.

Grit: Like oyster shell, sand, gravel, etc...unnecessary, can cause crop impaction. Calcium can be obtained through crushed egg shells, mineral blocks and cuttlebone.

[Dan]

Also, never feed your cockatiel anything that has Ethoxyquin, since it is potentially harmful.

Necroangel's website has a really good section about Ethoxyquin. It can be found here:
budgies-n-tiels.com/ethox.html

[InsanityIncarnate]

I used to collect, wash and dry the seeds from honey melon... My cockatiels went *mad* over them! from what I know, there isnt a problem with them

[sweetytweety]

yes ...
about the avocado
apparently it is very dangerous
especially the skin so dont leave an avocado ripening on ur sill or in ur fruit bowl
birds have been known to die within 12hrs or even after a week
if a bird has consumed avocado ...take it to a vet immediately who will extract it from the crop / stomach b4 it can damage the liver

i was told this at parrot school today

[Troggy]

My vet told me no cereal at all because many contains zinc which is deadly to birds

and no onions, she didnt specify why.

[Konrad]

Just as a sad warning in regard to avocado.. I came home today to the news that my 16 year old Cockatiel, Nipper, had died. He was fed avocado less than 12 hours earlier.

He was free to roam the house as he pleased and ate everything and anything. After 16 years I suppose it's easy to develop a false sense of security about how resilient these little buggers are with their diet. But, please save yourself the heart break and tears, keep the avocado out of reach.

[acefarren]

Hey, are sunflower seeds bad? I just got a pair of cockatiels for 3 weeks now and it loves sunflower seeds. I am feeding it green mustard and this food the pet shop told me to feed.It has eggs, seeds and honey. I have been trying to introduce apples but without any luck

[KristinaT]

Sunflower seeds are fine, but only as a treat. They are high in fat and low in nutrition.

[KristinaT]

Pellets are great. I've only Harrison's because my tiels took to it quickly. Zupreem and Roudy Bush are also good. You can contact each company and ask for samples to see how your birds like it. Harrison's can be ordered online at http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/; Zupreem and Roudy Bush at Drs. Foster and Smith http://www.drsfostersmith.com/.

Sunflower seeds are almost 50% fat, so it's best to use them sparingly. If you include too much sunflower seeds in a bird's diet, he or she will probably eat too much of it and health problems could result. It's like getting the choice between cake and a salad, which one would you pick? . In the least, it's best to stay away from food with a lot of sunflower seeds because of the high fat content. And if you think about it, you're not getting as much food, as a sunflower seed is mostly shell and air.

You can also supplement a bird's diet with brown rice, wheat grass, eggs (with shells).

[dog+bird=<3]

Just wondering, is it safe to feed my 4.5 month old 'tiel dried fruits?

I want to feed him things other than just seed and generic bird food, but it always rots before Dakota has time to eat it.

Is it safe to feed him raisins and prunes? I found some in the pantry and thought it might me a good idea to give them to him because they won't go bad fast like apples and bananas do.

If it is safe, I might go to the store and buy more dehydrated fruits such as banana crisps and whatnot, but I kinda want to make sure Dakota won't die first

[~Lori~]

Dried fruits are higher in sugar(due to the drying)...not good for birds, also most dried fruit uses sulfur dioxide for drying...not good for birds.

Naturally dried fruit, using no chemicals is ok...but as small treats occasionally, only.

Even fresh fruit should be limited to a small amount as a treat.
Fresh vegetables are what should be fed, with a seed/pellet diet.