I got my first parrot, a precious cockatiel, back in the 80’s. When I left the store with my new pet, I was instructed to keep the cage clean and to feed fresh seed and water daily. I remember walking away thinking about how dull that diet seemed to be.
Not long after, I added a second cockatiel. I became enchanted with their outgoing personalities and found myself studying every move they made. I noticed right away how important it was to them to interact with the family so they enjoyed lots of out of cage time. I picked up on their constant need to chew. I had recently bought a book on origami and was forever making them little playmates out of paper, which they immediately turned to dust. But I still felt troubled about their diet. Something didn’t feel right to me, but I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
My big mental breakthrough came one night when I returned to my unattended dinner plate to find them standing in my broccoli. They weren’t just eating, they were devouring, as if they’d been deprived. I remember feeling a little uneasy because this went against the instructions I was given from the pet store. But something in what I had just witnessed told me that their information was wrong, or a least incomplete.
I decided that I needed to find out more about my birds’ diet and, since this was long before the internet came along giving us easy access to a world of information on every conceivable topic, I began researching the subject the old school way: at the library, where I spent most of my free hours over the next several weeks. My husband at that time thought I was having an affair.
Wild cockatiel photo from OzAnimals.com
I came across books that discussed the avian diet and mentioned giving table scraps to our birds. They listed only 2 or 3 foods that they offered and never mentioned how much was appropriate. I looked into the diets of wild cockatiels, native to Australia, and I hadn’t even ever of the foods they seemed to enjoy there. They were most certainly not growing freely in my backyard, or in anyone’s else’s here in the states, for that matter. It felt a bit like a dead end.
Still, I did learn that a cockatiel’s diet should consist of more than just seed. My next step was to investigate avian anatomy and human nutrition to see how our foods might benefit a bird. In my studies, I tried to inject as much common sense into my theories as possible. For instance, we have all been told since childhood that carrots are beneficial to eyesight. Parrots have eyes, which they probably enjoy seeing through. That was a no-brainer. I went through long lists of fruits, vegetables and grains to learn how they served us.
My final study was to learn what was bad for the body. I learned there was no need to add salt, sugar or butter to a bird’s food, and that I should, in fact, be restricting it in my own diet. When you are compiling a list of DOs, it is always a good idea to compile a contrasting list of DON’Ts.
The problem with my research, looking back, was that the same logic I used that said spinach was good for birds is the same logic that would have told me avocado was also okay, which today we know to be terribly toxic to birds. Fortunately that never came up. Also, as I came to understand that feathers and beaks were made of the same materials as human hair and nails, and as both humans and birds need strong bones, I selected dairy products as a source of calcium. We now know that birds are lactose intolerant, an expression I was unfamiliar with at the time, even in terms of human health. Though most birds will tolerate a small amount of dairy, I admit I got lucky with some of the choices I made more than once.
There was a lot of guess work involved in the changes I made in my bird’s diet, but I used my instincts coupled with common sense to guide the way and, for the most part, I did really well. The cockatiels, and the birds I later added to my flock, eat a diet today similar to the one I was feeding way back when, except most of the fresh foods are now served raw instead of cooked as I have learned that the cooking process destroys many nutrients. During this period of research, I arrived at this motto: “If it isn’t good for you, it isn’t good for your bird”, which has since bee enhanced with “When in doubt – don’t.”
The avian sciences have progressed to the point where we are able to develop an appropriate diet for the individual parrot species, rather than just parrots in general. It is no longer: “all birds eat seed. Period.” We now know which species require more fat in their diet, or more protein. There are some species specific formulated diets available, although I am not convinced that they are as they should be, but it’s a start.
**Note: A word of advice for those using the internet to educate themselves: beware. Much of the information that you will come across is merely opinion. There is nothing wrong with putting your opinion out there as long as it is not stated as fact. When I am researching a topic, I go to sources that I have come to know and trust as reliable and up to date in their information. If something is in question or debate, I require that four or five of my sources be in agreement before I take anything into serious consideration. When choosing a source, look for long term experience combined with scientific knowledge.
Author Patty Jourgensen specializes in avian health, behavior and nutrition and has been working with and caring for rescue birds since 1987.
31 comments
pellets, beans, seeds, rice, veggies and fruits and now and again.. a bite of a corn chip low salt and a bite of cheese about once a week. My Macaws and african grey eat better than i do..ha! It was a learning process in the beginning.. I am sure I did everything wrong at first until i dove in the studies..Just as important as their diet is, so is their mental and emotional well being. I could not have one without the other and think my babies were going to be ok. It has taken me several years to find a great balance for them, and the best part.. as they mature and find they are capable of new things.. so does our training and education and life together. :) We are forever growing old with one another and enjoying all the glories of life as it is offered to us :)
To Ray: i did recently watch that movie ”bird man of alcatraz” after seeing a post from you raving about it before… and i admit it was interesting, although it did bother me that he was smoking cigarettes the entire time he was doing his research while surrounded by birds. It’s too bad he never figured out that is also bad for them. I’m in my 30’s and to me this is an old time movie so it’s probably a bit too old for some people to wanna watch but there were definitely some interesting & enjoyable parts so I watched the whole thing and liked it for the most part.
Hi Guys – have you ever looked into the evolution of food prep and the process of cooking or heating our meals? The simple action of heating food is why we are so exceptional. Just some ‘food for thought’ next time your chomping away on your raw carrot and wondering why the process is so unpleasant… perhaps the theory rings true for our bird friends as well. No disputes about the nutrient and mineral degradation, but the heating process aids in quicker digestion and ultimately creates a greater energy source for our brains and increases our learning capacity. Scientific research confirms this theory, hit up scientific publication sites or white papers & you’ll be amazed. Perhaps that’s why our fluffy friends love our cooked veggies as much as we do. I’d take a cooked carrot over a raw one any day :) and my birds love love love cooked carrots and broccoli, i flight to keep them off my plate, so at dinner time they are tucked away for my own sanity.
Your cockatiel in the picture looks so healthy, I am envious. I have 2 tiels and changed their diet from seed to pellets bought at the Vet. This took nearly 2 years. I had just about given up until one day there was just a bit of dust left in their dish. I had to look twice. Still working on fruit and vegies. All food is taken out of cage in case of night visitors eg. insects or cockroaches (you never know) and their floor of cage is clean. In the morrning I offer fruit/veg in their food dish whilst changing their water dish. It is looked at, but that is all. Not even a curious peck. Maybe this will take another 2 years? However in Australia,s dessert where tiels come from there is not a lot of fruit and greens available unless they fly to their water source. Petra CoffsHarbour Australia
I also need to ad that my first cockatiel has been having health problems when I had him on a seed diet recommended by the pet shop 14 years ago. At age seven I began to change his diet recommended by an avian vet. He eats very well now but also needs to take supplements. He does not do as well without the supplements. He needs to keep up with his younger friend. I give him Sunseed sundrops. I have it listed on my sidebar on my newsletter.
Is spinach bad for birds? Thanks for this great topic!
I have a 30-year-old Citron Cockatoo. (I am home # 10, and have had hime 2 1/2 yrs.) He’s a great bird, and willing to eat many veggies, fruits, grains, pellets, etc. My problem is that I have been unable to find information specific to this small cockatoo species, especially about amounts of food, life expectancy, natural habitat and diet. Any suggestions?
My Amazon has a veggie bowl (mixed frozen vegs and niblet corn, zapped for a few seconds to thaw) and small scoop of seed mix every morning. If I have breakfast at home, he “asks” for a bite of egg, melon, toast from my plate. Every night he gets his dinner plate , typically: mango, orange, apple, a bit of cheese, and some cashews, augmented by samples from my dinner — especially pasta, corn cob, chicken bones — and beans. He’s pretty much an omnivore! (But, I restrict his salt, sugar, fat — just like me.)
Our family had a tiel, who lived off an all seed diet, who ended up living till he was 19-years-old. He wasn’t my bird and today I wouldn’t think of providing that type of diet to my pet. At own point, I owned multiple doves and parakeets. The avian vet said my dove should be getting alot of berries and the keets should be getting a lot of greens. Well, I just couldn’t get the dove to eat anything but seed. She can be held… but she’s just not interactive. And, seems lacking in the smarts department. Sorry. It’s just not her strong point. The keets died early on (not my fault) and so I never got a chance to alter their diet to what it should have been. Mumbles my Sun Conure, is a different story all together. If I’m eatting it, he wants it. Except veggies…. it’s like he can sense their presence. So I bought bird-grade, dried veggies. Bird Paradise is now my favorite bird store. I’ve given him baby food with partial success. I’ll stuff what he really wants (nuts), into toys. Make him work for it. But, his favorite seems to be the Cream of Tweet brand.
My macaw and U-too never get any seeds in their diet…. unless as a treat on occasion (once/week or so – hand fed a sunflower seed or two, or a peanut or walnut). I feed the UNCOLORED pellets, and grapes and apples, and then a bit of eggs or rice or whatever I happen to be eating once in awhile. But their main diet is free choice uncolored parrot pellets, and they are very healthy, full feathered, and happy. I lost my African grey years ago due to feeding too much seed and I’ll never do that again.
Are blueberries or strawberries OK for a cockatiel???
I agree with the comments made regarding diet. However, all bird are different and all will select their favorite foods and toss (litterally)) the items they do not want in favor of those they do. I have two African Grey parrots and they begin with the same basic diet of (some pellets) granola, nuts, dried friuts, sesame sticks, dried peas, fresh broccoli and cauliflower and mellon, pasta and roasted unsalted peanuts (watch out for molded pieces). They also get treats including chicken bones, some cheese, and Cheetos. The lady is partial to the cheese and you should see the boy go after watermellon rind. Both are happy like brother and sister and both work well with me. The boy loves to try most anything I eat in addition and we share meals, though there are some limitations. In short and to follow up on the posted comment, in most cases if I eat it they can eat it, though I’m not partial to pellets.
I had a south africa grey, who ate every thing I ate and loved it giving him his own foods also,he loved chewing wood things like pegs,cardboard rolls also, he gnawed my light wires , tv aerial, and comp wires, and that killed him lead poisening just over 2 months ago,and it has broken my heart, one of my sons bought me another one who is brilliant but kept eating his own poo now after feeding him what I eat he has stopped doing it, he also has his veg pellets (as I dont eat veg ) and fruit pellets but still gets his fresh fruit which he loves I change his water 3 times a day, he also likes chewing wood mostly my doors I just watch him like a hawk now with anything with wires in scares me to think I might lose him the same way, I would realy love to know what woods are safe for parrots dont need any more mistakes with my new baby so if any one can help please email me thank you, I will miss my smokie for ever, as I thought he would out live me and Im 75 , but it wasnt to be
My green wing Harley is really picky When it comes to veggies and fruits. She loves seeds and nuts especially walnuts. I also mix in zupreem pellets witch took her awhile to eat but she now eats the pellets. But as far as fruits and veggies I have tried everything in my fridge with little luck other than corn witch I am told is actually not that good in quantiy but I give it everyday since it is one of very few things she eats he only other thing she likes is bananan.
My 3 year old tiel loves raw almonds, cooked edamame beans, cooked corn on the cob, raw spinach, shredded wheat biscuits and a seed/sunflower mix. She has refused pellets repeatedly despite great effort. I’m grateful for all this wonderful information from everyone.
Our Amazon eats a little of almost anything ,He loves the bones from a pork chops chicken drumsticks, he likes yogurt of all kinds, when we eat he looks at what is on our plate and checks what he has in his bowl and if he thinks he has been short-changed he let us know, all veg a little meat, pasta, rice and all the fresh fruits.wood he loves fresh branches from our apple tree that we know has not had any sprays used on it. The only thing that we do not give is lettuce as I read that it contains laudanum and is harmful to birds. I still give him the seeds from apples even after reading the blog saying that there was cyanide in them. I have had him for thirty five years he really makes a big fuss till he gets them when we are eating apples. I tried those fruit pellets IT TAKES WEEKS TO SWITCH OVER FROM SEED ONLY DIET.
regarding the internet.. ’it’s all right to have your own opinion… but not all right to have your own facts’’’
that’s a great rule… ‘’if it isn’t good for u, it isn’t good for your bird..‘’’ my rule is feed your parrot what you should be feeding yourself….but never iceberg lettuce and NEVER, NEVER..avacado…LIMIT SALT, SIMPLE SUGARS AND SIMPLE CARBS.. this limits the intake of EMPTY CALORIES…….quakers have a genetic abnormality and if the gene is present accumulate fats and develop ’’’fatty liver’’ so WATCH THE FATS ….no NO TABLE SCRAPS THAT HAVE ANY FAT….’ LIMIT CHOCOLATE[caffeine] NEVER ALCOHOL!!!!!!avoid the FRUIT OF THE PIT??CONVERSION TO CYANIDE ???] CHANGE WATER DAILY AND TWICE ADAY IN SUMMR HEAT… THE OLD TESTAMENT… STATESthat one must provide fresh water for his animals BEFORE he prays even on the sabbath…stagnant water allows bacteria to grow… ‘’bird man of alcatraz’’, robert franklin stroud, wrote a book on physiology of birds, from prison, in which he actually emphasised these ideas…considering the life he lived in leavenworth and alcatraz, he is one of the greatest minds that could have contributed so much more if our rehab in the prison systems had been appropriate…. … and all bird lovers should read his works or at least see the movie… can all to discuss @516 9214761, leave voice mail RAY LEVINE
Very good advice! I know our conures also like chicken, but is it safe to feed it to them (prions)?
Phew. I’ve been feeling guilty. My cockatiel shares my morning breakfast of oatmeal, dried cranberries, walnuts and soy milk. She also likes curry and other Indian food. I won’t like her eat chicken though. Just seems wrong.
I own 3 parrotlets, 2 in a cage and the other one in a second cage. Unfortunately they are male; I am not fortunate with the females, however I still insist and try to be lucky at least one time and see one of them married. My parrotlets every morning when they listen to me brewing coffe, they star screeming, shooting, whisttleing, etc. and only stop when they see their plate full of fruits, like all kind of berries, orange,tomatoes, spinach, carrot, beans, alfalfa sprouts………… Seeds? After the fruits. They love among other sunflowers seeds, almonds and nuts. Thanks for the space. Evelio
I have a Scarlet macaw and a Military macaw, they seem to enjoy just about anything especially cooked spaghetti. They like their fresh veggies and fruit. But what about frozen fruit and veggies, does anyone have any experience with frozen food?
I have a quaker parrot, who simply loves to eat. I keep him at the “birdi motel” occasionally,(where he was hatched) and was told one day that thy’ve never seen a bird eat so much! I feed him zeigler pellets, a separate bowl with rolled oats and pistachios. Then the vegetable cubes. I cook chopped brocoli, ww pasta, sweet potatoes, peas,corn, a couple differnt types of beans(northern, kidney and pinto;canned) barley, raisons(must have raisons). green beans.After this is cooked; not overcooked; and the water is just about all evaporated, I add a heping tsp of spirilina powder. Then I spoon it into ice cube trays; seal and freeze. Every day he gets a thawed warm cube. He greatly looks forward to his veges. He also gets fresh almonds which I open for him. he loves cheese(not too much) and high fiber bread crusts with flax seeds. also a homemade pizza crust is a favotite.His favorite treat is nutriberries tropical. Every day of his little life. He builds; almost daily I clothes-pin a large, dried bamboo with lots of branches. He bites them off and has to date, buit a large cave, with 3 sides and a nice solid floor. If he has nothing to build with, he’s very,very grouchy. He has woven his dropped feathers, a shoelace, and a string or two into his beautiful architecture. I’m wondering if anyone out there also has a “quaker builder”?
I have a five years old African Grey, she has been with me nine months now and enjoys a varied diet of seeds, pellets, fruit and walnuts. I have tried different veggies raw and cooked and whilst she will chew celery, she will not have peppers , tomatoes or carrots. I worry that sometimes I overfeed or underfeed her, I am never really sure exactly how much to put in her bowl.She is healthy and active and will steal off my plate if I let her.A character certainly.
The disappointing thing I see in pet store is that birds never have fresh fruits and vegetables. I never get birds at a store any more! The best place to obtain an aviary pal is a breeder. By doing so you are also able to visit while they are hatchlings and build that special close relationship. My birds always get fruit and veggies, as well as some food off of my plate as long as it is safe for them. They love to share!
-
1
-
2
NextLeave a comment