Food Schedule For Cockatiels

[ParrotsForLife]

So my diet is messed up I used to feed them pellets in the morning and seed later and I tried to get them to eat veg now the petshop hasnt had the pellets in weeks and they said they might not be selling them anymore.So now I started feeding veg in the morning and Loki eats it all but Rocko wont eat it and I feed some seed with the veg to get Rocko to eat the veg but what im hoping to do is just feed Veg in the morning and seed later and I do give them treats too like a little bit of cornflakes not too much just a few.

[ParrotsForLife]

Ok I take back what I said about Rocko today I didnt put any seeds with the veg just veg I gave them Broccoli,carrots,peas and corn and Loki ate broccoli,corn and peas and Rocko ate corn which was his fav I think and a bit of broccoli but it is progress right.

[Wolf]

I do not like pellets, so to me this is good news. It is not good for them to be on a diet that is so high in protein. I feed my birds from my budgies right on up to my Amazon gloop and fresh raw fruits and vegetables in the morning and for all day foraging. The blood work from the vet comes back near perfect every time, so I know that this is very good for them. And then I feed them all a seed mix in the evening for their dinner. They do get a different seed mix as the little ones need smaller less hard seeds than the bigger birds. and for treats I use tree nuts and veggies and fruits, but they get treats just because they are hanging out with and on me while I talk to them and scratch tem and play with them.
So exactly what is it that you would like to know? We will be happy to help if we can.

[Pajarita]

Cockatiels are granivores so you can't feed them just vegetables for breakfast, you need to feed them cooked whole grains and some pulses mixed in with the veggies as well as a different leafy green every morning - and, in the evening, their seed mix. They do much better on this diet than on pellets.

[ParrotsForLife]

Cockatiels are granivores so you can't feed them just vegetables for breakfast, you need to feed them cooked whole grains and some pulses mixed in with the veggies as well as a different leafy green every morning - and, in the evening, their seed mix. They do much better on this diet than on pellets.

What is whole grains and pulses.I like feeding them veg rather than pellets and its good their eating it.I wanna make sure that they have a good diet after I add whole grains and pulses is their diet complete and other leafy greans.

[Pajarita]

Whole grains are exactly what the name implies: grains that are 'whole' like wheat kernels, kamut, oat groats, brown rice, barley, etc. Pulses are the fruit of legumes and there is always a number of them inside a pod like beans, peas, lentils, etc. - they always need to be cooked thoroughly because there is something in them when they are raw that affects the blood (the dark ones like red kidney beans, are worse than the white ones).

And yes, a breakfast of cooked whole grains mixed in with cooked pulses and small-sized or finely chopped veggies (chopped broccoli, corn, peas, diced carrots, etc) is perfect for them and they love it!

[ParrotsForLife]

Whole grains are exactly what the name implies: grains that are 'whole' like wheat kernels, kamut, oat groats, brown rice, barley, etc. Pulses are the fruit of legumes and there is always a number of them inside a pod like beans, peas, lentils, etc. - they always need to be cooked thoroughly because there is something in them when they are raw that affects the blood (the dark ones like red kidney beans, are worse than the white ones).

And yes, a breakfast of cooked whole grains mixed in with cooked pulses and small-sized or finely chopped veggies (chopped broccoli, corn, peas, diced carrots, etc) is perfect for them and they love it!

Thanks for your help I have peas and beans and lots of different types of veg I will get lots of different types of grains.By the way are cornflakes whole grains.

[Pajarita]

No, whole grains implies no processing whatsoever, no grinding, no removing any element of the grain, no cooking, no adding, nothing. Besides, one should never feed a human cereal to birds because they all have been fortified with iron which humans need a lot of but birds don't and, when you feed them too much of it, they end up with what is called 'iron storage disease' which can be fatal.

[ParrotsForLife]

No, whole grains implies no processing whatsoever, no grinding, no removing any element of the grain, no cooking, no adding, nothing. Besides, one should never feed a human cereal to birds because they all have been fortified with iron which humans need a lot of but birds don't and, when you feed them too much of it, they end up with what is called 'iron storage disease' which can be fatal.

Do birds need iron at all I gave them a little bit of cornflakes today and they munched it the minute I put it in.

[Wolf]

As far as I am aware of nearly all living animals need some iron and how much is dependent on the species of the animal. Birds never need the amount that humans need, but it is still essential in their diet, it is used to make hemoglobin, this is the red blood cell that carries oxygen and iron is what gives oxygenated blood its red color.