Any Tips on Changing Cockatiels Diet

[Buckthecoc]

I got a 4 month old cockatiel a few days ago. He has been on a seed diet for a while. I want to transition him into pellets because I know they're a lot better for him. Along with some vegetables. I can tell he doesnt know that vegetables are food. How can I help him transition his eating? And how can I teach him seeds are treats not just food?

 

[nikotaylor]

I had the same problem! First of all, when transitioning to another food form, it helps when you still give them seed, but add more and more pellet every day - until it is all pellets! If your bird doesn’t seem to be eating the pellets, the pellets could be too big for your tiel. My cockatiel has budgie size pellets. It is also important to try a variety of pellets, since they might not like the one you have chosen for it.

I like to feed my birds new foods in the morning, because that is when they are most hungry and try new foods.

For the veggies, maybe try chopping them into really small pieces and giving it to your tiel on your finger. It helps for me. This may work because some birds like mushy, chopped food.

Hope this helps!

 

[TikkiTembo]

Mine was on all seeds at that age too. I started adding pellets to his seeds, but didn't decrease the seeds for a bit. Just a very slow, gradual transition. As for the veggies, I make him a bowl of roughly chopped veggies each morning. In the beginning, I'd sprinkle millet on the veggies and sit to eat my breakfast at the same time. They like to do things all together as a flock. Now he's my best eater! His favorite veggies are leafy greens, and his favorite pellets are the Tropican.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

He’s still very young, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him to eat pellets. Tiels still need seed in there diet, and my vet recommends a diet of 50/50 pellets/seeds, along with as many fresh foods as you can get your bird to eat. Crumbling the pellets and sprinkling them over slightly moistened seeds so they stick is a good way to get your bird to taste and start eating pellets.

 

[nikotaylor]

He’s still very young, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him to eat pellets. Tiels still need seed in there diet, and my vet recommends a diet of 50/50 pellets/seeds, along with as many fresh foods as you can get your bird to eat. Crumbling the pellets and sprinkling them over slightly moistened seeds so they stick is a good way to get your bird to taste and start eating pellets.

I’ve got the same name as one of your birds!

 

[Buckthecoc]

He’s still very young, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get him to eat pellets. Tiels still need seed in there diet, and my vet recommends a diet of 50/50 pellets/seeds, along with as many fresh foods as you can get your bird to eat. Crumbling the pellets and sprinkling them over slightly moistened seeds so they stick is a good way to get your bird to taste and start eating pellets.

Great idea, I'll be sure to try it out!

 

[rocky'smom]

I have cockatiel that came to me over 3 years ago, a sunflower seed junkie. Converting him to better diet has been a struggle. Here's what I did Hagen's tropimix is seeds and pellets. I started making what I call bento boxes, veggies of some form, finely chopped carrots, mashed peas, broccoli finely chopped, mashed beans like kidney, chickpeas, black beans, lentils all cooked well and coarsely mashed and the bottom layer is tropimix; couple of tablespoons. I freeze it in one week portions. Thaw it, add a tablespoon or two of warm water and feed as a part of breakfast.

 

[TwoTinyTrees]

All great advice! I used my sons little baby bullet to crush up my tiels pellets and they gobbled it up!