Cockatoo Diet

[geekofspades]

Hi guys, hope everyone is doing well.

Because of covid I have not been able to get pellets since I ship them and no one sells locally.

So I've been feeding my cockatoo in the mornings fruits like apples bananas and mangoes, and oatmeal for dinner.

Is this an okay diet for the time being? I really can't find any other means of getting pellets for him at the moment.

And he really doesn't like broccoli or cauliflower.

What vegetables can I try giving him? He likes really soft and chewy stuff.

 

[Shezbug]

Can you switch the fruit for veg? Veg is much better for them than fruit which is full of sugars.
Do you have any lentils or beans for soups? If so you can cook some of these and feed them, they will be much more nutritious than just oatmeal.
Most birds seem to love warm mashed sweet potato- I do mine whole in the oven and peel the skin off before mashing or cutting up small. Carrots, capsicum, kale, green beans- some birds love froz peas and corn- these veg are all ok raw or cooked if your bird prefers that. Soft and chewy I would be doing mashed veg or steamed carrot to try.


Where about are you in the world? We have had a few members mention issues with getting pellets and other members have been able to help with information on where to get them.

If you want to list the veg you have at home, someone will tell you how you could offer them. My bird does not really like certain veggies and I have found it has more to do with the presentation (texture, size, amount, what it is served with etc) so a lot of the time it is trial and error and other times it is sheer persistence.

 

[sunnysmom]

Maybe try making birdie bread too and adding some vegetables in it? Do you have seeds? You can try spouting seeds also? Maybe some nuts, like almonds.

 

[tka]

I was going to suggest sprouting too. You can sprout some human foods like mung beans.

I would also suggest beans, chickpeas and lentils. Make sure you read the preparation instructions. Some, like kidney beans, are toxic if not cooked properly. And yes, vegetables are better than fruit. Carrot, peppers, chilli pepper, peas, green or runner beans, sweetcorn and sweet potato are all good. I have a bag of frozen mixed (parrot-safe) veg that I use when it's hard to get fresh veg.

 

[geekofspades]

I'll try boiling some carrots and sweet potatoes tomorrow, hopefully he'll eat that. Fresh veggies are very easy to get where I live (Philippines, Baguio City).

I'll try those 2 for now since i feel like the texture would be very similar to an apple which my cockatoo really loves.

And he isn't really good with beans and sprouted seeds, he keeps getting crop infection even if i thoroughly clean and even boil them. He just doesn't digest them very well.

Edit: Would squash be also a good vegetable?

 

[Birdbabe]

@JLcribber ?

 

[tka]

You can give carrots raw. Many (but not all) birds like the crunchy texture so it's worth a try. What other vegetables can you get hold of easily?

Can you get hold of quinoa? It's much more nutritious than oatmeal but I know it might be hard to get hold of. You could also feed a mix of grains like the oatmeal, cooked quinoa, cooked brown rice and boiled barley.

 

[geekofspades]

I wasn't able to get some sweet potatoes but i did get some squash. I'll try feeding them to it now since it's his breakfast time.

Thank you for the answers.

 

[geekofspades]

Update

He only took a few bites of the carrot and squash, maybe he needs to get used to it first.

So i made his favorite oatmeal amd grated the carrots onto it so i tricked him into eating it