confused about cockatiel feeding?

[cockatiel92]

i read some where that u should feed them 2 times a day for 20 minutes heres article i read.
this is it ------------> Train Daily. Cockatiels tire out after five or ten minutes. Let yours take a rest – especially when you first get him. Start by training him to climb from finger to finger. Birds always climb UP -- except when sliding down their cage bars to grab a treat from you. Their tail prevents them from climbing down without falling on their beaks. They also rarely walk backwards, Say "UP" when you want him to climb UP to your other finger. He’ll soon sit on your shoulder. He’ll decorate it, if you leave him there too long. Want him to eat out of your hand? Don’t leave the food in his cage 24 hours per day. Feed him for 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening. He’ll be much more cooperative once he knows who the food comes from. <--------------



**but i rather give them 3 teaspoons of cockatiel pellets. or 2 teaspoons of pellet and 1 of seed. which would you rather your birds have. this way he has food all day and dosent over eat. the way the article said the cockatiel would eat all he could those 20 minutes and nothing the rest of the day until the next feeding. in your opinion how to you feed your cockatiel or parrot in general.

[SisterBlue]

My cockatiels always have bowls of food (vitamin enriched seed and some pellets) and water in their cages, and they all get sprouts, veggies, or a mixture of both at least a few times a week. I don't worry about tablespoons, or amounts, or anything...just always make sure they have access to fresh food and water.

I don't like the idea of only offering food for short periods every day - I think birds should have access to food all the time, and I don't think you need to worry about a cockatiel being overweight as long as you offer a nice balanced diet.

-SB

[Jannabellsmom]

I think 20 minutes twice a day is a horrible idea. Cockatiel are 'all day foragers' in the wild..... going with the flock where food is, eating when they can, resting, bathing, as they can...... mine has food in her cage 24/7. When she's out of the cage, I'll make sure she eats every 3 hours or so by either bringing her something out of the cage or placing her back in her cage for snack time. She does eat more in the mornings and always a bit before bed. My cockatiel is not overweight she is 83 grams.

Edited to say, I didn't mean to imply that you were horrible in any way, just horrified at the thought because I think my cockatiel would be hungry to the point of torture if I did that.

[Estepa]

Hi,
I do not share your view that birds must have food all the time unless there is a diet controlled quantities, composition ...

Offering a balanced diet does not mean that bird is really taking a balanced diet is therefore important that we know and that really sums and watch what they're eating.

if it offers a very balanced diet but the bird just eat what you like or you have attracted and in sufficient quantities to cover their appetite these creating a nutritional imbalance.

a greeting

[Estepa]

Jannabellsmom,

It is true that freedom, parrots spend more than 80% of the day in search for food "foraging" but in captivity is not at all alike. Already there are studies on this and the findings suggest that not spend more than 20 minutes throughout the day to eat.

the idea of making food available for short periods of time is a way of "environmental enrichment" and stimulation.

That is well cockatiels your weight has nothing to ber that is receiving all the nutrients.


David

[cockatiel92]

no i was just wondering beacause i read that but have been hearing other things about how to feed your birdd

[Jannabellsmom]

Okay, well my tiel is happy and alert so I'll stick to what I've been doing.

[SisterBlue]

Originally Posted by Jannabellsmom

Okay, well my tiel is happy and alert so I'll stick to what I've been doing.

Yep, me too. My first 'tiel lived to 26 years old, and my 18 year old 'tiel is still going strong, so I must be doing something right. LOL

To the original poster - please allow yourself to relax a bit - you sound like you care about Petrie quite a bit and that's a great thing. I think from some of your posts that you might be making things more complicated for yourself than they need to be. There are not so many "rules" to birds as some may think, especially a cockatiel. Take some time and get to know your bird...offer plenty of fresh, wholesome food and clean water, and lots of time, love and affection and you will do just fine! :)

-SB

[tielfan]

There are some parrot species who have two main feeding periods in the wild, once in the morning and once in the late afternoon. A twice a day feeding schedule is appropriate for these birds. It is NOT appropriate for all-day foragers like cockatiels.

[Astrid660]

Originally Posted by SisterBlue

To the original poster - please allow yourself to relax a bit - you sound like you care about Petrie quite a bit and that's a great thing. I think from some of your posts that you might be making things more complicated for yourself than they need to be. There are not so many "rules" to birds as some may think, especially a cockatiel. Take some time and get to know your bird...offer plenty of fresh, wholesome food and clean water, and lots of time, love and affection and you will do just fine! :)

-SB

Yeah I agree!
Plus, you can never spend enough time quietly researching the topic. I've learned so much just by listening to others, reading old posts, etc.

I let my birds eat all the time... I don't think that's a problem, but I wish I gave them more foraging activities. I kind of disagree with them getting it all right from a dish