Ways to start feeding cockatiels Fruits and Veggies

[CarryBlack]

Anyone know of any ways to to switch a bird from seed to fruits and veggies along with seeds. I tried to feed him fruits but he would never eat then just hide in the corner of his cage away from them. On friday i had to bring him to my vet and he said he lost 34 grams from malnutrietion and was on the verge of death :(. He is letting me take him home today but I dont know how to get him to start eating fruits and veggies to get his nutrietion up when he hates everything i tried feedin him :(
Or does anyone know of anything i can add to his water perhaps that will suspitute for the vitamins and minerals that he is missing from his diet from only eating seed till i get him to start eating fruits and veggies

[chapala]

You need to continue feeding him his regular food. It sounds as though you may have taken his seed away in the hopes that he would begin eating the vegetables. If the bird doesn't know the new stuff is actually food, he won't eat it.

'Tiels quite often don't eat fruit in the wild or as pets. They do and should eat vegetables to have a good diet, but I wouldn't worry much about fruit. If you can't get him to eat some greens, you might want to think about providing a good natural pellet (not artificially flavored and colored "fruit" pellets) in addition to a grain mix, for the vitamins and minerals that he needs.

[CarryBlack]

I had a plain colored pellets :-\ and all he would do is look threw it totry to find seeds >.>. What my doc told me to do when i got the bird was take the seed away and put in veggies.. or pellets and if he didnt eat it in a day put the seed back so hewould have something to eat.

[Peanutbutter]

Here is what I did.

I put the seed in a dish on the bottom of the cage.

I put the pellets in a cup at the top of the cage. I put the water ONLY by the pellets.

(birds, in general, prefer to eat up high.... and they need close to the pellets)
^^^^I got that method from Roudybush.

I feed vegis everyday. Kale, parsley, grated carrots, and apples are my fids favorites. Cheddar cheese is another fav.... along w/ scrambled egg with shell (no butter or salt).

I also showed them these things are food by pretending to eat it myself & offering them a bite of MINE. lol.

In the end I only give them about 1 coffee scoop of bird seed a day. They seem to eat all of that and most of the pellets I put in the dish every day so I'm happy.

Go at the birds pace & I don't suggest that you ever just "switch" the foods.... it may work for some people, but I think that would be stressful to the birds.

Zupreem natural or fruity are usually pretty easy to get cockatiels to try. Labefers Nutriberries are a pellet/seed that makes for a good easy conversion... those are like birdy crack.


Edit to add.... Sprouted seeds are good too.... :)

[CarryBlack]

I sprinkled some of the Nekons S- vitemons on his seed for now and added some to his water :-\ i dont think he would drink the water though if it tastes funny or smells funny either so i put a second water bottle in the cage incase hedidnt like the ones with the vitemons mixed in

[CarryBlack]

Found out that he Loves to eat/drink apple sauce. But everywhere look either says cabbage is ok or bad to feed a cockatiel so which one is it?

[Peanutbutter]

cabbage is on the do not feed list.

[nestbox]

I would go slow with changing a cockatiels diet, they are very picky eaters. I'd give him what he will eat and introduce new stuff slowly. Try frozen mixed vegetable (thawed and maybe warm) for starters. Try cheerios, just try different things but don't take his seed all at once or you may lose your bird to starvation. If they don't know or already like it they will NOT eat it. I've raised cockatiels for many years. As babies they learn to eat what the parents fed them other than seed. Good luck.

[CarryBlack]

He still on all of his seed. i just take him out of the cage every other day to see what he would like to try. cherrios and carrots didnt work sofar neither did apples..but he stuck his whole head into my applesause

[birdiemommy]

We have only had Tweety, the tiel, for a couple of weeks. He is at least 8 years old. All 4 of our budgies eat fruits and veggies. Two things the budgies eat, Tweety discovered yesterday. I put mustard or turnip greens on the cage bottom, on the grate, and the budgies go to town eating and shredding it. They also love broccoli when I stick a piece through the cage bars.
I tried putting a piece of turnip green in the cage bottom yesterday and Tweety seemed to investigate it. So while he was on top of the cage last night I gave him another turnip green and a chunk of broccoli so the cut end was through the bars holding it upright. He went to town on it and he is actually having that for breakfast thins monring again.
To get the budgies to eat fresh stuff, I would sprinkle it with seeds, and remove the seed bowl only for about an hour or so. After that hour was up, the regualr bowl was put back.