: What do you feed your 'tiels? :

[Lady Kakata]

(This is especially aimed at the UK members of the board; I wouldn't be able to get some of the US brands. Kaytee snacks are quite hard to find in the UK, which is a pain in the tail as there are a lot of gorgeous items I found in Canada that I managed to take home but won't be able to buy in the UK)


What do you feed your cockatiels? My hens are currently on that junky seed diet of 'cockatiel mix' which seems to just be millet and sunflower seeds (I add a little Orange Blossom - what I now realise is for budgies - seed I got from Canada into it for some variety). I want to put them on a complete diet, but everything seems to describe itself as a 'complete' diet like the Vitakraft range.

I know one of the Vitakraft range is a treat only, as Bonnie used to love the stuff, but some list themselves as a 'complete' diet, especially some that is made of Australian flora and is supposidly tailor-made for cockatiels due to a shared origin of Australia

[Eloise]

I dont have Tiels but having had(yay for pellet conversion! lol) seed addicted small birds i used canary and finch seed mixes instead of budgie or tiel mixes, there is a larger variety of seed(and no sunflower seeds), and hopefully a larger varity of nutrients. as well I sprouted their seed 3-4 times a week, so they 'thought' they were getting seed but we actually getting better stuff! haha.

Many companies are willing to ship are you willing to do that to get the products you want? it will be expensive, but if you buy a years supply and freeze them, it may not be as big an issue. just a though.

[tielfan]

There's no such thing as a complete diet, no matter what it says on the label. Offer your birds a wide variety of foods including vegetables - most cockatiels enjoy leafy greens. It's OK to offer some seed, but an all-seed diet has sent many a bird to an early grave. Sprouting will boost the nutritional value of seeds and grains. You can also offer pellets and other processed foods like nutriberries.

[Lady Kakata]

Well their current diet is the aforementioned seed rubbish, vegetables that are rotated from a selection of:

o - Carrots (chopped, raw)
o - Brocolli (chopped, raw) - This and carrots are Angel's favourite
o - Occationally Little Gem lettice - Rarely these days; the girls used to adore it but tastes change
o - Chillies - They've never ate this as far as I know but usually Angel has her face in brocolli and carrots so it's hard to tell
o - I've tried sweet potato (raw, chopped), pasta (plain, cooked), and sweetcorn (cooked) but they didn't seem too keen on it
o - Watercress - Bonnie LOVES this stuff
o - A boiled egg as a special treat
o - Fruit/honeysticks whenever I can afford it
o - Millet
o - Pepper loamstone (from the Boredom Breakers naturals range, Bonnie has worn it down to a stub due to her egg laying)
o - Combined mineral block and cuttlebone - They don't seem too keen on this, I might have to buy another seperate cuttlebone. They traditionally don't like mineral blocks or rather aren't too keen on them, and a huge calcium block I got them was similarly ignored save used as a perch (rule of thumb; if they don't eat it, they sit on it. Or both)
They adored the strawberry 'flavoured' cuttlebone I bought them once so it might be time to get another one before Bonnie eats the loamstone entirely
o - Bell peppers (raw, chopped) but same as chillies, they don't seem too keen
o - Brussel Sprouts (raw, chopped), I'm not sure, they seem to alternate between loving to nibble it and ignoring it


I'm looking on Northern Parrots and Zooplus at their listed diets. There's both pellet and seed on NP, what should I look for in either? I want to give the birds the best possible

[Lady Kakata]

I've read the articles on sprouting and I think I grasp the idea. However, since this is a life we're speaking of and not a laboratory experiment (I'm a scientist most of the time, I'm graduating with a DipHE and hope to do Toxicology later in life) I want to make sure I've got it

I have a basic 'cockatiel mix' containing millet and sunflower seeds. Put in a bowl with some filtered water (my grandmothers refrigerator has a water filter), leave overnight, and once the seeds have germinated, drain, dry and feed to the girls?

[Monica]

That's germination. Check out this thread for a bit more info! (some on the last page as well)

sprouts for dummies


In regards to the seeds though, they are best if they do not contain any extra ingredients. I.E. you want *JUST* seeds. No supplements, no preservatives, no dyes, etc. If you don't have this, then either your going to need to buy a sprout mix or go to a health food store and buy the seeds individually to mix together and sprout. Seeds and grains can be sprouted together, but legumes should probably be sprouted separately since they usually take longer to sprout (although there are many mixes out there that contain a variety of seeds to sprout, including legumes)

[Lady Kakata]

Oh! *None too bright* I see, actually, looking at one of the links that had a pictorial step-by-step guide, it actually looks rather like what my grandmother does to some of her seeds before using them in cooking

What seeds would be good for cockatiels? Or rather, what do your birds particularly like?

EDIT: I checked out this link http://gabrielbuddhistparrot.blogspo...r-parrots.html and it seems to make it so much more simple. nothing like plain English for idiots!

I'll get cracking sprouting once I have the girls moved and I have enough of the times to give a good try without irritating my grandmother. In the UK there is a health food shop called Holland and Barrets so I should be able to get a good amount of the seeds from there. I'm not sure about the grapefruit disinfectant but I'll have a gander

[Monica]

I don't use any disinfectant, but I do rinse seeds 3 times a day. I usually soak for 8, 12, or 24 hours (don't know if it makes a difference, but I actually like to soak for longer).

ACV with "mother" in it may be better to use than GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) though, as supposedly it's healthier, and better for the system. The ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) should also be able to be found at a health food store. This is the unfiltered stuff. That is, assuming you want to use a bacterial/fungal retardant.

[Lady Kakata]

Well I want to use as many natural ingredients as possible, both for the birds health and the health of my grandparents (quite frankly, when I deal with harsh chemicals I'm used to wearing goggles and a lab coat)

What is 'mother'?

[Eloise]

haha! yes what is Mother? I take it for my asthma, but actually have no idea what it is!

I prefer to use GSE for my sprouting mixes, I smell everything before it goes to the kids, and it just gives me a piece of mind knowing that there isnt a smell being masked by the vinegar. I use about 6-8 drops per litre of rinsing water and 2 drops per litre of soaking water, and I rinse with clean GSE free water before feeding.


I sprout canary and finch mixes, it saves on the foot work, with good healthy varieties and usually it is colour free and any extra 'vitamins' are rinsed out easily. Organic if you can for sure! :)