There is some disagreement about what the best diet for cockatiels is, but the experts all agree that feeding your cockatiel nothing but seed is not an ideal diet. Cockatiels can be healthy on an all seed diet because they are very hardy birds, not because this diet provides them with all of their nutritional requirements. A diet of seeds alone leads to calcium and vitamin A deficiencies and contains too much fat. In fact, seeds should be only about 25% of your cockatiel’s diet.

About 50 to 60 percent of a healthy diet for your cockatiel should consist of pellets. These are made from fruits, vegetables and grains and are enriched with the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy. These pellets also prevent your birds from becoming bored with their diet – cockatiels like a little variety.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are also a good addition to your cockatiel’s diet. You can give them chopped produce or large pieces to gnaw on. This can also be entertaining for your bird if you hang these pieces from their cage. Again, just like us, your cockatiel gets bored of eating the same thing day in and day out – give them variety and they’ll be healthier and happier for it.

You can feed your cockatiel a variety of fresh vegetables. Eggplant, green beans, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and corn are all good choices. You can feed fruit to your cockatiel as well, but try to stick with the kinds of fruits which they would eat in the wild; mangoes, papaya and pineapple. They also love bananas, apples, grapes and cherries. However, you should make sure to remove pits and seeds, since these can be potentially toxic and your cockatiel may try to eat them if you leave them in.

Some foods which you should not feed to your cockatiel are avocado or anything containing avocado, any foods which contain chocolate, cocoa, caffeine, alcohol or mushrooms. All of these are toxic to your bird. You also shouldn’t feed your bird foods which are high in salt, fats, sugar or additives – your bird will be healthiest eating a natural diet.

Other healthy foods to add to your cockatiel’s diet are cooked grains like oats, wheat, barley and brown rice. These provide essential nutrients to your bird. You can also give your cockatiel unsweetened whole grain cereals and whole wheat bread.

Cockatiels may be hardy birds, but it is important to feed them the right diet. Malnourished birds can get sick; many of the common health problems cockatiels experience are the result of a poor diet. By feeding your bird a healthy diet which provides the nutrition a cockatiel needs, you can prevent your bird from succumbing to these diet-related health issues.