# Best Cockatiel food?



## Gizmo79 (Dec 10, 2012)

So when i was at the vets with Harley (see my other thread if interested) the vet said i should change her diet to see if its helps, no local shops in my town stocks anything other than plain seed mixed with sunflower seeds :censor: so ive taken to the internet to find stuff. 

Ive been on amazon, and found these 2 products:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kaytee-Exac...upplies_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=048J095BGYRJM3NYQ6NG

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kaytee-Exac...4109480&sr=1-2&keywords=kaytee+for+cockatiels

whats the difference in these to food products apart from the obvious? can Harley eat either food as to me they look the same, or is the 2nd one better designed for cockatiels? Is it just because the one for parrots is bigger pieces? Id rather get the bigger bag but if its not suitable then theres no point of course!

Also, i came across these...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZuPreem-Nat...b/dp/B0000AH3NK/ref=pd_bxgy_petsupplies_img_y

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lafeber-Coc...&sr=8-2&keywords=Nutri-Berries+for+Cockatiels

Does anyone else use these products and do their tiels like them?

is changing their feed an easy process? Harley can be a fussy eater. whenever i put something alien in her food tray or cage she just throws it out or looks stressed and ignores it.

Is me getting her all this stuff abit too much for her to take in at once or not?


----------



## Callie2013 (Nov 4, 2013)

This is what my tiels get for their food that was recommended by my vet:

http://www.amazon.com/Kaylor-made-H...eet+harvest+cockatiel+seeds+without+sunflower


http://www.amazon.com/Zupreem-Fruit...=1394129183&sr=1-2&keywords=zupreem+cockatiel

And this as a "treat":
http://www.amazon.com/Lafebers-Clas...8&qid=1394129212&sr=1-5&keywords=nutriberries

They also get fresh veggies, scrambled egg, boiled chicken, etc. in a separate bowl each day...

To get mine started on the pellets I would mix some in with their seed now that they like them they get them in a separate bowl to cut down on wasting the pellets (they would still have some pellets left with their seed but the seed would just be empty husk and it's too hard to try to sift through and get out the pellets so I was wasting them when I changed their food.)


----------



## Gizmo79 (Dec 10, 2012)

Callie2013 said:


> This is what my tiels get for their food that was recommended by my vet:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Kaylor-made-H...eet+harvest+cockatiel+seeds+without+sunflower
> 
> ...


How often do you treat them Callie? Do you vary treats once a week? I guess i should probably know this stuff anyway seen as how ive had Gizmo since late 2012 and i got Harley last summer. But with neither of them being ill before (Gizmo has never been ill apart from once when he was vomiting which was sorted out that night thank god) ive just given them stuff whenever ive felt like it, usually once a week and depends on how fast they demolish the treat.. they both go mad for honey and can demolish a honey seed bell in under a day.

tahnks for your reply


----------



## Double Trouble (Nov 24, 2013)

I give my entire flock one of those honey millet treat sticks, but only once a month.

Sent from my GT-S5830i using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Word of warning: do NOT get those Kaytee pellets. They are horrible, filled with a lot of sugar and tons of dyes, and are much too big and solid for cockatiels to eat. They also have a very strong sweet smell that doesn't seem very healthy at all. I bought this brand when I didn't know of any other pellet brand and I regretted it as soon as I offered it to my 'tiels. I crushed them down into small pieces (by hand, and it was so so hard!) so they could actually be eaten but eventually I just threw the bag out. Never again.

I'd recommend Vetafarm, Harrison's, Roudybush, Lafeber's and Zupreem Natural. If your 'tiel has eaten nothing but seed up until now, I'd start with those Nutriberries, and work your way onto pellets from there.

You shouldn't completely exclude seed from your bird's diet, however, even if your vet told you to. It's what they eat in the wild and is a healthy part of their diet in moderation.


----------



## Gizmo79 (Dec 10, 2012)

Double Trouble said:


> I give my entire flock one of those honey millet treat sticks, but only once a month.
> 
> Sent from my GT-S5830i using Tapatalk 2


wow.. really? i guess im treating them too much :s yeah they love all that stuff Gizmo goes mad for honey.

How about bread? everytime i make a sandwich (hot or cold) or have toast he comes at me like the roadrunner (the warner bros cartoon character) and tries to eat more of it than me.. anyone would think i dont feed him! 

in the last few days ive started putting him back in his cage when im eating so i can have some peace and also because im not too sure how much of my food he is allowed to eat.


----------



## Gizmo79 (Dec 10, 2012)

CharVicki said:


> Word of warning: do NOT get those Kaytee pellets. They are horrible, filled with a lot of sugar and tons of dyes, and are much too big and solid for cockatiels to eat. They also have a very strong sweet smell that doesn't seem very healthy at all. I bought this brand when I didn't know of any other pellet brand and I regretted it as soon as I offered it to my 'tiels. I crushed them down into small pieces (by hand, and it was so so hard!) so they could actually be eaten but eventually I just threw the bag out. Never again.
> 
> I'd recommend Vetafarm, Harrison's, Roudybush, Lafeber's and Zupreem Natural. If your 'tiel has eaten nothing but seed up until now, I'd start with those Nutriberries, and work your way onto pellets from there.
> 
> You shouldn't completely exclude seed from your bird's diet, however, even if your vet told you to. It's what they eat in the wild and is a healthy part of their diet in moderation.


Thanks for the tip!.. lukily before you posted that i bought these..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KLCJVU/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZuPreem-Nat...b/dp/B0000AH3NK/ref=pd_bxgy_petsupplies_img_y

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0002567WS/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

would you suggest breaking the pellets up into smaller peices? Ive noticed in the past if they cant break something with their beak they dont bother with it


----------



## brittbritt (Oct 25, 2008)

My vet sells and recommends Volkman's Super Science bird food. I order it online from birdieboutique.com. I order it in the 20 pound bags since I have several birds now.

I also feed the Zupreem brand bird pellets in the fruit flavor, canary sized ones.


----------



## crafti142 (Dec 27, 2013)

The kaytees stuff is dreadful. I brought a packet and had to throw it out. It is really hard and I put it in the blender to crush it down 20 min later still chunky with some fine powder.

Also, I read on a parrot forum recently that there is a warning about kaytees and the possibility of strychnine poisoning after two grey parrots died unexpectedly after being feed the pellets.


----------



## Double Trouble (Nov 24, 2013)

Gizmo79 said:


> wow.. really? i guess im treating them too much :s yeah they love all that stuff Gizmo goes mad for honey.


Too much sugar (in the honey) is bad for birds.. It can make them over weight and you risk birdy diabetes

So thats why i only give one honey treat once a month.

Even the 'healthy' ones still have the honey in them (to bind it all together).

You can give birds toasted bread, but i would only give them a small piece and with no spread (butter etc) on it because birds are intollerant of dairy.

Bread (especially white) can be fattening 

Sent from my GT-S5830i using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Gizmo79 (Dec 10, 2012)

Double Trouble said:


> Too much sugar (in the honey) is bad for birds.. It can make them over weight and you risk birdy diabetes
> 
> birds are intollerant of dairy.


Never realised birds can get diabetes, I guess honey, sugar and other sweet stuff still has the same effect on who/whatever eats it.. everything in moderation! its just working out how much to give them  

Birds are dairy intolerant? ive seen some birds eat scrambled eggs etc.. so if im going to give them egg it should be hard boiled? 

hmm hard boiled egg... made me hungry haha.. 

Thanks for the tips


----------



## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Birds are lactose intolerant, so they can't have milk, cheese, etc. However, they CAN have plain yogurt and cottage cheese, and eggs are fine too.

I learned this the hard way when I found a recipe for birdie bread that had milk in it - Rocko got pretty sick.

Personally, I feed Hagen Budgie Seed, Hagen TropiMix for small birds (a pellet/pre-hulled seed mix), and Zupreem FruitBlend, budgie sized. As far as I can tell, all of it is eaten. I try with fruits and veggies, I really do, but he hates most of what I offer him. He's actually an oddball for a tiel, he prefers fruits over veggies. But his favorite is cheese crackers like Goldfish and Cheezits, but those aren't exactly good for him <_<


----------

