# Fruit Cockatiel (Cocktail)



## WolfyV (Aug 26, 2016)

When I purchased Hermes from his breeder, she told me that I could occasionally introduce some small bits of fruit into his diet as treats or even rewards when training him, and I have seen other tiel owners feed their birds from time to time, though I am not too sure what fruits and I should and shouldn't introduce into his diet. 

I am heavily contemplating introducing him to apples, since I definitely know those are okay, but what else is good for them in small quantities, and what is not? Also when it comes to his millet spray, I've admittedly just been leaving it in his cage, but am I supposed to just leave the whole thing in there? He sometimes takes a better liking to it than his actual seed >_>

And he is not a huge fan of cuttlebone, I've noticed LOL. I try occasionally handing it to him if he outright ignores it, only to have him take a small nibble and give an absolutely disgusted face towards it. He does the same to his mineralblock. How can I make sure he's getting a balanced diet full of nutrients? I don't want him eating JUST seed all day, since a seed-only diet can lead to a tubby tiel, I've heard.


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

Hey There 

Yeah...I've found that the only ones who touch the mineral block and cuttle bone are my breeders and that's around mating season. Otherwise it's just something for them to sit and poop on, heh. 

As for fruits to offer as treats - I've had luck with apples and sometimes blueberries. Otherwise my guys prefer their veggies. I use broccoli and frozen veggie mix with beans, carrots, corn and lima beans in it. They'll also eat rice with some crushed pellets thrown in for texture. 

Not sure you already know this, but foods to avoid include avocado and chocolate. Foods with excess salt should be avoided, too. 

Spray millet is a healthy snack for tiels. My guys go crazy for it! They even recognize the bag it comes out of  I give about a quarter of a spray to one bird. Because I have more birds, they often get a whole Spray. Keeps everyone happy, though the conure likes to bicker about who gets the best spot to eat the stuff, LOL

Hope that helps  I'm sure others will have additional stuff to add to what I've said


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## WolfyV (Aug 26, 2016)

Thank you!  Today I'll try apples, then. I will also be sure to eat my chocolate treats elsewhere, then, to avoid his curious beak getting into any of it ^_^


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## cat (Apr 11, 2012)

My birds go crazy over apples. They also love grapes, and cherries. Hope this helps.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

My boy likes to play around with his cuttlebone sometimes, but not as much as in the past (I don't know why).
He does like his calcium perch and chews it more than he sits on it... 

As for fruit, I sometimes give him this: https://www.woolworths.com.au/Shop/...trill-mix-in-fruit-nut-blend&productId=889301 (He is not a fan though...)


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## galactickiwi (Feb 4, 2015)

My vet recommends blueberries.  Nutriberries are also a better treat than spray millet, health wise. My cockatiel actually likes them better than millet now. 

Compared to most tiels, Miso actually kind of likes her cuttlebone. I have had the same one in there for quite a while and not even half of it's gone, but she will chew on it occasionally and actually eat it.


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