# Diet help :)



## Foolyfoo (Aug 31, 2010)

I feed my tiel Charlie mostly a seed mix (Trill cockatiel mix) and sometimes broccoli. But I was wondering if there was anything I could give him to provide optimum health?

I was thinking of sprinkling some spiralina, wheatgrass or barleygrass powder over his food, would that be good for him? 
I would love to hear your opinians!

Thank you

edit: Really sorry I just realized there is a food and nutrition section  could someone move this thread please?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

At the Feeding Feathers nutrition group at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeedingFeathers/ they're not keen on giving spirulina to birds. It's thought to cause toe-tapping in ekkies and overdoing it can cause problems in other birds. The other things are OK in small quantities though. 

An alternative that I like better though is home sprouting. You can sprout wheat, barley, and other seeds and grains and give your bird the real thing instead of dry powder. There's a how-to thread at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=9019

Your bird does need a more balanced diet. Adding some pellets and/or Nutriberries would be a good thing, as well as encouraging him to eat a wider variety of veggies. If you prefer an all-natural approach instead of pellets, the yahoo group that I linked to in the first paragraph can provide a lot of advice.

There's a general article on bird nutrition at http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.org/info/nutrition.html which includes a link to a separate article on encouraging your bird to eat new foods.


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## Foolyfoo (Aug 31, 2010)

Thank you for the help! I will feed him a wider range of food.


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