# Would it be okay to feed my tiel parakeet food?



## citoribrown (Dec 2, 2012)

I have been feeding my tiel Dr. Harvey's seed mix, but she doesn't seem to be interested at all in the larger 'stuff' and it just gets thrown away! I'm paying $10 a pound for this stuff, so I was wondering if I could just give her the parakeet mix? Then she would only have the stuff she actually eats, and I would get a whole lot more for the money! I'm also adding a little of the Harrison's super fine pellets at each feeding and she seems to like that pretty well, too! (I can't get her to eat 'people' food of any kind!) I would have never thought it to be so expensive to feed a tiny little bird! :lol:


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

My understanding is that it's fine to feed your tiel parakeet food. You might want to add some sunflower seeds to the mix. I don't believe they're usually included in parakeet food but in moderation provide nutritional benefit to tiels. (You just don't want them to eat too many sunflower seeds.) And keep trying on the vegetables, etc. It took my tiel awhile to eat non-seed food but now he's a pretty good little eater.


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## flippityjib (Dec 13, 2012)

I put hulled sunflower seeds on top of what ever veggies I'm trying to get them to eat. Sometimes that gets them to try some. Mica won't eat veggies yet and I try almost every other day. I eve put food in my mouth for her and still she wouldn't try it....So frustrating! But you gotta keep trying.

My vet says that the mix I make for my budgies (I make my own from organics stuff I get on ebay) is better than anything I could buy. So I'm just gonna feed them that along with pellets. I use canary grass seed, milk thistle, golden flax, white millet, oat groats, buckwheat, un-hulled hemp, steel cut oats......I think that's it.  I mix up enough to last about 4 months and put in vacuumed bags to keep from going bad during that time. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it.


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## dshiro2012 (Feb 4, 2013)

I feed my tiels parakeet seeds, but I also mix in pellets, and larger seeds, then I give them fruits and vegetables with some grains (all premixed from the store that you keep in the refrigerator and boil before serving to them). I also give them some fruit flavored pellets. All the pellets are for Cockatiels, but I was starting baby on smaller pellets and seeds when she was younger and still being weaned.


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## citoribrown (Dec 2, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I think I will try mixing the parakeet mix with the cockatiel mix. She is still young..only about 4-5 months old, so maybe if I continue to offer her some of the tiel mix with it, she will eventually start to try it. 
@sunnysmom, I do still offer her different fruits and veggies several times a week, and you have encouraged me to not give up on that, since you say it took your tiel awhile to really start eating them...I was very close to throwing in the towel! thanks!


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Yes, dont' give up. Try serving it in different ways and in different sizes. Each tiel seems to have their own preference. Some members hang large pieces of vegetables in the cage and their tiels will eat that way. My tiel will only eat vegetables if they're cut in tiny pieces and they have to be raw. He won't touch a cooked vegetable (except for sweet potatoes). Have you tried sprinkling some seed on top of her vegetables? In picking at the seed she might taste the vegetable and decide she likes it. The first vegetable my tiel ate was broccoli. Just the tops and cut so they look like little green seeds. And I had to hand feed him. (Spoiled boy , ) But now he likes veggies- except for carrots. I still can't get him to touch a carrot.....


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## Ghosth (Jun 25, 2012)

I feed a mix of foods and yes Parakeet seed (primarily white millet) is one of them.

I always have 2-3 silo's in their cage with that available. Then outside their cage I have a large outside bird feeder that gets Cockatiel mix and pellets.


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