| By :
Michel Maling
Cockatiel diets are simple and easy to prepare. Cockatiels are easy to look after and feed, which is why they are such popular pets. In fact they can exist largely on a diet of dry seed and water. During recent years their nutritional needs have been more closely studied, and it is now evident that if you want to keep your cockatiel in top condition and achieve great breeding results, you need to offer them a wider range of foodstuffs. Seed contains carbohydrates, fat and protein, certain vitamins and minerals, as well as a variable percentage of water. Wild cockatiels will forage on the ground and eat a variety of seeds and grass as the main part of their diet. Similarly, our pets often get a seed mixture of plain canary seed and a variety of millet seeds. Groats, which are oats without the husks are very popular for breeding cockatiels. The above seed varieties do not offer a complete and balanced diet for cockatiels, and other foods are essential to compensate for the vitamin and protein deficiencies. All of the above seeds are cereal based. You will need to give your cockatiel oil based seeds as well. Sunflower seed is an oil based seed, that is rich in fat, low in carboyhydrates and a valuable source of protein and essential amino acids. Other good additions to the basic seed mixture include hemp seed, which is a round brownish seed which is normally fed during the winter months, as the oil and mineral content is high. Too much hemp on the other hand can lead to obesity. The best way to supplement your birds diet is to use fresh foods that are moist and can be eaten in their entirety. Banana's, apple, carrots and a variety of other fresh foods can be offered to your cockatiel. Although cockatiels prefer greens, very few of them will resist a slice of sweet apple. Pelleted food is very healthy, if you can get your cockatiel to eat them. The best way to go about getting your bird to eat the pellets is reducing the amount of seed gradually and increasing the amount of pellets. Try to find a reliable supplier for your cockatiel's seed. Fresh seed is always bettter. Old seed will loose a lot of its nutrients. The only way to check if the seed is fresh is to try and sprout it. If it grows, it is fresh. Don't keep the seed for more than three months.
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