After the all seed and seed based diet are excluded
for being nutritionally deficient and unhealthy, there are 2 other types of diets for cockatiels to be considered.
Although they both include pellets, they vary in nutritional adequacy and composition.
They also vary in convenience.
Roudybush Diet
One of the most well-known diets for cockatiels
is based on a diet developed by Tom Roudybush. Roudybush, co-founder
of the original Psittacine Research
Project, spent 15 years conducting research on cockatiel nutrition at UC-Davis.
He has now earned his PHD in Nutrition, owns his own feed company
and is one of the most respected avian
nutritionist in the field. The
Roudybush diet has been modified here and there are several variations.
These foods are served daily and based
on about the following proportions:
Basic Mixed Food Diet
- 25% vitamin enriched cockatiel seed mix
- 25% cockatiel pellets
- 25% vegetables, dark leafy greens and fruit
- 15% cooked rice, corn, bean mixture
- 10% table foods, grains, cereal, bread, pasta ,cheese, meat etc.
- Fresh drinking water daily.
This type of diet offers cockatiels a healthy variety of foods. However, cockatiels are once
again given the choice to pick and choose, often choosing
the less nutritious foods over the nutritious ones. Birds have neither the intelligence not the instinct to choose healthy
foods for themselves. Birds do have taste buds and they will choose what they like the best. Foods higher in fat content
taste better. You are also responsible for preparing
50% of your cockatiel's daily food intake. If your cockatiel is being served this type
of food in its cage, the cage must be kept
especially clean to avoid the bird from eating spoiled or moldy food
and to prevent harmful bacterial growth.
Also, 50% of your bird's daily food has the potential to become contaminated when at room temperature.
Fresh foods should be removed after 2 hours. Ideally, cockatiels should
be offered a combination of these fresh foods 3 times a day with nutritious
snacks between meals.
Pellet Based Diets
- 80% pellets--(pellets in food dish all day and night)
- 20% fruit, vegetables, nutritious table food and seeds
- Cuttlebone and mineral block.
- Fresh drinking water daily.
When UC-Davis began research
on cockatiels to determine the best formulated diets to
compare different nutrients. Avian nutritionists have taken data from this and have
created pellet diets. Pellets are a manufactured
mix of as many as 40 different concentrated nutrients
which have been mashed and formed into shapes,
providing almost
every essential element needed
for a balanced diet.
No additional food or vitamin supplements are required, with the exception of a
cuttlebone for calcium and a mineral block. The protein content varies by brand
name but ranges between 12%-14 % with a 4%-5% fat content. Providing your bird
with 20% fresh food, such as fruits, vegetables and and a small amount of daily
seeds, will add variety to your bird's diet and it can prevent kidney-liver disease which some
birds are genetically prone to.
Your bird will also receive the benefits from the different
nutrients contained in each food
Tom Roudybush and most avian veterinarians
in the USA recommend that a pellet based diet be substituted for
the all seed or a seed based diet. The
recommended ratio of pellets/fresh foods/seeds may vary between individual
avian vets.
Other foods that are offered
to a cockatiel on a pellet based diet should not exceed 20% of the total diet
(or the amount recommended by your avian vet). Nutritious low
energy foods such as fruits and vegetables should be offered daily. A small amount of
cooked rice, grain, beans, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, other nutritious table
food and some seeds can be offered daily in small amounts as well. For a list of other healthy table foods
CLICK HERE
A cockatiel should consume
approximately
1/3 cup of pellets over a 3-day
period. Cockatiels in maintenance (not young growing birds or adult breeding birds)
will only eat a total of
15 grams of high energy food
per day, regardless of the combination of
foods eaten. If your bird consumes
5 grams of pasta, then only another 10
grams of pellets will be consumed that day. Keep this in mind when serving
supplemental, high-energy foods
to your cockatiel. Pack the most nutrition that you can into that 20%.
All natural or color and flavor enhanced?
A wide variety of brands, sizes and now new varieties of flavored pellets are available at the marketplace. Some brands even
contain pieces of dehydrated fruits and vegetables.
Pellets can be either all natural or they can be flavor enhanced with natural or artificial flavors and colors. This
supposedly increases their appeal to birds.
Natural flavored pellets are usually pale yellow, tan or a light green color. Flavored pellets
usually contain an assortment of lively colors. Most brands of pellets contain a preservative which again,
can be natural or artificial. There are always concerns raised when humans eat anything artificial. The same should apply to our pets.
Even though there are no formal research results to prove that additives have any negative effects on
cockatiels, there have been reports that the presence of additives can cause allergic reactions in
some birds, causing feather plucking. When choosing foods for your birds, read the labels, compare ingredients, call the manufacturers, ask questions
and most of all, talk to your avian vet about your bird's diet.
High Protein Diets
According to research results published by UC-Davis, (Jan.2001)
healthy cockatiels on a high protein diet
do not develop kidney disease.
Cockatiels were fed high protein diets ranging between 11% to 20%.
The results indicated that "A high protein diet is
only harmful to cockatiels with underlying, (an undiagnosed) kidney disease."
Kidney disease can go unrecognized for years, without clinical signs, when a cockatiel's diet is low
in protein. Birds that already have a pre-existing kidney problem are more
likely to show symptoms of their kidney disease when fed a high protein diet.
Kidney disease is more frequently reported in
color mutation cockatiels, especially "Lines that have been developed through much inbreeding".
The report also states that the exact amount of protein required
for maintenance in adult cockatiels has not yet been
determined. Current literature suggests that it is about 12%.
Manufacturers of pellets have adjusted protein rates in formulations to reflect this requirement.
Choosing a Diet
Changing your bird's diet should not be done without consulting your
avian vet. All birds should have a yearly check up which includes blood
testing. Your avian vet will help you choose a diet based on test results, physical
findings, factors such as your bird's current age, weight, activity level,
general health, what foods are available where
you live, how well your bird accepts new foods and how much time you can devote to meeting the nutritional needs of your
bird. According to UC-Davis, the diet of a new bird will also depend on what it was fed by the previous
owners. Cockatiels respond favorably to what is familiar.
Changing your bird's diet can be frustrating for both you and your feathered companion. You're avian vet knows this and
he/she will help you to guide your bird through the process safely.
Vitamin Supplements
should not be given to birds
on a pellet based diet. This can cause vitamin and mineral
overdose toxicity, resulting in the same type of health
problems as a vitamin deficiency. Adding vitamins to the water, for birds on
other diets, causes bacteria to grow on the bottom of the dish. Use a
powder vitamin and sprinkle over fresh food instead.
