Cockatiels are flocking birds and will eat when their human companions are eating.
They will fly right to you and start nibbling on your lips trying to get at your
food. Eating or pretending that you are eating may help your cockatiel to accept a new food.
Allowing your bird to see you prepare food and put it in their dish may
also help. I mince Mama's vegetables and foods next to her cage, or I let
her walk around the table while preparing them. If I start eating the food,
she heads over to the dish to have a look. The more I say "Ummmm,
good" the more likely she is to try it. Make a big fuss over the food and show
your bird how much you are enjoying it. Eat with your bird and try offering
some of the new foods by hand or serve it on a little plate next to your own.
Hand-feed
your cockatiel 1 or 2 pieces of cornflakes, cheerios or other dry cereal before starting the transition to pellets. The crunching sound will help
make pellets seem more familiar because pellets make the same crunching sound. Many
cold cereals contain zinc. Although birds do need a very small amount of zinc in
their diet, zinc is a toxic substance. Do not go overboard feeding your
bird cold cereals or purchase brands that do not contain zinc.
Cockatiels are very
intelligent. Before starting your bird on pellets, teach it a word
associated with eating. When Mama started eating pellets, I made a big
fuss praising her and repeating the words "Eat Something." Now when I give her a new food, I say "Eat
Something." She will go to her food dish and take a nibble.
She may not like the food, but she samples it.
Your bird may be more receptive to new, foods if they are offered outside of the
cage on a saucer or different food cup. Let your bird "Dine Out" for a change. Once your bird is
eating new foods, you can start placing them inside of the cage in food dish. Have a few extra food cups on hand
for fresh foods. I prefer using stoneware, china or porcelain dishes so I can
put them right inside of the dishwasher to kill bacteria.
Put a
vinyl or cloth placemat in an area where your bird likes to play. Sprinkle some
pellets or tiny pieces of vegetables on the placemat. Since cockatiels are
always foraging for food, your bird may start nibbling on the little pieces
while searching for other things to chew on. Vinyl and cloth placemats will keep
fresh veggies from becoming contaminated with any bacteria. Vinyl can be wiped
clean with a disinfecting wipe then rinsed. Cloth can be tossed in the washer
and drier. You can use white paper towels instead, but if your bird is a paper
chewer, it will be more interested in chewing on that instead of the new food
you are trying to introduce.
Another factor that
influences a bird's acceptance of a new food is the size of the pieces.
Everything that I serve Mama, with the exception of breads and baked
sweet potatoes must
be minced into very tiny pieces the size of a small seed. Try
different ways of cutting fresh vegetables into different sizes and shapes. If
your bird won't eat cockatiel pellets, try using the parakeet sized ones. The
formulation and proportions are identical. The only difference is the size. If
this doesn't work, try using Roudybush Crumbles. Some birds like the crumbles better.
To shred fresh vegetables and fruits into very soft tiny pieces, scrape them
with a sharp knife. This works well with birds that prefer softer, moist foods.
Also try cutting them this way.
First slice or use a potato peeler to
slice pieces into long, paper thin strips.
Next, hold the stack of slices together and cut lengthwise into sticks about the size of
a toothpick. Hold the stack of sticks together and cut a third time, across
the sticks to make super thin, tiny pieces for your bird. Carrots, broccoli, apples, pears, celery
green peppers and green beans work very well.
One method
of getting your bird to eat vegetables is to give your bird a choice of at least
3 or more different types, all mixed together or in separate sections on a small
plate. A colorful variety of food can perk up a bird's interest more than
a dish with just 1 color in it.
Birds like to forage for food. When I gave Mama and Cookie a combination
plate of at least 3 choices from the following: carrots, broccoli, green beans,
celery, green peppers, parsley, romaine lettuce, corn , peas and apples, they
both started eating all of the vegetables immediately. Broccoli, carrots,
green beans and green peppers are their favorites. Another method of introducing
fruits and vegetables suggests that you try only 1 new food at a time and don't
introduce another one until your bird is eating the first one. This method did
not work with Mama, even after a year.
When trying to get
your cockatiel to eat fruits and vegetables, hiding the new food under a layer
of seeds or pellets can help. By picking through the top layer, your bird may
get a taste of the new food and enjoy it. Discard and wash food dish after 1
hour to prevent spoilage. I put my bird's dishes right in the dishwasher to kill
all bacteria
Did you ever notice how your bird always goes
to your silk flowers or plants, trying to chew on them? Try to fool your bird into
chewing on something nutritious and safe.
To make greens more appealing, place a few leafs of spinach or other dark leafy vegetable
inside of a small glass to look like a flowers in a vase. Let your bird play near it and watch
him start nibbling!
Pancakes made with
finely chopped fruit,vegetables, jarred baby food or crushed pellets is a nourishing source of foods
that your cockatiel may not want to eat otherwise.
French toast can be
made without the egg, by soaking the bread in baby food sweet potatoes, carrots,
bananas etc. and sprinkling a bit of sugar on top.
Some birds will eat thawed and warmed frozen mixed vegetable cubes. Warm the cubes in the microwave then
dice smaller. Check for hot spots then sprinkle a bit of millet seed on top.
