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Here is one of my favorite pages, the place where I have tried to put together a lot of food/nutrition information
so someone can use it, and its all about food!
Everyone is concerned about what their family eats, likewise you should be concerned about what your companion
bird is fed. Good health will allow a Cockatiel a lifespan of 20-30 years, double that of a typically seed only fed
bird, and that means more time for both of you to enjoy each other's company.
As a pesonal guide, we feed our flock the following fresh foods daily:
- Cooked brown rice with peas and corn mixed in (about one and one-half tablespoon per bird). This is
our staple food.
- Pinches (exact measurements right) of each of the following shredded vegatables: carrots, zuccini, and yellow
crooked neck squash. You can try substituting from the Nutrition Guide whenever something is not in season, or just
for the change of it.
- Small pieces of fruit (yep, they probably won't like any, but keep trying). We use mellons (cantalope,
watermellon, honeydew), kiwi fruit, apple (remove the seeds, they are posionous) and strawberries.
- Then, as an after thought, we also give them several leaves of baby spinach and kale (the red variety seems
to interest them the best).
We use a small saucer, placing the rice mixture, vegatable pinches and fruit bits in a colorful array
inviting them to sample everything. Some days they do, others they don't. Patience is always a keyword.
Final note, don't forget to provide a cuttlebone and mineral block in each cage. This is especially
important for females during the spring time and if they are laying eggs. Calcium is depleted quickly and it needs
to be replenished to aviod calcium deficiency.
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