Plastic perches are also available, and if you put a plastic perch in the cage, you should make sure that it does not chew on the plastic. Other available options are wire platforms, flat perches (that are good for your bird's foot), terra cotta perches, and cement perches (these two help keep nails trimmed). As the old adage goes, a healthy environment produces healthy people. This is true even of cockatoos. Food and water bowls require daily cleaning. Remove feather dust on a daily basis. This avoids build up of dust. The paper lining has to be changed daily. Use paper with black and white print. Colored ink is toxic for the bird. Cage cleaning gives a chance to monitor the bird's health. Observe the bird droppings. The bottom trays and soiled litter has to be changed once in two Cage Maintenance GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo or three days. Otherwise it gives rise to infections. The cage has to be cleaned once a week. It has to be disinfected. It is necessary to place the bird in some other room. Bleaching emits fumes. These fumes are bad for the bird. Toys and perches should be washed as often as required. The sand lining at the bottom of the cage has to be changed once a year. In the wild, Cockatiels feed on the ground and their diet includes grass and weed seeds, seeds from bushes and trees, fruits and berries. They sometimes feed on grains from open fields. Although Cockatiels are Psittacine, they usually don't use their feet to hold food. Cockatiels can eat most of the things you eat. You can feed them fruits and vegetables but they thrive mainly on a basic diet of seeds. Commercial feeds are Feeding: Diet Feeding and foods GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo good as they contain a variety of mixed millet, bulk canary seed, oats, mixed Sunflower seeds, Hemp and Panicum Millet. Your bird will need the following if it is to be on a healthy mixed diet. 25% vitamin enriched cockatiel seed mix 25% cockatiel pellets 25% vegetables, dark leafy greens and fruit 15% cooked rice, corn, and bean mixture 10% table food, cereal, bread, pasta, cheese, meat etc. If you want to stick to a pellet diet, you bird food should also contain the following: 80% pellets (you should keep pellets in their food dish all day and night) 20% fruit, vegetables, nutritious table food and seeds Cuttlebone and mineral block But just a seed will not be sufficient and you should include fresh food in their diet. An 'only seed' diet will lead of to deficiency in Vitamin A, calcium and protein and a high intake of fat. On an GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo average, your Cockatiel's diet should consist of 65% pellets/seeds 20 - 25% vegetables 5 - 10% fruits 5 - 10% proteins Keep in mind that just providing them the food isn't sufficient but you also have to make sure that they're eating what is given to them. Vegetables that can be fed can be green, orange, yellow or meaty. Those that fall under this category are: Carrots Sweet potatoes Beets Broccoli Legumes Kale GalCaho cCkoactkiealtoo Greens (not lettuce) Green peppers Zucchini and other squash Asparagus Ripe tomatoes Bean or alfalfa sprouts Spinach Brussels sprouts You can also feed them freshly cooked lean beef, chicken or fish in small quantities. Do not include too much milk in their diet as they are lactose intolerant and could get diarrhea. You can give them tofu, low-fat cottage and hard cheeses and nonfat yogurt in small quantities. |