Cockatoo Diets
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What to Feed Pet Cockatoos
Cockatoos should be provided a balanced diet of equal shares of pellets*, seeds and vegetables with a small quantity of fruits, nuts, proteins, cooked rice, bean mixture and table food like cheese, corn, cereal, pasta, meat etc. *Please note: When feeding pellets to your pet, please be aware of the fact that overly feeding citrus fruits (including oranges) or vitamin-C-rich foods to your birds can lead to "Iron Overload Disease" as vitamin C increases the amount of iron absorbed from foods and supplements.
Provide a high quality parrot / bird mix (some are listed below - but also prefer above for species-specific diets), supplemented with various fruits, green foods, millet spray, and occasionally some mealworms is generally regarded as suitable.
I love Dr. Harvey's Bird Food Mixes as they lack the harmful additives that are commonly found in commercial mixes and have an AMAZING variety of quality ingredients (including dried fruits, veggies, herbs / greens and even superfoods, such as bee pollen!) - in short: myriad nourishing ingredients that are not found in other commercially available bird mixes (click here for product info). I would recommend that you ask your local pet store to add them to their product offerings. You can also buy it online (both WITH Seeds and WITHOUT) ...
Foods to be included in a cockatoo's diet
(some of which may already be part of the dry food mix you provide)
Seeds: Most cockatoos favor seeds of the Eucalyptus tree, Casuarinas, Native trees and Marri seeds. Apart from these they also eat bull banksias seeds and occasionally feed on Angophoras, Hakeas, Acacias and fruit seeds (fruit seeds are toxic to some cockatoos, so make sure your new pet is not in that list before you feed it with fruit seeds). If the bird is fed only a seed diet on a daily basis, it will lead to deficiency in vitamins. So, a supplement of vitamins may be necessary in that case.
A Healthy Mixed Diet A healthy mixed diet has it all:
- 25% vitamin enriched seed mix
- 25% pellets
- 25% vegetables, dark leafy greens and fruits
- 15% cooked rice, corn, and bean mixture
- 10% table food, cereal, bread, pasta, cheese, meat etc.
Vegetables: Vegetables to be fed can be green, dark green, orange, yellow or meaty. Fresh vegetables provide the additional nutrition your cockatoo needs. So, encourage your cockatoo to eat vegetables. Some of those that fall under this category are: carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, broccoli, greens, green peppers, asparagus, ripe tomatoes, spinach etc.
Convenient Sources of Fruits / Veggies: For days when I am too busy to prepare something for my pet birds, I always have available jars of baby food with fruits & vegetables (i.e. Gerbers).
Other healthy options ...
- Simple Sprouts
- Medicinal Herbs that birds actually LIKE!
- Superior Nutrition Food: Healthy Dried Fruits & Veggies - Make Excellent Healthy Bird Treats
Fruits: Some of the cockatoo owners-to-be have this general query. 'Do cockatoos eat fruits and how to make the bird eat fruits?' Fruits provide the natural supplements to your cockatoo. So, it would be a good idea to introduce fruits to your new pet. Initially, it may reject it, but later it will start eating fruits. Some of the favored fruits are apples, pears, peaches, pomegranate, bananas, berries, plums, oranges, kiwi, citrus, pomegranate, grapes, raisins etc.
Nuts: Cockatoos prefer nuts to fruits. Because of this, some nuts make ideal treats. They can crack hard nuts and should be encouraged to do so. If given whole nuts, they love to crack open the shell to extract the seed. Their beaks are specially adapted for this function and it could also be a form of entertainment.
Proteins:Proteins are an important supplement that aid growth. The bird can be provided with food high in proteins such as legumes, cooked eggs and grated cheese. Sprouts, ripe tomatoes, cooked beans, spinach are some of the other sources. They can also be fed with freshly cooked lean beef, chicken or fish in small quantities. Occasionally, they can be given cooked meat bones.
Water: Cockatoos should always have access to clean, fresh water. Don't use tap water that is likely to be contaminated with heavy metals and chloride, or may even contain a bacteria and parasites. Recommended is distilled or purified / filtered water. (Please chick here for heavy metal testing kits and natural chelation agents)
Vitamins and Minerals: If the bird's diet has a variety of all the nutrients, then supplement of vitamins and minerals is not required. As a matter of fact it is better to consult an avian vet before giving the bird vitamin supplements because an overdose of vitamins and minerals will do more harm than good.
(Ref.: Article Source: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/)
Foraging: Make feeding times special for your pet by incorporating lots of fun foraging ideas.
Generic Diets & Additional Food Items:
Healthy Bird Treats & Snacks ... Cooked Diets ... Splay Millet & Millet Accessories ... Mineral / Calcium Blocks & Accessories
Try Avianweb's Favorites!
As far as bird foods are concerned, my favorites are listed below ... Another food item that I like to feed my parrots is Dr. Harvey's Food (that is linked here - it's packed with wonderful ingredients and it's an overall great-quality bird food). You may want to ask your local pet store to add Dr. Harvey's bird food to their product line ...
Dr. Harveys Perfect Parrot Food / With Seeds Quantities below: 2 / 4 / and 15 lbs Dr. Harvey's Whole Foods for Birds use nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, herbs and bee pollen in unique blends that combine to give your companion bird the balanced nutrition that it needs to maintain health and longevity, vibrant color and remarkable plumage.
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Dr. Harveys Exotic Parrot Food - No Seed Quantities below: 2 / 4 / 15 and 25 bs Dr. Harvey's Whole Foods for Birds use nuts, vegetables, fruits, herbs and bee pollen in unique blends that combine to give your companion bird the balanced nutrition that it needs to maintain health and longevity, vibrant color and remarkable plumage. Bee pollen is so packed with vitamins and amino acids that one tablespoon is the equivalent of three servings of fruits and vegetables. Ingredients: Mango, Papaya, Apricots, Pineapple, Raisins, Macadamia Nuts, Pine Nuts, Pecans, Pistachio, Walnuts, Almonds, Filberts, Brazils, Cashews, Soy Beans, Peanuts in Shell*, Peaches, Pears, Nectarine, Cranberries, Apple Dices, *Coconut Chips, *Banana Chips, *Carrot Dices, *Green Beans, *Broccoli, *Zucchini, *Garden Peas, *Orange Peel Strips, *Green Bell Pepper, *Red Bell Pepper. |
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Dr. Harveys Veg-to-Bowl for Birds - 1 lb Veg-to-Bowl is a fantastic way to provide essential vitamins, minerals and fiber for your companion bird. By adding the vegetables and herbs for digestion in Veg-to-Bowl every day, you give your bird the key to proper nutrition and a happier, healthier life. Veg-to-Bowl is easy to use! Just add Veg-to-Bowl daily to your companions meals. You can mix Veg-to-Bowl with any natural food that you are currently feeding. Veg-to-Bowl is also a great addition for those who are feeding a raw diet to their companions. Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes*, Carrots*, Diced Potatoes*, Zucchini*, Broccoli Florets*, Green Beans*, Peas**, Beets*, Parsley, Fennel Seed, Fenugreek Seed, Garlic, Ginger, Papaya Leaf and Peppermint Leaf. * Dehydrated ** Freeze Dried. |
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Dr. Harveys What's Cooking for Birds - 1 lb / 2 lbs / 5 lbs / 10 lbs. The food contains 6 certified Organic Grains, 13 vegetables, 5 fruits, whole food multi vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements. Ingredients: organic kamut flakes, organic brown rice flakes, organic spelt flakes, organic rolled oats, organic barley flakes, organic tritacale flakes, carrot strips, potato dice, petite peas, sweet potato dice, zucchini pieces, green beans, brocolli florets, leek pieces, beet dice, parsley flakes, chives, cilantro, green & red bell pepper, apple dice, rasins, apricots, peaches, pears, garlic, red clover, rosehips, alfalfa, oat straw, bee pollen, dandelion leaf, flaxseed meal, papaya, rosemary, peppermint, lecithin , ginger. |
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| Nutrition Plus Vitamin and Mineral Fortified Parrot Food: Formulated to provide the proper nutrition that your bird requires. Tough barrier laminate film combined with CO2 flushing protects product from infestation damage. Nutrition Plus is vitamin and mineral fortified seed. Especially designed seeds and grains used for parrots. | ||
| Treats should be fed in moderation only ... | |||
Dr. Harveys Avian Treats - 4 Pack - 8 oz All-Natural Avian treats formulated using 100 percent Human Consumption Ingredients for medium to large size birds. Ingredients: Nuts and Nut Butter formed into patties. Comes with one pack of Almond Tidbit, Delite, Peanut Butter and Cashew Pecan Goody. |
Peanut Butter | ||
| Cashew Pecan | Almond Tidbit | Filbert | |
Dr. Harveys Avian Treats - 2 oz All-Natural Avian treats formulated using 100 percent Human Consumption Ingredients for medium to large size birds. Ingredients: Nuts and Nut Butter formed into patties. |
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Dr. Harvey's treats (above) are superior to any of the others listed here or available at most of your local stores -- they are listed for completeness and variety, and may very well be eagerly accepted by some birds. I am, however, having serious reservations about some of the ingredients. If fed, please do so sparingly only. |
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| Foods to Feed Only in Moderation: |
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| Foods you may consider NOT feeding | *Peanuts are often contaminated with aflatoxin, a fungal toxin. Aflatoxin is carcinogenic and causes liver damage in birds and other animals. Roasting reduces aflatoxin but does not eliminate it entirely. North American peanut producers are currently working on eliminating contaminated peanuts from their products. Especially peanuts with dark spots on them should be considered suspect, but even those that look clean and perfect could possibly be contaminated. |
| Foods to NEVER Feed: |
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