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- Cockatiels require a healthy diet for long-term wellness, but it is your choice whether to feed a nutritionally balanced pellet or seed mix.
- Whichever you choose, make sure it meets your bird's nutritional requirements and is made with wholesome, natural ingredients.
- Nutritionally complete and scientifically proven to increase foraging behavior, Lafeber's Classic Nutri-Berries are our top pick for the best cockatiel food overall.
Easily one of the most popular companion birds, the cockatiel is an outgoing, comical breed known for the yellow crest on top of its head through which it displays emotion. Cockatiels are the smallest member of the cockatoo family but still fairly large compared to other pet birds. These birds stand up to 12 inches tall and can live for 15 years or more with proper care.
Proper cockatiel care involves providing your bird with a roomy cage, a healthy diet, and plenty of daily interaction. Wild cockatiels forage on the ground for food and eat a variety of seeds, fruits, and vegetables, and you should mimic that mix with the food you provide for them.
Many bird enthusiasts advocate for the feeding of commercial pellets that are nutritionally balanced but somewhat less appealing to birds than seed. The problem with seed mixes is that many birds pick out only the seeds they like, leading to an unbalanced diet.
As a cockatiel owner, it is your responsibility to make sure your bird's nutritional needs are met. If you choose to feed your cockatiel a seed mix, you may have to supplement his diet to ensure balanced nutrition. If you choose a pelleted diet, you might have to work with your bird to transition him off of seed.
No matter what type of diet you choose, we've assembled a list of our top picks for some of the best cockatiel food to help you make your choice.
Here is the best cockatiel food you can buy in 2019:
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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