Experienced Bird Owner Question (Cockatiel)

RinaRina · ‎03-13-2010

My 27 year old cocktiel will not eat pellets anymore. He will only eat millet.

What happened?

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CrazyDaisy · ‎03-20-2010

Are those his only options?

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Doc74 · ‎07-13-2017

I give my cockatiels Katee forte with lafeber pellets. I only give millet on the side and cockatiel treats on top of the seed three times a week. Good luck

Doc74 · ‎07-13-2017

I do not have any other ideas except this formula is agreeable to them.

fthunt · ‎12-24-2010

I know a little about wild birds - finches love love Nijar (sp) seeds but not if seeds have turned sour, which happens fast. I've thrown out many 5 lbs bags costing $14 - $20 /bag. And it has to be clean - no dust. OR perhaps your older bird can't digest foods that were okay when he/she was younger. My system has changed over the years too.

RinaRina · ‎03-13-2010

I'm going to cook some rice and sprinkle some apple chunks on top & see if he'll eat that.

Thanks.

"The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become."

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

Spray millet is like candy to a cockatiel. They love it. He might have just decided he'd rather have candy than real food. You can try some variety. A few fresh sunflower seeds might get his attention. Mixing the millet in with the pellets might help. It's possible the pellets have gone stale also, so some fresh pellets might get him back to eating them.

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RinaRina · ‎03-13-2010

@gardenman

The problem is, I've run out of a variety of pellets. I'm at the point where I've decided to throw them away because he won't eat any of them and the containers are taking up too much space in my fridge.

He used to open the shells and eat sunflower seeds, but he's not doing that anymore either.

I'll see how the rice & apple goes. Oh! I've got some shredded carrot too!.

Thanks.

"The less you respond to negative people, the more peaceful your life will become."

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

@RinaRina wrote:
@gardenman

The problem is, I've run out of a variety of pellets. I'm at the point where I've decided to throw them away because he won't eat any of them and the containers are taking up too much space in my fridge.
He used to open the shells and eat sunflower seeds, but he's not doing that anymore either.
I'll see how the rice & apple goes. Oh! I've got some shredded carrot too!.
Thanks.

Have you taken him to a vet to be checked? He might have something wrong with him. He may not be able to eat properly for any number of health reasons.