Best Cockatiel diet??

[SylviaTheRat65]

My mom and I are about to get a Cockatiel soon. I've been doing a lot of research on food for them, but every website I've been on as something different for a diet. Some are the same other are not. I really don't know which one I should trust. So whats the best diet for a Cockatiel that I can get at a pet store? I don't have a problem ordering off online, I do that for my rats. But my mom might have a problem with it.

[leaveittoweaver]

You want to feed a pelleted diet and a seed diet.

The pellets can be found at a petstore, a lot of people use Zupreem. As for the seeds, you want the most simple seed mix...no sunflower seeds. I forget which brands people use.

[aquaseafoam]

Since cockatiels (and budgies) are grainivores and naturally eat a diet of mostly grains and seed in nature many people recommend grain/seed over pellets for them. However, they suggest buying them in the bulk section of a grocery store instead of buying the bagged seed (marketed for birds) that doesn't contain grains and may include cheap filler seeds that birds don't really like or will eat.
Join the yahoo group Feeding Feathers.  There are tons of great articles and recommendations for each species.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeedingFeathers/

[leaveittoweaver]

Since cockatiels (and budgies) are grainivores and naturally eat a diet of mostly grains and seed in nature many people recommend grain/seed over pellets for them. However, they suggest buying them in the bulk section of a grocery store instead of buying the bagged seed (marketed for birds) that doesn't contain grains and may include cheap filler seeds that birds don't really like or will eat.
Join the yahoo group Feeding Feathers.  There are tons of great articles and recommendations for each species.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FeedingFeathers/

I don't mean to be rude but this is not correct. You are supposed to feed both. Here's a link as to why:
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/diet.html

[aquaseafoam]

An all SEED diet is incomplete.  Which is why it is recommend that you buy seed and grains, since cockatiels are granivores.  Parrots have been shown to benefit from pellets when compared to a seed only diet.  However, a mix of seeds, grains, legumes (including soaked and/or sprouted) and veggies would be the BEST diet, even if it is inconvenient for some.

Did you join feeding feathers and read the articles for budgies and cockatiels?
The site has a ton of great info and recipes for mashes too.  A mash helps get good things into your birds diet that they may otherwise pick out of their bowl.

[leaveittoweaver]

An all SEED diet is incomplete.  Which is why it is recommend that you buy seed and grains, since cockatiels are granivores.  Parrots have been shown to benefit from pellets when compared to a seed only diet.  However, a mix of seeds, grains, legumes (including soaked and/or sprouted) and veggies would be the BEST diet, even if it is inconvenient for some.

Did you join feeding feathers and read the articles for budgies and cockatiels?
The site has a ton of great info and recipes for mashes too.  A mash helps get good things into your birds diet that they may otherwise pick out of their bowl.

Oooh I see what you're saying. I thought you meant just a seed mix. My bad!