As a responsible cockatiel owner, one of your jobs is to make sure your feathered friend is eating the right foods.

After all, a good diet is vital to the health of your tiel’.

But knowing which foods are safe and which are harmful can be confusing, especially to new owners.

And that’s why I’ve compiled the ultimate cockatiel food list!

In this article, you’ll learn the following:

• What vegetables are safe

• Which herbs are safe to feed cockatiels

• What fruits they can eat

• Which seeds are cockatiel-friendly

• The best cockatiel pellet brands

• A list of human foods that are safe for cockatiels

• And most importantly; What foods to avoid feeding your bird

Alright, before your cockatiel gets even hungrier thinking about all this food, let’s dive into these lists!

Safe Vegetables For Cockatiels – Food List

Vegetables make up a good portion of your cockatiel’s overall diet (more on this later), so it’s vital to know which veggies are safe.

Here’s a list of the safe and healthiest vegetables you can feed your cockatiel:

(Sorted in alphabetical order for your convenience 😉

Safe Herbs For Cockatiels

If you couldn’t find a vegetable that you KNOW is bird-safe in the list above, chances are, it’s not a veggie, but actually a herb.

Here’s a list of all the herbs cockatiels can safely eat in moderation:

Safe Fruits For Cockatiels – Food List

While fruits also make up a good portion of your cockatiel’s diet, they shouldn’t be fed nearly as often as vegetables. It’s also important to note that most store-bought fruits contain pesticides, which are toxic to cockatiels.

Thoroughly wash all fruits before feeding them to your cockatiel.

With that said, here’s a list of all the fruits cockatiels can eat:

Are Dried Fruits Safe For Cockatiels?

Yes, your cockatiel can enjoy dried fruit as much as they can fresh fruits.

After all, dried fruits are essentially just fresh fruits without the water. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but that’s the basics of dried fruits. With this in mind, there would be no reason why your cockatiel can’t eat the dried version of a bird-safe fruit.

Here’s a list of some fruits that are commonly dried and sold in stores:

• Most berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)

• Pomegranates

• Apricots

• Dried tomatoes (actually better for your bird than fresh tomatoes due to lower acidic levels)

• Peaches

However, it’s important to know that many companies add sugar to their dried fruits.

They also use lots of preservatives, such as pesticides and sulphur dioxide, which are toxic to birds.

So, make sure any dried fruits you want to offer your bird are free from preservatives and added sugar.

You could even dry your own fresh fruits!

Can Cockatiels Eat Fruit Pits? Which Are Safe?

Within most fruits are seeds or pits.

While most fruit seeds are completely safe for cockatiels to consume, there are many that must be avoided.

Here are some SAFE fruit seeds you can allow your cockatiel to eat:

• Watermelon & cantaloupe seeds
• Pomegranate seeds
• Grape seeds
• Cranberry seeds
• Strawberry seeds
• Orange pits
• Lemon pits
• Grapefruit seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Squash seeds

And here are the TOXIC seeds you must avoid feeding to your tiel’:

• Apple pits
• Cherry pits
• Apricot pits
• Peach seeds
• Plum seeds
• Pear pits

Many of these pits contain a toxin called cyanide, which can quickly harm your parrot if they consume these pits. While these seeds are safe for us humans in small amounts, our tiny cockatiels would quickly succumb to the harmful effects.

Safe Seeds For Cockatiels – Food List

Knowing which seeds are safe and healthy for your cockatiel will allow you to add them to the overall diet or use them as treats. A variety of high-quality seeds is an important part of your cockatiel’s diet, even more so than vegetables.

After all, cockatiels are natural seed eaters, often seen foraging for them on the ground.

Here’s the full list of safe seeds for cockatiels:

Best Pelleted Food To Feed Your Cockatiel

Cockatiels require nutritionally balanced pellets as the base of their diet.

Since pellets make up the majority of your bird’s diet, it’s important to choose the highest quality pellets available. With so many different brands of cockatiel pellets, making the best choice can be difficult, especially for new owners.

If your cockatiel is not yet eating pellets, these are the brands I recommend:

• VetaFarm MD Maintenance Diet Pellets – The pellets I feed my cockatiel. Formulated in Australia by avian vets, with the VetaFarm brand itself having 30+ years of experience in avian nutrition. They’re widely available in Australian pet stores, unlike the other brands that reside in America. A healthy choice for my fellow Aussie cockatiel carers!

• RoudyBush Daily Maintenance Cockatiel Pellets – These pellets were formulated by Tom Roudybush, an expert in avian nutrition with 10+ years of experience studying the dietary needs of companion birds. Those who converted to RoudyBush pellets said their birds took to them very quickly.

• Harrison’s Adult Lifetime Pellets – One of the best organic pellet options for many birds, including cockatiels. Made from all-natural ingredients and widely available in the USA. Certified organic by the USDA and verified non-gmo. A solid choice.

• Zupreem Natural Pellets – ZuPreem is one of the most popular pellet brands for many companion birds, like cockatiels and budgies. However, these pellets are often criticised for containing sugar, which is bad for cockatiels in large amounts.

• Kaytee Exact Natural Cockatiel Food – The best thing about the Kaytee brand is that all their pellets are species-specific, meaning they’re formulated to meet the nutritional needs of specific birds. Their cockatiel blend is often recommended by veterinarians.

• Lafeber’s Premium Daily Pellets For Cockatiels – You’ve heard of Lafeber, right? They’re a company run by avian vets and avian health experts, and they’ve developed a cockatiel pellet formula that is nutritionally complete. Almost every single review of their pellets is positive! Another very solid pellet choice, especially if you’re based in the USA.

Feeding any of the above pellets will ensure your cockatiel is getting as much nutrition from their pellets as possible.

Read My Review On All 6 Of These Pellet Brands

Safe Nuts For Cockatiels – Food List

While nuts are not part of your cockatiel’s overall diet, many nuts are perfectly safe to be used as occassional treats. If you discover that your cockatiel loves certain nuts, you can use them as a tasty and healthy treat during training.

These nuts are 100% safe for cockatiels:

Human Foods For Cockatiels – Food List

Who doesn’t love sharing food from their plate with their cockatiels?

While it’s super cute watching them eat the foods we’re eating, it’s also super important to know which human foods are safe for cockatiels.

Here are some of our favourites you can share with your cockatiels:

• Cooked meat (beef, chicken, pork)

• Cooked seafood (Salmon, catfish, cod, water-canned tuna, crab, shrimp)

• Egg

• Low sodium and low lactose cheese

• Pasta (Cooked or uncooked)

• Unsalted peanut butter (tiny amounts)

Since cockatiels would rarely or never eat these foods in the wild, they must only be fed in moderation.

Full List Of Toxic & Unsafe Foods For Cockatiels – DO NOT FEED!

Since the above food lists are covering what foods you can feed your cockatiel, let’s now cover what foods to avoid.

The following foods are either toxic, unsafe, or poisonous to cockatiels, so don’t feed them:

Overview Of A Healthy Cockatiel Diet

While it’s good to know which foods are safe and which are toxic, it’s more important to know what foods form a healthy cockatiel diet. In this section, I’ll briefly cover the vet-approved diet plan that I feed my cockatiel:

Firstly, there are 5 food groups that make up a healthy cockatiel diet plan:

1. Pellets (40%)
2. Seeds (30%)
3. Vegetables (20%)
4. Fruits (5%)
5. Treats (5%)

You may notice there are percentages next to each food group.

That percentage is how much of the specified food you must feed within their overall diet.

For example, pellets make up 40% of your cockatiel’s diet while seeds make up 30%.

When put into a pie chart, this is what your cockatiel’s diet looks like:

For clarification, “treats” are simply foods you wouldn’t feed too often, such as sunflower seeds, high-fat nuts, and eggs.

Read The Full Guide To Feeding A Healthy Cockatiel Diet For More Information

Sources:

• https://petkeen.com/can-cockatiels-eat-walnuts/
• https://petkeen.com/can-cockatiels-eat-almonds/
• https://beautyofbirds.com/can-cockatiels-eat-cashews/
• https://beautyofbirds.com/can-cockatiels-eat-peanuts/
• https://petkeen.com/can-cockatiels-eat-peanuts/
• https://beautyofbirds.com/can-cockatiels-eat-walnuts/
• https://www.psittacology.com/human-foods-for-cockatiels/
• https://petkeen.com/can-cockatiels-eat-pistachios/
• https://beautyofbirds.com/can-cockatiels-eat-pistachios/
• https://www.yellowrockonline.com.au/SafeNuts.html
• https://beautyofbirds.com/can-cockatiels-eat-coconut/
• https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/seafood-in-the-parrot-s-diet
• https://beautyofbirds.com/can-cockatiels-eat-cheese/
• https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/birdtricks-blog/the-dangers-of-fruits-seeds-and-pits