Falafel Chips for 'Tiel?

Kitteforde · Sep 19, 2015

Hello, I am new here, and came to ask: my Aunt has been feeding our 'tiel Levant brand falafel chips, are these safe? I have my doubts that he should be eating them, but they're the only thing she's found that he eats out of hand, so she's been sneaking them to him. Are these just 'junk food' type things, or are they toxic to him? Does anybody have any falafel chip recommendations that I could feed my 'tiel?

The ingredients are as follows:

Levant Flour Blend (Corn, Garbanzo, Fava and Rice Flours), Expeller Pressed High Oleic Sunflower Oil (and/or Safflower, Cottonseed, Canola, Corn Oil), Spices, Dehydrated Parsley and Onion and Lightly Seasoned With A Blend of Sea Salt, Spices, Honey Powder (Maltodextrin, Honey), Dehydrated Parsley and Onion, Natural Flavor, Yeast Extract.

JerseyWendy · Sep 19, 2015

Hi there, and welcome to the forums.

Unfortunately I would consider those junk food. Anything that is highly processed and contains salt is not a healthy treat. Will a tiny piece hurt the cockatiel? Probably not. But if given frequently I'd be concerned.

If an Amazon sized parrot ate one potato chip, that would be about equivalent of a human eating an entire bag (or more). :11:

SilverSage · Sep 19, 2015

Agreed. junk. However, if this is the "key treat" in a relationship between a bird and a human trying to tame that bird, I would honestly use them anyway (VERY SPARINGLY). However, if the bird is already tame I wouldnt feed them ever, and would explain to her that the salt, oil, sugar, and onion can be very bad for his system.

Kitteforde · Sep 19, 2015

Thank you both SO MUCH for the info! Do you have any suggestions for something he might enjoy that would be a little better for him? I'm willing to cook up some home made things f there's a chance he'd enjoy them.

He is sort-of tame. He was tamed at one time, years ago, but lost it due to unfortunate neglect (no playtime/socialization). He's also a very picky eater; I've tried giving him a piece of carrot or sweet pepper, and while he tasted them, he wouldn't eat them.

I have some concerns about his diet, he's given 'tiel feed but it doesn't appear that he eats the little crunchy, nutritious bits (I think he's a stinker and picks the seeds out? hard to tell), but he's also an old man (20 years approximately) and appears to be in good health. I think?

I'd love to train him to get used to something fresh and nutritious, but he's a picky eater.

Aquila · Sep 19, 2015

I've always used cheerios or rice krispies as "special" treats for my birds. You can try using some chunky baby food with a spoon or some apple sauce as a little treat and to get him used to the spoon. Try bits of apples, banana, grapes, or dried fruit like cranberries or raisins to get him interested, and then start sneaking other things to him!

Make sure to give him little bites that his beak can handle. I run stuff through the food processor till it's essentially mush. If you can get him to sit with you, put something on your plate while you eat and he might come over to inspect it.

SilverSage · Sep 20, 2015

Cockatiels tend to be picky, but sprouts and leafy greens are usually the easiest healthy food to get into them, and since they naturally eat grasses and grass seeds, that makes a lot of sense to me.

As for extra special treats, it sounds like he likes crunchy so maybe try almond slices (I get out my sharpest knife and slice whole almonds in small quantities but I think you can buy them already sliced). Also if he is eating a pellet or fresh food diet, millet and sunflower seeds can both be given as treats and should be readily accepted

Falafel Chips for 'Tiel?

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