Cockatiel fussy with food?

[Amy-Milo]

I’m worried about my cockatiel. I have had her for around 2 months now but she seems to not like any of the food I give her.
I have tried giving her nutri-berries, Harrison’s pellets and a few different brands of seed mixes. She wasn’t interested I’m the nutri-berries or pellets and she just picks at the seed mixes, so much of it goes to waste. The only thing she enjoys eating is millet…
Everything else about her seems ok. Chirping a lot, playing with toys and flying around.
Im just not sure what else to do because she is barely eating and I’m worried about her.

 

[SailBoat]

Sorry that the Cockatiel folks have missed you Thread!

Please provide what the prior owner was feeding your Cockatiel!!
Parrots must eat and when transitioning from one owner to another it is always best to provide what their where eating and after a month of so, begin transitioning SLOWLY. With time, they will expand their interests.

 

[Laurasea]

hello and welcome to the forum!
Birds can be picky. Hopefully the cockatiel people will share ideas.

Id also offer veggies and leafy green in addition to their normal diet. Sometimes they take to some right away otherwise it can take time and effort. I weave leafy stuff like romaine lettuce in cage bars. Or stuff in a hunk of broccoli . I also offer stuff on plates seems to help them explore.

Tips for Getting Your Parrot to Eat Vegetables or Unfamiliar Foods.

So you know the three essential, but ultimately simple, skills for feeding your pet birds – chop, grain bakes, and sprouts. You feed a pellet base (or maybe not, depending on your views), and…

threebirdsandacloud.wordpress.com

Can you shares pic of your cutie?

A digital kitchen scale work great to check weight in grams.

 

[Ria.345]

Hey!
As stated and mentioned above, some birds are picky and some more than others. Unfortunate but they are just trying to protect themselves by avoiding the foods they don’t recognize and instinctually believe to be detrimental to their survival, just like their wild brethren. So naturally they’re not going to eat that food. But in captivity, it’s really crucial to be able to provide a varied diet even if the bird is picky. @SailBoat had a great idea of starting out with asking the previous owner about previous diet for your tiel. Start with that and introduce new foods slowly. Even with picky eaters, there’s always something (whether it be a veggie or fruit or brand of pellet) that they will enjoy other than seed.
If they will only take seed, mix one veggie at a time with the sprinkled seeds on top and let them pick through for the good stuff at first. And make sure to chop up that veggie very fine or even the pellets so that your bird can’t really pick out the favorites as easily, and will also get a taste of the new food and know it is edible, and maybe even tasty!
Know that this takes a lot of time and patience though. Diet conversions are one of the most difficult things about parrot ownership if one encounters a seed eater or stubborn bird! So take it one step at a time, one day at a time.

 

[Amy-Milo]

I recently got the food she had before I had her and I have been trying it out for a few days but the same thing seems to be happening.
so I’m gonna try at start cutting up small pieces of fruit and veg. Hopefully that works.

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Welcome!
Great advice given above.
If you want your tiel eating pellets, I find it useful to crush them up, soak them in water for a little bit, and put it in with a food the bird already eats.
Cutting thinner, smaller pieces of anything helps a lot.
Try some basic trick training and offering the food you want her to eat as a reward. It doesn't even have to be tricks, just anything you would reinforce positively, give healthy food instead of the millet. Birds are smart, they catch on.
Whatever you can eat, eat, in front of her. Parrots are flock animals, and they learn from each other. You are a member of your cockatiel's flock, so she will learn from you.
Maybe even show her some videos of cockatiels eating the healthy food.
Good luck and keep trying, never give up.

 

[TenthDoctor34]

My cockatiels have been fussy and picky their entire lives. They won't touch any pellets at all and picky about fruits and vege. If your tiel was raised on seed they may find it hard to switch to pellets. You can only keep offering.
Sometimes you can try crushing the pellets and mixing them with something they do like so they get a taste. Like fruits or vege they will eat. Honestly no methods ever worked with my tiels . Some birds are more picky then others.