How many pellets do 3 month old cockatiels eat a day?

Question

I got a new cockatiel for 4 days now. he hasnt eatten much unless i feed him by my hand and take him out of his cage. he always goes for the seeds that are mixed with the pellets. he'll eat those first then he'll eat the peppers. but once thats done, he wont touch the pellets. but how many should he be eatting on average. and please dont say it depends because i asked his vet and he said the same and i asked the breeder and she said the same. i just need an average because im a new bird owner and dont know. like around 5-10 pellets a day? 10-20? 30-40? 50-60? 100-120? please help! i'm afraid my bird isnt eatting much.

Answer 1

There really is no exact answer. They will pick at their food all day long. Just leave a bowl of pellets in the cage, along with a bowl of seed. They need both. Was it weaned on to pellets? If not, it will take time to get used to them. Go to www.cockatielcottage.net for great feeding info.

Answer 2

How big are the pellets? If the mix is made specifically for cockatiels then the bird should be eating about 20% of it's body weight. Reduce the seeds and let the bird get hungry enough to try the pellets, but don't let him starve.

Answer 3

Counting pellets doesn't do anything because, as they all said, it varies. It varies by individual and it varies by day because birds won't always have the same energy and hunger level every single day. What I can give you, however, is a teaspoon approximation. Birds this size often eat 1.5 to 2.5 teaspoons of food per day, and you need to approximate this generalization to your specific bird based on the age (yours is very immature and still quite a baby, I would consider this amount adult-sized and adult for cockatiels is around 6 to 8 months), the physical build, the energy level, and the frequency of eating.

Birds will always go for seed first. It's like offering a human child ice cream/candy or broccoli. Birds who are not accustomed to pellets as a part of their daily diet will not choose the human child's equivalent of broccoli. Be aware that seeds are mainly energy food and quite fatty. I would make 10% of a cockatiel's diet seed, maybe 70 to 80% pellets, and the remainder fresh fruits, vegetables, and grains. Be aware that in terms of fresh food and "table scraps" (human food), the most known toxic foods for parrots are avocado, tomato leaves, mushrooms, onions, apple seeds, fruit cores, seeds, and pits, and anything caffeinated, including chocolate, or carbonated, anything too sugar, salty, or greasy. Be aware of the fruits and vegetables that are well known for being chocked full of pesticides, too. The best route would be to go organic, but celery and strawberries are very well known for carrying pesticides.

Since he's new to his environment, he may not feel comfortable eating much yet. At best, he'd eat when you're not looking and parrots eat and snack constantly throughout the day whenever they get hungry, which varies from day to day, which is one reason why meal feeding doesn't always work as well as free-feeding.