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Edited on Mon Nov-08-04 10:14 PM by Adamocrat
No grit. Grit is bad for cockatiels (and cockatoos) because their digestive systems actually have bile (unlike most of the hookbill family). They digest food much like humans do, rather than exclusively grinding it. Grit will only lead to upset stomach for cockatiels.
What you do want to have around are:
* Cuttlebone. This is an important source of calcium (and salt) and helps keep the bird's beak toned.
* Treats. This bird is mature and has lost its family. Spoiling isn't great, but treats can help to win its affection. (Birds can be bribed.)
* A diet similar to what it's accustomed to. Ideally, exactly the same brand to start with. If you want to change to another brand, mix it half and half for a couple weeks first. Most importantly, if the bird is raised on seed, you can try mixing in 10% (or less) of pellets but you can't migrate off of seed rapidly without health side effects.
* Some select human foods are OK, and can be used as hand-feeding treats to win favor. Raw broccoli florets and carrots (NOT cooked), saltine crackers, Goldfish crackers are often accepted. Don't expect all of these to be acceptable to your bird, but try different things.
Be careful, though -- artifical sweeteners, preservatives, and some seasonings that are fine to humans can be deadly to them. Stick to produce and simple foods. Avoid at all costs chocolate, caffeine, and avocado (e.g. guacamole), these are poisons to them.
Other points:
Do not keep the bird near the kitchen. Nonstick coatings on cookware put out fumes that are lethal to birds even in small amounts. Our birds are kept closed off while we're cooking if nonstick cookware is involved, and we turn on the kitchen exhaust.
If you have regular pest control service appointments, take the bird out of the house for the day. If possible, ventilate the house before bringing the bird back in. Most pesticides (typically the liquid spray types) also put out deadly fumes.
And most of all, you'll need to interact with it quite a bit. Dedicate some weekends coming up to exclusive attention directed toward the bird -- it's depressed and needs it. You might too.
Go to a pet store and get one of the larger hardcover books on cockatiels. You'll find a lot of important information such as how to pick up and handle it appropriately, and other human foods to avoid. You'll also learn some on how to train it, and yourself, on your ... er, mutual ownership of each other. (You'll understand what that means eventually.)
Enjoy. Consider it an adventure. Thank you from two cockatiel-owned humans....
(Edit below:)
Also, puffing out is often OK. Hookbills will puff up when comfortable and relaxing, most notably when sleeping. It is usually a sign of relaxation. Judge illness by whether or not the bird is eating regularly, if there is inflammation around the eyes, or if droppings are frequent and very liquid (rather than firm and green/brown/white).
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