help--food for spike

[racing_gurl07]

Just want to make sure, i have the right food for spike. I have seed, the pet store sells it in a bag mixed with other things, like sunflower seeds, and other stuff. She has Cockatiel "os" bizkits, Cuddle bone, Moulting food, Millet, Celery leaves (she doesnt eat them though) and...thats it. is there anything more i can get for her? just want to make sure shes healthy

i read you can feed corn, frozen then cooked? and other frozen veggies? what about eggs? (that i read) hard boiled with the shell?

[My Peanuts]

She can eat just about anything you eat. No alcohol, avocados, chocolate and watch the salt and sugar intake. The key to a healthy bird is diet and variety. I've heard some love sweet potatoes, but mine don't. My tiels love scrambled eggs and pasta with light butter. Neither is very healthy, but they love it.

[My Peanuts]

BTW, seed should be more of a treat. All seed diets lead to very sick birds. Before I was educated I had a tiel on all seeds. She almost died and cost me about $1,000 at the avian vet to get her well. I would monitor your bird closely. Sometimes a bird that was raised on all seeds (not saying Spike is) would rather stare than try something new. Since Spike is female, think CALCIUM CALCUIM CALCIUM! If she lays eggs, which she probably will, she will need a lot of calcium. Cuddle bone and mineral blocks should always be available along with a high calcium grit. Birds are lactose intolerant so no milk! Hope this helps.

[racing_gurl07]

thanks! Spikes food i got from the pet store is seeds,pellets, and other things, i think there is corn in there, other little seeds. Shes been on this food ever since she was born, she seems heathly. She just has a cuddle bone, but i will get a mineral block. Does walmart have all that?

[My Peanuts]

This is a very good website and forum for tiel owers. Read the rules of the forum before going on. They only want the NCS members to answer questions. NCS site (http://www.cockatiels.org/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl)

[My Peanuts]

thanks! Spikes food i got from the pet store is seeds,pellets, and other things, i think there is corn in there, other little seeds. Shes been on this food ever since she was born, she seems heathly. She just has a cuddle bone, but i will get a mineral block. Does walmart have all that?

That's what Alex, the one that I spent all the money on, was on too. ZUpreem pellets are good too and should be offered in a separate dish. Ideally a bird should eat more pellets than seeds, but it doesn't happen without patience. Alex seemed healthy for years until she didn't have enough calcium to pass and egg and almost died from egg binding. Healthy diets are the best things for tiels. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I’m no expert, but I do know a lot about tiels. :)

Fresh foods are key also.

[racing_gurl07]

tomorrow im going to go and buy a mineral block, and fresh corn (in a can) or frozen (which is better?) Do they have caclum you can put in water? im going to walmart where its cheaper. :)

[My Peanuts]

I give my guys corn in a can, but both are good. Also try mixed veggies. There are vitamins for the water, but I don't use them a lot. The cuddle bone and a balanced diet are good enough.

[Giselle]

I wouldn't use vitamin powder or drops that dissolve in water because of 1) quality/freshness and 2) bacterial growth. I guarantee you're going to bump into a lot of bacterial growth problems if you put vitamins in her water and don't change it frequently (you should do this anyways, but you know ;)). I used to breed Budgerigars and this is a brief list of what I fed them during breeding season:
Approximately...
50% Pellets
30% Seeds
15% Fresh vegetables
5% Fresh fruits

Cuttlefish bone and mineral blocks are always available and frequently replenished. Additionally, I had a bowl of supplements that they loved to nibble on every now and then. I don't quite remember the exact measurements, but I believe it was composed of a heaping tablespoon of storebought egg powder (I can't seem to find a link, but you should be able to find it in a PetSmart or PetCo), a heaping tablespoon of crushed ZuPreem pellets, and one last tablespoon of crushed Roudybush pellets, all mixed together into a fine powder. I used a mortar and pestle to crush the pellets. You can also substitute with a tablespoon of crushed Harrison or KayTee pellets.

When my hen was laying, I had to up the calcium even more, so every other day, I would hang a bunch of parsley from the ceiling of the cage and make a little "bok choy bush" :D
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/The%20Birds/IMG_1203.jpg
You should try to incorporate fresh, dark, leafy veggies into Spike's diet like kale, bok choy, and even carrot tops. Anything dark and leafy is perfect :) Be aware of spinach, however, as too much of it can block calcium absorption. Good Luck!

[racing_gurl07]

im going to the store today and getting kaytee pellers, mineral block, another cuttle bone, millet, and canned corn.