What Can I Feed a Cockatoo?

A cockatoo needs a balanced diet of pellets and fresh foods to ensure proper nutrition. These birds can develop vitamin A deficiency, calcium deficiency, high cholesterol and atherosclerosis (a buildup of fat and cholesterol in and on artery walls). Some seed brands include mixes specially designed for cockatoos. These provide the essential nutrients and help prevent boredom.

Fruits

Cockatoos need a mixture of dry and fresh foods. They need a variety of vegetables and fruit to get their nutrients. Try Kaytee’s Bird Greens or Roudybush Bird Delight Avi-cakes to add some extra flavor and color to your cockatoo’s diet.

Blueberries are a cockatoo’s favorite food and they improve their eyesight and growth. They also prolong their lifespans. Bananas provide fiber to prevent self-destructive behaviors like feather picking and aggression. They also provide potassium, which reduces stress and irritability.

Vegetables

Cockatoos need a variety of vegetables in their diet. They should include dark greens, yellow and leafy vegetables, and carrots.

Tomatoes are a great vegetable to offer in small quantities. However, avoid raw tomatoes because of their high acidity.

Avoid feeding umbrella cockatoos avocados because they contain persin, which can cause respiratory distress and heart problems. Also, onions and garlic are toxic to birds. Also, store-bought processed bread offers little nutritional value and is not healthy for cockatoos.

Seeds

Cockatoos in the wild gather in large flocks to dine on seeds, berries, roots, fruits, blossoms, and leaves. They can be destructive when eating domesticated crops, and farmers consider them pests in some areas.

In general, she advises, cockatoos should get two thirds of their diet from nutritionally-balanced pellets, with the remainder consisting of fresh fruits, vegetables, cooked grains and legumes, and nuts. Seeds should make up no more than 10 percent of a cockatoo’s diet. A seed-only diet is deficient in vitamins and minerals.

Nuts

Cockatoos need a balanced diet of seeds, fruits, vegetables, nuts and proteins, cooked rice, bean mixture and table food (such as cheese, corn, pasta, meat). Fresh foods should be served in moderation.

In the wild, cockatoos forage for native flowers, leaves, vegetables and berries. In addition to a high-quality pellet diet, you can give your pet cockatoo these foods in small amounts throughout the day. These are great treats and add variety to their diet! Just be sure to avoid avocados, as they contain persin and are toxic for birds.

Meat

Cockatoos require a variety of foods to maintain health. They need a balance of seeds and vegetables, cooked beans and rice, protein foods, fruits and nuts. They also need water to drink. Certain foods like avocados, chocolate, alcohol and table food are toxic to birds.

Eggs, scrambled or hard-boiled, can add nutrients to your cockatoo’s diet, but should be eaten sparingly. Store-bought bread offers little nutritional value and may cause infections if fed in large quantities. Snacks like potato chips should be avoided.

Cooked Rice

Cockatoos can consume cooked rice but it is recommended that they only eat it as an occasional snack. It adds fiber and nutrition to their diet.

A cockatoo’s diet should be comprised of 80% pelleted food formulated for them and 20% fruits, vegetables, grains, and native flowers. They also need plenty of fresh water. Tap water is usually not healthy for birds so it is recommended that you give them bottled water. The distilled variety is best for them as it contains no chlorine or heavy metals.

Bean Mixture

Cockatoos in the wild eat an impressive array of seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, roots, and vegetables. Unfortunately, many of these foods are toxic to birds. These include aflatoxins (poisonous in peanuts) and chemicals that are harmful to bird’s gizzards. Potato chips and other salty snack foods are also bad for cockatoos.

A diet should include a high quality pellet food, fresh produce, and native flowers. Seeds and nut treats should be limited to about four times per week.

Table Food

Cockatoos can eat small portions of bread (but it should not be the main source of nutrition). Bread and other processed foods are high in calories and low in nutrients.

Seed mixes can be helpful, but should make up no more than 10% of your bird’s diet. Many commercial all-seed diets are too high in fat and provide a poor or imbalanced source of nutrients.

Avoid human junk foods like potato chips and candy. These are dangerous to birds.