Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do cockatiels use their feet to hold treats like we would use our hands to eat food, or like other parrots do it?

It is unusual to find a cockatiel that uses its feet for holding treats the way that you see a macaw, amazon, cockatoo, or other larger psittacine do.

Some occasionally will manipulate using their feet, but it isn't very common, and it is never to the extent that the large parrots use their feet as 'hands'. With Tiels, it is primarily the beak and tongue that do the exploring and manipulating.

one of my cockatiels has itchy feet, or at least it appears so; he nibbles on them and they seem dry, sometimes peeling the way human skin does in the creases. should i address this?

Can be various.

Personally, I'd do some investigating to find out why this is happening. It could be an allergic or toxic reaction causing it, and likewise, the peeling and/or sluffing of skin on the feet is sometimes associated with dietary imbalances.

Over the years I`ve worked with well over 50 cockatiels, and I have to tell you I was pretty surprised the first time I saw my female cockatiel Kiana hold a pellet in her foot and eat it. She is the ONLY cockatiel I have EVER observed this behavior in, so I consider her to be a very special little girl. She would even go so far as to pick up a single pellet from her dish and walk down to a different perch in the cage before putting the pellet in her foot and proceeding to eat it. She`d repeat this several times.
She goes through phases where she will or won`t use her foot for eating. Usually it`s won`t.
Honestly, I`ve can`t recall if I`ve even heard of anyone else seeing their cockatiel doing this. They must be out there, but it`s highly unusual.