Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I got have couple young of Cockatiels. I also purchased a wild bird food for my backyard and noticed that it comes with peanuts and corn...

My questions are

- Can I give peanuts and corn to my cockatiels or is it dangerous for them to each (might get chocked?)

- I also heard that wild birds love seeds on top of peanut butter in a stick or something... Is it safe for the cockatiels? is it a good idea?

Thanks

Can I give peanuts and corn to my cockatiels or is it dangerous for them to each (might get chocked?) I really haven't heard of a cockatiel getting choked on a peanut but we don't feed them to ours. They are mainly fatty and in all honesty they usually won't eat them (at least not ours). As far as the corn it is completely safe again if your cockatiels will eat them. We used a pellet based diet with plenty of fresh veggies, grains and some fruit for our cockatiels.

I also heard that wild birds love seeds on top of peanut butter in a stick or something... Is it safe for the cockatiels? is it a good idea? You can make your own form of this for cockatiels using their own foods or other healthier grains, seeds etc. It is fine for a treat but I wouldn't make it part of a daily meal. Again peanut butter is fatty like peanuts.

Here is a recipe that makes a great foraging toy and treat much like the seed bars you mentioned. They can be made on a pine cone as stated or you can use a wooden spoon, wooden dowel rod, or even popsicle stick in the middle. I like to use pine cones cleaned well and baked at a low temperature for 30 minutes or so to kill bacteria and bugs. Then use egg white, 1/2 tsp wheat germ, crushed cheerios, chopped nuts and seeds. Brushed it on the pine cones, popped them back in the oven. Some people also use corn syrup or some peanut butter to help the seeds and things hold on a little better. Experiment and let us know how it goes!

Thanks