What vegetables can cockatiels eat?

Carrot, broccoli, leafy greens and pepper, chopped small, are all good regular choices offered fresh daily. A rotating mix across the week gives a more balanced diet than repeating the same vegetable every day.

Is millet spray bad for cockatiels?

Not in moderation. Most cockatiels love it and it makes a good occasional treat or training reward, but it is calorie-dense, so it should not become a daily habit alongside their normal diet.

What foods are toxic to cockatiels?

Avocado, chocolate, caffeine and alcohol are all genuinely dangerous and should never be given, even in tiny amounts. Beyond that short list, a varied diet of seed or pellets plus fresh vegetables covers most of what a cockatiel needs.

Do cockatiels need a cuttlebone?

It is a simple way to give a cockatiel access to calcium as it needs it, and worth having available in the cage at all times alongside a balanced diet.

Why has my cockatiel stopped eating?

Birds hide illness well, so a cockatiel that goes off its food, goes quiet, or sits fluffed up should be seen by a vet promptly rather than watched for a few days. Sudden changes are worth acting on quickly.

What do cockatiels eat?

Cockatiels are popular pet parrots, and a healthy diet for one looks much like a smaller version of the diet other parrot species need: a formulated seed or pellet mix as the base, fresh vegetables offered daily, and a short list of foods that are genuinely dangerous and should never appear in the bowl.

Seed, pellets and daily fresh food

A cockatiel-specific seed mix or a formulated pellet food gives a good nutritional base, and many owners combine the two or supplement seed with daily fresh vegetables to fill in what seed alone misses. Carrot, broccoli, leafy greens and pepper, chopped small, are all good regular choices.

Offering a rotating mix of vegetables across the week, rather than the same one or two every day, gives a more rounded diet and tends to keep a cockatiel more interested at mealtimes. Fresh food that is not eaten within a few hours is best removed rather than left to spoil in the cage.

Treats and what to avoid

Millet spray is a favourite with most cockatiels and makes a good training or bonding treat, but it is calorie-dense and best kept occasional rather than a daily fixture. Small pieces of apple, pear or other fruit can also be offered now and then.

Avocado, chocolate, caffeine and alcohol are all genuinely toxic to cockatiels and should never be offered, even in small amounts. Salty or sugary human snacks should also be avoided, since they offer nothing a cockatiel's diet actually needs.

Calcium, water and watching for changes

A cuttlebone or mineral block gives a cockatiel a way to top up calcium, which is worth having available in the cage at all times. Fresh water should be changed daily and checked through the day, since seed husks and droppings can foul it quickly without it looking obviously dirty.

A cockatiel that goes quiet, stops eating, or fluffs up and stays that way should be seen by a vet, since birds are skilled at hiding illness until it is fairly advanced. Any sudden change in appetite, weight or droppings is worth acting on promptly.

What these need

Things we stock that owners commonly reach for here. Nothing on this page depends on you buying one.

Little Friends Trimmed Dried Cuttlefish Bones

Trimmed dried cuttlefish bones for birds, reptiles and small pets, a natural calcium source

£9.99

Treat 'N' Eat Fatball 90g (No Net)

A single 90g high-energy fat ball for wild birds, netless for safe garden feeding

£0.29

Honeyfields Simply Suet Pellets with Insects

High-energy suet pellets with insects, at 490kcal per 100g, in two sizes

From£3.49

Choose options

Little Friends Bird Mineral Blocks

A hanging mineral block with grit, calcium and iodine, for budgies, canaries and finches

£0.99

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Common questions

What vegetables can cockatiels eat?: Carrot, broccoli, leafy greens and pepper, chopped small, are all good regular choices offered fresh daily. A rotating mix across the week gives a more balanced diet than repeating the same vegetable every day.
Is millet spray bad for cockatiels?: Not in moderation. Most cockatiels love it and it makes a good occasional treat or training reward, but it is calorie-dense, so it should not become a daily habit alongside their normal diet.
What foods are toxic to cockatiels?: Avocado, chocolate, caffeine and alcohol are all genuinely dangerous and should never be given, even in tiny amounts. Beyond that short list, a varied diet of seed or pellets plus fresh vegetables covers most of what a cockatiel needs.
Do cockatiels need a cuttlebone?: It is a simple way to give a cockatiel access to calcium as it needs it, and worth having available in the cage at all times alongside a balanced diet.
Why has my cockatiel stopped eating?: Birds hide illness well, so a cockatiel that goes off its food, goes quiet, or sits fluffed up should be seen by a vet promptly rather than watched for a few days. Sudden changes are worth acting on quickly.

Sources

Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.

Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.