Can cockatiels eat the same food as budgies?

The principles are the same but the seed sizes differ, so a mix formulated for cockatiels suits them better. A cockatiel can manage budgie mix at a push, but it is not the ideal long-term option.

How often should I feed a cockatiel?

A measured amount of the base diet once a day, with fresh food offered alongside and removed after a few hours. Cockatiels graze through the day rather than eating in one sitting.

Are sunflower seeds bad for cockatiels?

Not bad, but rich. They are best treated as part of the mix rather than the point of it, and a bird that eats only sunflower seeds is getting far too much fat and not enough of anything else.

Do cockatiels need grit?

No. Like other parrots they shell seed before swallowing it, so they do not need grit to grind their food. A cuttlebone is the more useful thing to provide.

What do cockatiels eat?

A cockatiel does best on a complete pelleted food or a good cockatiel mix, with fresh vegetables offered regularly and a cuttlebone available at all times. As with budgies, the main risk is a bird that picks only the sunflower seeds out of a mix and ignores everything else.

Building the daily diet

Pellets remove the guesswork because a cockatiel cannot sort them, and many vets favour them for exactly that reason. A seed mix can work well too, provided you watch what is actually being eaten rather than what is being offered.

Sunflower seeds are the piece most cockatiels will hunt out first. They are not harmful in themselves but they are fatty, so a mix heavy in them is worth either limiting or supplementing with something more balanced.

Fresh food and foraging

Leafy greens, carrot, broccoli, peas and sweetcorn are usually well accepted. Cockatiels are natural foragers and tend to engage more with food they have to work at, so scattering greens or clipping them to the cage often works better than a bowl.

A cuttlebone or mineral block provides calcium and beak conditioning, and should simply live in the cage rather than being offered occasionally.

What not to give them

Avocado is the important one and should never be offered in any form. Chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, garlic and salty foods all belong on the same list.

Cockatiels produce a fine feather dust, and a bird that suddenly goes off its food or sits fluffed up is worth a vet appointment sooner rather than later, because birds mask illness until it is advanced.

Common questions

Can cockatiels eat the same food as budgies?: The principles are the same but the seed sizes differ, so a mix formulated for cockatiels suits them better. A cockatiel can manage budgie mix at a push, but it is not the ideal long-term option.
How often should I feed a cockatiel?: A measured amount of the base diet once a day, with fresh food offered alongside and removed after a few hours. Cockatiels graze through the day rather than eating in one sitting.
Are sunflower seeds bad for cockatiels?: Not bad, but rich. They are best treated as part of the mix rather than the point of it, and a bird that eats only sunflower seeds is getting far too much fat and not enough of anything else.
Do cockatiels need grit?: No. Like other parrots they shell seed before swallowing it, so they do not need grit to grind their food. A cuttlebone is the more useful thing to provide.

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.