Ask Lafeber

nutrition

we adopted a male cockatiel. he is approximately 13 yrs. old. he has recently started eating the dry poop from the bottom of the cage. what are we missing in his diet? thanks for your help

Hi Ruth,

Some birds will do this and the reason is not fully understood. It could be a nutritional deficiency but it could simply be boredom. If he is on a seed only diet, then he does need something more nutritional. Pellets are one option but we also make diets that are nutritionally balanced the same as a pellet, but they still contain whole ingredients. Because they contain fresh, hulled seeds, cockatiels will generally eat them more readily than a pellet. If you do need to change his diet, please do so gradually. If he has not seen an Avian Vet yet, that would also be a good idea. It’s also best to clean the cage daily so that droppings don’t collect. Cockatiels do feed on the ground in the wild for some of their diet, so it is natural for him to forage for food on the cage floor. He may be picking the droppings up to see if they are food – birds often chew things up without actually swallowing any of it.

Here is a link to our feeding guide:

Bird Food Guide

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda