Cockatoo Weekly Meal Plan

Photo credit to the UK Cockatoo Sanctuary & Rescue.

Click their name to learn more about this great rescue!

Cockatoos enjoy diversity. And if you have the time and motivation, feeding your cockatoo an individual daily diet is a great way to keep them mentally stimulated. It's also a great way to ensure they are getting the proper nutrients throughout the week. We've created a weekly meal plan specified just for a cockatoo's needs.

Sunday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, and squash seeds)
Large Nuts (walnuts, Brazil nuts)
Pellets
Fresh Greens (lettuce, spinach, alfalfa, timothy hay)

Monday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, and squash seeds)
Pellets
Dried Fruit (coconut, papaya, pineapple, banana, apple)
Dried Vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

Tuesday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, and squash seeds)
Small Nuts (almonds, cashews)
Pellets
Fresh Vegetables (green beans, cauliflower, broccoli)
Tree Branch (apple, willow, cottonwood, maple)

Wednesday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, and squash seeds)
Pellets
Dried Vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

Thursday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, and squash seeds)
Large Nuts (walnuts, Brazil nuts)
Pellets
Fresh Vegetables (green beans, peas, celery, carrots)
Dried Fruit (coconut, banana, apple, pineapple)

Friday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, flax seed, and squash seeds)
Pellets
Small Nuts (peanuts, almonds, cashews)
Dried Vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

Saturday:
Seeds (safflower, oat groats, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, flax seed, and squash seeds)
Pellets
Fresh Fruit (apple, banana, kiwi, pear)
Dried Vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)

Homemade Cockatoo Kibble Recipe

Photo credit to the UK Cockatoo Sanctuary & Rescue.

Click their name to learn more about this great rescue!

Finding the right food for your cockatoo can sometimes be a bit hard. And finding an organic blend (without any preservatives) is practically impossible. Luckily, it's not too hard to make your own. With the right collection of seeds, fruits, veggies, and greens you can create the perfect cockatoo kibble.

Ingredients

2 Cup safflower seeds

2 Cup oat groats

2 Cup buckwheat

1/2 Cup pumpkin seed

1/2 Cup squash seed

1/2 Cup sunflower seed

1 Cup millet seeds

1 Cup Whole Walnuts

1 Cup Whole Brazil Nuts

1/2 Cup Whole Peanuts

1 Cup Dried Peas

1 Cup Dried Carrots

1 Cup Dried Corn

1 Cup Unsweetened Dried Coconut

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Dried Banana

1/2 Cup Unsweetened Dried Pineapple

1 Cup Dried Alfalfa

1 Cup Dried Timothy Hay

Directions:

Mix it all together and package into sealed 1 gallon bags. Serve your lucky bird about 2 cups a day (or fill their food dish full). Change out daily.

Cockatoo Snack Ideas

Photo credit to the California Parrot Rescue.

Click their name to learn more about this great rescue!

Millet Spray: Probably the most popular bird snack, universally known to all birds as being super yummy, is millet seed. Millet seed comes in the form of millet spray (which is basically the top of a weed that is full of seeds). You can hang these in your cockatoo's cage and let them go to work. One or two sprigs a week is good enough- as they will often gorge themselves on this particular seed and then not eat the variety of foods that they need to stay healthy.

Sunflower Heads: Okay, sunflower seeds aren't the healthiest snack for a domestic bird. In fact they're pretty fatty- so should only be fed sparingly. But if you want to give your cockatoo a super special treat (like perhaps to celebrate their birthday or adoption date) then a sunflower head is the best gift ever. We mean a full sunflower head complete with dried seeds. Look for a small one (no bigger than the size of your fist) and hang it on the side of your cockatoos cage over their food dish. We promise they'll love you for it.

Meal Worms: Dried meal worms- like the kind pet stores offer for reptiles, make a surprisingly tasty treat for cockatoos. Why are they so great? They offer up protein- which can be hard to come by in a cockatoo's diet. In the wild cockatoos will sometimes grab a bug to eat. And although it isn't a huge part of their diet, some cockatoos will enjoy eating an insect or two from time to time.

Pilot Bread Crackers: Pilot bread crackers are the perfect bird worthy cracker. They're hard so they test that beak strength. And they're unsalted, so unlike other crackers they're not that bad for your cockatoo to get it's beak around from time to time.

Whole Peanuts: Like sunflowers, whole peanuts aren't too healthy. That's why they are considered snack food. But cockatoos love them. Give them a few of the whole peanuts- complete with the shells, and they'll be squawking with delight.