keeping your cockatiel healthy
Consider your bird’s cook, caterer, housekeeper and taxi cab service. You can help your cockatiel live longer by providing him with a healthy diet, clean living conditions, and taking him to the vet if necessary. Cockatiels are generally healthy as long as they are not kept in unhygienic, overcrowded conditions or served incorrectly. Provide filtered sunlight during the day, fresh food and water daily, and clean your cockatiel’s crate twice a week or as needed. Get rid of uneaten fruits and vegetables from your bird’s cage within a few hours after feeding. Your bird may be sick if it has dirty feathers, is sitting bloated in a corner of its competition or has the sight of water or diarrhea.
You (and Your Cocktail) Are What You Eat
Pet parrots are often fed a convenient but “junk food” diet of packaged parrot seed, water, and resolution. Like humans, cockatiels depend on a variety of vitamins, minerals and proteins to stay healthy. Adding plenty of greens, shredded carrots and hard-boiled egg yolks provides the healthy food needed for a long lifespan. Calcium is very important to the reproduction of female cockatiels, in which laying eggs can deplete calcium stores over time. Give breeding birds plenty of oyster shell grit and cuttlefish bones. Captive birds can also develop nutritional A deficiency. Shredded carrots and ripe yams can help increase levels of the vitamin.
Cocktails are made for the long haul; In the wild, they fly several miles daily in search of food and water. Pet cockatiels have no place for such extreme workouts.
Safety Tips for Cocktails
Cockatiels can live 20 years or more if properly cared for. Practicing common sense and home safety can add years to your bird’s life. Never leave a Cockatiel unattended with small children or household pets. In nature, cockatiels are surface feeders. Pet cockatiels enjoy exploring the floor but are easily tipped over and can become targets for dogs and cats when allowed to stick to the floor. Avoid placing your cockatiel in direct sunlight without providing a source of shade. Cockatiels prefer to be outside in their cages but require moderate watering and shade to avoid heatstroke and dehydration. Your current bird is too hot if it is panting and holds its wings slightly away from its body. If the bird seems unwell or is injured, take it to a veterinarian immediately. Birds instinctively try to hide illness, so if your bird seems sick, it’s time to see your vet.
Source by Dinesh S
