Cockatoo Feeding Problems
Just hoping this will
work to stop my cockatoo from scraping out all of her food out of the bird cage feeder dish. Do
you have any suggestions if you think this will work or if you carry anything
better?
How full are you
filling the bird cage dishes? If to the top, the bird is just digging away to reach its
favorites and dumping the rest. I recommend you fill the bird food feeder cups only a third to a half
full and see if that helps. If you can, let the bird go without bird food a couple
hours before giving a small scoop again. Your days off are good for this.
The bird sounds spoiled or it really does not like the food. What are you
feeding it now? What kind of cockatoo and how old, how long have you had it?
Would you believe I barely cover the
bottoms of the dishes with her food? It is costing me so much money in waste
that it has just gotten completely out of hand. She is kind of naughty I
have to admit., but a sweetheart also.
I bought her a year ago and they
said about 3 years old then. So anywhere from 3 to 5 years but has never laid
an egg, so her age is questionable. Talked to a bird expert that told
me cockatoos sexually mature at about 4 years old. So guessing she is possibly
getting sexually mature.
She was already tossing out
the food when I bought her, so the people were placing a dish in the
bottom of the cage they had her in in the center of it to try to keep some of
the mess inside the cage. I think that was a factor in finding her a new home.
She is a smaller lesser sulfur crested cockatoo.
She loves the food I give her
but I have never yet to date seen a cockatoo that didn't toss their food out.
Have to admit though none I had before even came close to being as bad as the
too I have now. I worry about her even getting enough to eat.
As soon as I
place the cup in the bird cage she goes to eat but when she goes to take the pellet,
she is already tossing the food about until she has one in her beak. Then she
stops and eats that, but then back to the same routine again for the next
pellet.
The people that
had her fed her such a terrible diet so I am still trying hard to get her to
even eat anything good for her. Slow process!
You're are feeding pellets to a
cockatoo? Although it is not unusual, we are hearing that cockatoo's don't
always do well on pelleted diets. It does not satisfy their need of variety and
foraging.
Have you tried a mixed diet, seeds,
pellets with fresh veggies table and fruit in another dish?
This mix from Hagen bird food is very good, seeds, nuts,
grains, pellets, dried fruits and veggies. A complete diet.
http://www.windycityparrot.com/Hagen-Living-World-Food-80442-3-9-LB-food.html
I also preferred to feed my birds on
the bottom of the cage in a large heavy crock, placed on the center of a big
piece of newspaper. Then as they tossed the food, some would end up on the
paper to give them a second chance at it.
I admit to not being a bird
behaviorist, but you may wish to contact one. Michelle Karras www.thepoliteparrot.com
may be able to help.
Keep me up to date on her progress.
Please.
I feed my cockatoo the fruity pellets, a safflower seed mix by Lavian, a parrot seed mix by
them also, then I offer her the bean cuisine mix, plus try to get her to eat a
bit of fruit and veggies. She wasn't ever fed the fresh food so she don't do
much with them other than if there is corn in it. Had such a terrible diet poor
bird. One bag they sent with me was wild bird food! Cheap stuff at that.
I buy the unsweetened
cereals and offer those as a treat. I just need to keep the food in the dishes
long enough to get her to eat it! LOL