A healthy cockatiel diet consists of fortified pellets, seeds, vegetables, and fruit. A common misconception is that cockatiels can subsist on seeds alone, but fresh foods, especially fruits and vegetables, are key to providing complete nutrition. Combining your preferred cockatiel seed mix with other bird-friendly edibles such as millet spray, fresh greens, and cuttlebone provides a more nutritionally fulfilling diet that mimics a bird's natural foraging experience.
In this comprehensive guide, we've researched and compared the best foods for cockatiels available on Amazon. We've evaluated each product based on nutritional completeness, ingredient quality, formulation, variety, and value. All products reviewed here include direct Amazon purchase links with our affiliate tag.
Quick Answer: Our Top Picks
If you're in a hurry, here are our top recommendations:
- Best Overall: RoudyBush Daily Maintenance Bird Food - Nutritionally complete, scientifically formulated, uniform crumbles
- Best Organic: Harrison's Bird Foods High Potency Fine - Certified organic, complete nutrition, premium quality
- Best for Foraging: Lafeber's Classic Nutri-Berries - Encourages natural foraging, nutritionally balanced
- Best Fruit Pellets: ZuPreem FruitBlend Medium Bird Food - Colorful fruit-flavored pellets, complete nutrition
What to Look For in Cockatiel Food
When choosing food for cockatiels, consider these important factors:
Nutritional Completeness
Look for foods that provide complete nutrition with proper protein (11-15%), fat (6-8%), and fiber (3-5%) levels. Fortified pellets ensure your cockatiel gets all essential vitamins and minerals without selective eating.
Pellet vs. Seed Mix
Pellets provide uniform nutrition and prevent selective eating, while seed mixes offer variety but can lead to nutritional imbalances if birds only eat favorites. A combination approach works best, with pellets as the base and seeds as treats.
Fresh Food Supplementation
Even the best pellets should be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. Cockatiels enjoy pineapples, bananas, fresh berries, broccoli, snap peas, corn, and carrots. Fresh foods provide essential nutrients and enrichment.
Foraging Opportunities
Foods that encourage natural foraging behaviors, like Nutri-Berries or millet sprays, provide mental stimulation and physical activity. Foraging mimics natural behaviors and prevents boredom.
Ingredient Quality
Look for foods made with high-quality ingredients and minimal fillers. Organic options are available for health-conscious owners. Avoid foods with excessive artificial colors, preservatives, or added sugars.
Product Comparison Table
| Product | Type | Protein | Best For | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoudyBush Daily Maintenance | Pellets | 11% | Complete nutrition, all cockatiels | $$ |
| Harrison's High Potency | Pellets | 15% | Organic, premium quality | $$$ |
| Lafeber's Nutri-Berries | Foraging | 14% | Foraging, enrichment | $$ |
| ZuPreem FruitBlend | Pellets | 13% | Fruit variety, picky eaters | $ |
Detailed Product Reviews
1. RoudyBush Daily Maintenance Bird Food - Best Overall
RoudyBush Daily Maintenance Bird Food is our top choice for overall quality and nutritional completeness. This food was designed as an all-in-one diet by an avian nutritionist after 16 years of research at the University of California, Davis, with a paper specifically about cockatiel nutrition published in 1991.
The formula contains 11% protein, 6% fat, 3.5% fiber, and 12% moisture. Ingredients include ground corn, ground wheat, soy meal, and soy oil. The uniform crumbles prevent selective eating, ensuring your cockatiel gets complete nutrition with every bite.
Birds can be picky eaters and will sometimes eat only one color from multi-colored pellets. The consistency of the Daily Maintenance formula means these crumbles can serve as a reliable staple food, which can be supplemented with other snacks. The food is nutritionally complete enough that no additional foods are necessary, though fresh fruits and vegetables are still recommended for enrichment.
RoudyBush makes it simple to switch from a different bird food, with instructions for introducing your bird to the food, including the helpful tip: "Act as if you are eating the RoudyBush." The crumbles are available in half-pound, 22-ounce, 44-ounce, 10-pound, and 25-pound bags.
Key Features: Scientifically formulated, nutritionally complete, uniform crumbles, prevents selective eating, vet recommended, multiple sizes
2. Harrison's Bird Foods High Potency Fine - Best Organic
Harrison's Bird Foods High Potency Fine is an excellent certified organic option for cockatiels. This premium pellet food is made with organic ingredients and provides complete nutrition without artificial preservatives or additives.
The High Potency formula contains 15% protein, making it suitable for all life stages including growing birds, breeding pairs, and birds recovering from illness. The fine size is perfect for cockatiels, providing easy-to-eat pellets that are nutritionally balanced.
Harrison's uses organic whole grains, legumes, and vegetables in their formulation. The pellets are uniform in size and composition, preventing selective eating and ensuring complete nutrition. This food is free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
While more expensive than standard options, Harrison's provides premium organic nutrition that many health-conscious bird owners prefer. The food is available in various sizes to suit different needs.
Key Features: Certified organic, high protein, complete nutrition, all life stages, premium quality, no artificial additives
3. Lafeber's Classic Nutri-Berries Pet Bird Food for Cockatiels - Best for Foraging
Lafeber's Classic Nutri-Berries are an excellent choice for encouraging natural foraging behaviors. These round, berry-shaped foods combine the advantages of seeds and pellets, providing nutritionally balanced nutrition in a format that encourages active feeding.
Each Nutri-Berry contains a blend of seeds, grains, and pellets held together with a nutritious binding agent. The round shape and texture encourage cockatiels to manipulate and work for their food, providing mental stimulation and physical activity.
Nutri-Berries provide complete nutrition with 14% protein, making them suitable as a primary diet or as a supplement to pellets. The foraging aspect mimics natural feeding behaviors, preventing boredom and encouraging natural instincts.
These foods are particularly useful for birds transitioning from seed mixes to pellets, as they provide familiar seed elements while introducing pellet nutrition. They're also great for enrichment and preventing selective eating.
Key Features: Foraging format, nutritionally balanced, combines seeds and pellets, mental stimulation, natural behaviors, complete nutrition
4. ZuPreem FruitBlend Medium Bird Food - Best Fruit Pellets
ZuPreem FruitBlend Medium Bird Food offers colorful, fruit-flavored pellets that appeal to picky eaters. These pellets come in various colors and flavors, including natural fruit flavors that many cockatiels find appealing.
The formula contains 13% protein and provides complete nutrition with essential vitamins and minerals. The colorful appearance and fruit flavors can help transition birds from seed mixes to pellets, as the variety and appeal make the change more acceptable.
While the colors and flavors are appealing, the pellets are nutritionally uniform, ensuring complete nutrition regardless of which colors your bird prefers. This prevents selective eating while still providing visual variety.
ZuPreem FruitBlend is an affordable option that provides good nutrition at a reasonable price point. The medium size is appropriate for cockatiels, providing pellets that are easy to handle and eat.
Key Features: Fruit flavors, colorful pellets, complete nutrition, appeals to picky eaters, affordable, uniform nutrition
5. Vitakraft Fruit Cocktail Parrot & Cockatiel Treat - Best Foraging Fruit
Vitakraft Fruit Cocktail is an excellent treat option that provides variety and enrichment. This mix includes dehydrated fruits including bananas, pineapples, papayas, coconut, carrots, red peppers, and whole peanuts, with zero added sugars.
The mix contains essential trace elements, vitamins, and minerals, making it a nutritious treat option. The variety of fruits and textures provides enrichment and encourages natural foraging behaviors.
As with all treats, it's important to keep portion sizes in mind. You don't want to over-treat your pet and risk ruining its appetite or having it gain weight from too many treats. Use this as a supplement to a balanced pellet diet, not as a primary food source.
This treat mix is particularly useful for providing variety and encouraging birds to try new foods. The dehydrated format preserves nutrients while providing a long shelf life.
Key Features: Variety of fruits, no added sugar, essential nutrients, foraging enrichment, treat supplement, dehydrated format
6. Nemeth Farms Sun-Dried Millet Spray - Best Millet Spray
Nemeth Farms Sun-Dried Millet Spray is 100% sun-dried millet with no added ingredients. This product doesn't include stems, just the edible tops, making it a great cockatiel treat as your bird can pick the millet off the spray.
Millet is high in amino acids, which can be beneficial for overall bird health, as well as containing essential vitamins and minerals. This millet is grown and dried in the USA, with sun-drying naturally fortifying the nutritional content.
Millet spray triggers foraging instincts and provides enrichment. However, millet is not enough to encompass a cockatiel's entire diet, so you will need to supplement with other cockatiel foods and treats. Use millet spray as a treat or training reward.
You can store it in a cool environment. Each bag contains numerous pieces and should last a while. Millet is an efficient energy source for cockatiels and makes an excellent training tool or occasional treat.
Key Features: 100% natural, sun-dried, no additives, foraging enrichment, high in amino acids, USA grown
Final Verdict
RoudyBush Daily Maintenance Bird Food is our top choice for overall quality, providing scientifically formulated, nutritionally complete nutrition in uniform crumbles. Harrison's Bird Foods offers certified organic premium nutrition. Lafeber's Nutri-Berries provide excellent foraging enrichment, while ZuPreem FruitBlend appeals to picky eaters with colorful fruit-flavored pellets.
Remember that even the best pellets should be supplemented with fresh fruits and vegetables. Cockatiels enjoy pineapples, bananas, fresh berries, broccoli, snap peas, corn, and carrots. Avoid toxic foods like avocado, chocolate, onion, and apple seeds. Provide cuttlebone for calcium and beak maintenance. Always ensure fresh water is available, and monitor your bird's weight and health regularly. A varied diet with pellets as the base, supplemented with fresh foods and appropriate treats, will keep your cockatiel healthy and happy.