Cockatiel Food Calculator
This cockatiel food calculator works out how much to feed your cockatiel a day — in grams and tablespoons — and splits it into pellets, fresh veg and seed. A typical cockatiel eats about 6 to 10 grams (1.5 to 2 tablespoons) of food a day, so the right balance matters more than the amount.
How the Cockatiel Food Calculator Works
| Cockatiel weight | Food per day | Tablespoons | Pellets / veg / seed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 g | ~6–9 g | ~1.5 tbsp | ~5 g / ~1.8 g / ~0.7 g |
| 90 g (typical) | 6–10 g | ~1.5–2 tbsp | ~5.7 g / ~2 g / ~0.8 g |
| 100 g | ~7–11 g | ~2 tbsp | ~6.3 g / ~2.3 g / ~0.9 g |
| 115 g (large) | ~8–13 g | ~2–2.5 tbsp | ~7.3 g / ~2.6 g / ~1 g |
A Good Food Chart for a Cockatiel
The ideal cockatiel diet is built on pellets, topped with fresh vegetables, with seed and millet as a small treat share. This is the balance avian vets recommend to avoid the obesity and fatty liver disease that all-seed diets cause.
How Much Food to Feed a Cockatiel
Feed a cockatiel about 6 to 10 grams of food a day — roughly 1.5 to 2 tablespoons, or about 8 to 10% of its body weight. Make it mostly pellets and fresh vegetables, not a heaping bowl of seed. Cockatiels de-hull their seed and leave the empty husks behind, so a bowl that still looks full may hold little actual food — blow off the hulls, or better, weigh intake on a gram scale. Keep pellets available through the day rather than feeding one big meal, give each bird its own bowl in a shared cage, and refresh everything each morning.
What Is a Safe Diet for Cockatiels?
A safe, healthy cockatiel diet is about 60–80% formulated pellets, 20–30% fresh vegetables (leafy greens, broccoli, carrot, peppers, zucchini and peas), and only about 10% seed and treats. An all-seed diet is the single biggest mistake cockatiel keepers make: it is high in fat and low in vitamins, and it drives obesity, fatty liver disease and a shorter life. Millet is a favourite but is essentially junk food, so limit it to a small piece once or twice a week for taming or foraging. A little boiled egg adds protein as an occasional treat, and fruit (apple without seeds, berries, melon) is fine 2–3 times a week but is sugary. Always avoid avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, onion, garlic, salt, apple seeds and rhubarb, and provide clean water and a cuttlebone.
How to Tell if a Cockatiel Is Hungry
A hungry cockatiel gets vocal and active around its bowl, often calling or whistling at you, climbing down to the food, and eating eagerly when fresh food appears — many cockatiels are most food-motivated first thing in the morning and again in the late afternoon. Chicks beg loudly with a bobbing head. The reliable way to know your bird is getting enough, though, is not to read its mood but to weigh it: a steady, healthy weight means the portions are right. Take care not to confuse hunger with boredom or hormonal behaviour — a cockatiel that constantly wants more seed or millet is usually asking for a treat, not starving, and giving in leads to obesity. Offer pellets and veg on a schedule, and keep treats small.
Can You Leave a Cockatiel Alone for a Few Days?
Not safely for long. Cockatiels have a fast metabolism and should not be left without fresh food and water, and they also need daily company and monitoring. Leaving a cockatiel alone overnight with plenty of food and water is usually acceptable, but two or more days is too long — bowls can empty, tip or spoil, water can run out or foul, and a bird that stops eating or falls ill can decline fast with no one watching. For any trip beyond a night, arrange a sitter or boarding, leave multiple full bowls, and ask someone to check daily. A cockatiel that suddenly stops eating, sits fluffed and quiet, or drops weight is an emergency — see an avian vet the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
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