my bird is crazy!!

Question
I hawe a Cockatiel, and SHE is crazy. She eats meat, fish, chocolate, cheese... I'm wondering if I shuld let her eat all that, even in small quantaties?

Answer
Actually, it is not crazy for your bird to eat those things, but some of those items you mentioned are very dangerous for her  (You are very lucky your bird hasn't died from eating chocolate!!!)

I also don't recommend feeding your bird most types of meat (they are vegetarians in the wild, except for an occational bug that they *might* eat... but don't need to).  However, plain, well cooked fish is ok in limited quantaties.  Cheese will also not kill birds in very limited quantaties, but they cannot digest it properly.

Here is some information (taken from a vet's website www.EPAH.net) on what not to feed your bird:

Generally, if you eat very healthfully, most foods you eat can be fed to your parrot. The following items are not recommended:

Fatty foods. High fat in the diet leads to obesity and may result in lipomas (fatty tumors), lipemia (fat in the blood), and hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). Any greasy, oily or otherwise fatty food should be avoided. Commonly overfed fatty foods include nuts, French fries, crackers, marbled meat, peanut butter, butter, etc.
Sugar foods. Obviously, frosting is high in sugar and an undesirable foodstuff. Similarly, soda pop, candy and these types of foods are not recommended.
Dairy. Birds lack the digestive enzymes needed to break down milk sugar and milk proteins. Uncultured milk products such as milk, cream and butter should not be fed but yogurt, cheeses and dried milk can be supplemented in the diet in moderation (they are also high in fat).
Lettuce. A typical filler food, lettuce is low in everything except water. It is not recommended as a food supplement since it offers little, if anything, for the bird. If leafy foods are desired by your bird, try feeding spinach, collard greens, tops of bok choy, carrot tops or kale.
Avocado. Although higher in fat than other veggies and used in other countries to condition birds for breeding, avocado has been shown to be toxic in some birds and its feeding is no longer recommended.


Here is an article about a proper, healthy diet for your cockatiel:

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/nutrition.html

I hope this helps.

-Maggie