WHAT SHOULD I FEED MY COCKATIEL?

Seed sold loose is usually a poor diet for any bird. Buy good quality packet seed made specially for cockatiels. A good cockatiel diet, which may be helpful for birds that won't eat greenstuff, is Hagen cockatiel staple VME seed. This is vitamin enriched in the kernel and can be ordered from most small pet shops. For difficulty with stockists consult www.hagen.com or ring 01977 556622.

Give your bird plenty of greenstuff like chickweed, grated apple and grated carrot. Cockatiels also enjoy grass and plantain seedheads. Don¹t feed greenstuff which has been treated with chemicals.

Hang greenstuff or fruit from the cage using a skewer or wire. Don¹t let fresh fruit and green stuff hang around too long in a cage. It can go mouldy quite quickly. Little and often is better than a lot for a long time.

Cockatiel or budgie grit should always be available to your cockatiel. Put some in a small hook-on container and top it up every week with fresh grit.

WHAT CAN I DO IF MY COCKATIEL WON'T EAT GREENSTUFF OR FRUIT?

Persevere. Birds are wary about anything new, so continue to present the food even if the bird turns away from it. Also try showing the bird that it is good to eat, by eating it yourself. Birds learn by imitating other birds in the flock and you are its flock. They like eating in company.