Cockatiel · Snacks & drinks
Can cockatiels eat coffee?
No. Caffeine in coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks can cause a fast or irregular heartbeat, hyperactivity and even cardiac arrest in birds. Keep cups and grounds away from cockatiels.
- Sugar
- 0 g / 100 g
If your cockatiel already ate some
Call an avian vet promptly if your cockatiel drank a caffeinated drink or ate coffee grounds, tea leaves or caffeine tablets. Note what and how much, keep the bird calm and warm, and watch for agitation, trembling, fast breathing or seizures.
Why
Risks. Caffeine stimulates the heart and nervous system. Birds can develop an increased heart rate, arrhythmias, hyperactivity, tremors and potentially fatal heart problems. Loose tea, coffee grounds and caffeine pills are especially concentrated.
Questions owners ask 2
My cockatiel likes to sip from my cup. Is a little tea all right?
No. Even small amounts of caffeine can be hazardous for a bird this size. Keep drinks covered and offer fresh water instead.
Is green tea safer than coffee?
Green tea contains less caffeine than coffee but still contains it, so it is not safe for cockatiels.
Coffee: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 99.4 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1 kcal |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 0 g |
| Protein | 0.1 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Calcium | 2 mg |
| Phosphorus | 3 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.67 : 1 |
| Sodium | 2 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
| Caffeine | 40 mg |
“Beverages, coffee, brewed, prepared with tap water”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 171890). Public domain.
Sources & method 4
The sources below discuss coffee for cockatiels (or for pet birds generally). Confidence: high. Rated on the JOMIZOO Feeding Scale; when good sources disagree we choose the more cautious level.
- Feeding Pet Cockatiels — VCA Animal Hospitals
- Nutritional Diseases of Pet Birds — Merck Veterinary Manual
- 10 Everyday Items That Are Toxic to Birds — Veterinary Center for Birds and Exotics (avian and exotic practice of Laurie Hess, DVM, DABVP Avian; practice blog, no individual byline)
- People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
