Cockatiel · Grains, seeds & nuts
Can cockatiels eat millet?
Yes, in small amounts. Cockatiels love millet, but it is nutritionally poor, and seed-heavy diets leave cockatiels short of vitamin A and calcium. Use it as a treat or training reward.
- Portion
- About 3–5 cm (1–2 in) of spray millet, or a small pinch (about 1/2 teaspoon) of loose millet
- How often
- Spray millet a few times a month as a treat; loose millet can be part of a small daily seed portion of no more than about a tenth of the diet
How to serve it
- Offer a short length, not a whole spray
- Make sure it is dry and free of mould or insects
- Use pieces as training rewards or hide them for foraging
- Reduce other seeds on days you give millet
Why
Risks. Millet is low in vitamin A, calcium and protein. Cockatiels are prone to vitamin A deficiency, calcium deficiency and egg-binding, and diets built mainly on seed are linked to obesity and fatty liver disease.
Benefits. Millet is highly motivating, which makes it an excellent training reward and foraging item.
Questions owners ask 2
Is spray millet bad for cockatiels?
Not in small amounts. The problem is quantity: a cockatiel given unlimited millet tends to eat little else.
How much seed should a cockatiel eat?
Veterinary and welfare advice varies. A cautious guide is seed at no more than about a tenth of a small parrot's diet, with pellets and vegetables making up the rest.
Millet: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 8.7 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 378 kcal |
| Fat | 4.2 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Fibre | 8.5 g |
| Calcium | 8 mg |
| Phosphorus | 285 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.03 : 1 |
| Sodium | 5 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
“Millet, raw”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 169702). Public domain.
Sources & method 5
The sources below discuss millet 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
- What to Feed Your Pet Bird — RSPCA
- Management of Pet Birds (professional version) — Merck Veterinary Manual (Sharman M. Hoppes, DVM, DABVP Avian)
- Nutritional Diseases of Pet Birds — Merck Veterinary Manual
- Where Avian Nutrition and Health Intersect (Diet-related Disease in Pet Birds) — University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine (Judilee C. Marrow, DVM, DACZM)
