Cockatiel · Grains, seeds & nuts
Can cockatiels eat pasta?
Yes, in small amounts. Cockatiels can have plain cooked pasta as an occasional treat. Serve it cool, unsalted and before any sauce, butter or cheese is added.
- Portion
- Two or three small pieces, about 1 teaspoon
- How often
- Once or twice a week
- Sugar
- 0.6 g / 100 g
How to serve it
- Boil in water without salt
- Set the cockatiel's share aside before adding anything
- Cool and chop into small pieces
- Clear away leftovers within a few hours
Why
Risks. It is mainly starch with little vitamin A or calcium. Sauces, salt, butter, garlic, onion and cheese are what make human pasta dishes unsuitable.
Benefits. Plain pasta is an easy, soft food, and sprinkling crushed pellets on it can help a seed-eating cockatiel accept pellets.
Questions owners ask 1
Can cockatiels eat pasta with pesto or tomato sauce?
No. These sauces contain garlic, salt, oil and often cheese. Only plain, unseasoned pasta is suitable.
Pasta: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 62.1 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 158 kcal |
| Sugars | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 0.9 g |
| Protein | 5.8 g |
| Fibre | 1.8 g |
| Calcium | 7 mg |
| Phosphorus | 58 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.12 : 1 |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 0 µg |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg |
“Pasta, cooked, enriched, without added salt”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 169737). Public domain.
Sources & method 3
The sources below discuss pasta 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
- Foods Toxic to Pet Birds — Lafeber Company (Christal Pollock, DVM, Dipl. ABVP-Avian, with Laura Doering)
- Feeding Your Pet Bird a Healthy Diet (client education handout) — LafeberVet (Christal Pollock, DVM, DABVP Avian Practice)
