Cockatiel · Grains, seeds & nuts
Can cockatiels eat walnuts?
Yes, in small amounts. A pea-sized piece of plain walnut is a fine occasional treat for cockatiels, but walnuts are fatty, and cockatiels are prone to fatty liver and lipomas.
- Portion
- A piece about the size of a pea
- How often
- Once or twice a week
- Sugar
- 2.6 g / 100 g
- Fat
- 65.2 g / 100 g
How to serve it
- Use fresh, plain, unsalted walnut halves
- Check for a fresh smell; discard rancid, musty or mouldy nuts
- Break into pea-sized pieces
- Use as a training reward or foraging treat
Why
Risks. Walnuts are high in fat, so regular or large portions add up quickly. Rancid or mouldy nuts should never be fed, and candied or salted walnuts add sugar and salt.
Benefits. Walnuts provide omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and vitamin E, and an avian vet lists them among foods pet birds can have in small amounts.
Questions owners ask 1
Can cockatiels crack walnuts?
Most cannot crack a whole walnut shell. Offer shelled pieces, or a cracked shell with a little nut left inside as a foraging puzzle.
Walnuts: nutrition per 100 g
| Water | 4.1 g |
|---|---|
| Energy | 654 kcal |
| Sugars | 2.6 g |
| Fat | 65.2 g |
| Protein | 15.2 g |
| Fibre | 6.7 g |
| Calcium | 98 mg |
| Phosphorus | 346 mg |
| Calcium : phosphorus | 0.28 : 1 |
| Sodium | 2 mg |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 1 µg |
| Vitamin C | 1.3 mg |
“Nuts, walnuts, english”, USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 170187). Public domain.
Sources & method 4
The sources below discuss walnuts for cockatiels (or for pet birds generally). Confidence: medium. Rated on the JOMIZOO Feeding Scale; when good sources disagree we choose the more cautious level.
- Feeding Your Pet Bird a Healthy Diet (client education handout) — LafeberVet (Christal Pollock, DVM, DABVP Avian Practice)
- What to Feed Your Pet Bird — RSPCA
- Management of Pet Birds (professional version) — Merck Veterinary Manual (Sharman M. Hoppes, DVM, DABVP Avian)
- Tumors in Birds: Lipomas — VCA Animal Hospitals (Gregory Rich, DVM; Rick Axelson, DVM)
