Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!dinorah.wustl.edu!mary
From: mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: INDOOR: Cockatoo Diet
Message-ID: <1990Apr9.170834.5948@dinorah.wustl.edu>
Date: 9 Apr 90 17:08:34 GMT
References: <35800@cci632.UUCP>
Organization: Computerized Medical Systems
Lines: 58
In-Reply-To: rka@cci632.UUCP's message of 8 Apr 90 01:28:56 GMT

rka@cci632.UUCP (Robert Anton) writes:

>After 2 years of strictly eating sunflower seeds and corn kernels, 

Yikes!  At the minimum, this bird needs a better seed mix.  Try
Topper, expensive, but it will sneak some vitamins past him and give
him some variety.

>our
>cockatoo (Opus) has discovered cheese (he prefers cheddar cheese).  

Well, at least he's getting some protein.  Still, too much fat.

>We have
>tried to feed him vegetables, fruits, parrot treats, ... to no avail.  
>My question is whether this is healthy or not.  

NO!!!

>Should he have his cholesterol
>checked :^) ? 

He should be checked by an avian vet and put on a descent diet.

>He likes his cheese right before he climbs/hops up the stairs to 
>sleep for the night.  

Does he have you jumping through hoops as well?  ;-)

>We have a small perch set up next to the bathroom
>vanity mirror.  He picked this habit up when we drove cross country with him
>staying at hotels.  Now he throws tandrums if you try making him sleep in his
>cage.

This is not a problem, unless you do not have toilet accomodations for
him.  The diet is.  He should be eating about 45% veggies, 5% fruit,
30% pellets, 12% seeds (more than two kinds), and 8% misc, including
the cheese.  From what I know of cockatoos, this will not be easy.  It
would be best to work on one thing at a time.  I'd start with a more
varied seed mixture that was fortified.  Then I'd try for veggies.
Get him a non-toxic edible plant.  Spider plant is a good one, or
sprout his seeds.  My budgie started with a spider plant that he found
by accident.  Instinct had him munching the leaves.  I gave him a leaf
in his cage and he munched it.  I gave him a piece of spinach shaped
like the leaf.  He munched it.  He now eats veggies.  He was the hard
one to get on F&V.  The others just ate what was offered.  Another
thing is that one is tempted to cut the F&V up too fine.  Give your
bird big chunks, they like to hold the chunk and bite off pieces.  You
might also try hanging up pieces as toys (they have bird safe hangers
for this).  Or try eating what you want him to eat in front of him.
My bigger birds can't resist hopping on a plate and helping
themselves.  They have gotten so bad that I can't eat or drink with
them loose.  Curiosity, jeolousy, and greed will probably help you out
a lot with getting your bird to eat what he should.

Good luck!

	-Mary