by Pajarita » Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:26 am
OK, for one thing, nyger seed (aka thistle) is a seed fed to small passerines like finches or canaries but never by itself, it's always a very small percentage of a good mix because it's very high in oil. Millet is the Wonder bread of the seeds, it supplies little in terms of nutrition compared to other seeds and it's mostly used as a treat or to fatten birds that, for one reason or another, have lost too much weight. Dried banana slices all have sugar, as far as I know (I might be wrong on this but all the ones I've seen out there have it). And, cucumbers are one of the lowest veggies in terms of nutrition and one of the dirtiest ones out there so, even if you were getting organic ones (I can't even find them in my regular supermarket), the nutritional benefit the bird would derive from it is negligible. Oranges and carrots are good but the key is variety because you can't provide everything they need with just two good items.
Basically, you need to provide better nutrition in terms of vitamins and minerals, more protein and less oil.
Get a good quality cockatiel seed mix and use two heaping tablespoons of it for dinner (you can't free-feed the high protein - parrots are not canaries) and, for breakfast, continue offering the raw oranges and carrots but also alternate with other fruits and veggies (apple, blueberries, blackberries, mango, papaya, fresh banana, grapes, etc -you can get some a variety from the salad bars) and greens like broccoli, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, etc. and don't forget the king of all veggies: sweet potato! (you can get them frozen, vacuum-packed or fresh and cook them yourself -microwave works great) and peas (all birds like peas), sweet corn, snap peas, etc. (again, think salad bar to get one nice piece of several different ones. Make a simple gloop by cooking Kashi 7 Whole Grains Pilaf in the microwave (the box has directions) with a bit of tomato paste mixed with the water and adding a can of small white beans (rinse them VERY well under running water to get rid of the salt) and frozen veggies to it. It takes about half an hour to prepare a large batch from beginning to end, everything can be found in a large supermarket and it will provide good nutrition for two weeks or more (freeze daily portions -two to three tablespoons- in little freezer baggies).