List of Cockatiel Treats to Make at Home

Many recipes to make homemade treats for cockatiels are available. Once you know what kind of foods you can feed the birds, there's no limit to the creativity you can use to create a variety of healthy snacks. It is however, important to note that treats must not replace a daily, balanced diet and should only be given in moderation.

  1. Honey Nut and Fruit Treats

    • Use pure honey and a variety of ingredients, such as apples, cranberries or blueberries; almonds or walnuts; shredded coconut; and millet seeds. Purchase dried fruit or dry your own with a food dehydrator. All larger fruits and nuts must be chopped into pieces and the coconut shredded. Combine the fruits, nuts and seeds, using more seed and less fruit and nuts, and add enough honey to bind the ingredients together. Stir in 1 or 2 tbsp. of flour and knead the mixture by hand, adding more flour as required to create a firm dough that no longer sticks to the bowl. Roll out the dough into cookie or stick shapes as desired, and place on a greased cookie sheet or tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for five minutes or until hard. Cool completely before serving.

    Egg Treats

    • Use a large, hard-boiled egg for this treat. Mash the whole egg together with a fork and place it in the toaster oven or grill for five minutes or less, just enough to absorb some of the moisture. Then serve as a snack with a piece of fruit or a favorite shredded vegetable placed on top. Remove any leftovers within an hour and dispose of them.

    Cookie Treats

    • Bake these treats in the oven and include the ingredients in any combination. Finely chop vegetables to add including celery, broccoli and shredded carrot. Include fruits such as apple, or fresh or dried cranberries (or other berries). Include seeds such as millet or a cockatiel seed mixture. Add cornmeal, wheat flour and protein powder as well as crushed cockatiel food pellets for extra nutrition. Mix the chopped and grated vegetables and fruits together with about 3/4 cup of cornmeal, 1 tsp. protein powder and 1/4 cup of seeds. Using less vegetables and fruits will ensure the mixture binds more easily. Add just enough water or honey to bind the ingredients, and then stir in wheat flour as needed until the mixture no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and flatten into cookie shapes; bake on a lightly greased tray at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes or until firm.

    Yogurt Treat

    • Crush and add cockatiel food pellets (three or four) to 1 cup of yogurt, mashed strawberries, honey and one or two raw eggs. Stir in enough flour and water to make a biscuit dough. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and cut into slices.