Best Food for Cockatoos
Cockatoos are affectionate, busy birds that love to chew. They also tend to gain weight easily, so the best cockatoo diet gives them plenty to work on without overdoing fat and sugar.
What cockatoos need
- Moderate fat. Cockatoos are prone to weight gain, so nuts and seeds work best as part of a balanced mix, not the whole meal.
- Chewing and foraging. Large pieces and nuts in the shell keep a cockatoo's beak and mind busy.
- A pellet base plus produce. Fortified pellets with fresh vegetables cover the vitamins and minerals seed-only diets miss.
Our pick: Cockatoo/Macaw Paradise Ultimate Blend
Made for cockatoos, macaws and other large parrots, this blend combines fortified, non-colored pellets with nuts in the shell, larger pieces of dried fruits and vegetables, and fresh herbs. It's made fresh daily and is a great way to move a cockatoo off a seed-only diet.
Shop: By the pound · 5 lb bag · 10 lb bag · 20 lb bag
Watching your cockatoo's weight?
Our Natural Choice Ultimate Blend is a lower-sugar option made with organic pellets, with no peanuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, sulfur dioxide or artificial colors.
Switching to a new food
Mix the new food with your bird's current food and increase it gradually over two to four weeks. Watch that your cockatoo is eating well during the switch.
Our blends are made fresh, so keep about two weeks' supply at room temperature in a sealed container and refrigerate the rest. Don't freeze it.
More species guides
See food guides for every bird we carry
Every bird is different. If your bird has a health condition or you're making a big change to its diet, check with an avian veterinarian.