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Another specialty for a cockatiel is the mealtime. The diet is extremely important and is the key to having a healthy bird and like us they need plenty of exercise, many cockatiels suffer from obesity if they are kept in a cage so we must pay special attention to them. They need a good quality cockatiel seed mix, don't get it mixed up with parrot feed.
I usually buy a 50/50 mix budgie seed with plain seeds, and I throw a few sunflower seeds in, the sunflower seeds are quite fatting to the cockatiel. They also need fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. Fresh drinking water is always a must! Also make available cuttlebones, calcium, iodine and minerals blocks.
There are many brands of pellets available for a cockatiels. You should be able to purchase these from the pet stores. These include all the bird nutritional needs and often referred to as a complete and balanced diet. Usually they consist of a mixture of ground of grain, corn, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Fruits and vegetables are a special treat to the cockatiel which are also needed in their diet. Some of their favorites are apples, grapes, guavas, kiwi fruit, melon, peaches, strawberries, oranges and watermelon. Vegetables are a must! They seem to like broccoli, carrots, (usually chopped or grated), celery, corn, lettuce, peas, spinach and zucchini.
Putting vitamin supplements in drinking water once a week is great idea. Usually I sprinkle powered vitamins on to the seeds or on pieces of apple or spinach.
Treats are number one to a cockatiel. If you want to train them, that's a good thing to use. Small amounts of "People" food work just fine. They like to nibble on cornflakes, hard-boil eggs, whole wheat toast, rice, pasta, potato and sweet potato but they must be cooked not raw. You can also buy spray millets, treat seeds such as honey bells or sticks.
Cockatiels seem to crave salt, a pinch once in a while is okay, but to much is dangerous and can hurt their health.
There are many things that can harm your cockatiel but feeding them alcohol, avocado, or chocolate can kill your bird. Try not to feed them asparagus, eggplant, mango, cabbage, coffee, tea or rhubarb.