What Should I Feed A Molting Cockatiel? Protein is the key nutrient in a cockatiel’s diet during molting. Leafy greens, shelled hard-boiled eggs, and occasional nuts as a treat will all aid feather growth during molting. These will give cockatiels everything needed for a successful molt and regrowth of feathers.
Cockatiels become quieter and more lethargic when molting. A molting cockatiel can also be irritable, as shedding feathers can lead to itchy skin. New feathers must sprout from pores that have been vacated.
Healthy feather growth relies on a balanced diet, so don’t abandon existing food plans, as wholesale change can unsettle cockatiels. Focus on providing protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and Vitamins A, B, and C through food and supplementation.
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Why Does Molting Affect A Cockatiel’s Diet?
A healthy adult cockatiel has between 2 000 and 3 000 feathers throughout its body. To understand food’s role in molting, it’s important to understand the different types of feathers.
The outer, colorful feathers on a cockatiel are vaned feathers. The rachis is a long shaft that runs down the middle of a vaned feather. Pin feathers are initially coated in wax, which is then removed during preening.
These barbs are connected by tiny hooks that keep them together. Below the vaned feathers are down feathers. these are the feathers that your cockatiel fluffs up when cold. The cockatiel is trapping warm air within the down, preventing it from growing too cold.
Cockatiels’ feathers grow ragged over time because they are used constantly and undergo wear and tear. This is why cockatiels molt- they shed old feathers and replace them. These new growths emerge from the follicles that have been vacated and are known as pin feathers.
Pin feathers are initially coated in wax, which is then removed during preening. Pin feathers are short, stubby, and scratchy at first, causing irritation. The right nutrients, vitamins, and minerals encourage a robust and steady growth of pin feathers, which later evolve into vaned feathers.
Cockatiels’ feathers are made of keratin which is the protein found in the beak and nails. Keratin is created within a cockatiel’s body, but a specialist molting diet stimulates natural production.
Do Cockatiels Lose Weight When Molting?
Yes, it’s totally normal to see a bit of weight loss during a heavy molt, as molting uses a lot of their energy. However, you should not be concerned because they gain back their weight pretty quickly as the new feathers grow in. All you need to do is to provide your cockatiel with protein-rich foods.
Cockatiels have a fast metabolism, rapidly burning energy through exercise. As molting cockatiels are more static, especially older cockatiels that sleep a lot during molting, less energy will be expended.
Additionally, cockatiels are often uncomfortable during molting. They will not be in physical pain, but the shedding of feathers, and growth of replacements, leads to irritable and itchy skin. This could cause the cockatiel to show less interest in food.
However, the regrowth of feathers takes energy, which is why your cockatiel is sedentary – the molting process is exhausting. This may lead to your cockatiel eating just as heartily as usual, so expect some degree of fluctuation in your cockatiel’s appetite.
While your cockatiel is molting, stick to a familiar routine and schedule. Keep feeding your cockatiel as times it expects, in similar quantities.
What matters most during this period is the contents of a cockatiel’s food bowl. As discussed, offer foods that will encourage the rapid growth of new feathers to minimize skin discomfort.
Cockatiel Molting Diet
To encourage the growth of strong feathers and smooth skin, food for molting cockatiels must be focused on specific nutrients. Even during molting, a balanced diet is essential.
A seed-only diet isn’t a good option during molting because cockatiels need to consume a range of foods, most notably a selection of fruits and vegetables.
If your cockatiel has special dietary requirements due to an existing health concern, discuss what to feed during molting with an avian vet.
Protein (Amino Acids)
As discussed, cockatiel feathers are constructed from keratin. The feathers account for over a quarter of all the proteins in a cockatiel’s body. As a result, one of the most important nutrients is protein.
The colder the climate that a cockatiel lives in, or the more energetic it tends to be, the more protein a cockatiel will need. The easiest way to offer a cockatiel protein is through pellets, but if a cockatiel isn’t used to them or finds them dull, it may reject them.
Some foods can increase a cockatiel’s protein intake, including:
- Leafy greens, such as spinach and kale
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Walnuts, pine nuts, cashews, or almonds
If you prefer to use supplementation and adhere to an existing diet for your cockatiel, look for these nine core amino acids that make up the building blocks of protein:
- Isoleucine
- Histidine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
A cockatiel’s body won’t create amino acids organically, so they must be obtained through food.
You may see differences in a cockatiel’s droppings if you increase its protein intake. Any protein not converted into energy will be passed as uric acid, leading to looser stools.
If this doesn’t become diarrhea and there are no signs of distress, it’s not a significant concern.
Calcium
Calcium is the most vital nutrient for a molting cockatiel. As per Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice, calcium provides strength and support to cockatiel’s bones and feathers.
Captive cockatiels can be prone to calcium deficiency, so your cockatiel may already be getting calcium supplements. Applying cuttlebone to a cage will provide the calcium a cockatiel needs.
Cockatiel’s pin feathers need calcium to grow and flourish. If your cockatiel isn’t getting enough calcium from its food, or it’s not being efficiently absorbed, the pin feathers will draw on reserves in the bones.
Cockatiels have hollow bones, and if calcium reserves are depleted, their bones will grow brittle.
While dairy products are high in calcium, most cockatiels are lactose intolerant and shouldn’t be offered milk or cheese. Instead, prioritize leafy greens such as spinach, chard, kale, or even lettuce.
Magnesium
The advantages of a cockatiel consuming magnesium include promoting brain and digestive health. It is described as an important dietary ingredient in Clinical Biochemistry of Domestic Animals.
Magnesium works in tandem with calcium. When a cockatiel consumes magnesium-rich foods, the chemical directs calcium directly into the bones. Without magnesium, there is a risk that calcium is lost in the soft tissue and fails to perform its function.
Wild cockatiels obtain magnesium from soil and plants, which is unlikely to be part of a captive cockatiel’s diet. However, leafy greens contain ample magnesium.
Iron
Iron helps alleviate the discomfort caused by pin feather development during molting.
Iron-rich foods increase blood flow throughout the body, and the more blood that reaches the pin feathers, the faster they grow.
Leafy greens are high in iron. You can also offer your cockatiel the occasional cashew nut as a threat, though these fatty nuts should not form the cornerstone of a molting diet.
Iron can be found in a chopped baked potato or canned beans, pulses, and lentils.
Zinc
Zinc keeps a cockatiel’s natural skin oils balanced and abundant, which is particularly important during a molt when the skin is comparatively tender.
Asparagus and broccoli have a high zinc content. If your cockatiel already has dark, leafy greens in its diet, which is likely, consider offering small quantities of brown rice, oats, or corn.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is indispensable to captive cockatiels for their eyesight, immune system, and hormone regulation. This vitamin also aids molting by encouraging sebum production on the skin.
Sebum is a naturally occurring oil that acts as a moisturizer for a cockatiel’s skin and feathers.
If your cockatiel lacks Vitamin A during a molt, its skin is more likely to crack during the generation of pin feathers, which will be sore and painful.
Vitamin A improves feather health as they mature. The constant production of sebum waterproofs the wing feathers and keeps the coloring bright and brilliant.
Wings that are dull around the rim may indicate a lack of Vitamin A.
You will find Vitamin A in leafy greens, egg yolks, yams, and carrots. Supplements are also commonplace, but it’s easy for a cockatiel to get too much Vitamin A.
Vitamin B
Vitamin B is broken down into multiple complex vitamins, each offering a different value to a molting cockatiel. The most indispensable B vitamins include:
- Thiamine (Vitamin B10) – Calms stress and reduces the temptation to pluck at feathers, especially itchy pin feathers.
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – Promotes feather growth by keeping the skin smooth and healthy.
- Niacin (Vitamin B3) – Ensures the cockatiel has enough energy to make it through the molt.
- Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) – This vitamin breaks down amino acids in protein and distributes them to the bloodstream, promoting healthy feather growth.
As B vitamins are water-soluble, there are supplements that cockatiels can take while hydrating.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C can play a significant role in feather health, reducing the discomfort of a molt. It increases the levels of elastin and collagen in the skin and feathers, making new feather growth easier.
While citrus fruits are high in Vitamin C, the acids in them can induce stomach distress.
You will find Vitamin C in kale, broccoli, and tomatoes. Alternatively, you could offer a serving of strawberries to a cockatiel with a sweet tooth.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D works in conjunction with calcium during a cockatiel’s molt.
We discussed how essential calcium is to a molting cockatiel. Vitamin D, like magnesium, enables a cockatiel’s body to absorb and process calcium.
Giving cockatiels calcium without Vitamin D means it won’t be processed and absorbed.
Vitamin D can be absorbed through the sun’s Uv rays, so allow your cockatiel to spend more time in the sun to assist with shedding and regrowth.
Fresh fish, such as salmon, is high in Vitamin D and can be fed to cockatiels in small quantities. Because egg yolks contain vitamin D, boiled eggs are a smart choice.
The molting process for cockatiels usually takes around 2-3 weeks, but a specialist diet may expedite this time frame. Provide your cockatiel with the extra nutrients, vitamins, and minerals it needs.
