Somebody Write ;)

[AmandaD]

My daughter got a cockatiel - very sweet animal.

I am a biopsy-diagnosed celiac who is very careful about everything but trying not to be obsessive AT ALL (which is so damn hard as a celiac). Can anyone recommend bird-seed that has no wheat in it? This is really irking me...do any you also have pets? We have dogs on a gluten free diet because I kiss them all the time. But I have no plans to kiss this bird. Am I going to get contaminated?

Blech...somebody calm me down !!!

[kareng]

My daughter got a cockatiel - very sweet animal.

I am a biopsy-diagnosed celiac who is very careful about everything but trying not to be obsessive AT ALL (which is so damn hard as a celiac). Can anyone recommend bird-seed that has no wheat in it? This is really irking me...do any you also have pets? We have dogs on a gluten free diet because I kiss them all the time. But I have no plans to kiss this bird. Am I going to get contaminated?

Blech...somebody calm me down !!!

Did you search this site? I don't have a bird but I think this has been discussed recently.

[AmandaD]

Yeah, I did. I saw people talking about "giving away" their animals because of the feed, etc.

It just seemed really extreme to me and made me sad (!

Did you search this site? I don't have a bird but I think this has been discussed recently.

[Jestgar]

I feed my chickens gluten and I'm carefully about getting dust on my clothes, and I wash my hands after feeding them or petting them.

[kareng]

Maybe you could mix your own bird food? Find out what you need in it and buy the separate parts? Not sure of that's possible but it's worth a try.

[ravenwoodglass]

Maybe you could mix your own bird food? Find out what you need in it and buy the separate parts? Not sure of that's possible but it's worth a try.

This is what I would suggest. I was never able to find gluten grain free food for my little parrot.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Okay I know nothing about birds but I did a quick search for "cockatiel food" and saw that a lot of it contains millet (which is gltuen free), peanuts and soybeans. Birds also eat insects and worms in their natural habitat. So perhaps you could make your own food from millet, soybeans and other seeds and if you are really wanting to feed your bird well you could raise some type of bug to feed them for a treat now and then. I have been reeding about chicken farming and some chicken farmers raise roaches to feed to their birds but I don't think I could do it. You may want to consult with a vet to make sure you are giving the bird enough protein and everythign else they need for nutrition but it seems unlikely that they will need to have gluten to eat well. Seems more likely that the feed makers use wheat as a cheap filler.

[Takala]

I doubt very much this stuff is any good for the cockatiel, either.

Research what they need to eat and then go to any large pet food distributor or farm feed store and get the basic wild bird seed without it, and supplement it with other wheat free seeds or grains. My feed store is in an area with a huge number of hobby/pet owners and they sell almost anything by the pound.

I've been feeding my out- during- the day, free range chickens mixed wild bird seed and black oil sunflower seed and/or cracked corn/oats or whatever for years, and contrary to what the books say, this hasn't had any effect on them. I noticed about 20 years ago chickens fed straight "chicken feed" layer mash didn't lay as well as the chickens who were getting supplemented with the horse feed I was mixing up myself.

[kareng]

oh good! I had a good idea! We have " wild bird" stores here that sell a lot of different seeds for different birds. You can buy by the weight so you can get a small amount.y

[eatmeat4good]

We used to have cockatiel and parakeets.

We switched them from bird seed to Bird Food Pellets and I was the happiest woman in the world!

No more dust or discarded shells. The pellet food is fortified with the vitamins and nutrients they need.

Can't remember the name of it. It was kind of expensive but WELL worth it. You mix it with their regulat seed until they get used to it. They eat the whole thing. I'm sure some will disagree, but I found it convenient and it was so much healthier for us. I don't know if it is actually gluten free...but there is no waste from it and the birds took to it really well and were very healthy. It would be really cool if it was gluten free....would solve vacuuming so frequently too.

If I ever have a bird again, I would give it the fruity pepple looking pellet food we fed those birds.

Any pet store should have it or be able to tell you about it.

Good luck.

ps. We did that switch to cope with asthma....before diagnosis....but in the end, it was Celiac- not airborne allergies causing the asthma.

[AmandaD]

GUYS! You rock.

I read all your posts...went to the Mounds Pet food here and made my own cockatiel mix with peanut, corn, red and white millet, safflower and buckwheat seeds.

NO gluten and way cheaper than the crappier wheat-filler feed. We also read about making up salads and hard-boiled eggs for the bird! So glad I wrote today!

[ravenwoodglass]

GUYS! You rock.

I read all your posts...went to the Mounds Pet food here and made my own cockatiel mix with peanut, corn, red and white millet, safflower and buckwheat seeds.

NO gluten and way cheaper than the crappier wheat-filler feed. We also read about making up salads and hard-boiled eggs for the bird! So glad I wrote today!

So glad you found a solution that would work for both your feathered freind and for you!

[kareng]

GUYS! You rock.

I read all your posts...went to the Mounds Pet food here and made my own cockatiel mix with peanut, corn, red and white millet, safflower and buckwheat seeds.

NO gluten and way cheaper than the crappier wheat-filler feed. We also read about making up salads and hard-boiled eggs for the bird! So glad I wrote today!

Yeah! happy bird!

( tell him he owes me )

[GlutenFreeManna]

GUYS! You rock.

I read all your posts...went to the Mounds Pet food here and made my own cockatiel mix with peanut, corn, red and white millet, safflower and buckwheat seeds.

NO gluten and way cheaper than the crappier wheat-filler feed. We also read about making up salads and hard-boiled eggs for the bird! So glad I wrote today!

Glad you found a solution! Your bird will probably be healthier and happier too

[bigbird16]

I'm late to the conversation, but I'll tell you that when I switched my cockatiel to my own mix (got various choice seeds from an online pet store) without wheat or oats, my little girl was so happy. Her feathers were healthier; her poops were of a better consistency; and her mood improved. I also felt much better. (The puppy went grain free the day he came home; he has the sleekest shiniest fur and a trim waistline.) I guess gluten free was good for all of us!