My Cockatoo is Throwing Out His Food

Last Updated on October 1, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

I have a 6 yr. old Umbrella coci-a-too that has started throwing his food out! I mean he empties his bowl. What can I do to keep him from doing this? I remove his bowls but I’m sure he’d like to eat! Appreciate any help! Linda L.

Hi Linda – first some questions

When you say “started” how long a go?
What may have changed in his environmental to cause this behavior?
Has his diet changed?
What’s his current diet?

Mitch,

Thanks for your reply! This really got bad about a month ago. He always threw out some but now he empties both his food and what I call his ‘treat’ bowl. He eats a blend of parrot food I buy from the pet store in bulk.

It’s got peanuts, sunflower seeds little round yellow things, kinda looks like dog food only smaller.

I also give him Cheerios and a piece of toast. In his treat dish I put Zupreem fruit bits and the striped sunflower seeds. Nothing has changed in his life. Things run on a pretty even keel here.

He gets out of his cage around 8:00 a.m. and has bites of breakfast with my husband He likes the oatmeal and toast.

He’s out until 10:00. When he goes ‘home’, he’s in his cage until around 4:00. He has assorted toys and all kinds of things to keep him busy.

He gets out about 4:00 and is out with us until I put him to bed around 8:30-9:00.

He has a perch in the great room and stays there while he’s out or rides around the house with us on someones shoulder. Any advice would be appreciated! Linda

Lets start with a couple of things we can test for

How much are you placing in the food cups? If they are more than 1/3 – 1/2 full it’s too much.

Also I’d like you to stop feeding any of the bulk food for a couple of days. Give him some Cheerios, fresh fruit anything but the bulk food. Here’s my reasoning

1)The bulk bird food blend may have changed and your Cockatoo doen’t care for the new blend

2) The bulk bird food may have gotten contaminates your parrot is rejecting

3) I would like you to call the shop and ask them if before refilling the bulk bird food barrels/dispensers, the empty them fully and disinfect them?

If they don’t there’s a possibility of mold accumulating on the bottom of the vessel that is permeating and affecting the “fresh food” You can also ask them if the bulk bird food blend recipe has changed?

My guess is the peanuts may be the culprits. Unless you watch peanuts like a hawk it’s easy to get them with mold. It’s harder to detect the mold if the peanuts are in a bird food blend.

Lastly how much are you paying per pound for the bulk food?

Thank you

When I buy the bulk food, I put it in the freezer for a couple days. I was told that would kill any ‘seed moths’ and I don’t need them.

The peanuts I buy are packaged, unsalted, roasted ones in a bag from the grocery store.

I don’t put a lot in his food bowl. Thats just in case he decides to throw it out ( as he has started doing!) I don’t remember what I pay for the bulk food.

I usually get it when I get my dog food and treats so its all added together.

I usually buy a 5 lb. bag. The pet store I used to get my food from stopped selling it in bulk and I thought it was a new state law or something.

But another pet store still sells it. I might just go to brand already packaged and see what he thinks of that! What kinds of parrot foods do you carry?

Placing bird food in a conventional refrigerator will kill larvae but 2 weeks in a chest freezer is necessary to kill the eggs found in all bird food.

We sell bird food from many brands all in factory sealed bags. Goldenfeast and Hagen nitrogen flush their bags to kill bugs.

One blend that sounds close to what you’re feeding is Higgins Safflower Gold which may be a starting point for you as a test.

Author Profile

Mitch Rezman

Latest entries

Bird & Parrot AnatomyNovember 15, 2024Unlocking the Secrets of Goffin’s Cockatoo Problem Solving
Bathing and HealthNovember 15, 2024How to Help Your Feathered Friend Through Molting Madness
Bird & Parrot BreedingNovember 14, 2024What’s the Difference Between Feather Preening, Plucking and Molting?
Feeding Exotic BirdsNovember 8, 2024The Ultimate Guide to Safe and Healthy Foods for Pet Birds

This Post Has One Comment

Anna O'Connor
6 Aug 2017 Log in to Reply

My sun conure has been throwing her food out of her bowl not wasting all of it but a lot of it. She is making a mess in the bottom of her cage and I don’t know how to prevent that? I try taking her food out, and feeding her food one by one. She tends to eat a lot of the sun flower seeds first, when there is other food that’s good. This is the same food that we have been getting for awhile, but she never used to do this.. I do give her some fruits and treats every day, but do you think I should lean more towards giving her more fruits and veggies?

I let her out sometimes when I am home, or when I get home from school, but nothing unusal has changed, with the environment in our house. When I do let her out, she sits on top of her cage for awhile at my house, the door is open, but then goes back in and doesn’t come out again, makes skwaking noises like she wants to come out, when the door is wide open, do not know what that means? When I try to pet her head she sometimes turns around and tries to bite me, when I did nothing wrong.

Could you please give me tips on what to do thank you.
Anna O'Connor
6 Aug 2017 Log in to Reply

My sun conure has been throwing her food out of her bowl not wasting all of it but a lot of it. She is making a mess in the bottom of her cage and I don’t know how to prevent that? I try taking her food out, and feeding her food one by one. She tends to eat a lot of the sun flower seeds first, when there is other food that’s good. This is the same food that we have been getting for awhile, but she never used to do this.. I do give her some fruits and treats every day, but do you think I should lean more towards giving her more fruits and veggies?

I let her out sometimes when I am home, or when I get home from school, but nothing unusal has changed, with the environment in our house. When I do let her out, she sits on top of her cage for awhile at my house, the door is open, but then goes back in and doesn’t come out again, makes skwaking noises like she wants to come out, when the door is wide open, do not know what that means? When I try to pet her head she sometimes turns around and tries to bite me, when I did nothing wrong.

Could you please give me tips on what to do thank you.

Since 1993
Online in 2002

$49 Ships Free
$7 Ships Small

Toll Free
877 ~ 287 ~ 0810

618 E Commercial Ave,
Lowell, IN 46356 USA

Windy City Parrot

Click
for
Support 24/7