Water is arguably the most important substance for all living beings, including cockatiels. Humans can live for about three days without water, but what about cockatiels?
There’s no definitive answer, but many people agree that cockatiels can live for about a day without water, even less. Never, ever put your cockatiel in such circumstances. It is important to feed your cockatiel fresh food and water on a daily basis.
You never want to do this intentionally to your cockatiel, but many people who have asked either had to go away on a trip and wanted to see what to do about their cockatiel’s care, or they noticed that their cockatiel wasn’t drinking enough.
It is important that your cockatiel gets fresh water every day.
Cockatiels and Water
There should never be any circumstance in which you don’t provide your cockatiel with water.
However, some people may find that they have to go away on a business trip, for a family emergency, or for another situation and they have to leave their pet cockatiel behind until they get back.
The ideal amount of water that cockatiels drink in a day is one teaspoon.
It is recommended that cockatiel owners switch out the water given to them at least twice per day to ensure that it is fresh.
If you’re going away for a day, you can probably get away with making sure that your cockatiel has enough food that doesn’t go bad quickly (such as pellets and seeds) as well as water.
But if you need to be away for several days, try and have someone come to your home twice a day (or let your cockatiel stay with them) so that it can get enough food and water. You never want to use the “wait and see” approach.
Cockatiels are very small birds that don’t have sweat glands, so they don’t need as much water as mammals do, including smaller mammals.
However, cockatiels will lose water throughout the day through breathing and through their droppings, and since they are so small, cockatiels also will metabolize anything that they eat or drink quickly.
So, it is important to provide your cockatiel with a fresh bowl of water daily so it can drink as much as it needs.
Of course, it is also important to provide food daily. We show you how long Cockatiels can go without food in this article – Read it here!
Giving Your Cockatiel Water
We have already talked about the dietary needs of cockatiels many times, but everyone can use a refresher.
You should ideally be giving your cockatiel a fresh bowl of water at least twice a day. This is because your cockatiel might have thrown food in the water, defecated in the water, and more which would have contaminated the water as a result.
You never want your cockatiel to drink such water. Also, if it is particularly warm outside, you’ll want your cockatiel to have fresh, cool water, just like you’d drink yourself.
Most Cockatiels enjoy being sprayed with water. This is not only a good way to give them a shower, but it is also a good way to rehydrate them. Here is how to spray your Cockatiel with water properly!
Now, it’s very possible that your cockatiel won’t be drinking all of that water, since they typically drink only a teaspoon of water every day, which is very little.
There are a number of reasons why your cockatiel might be drinking more, such as it has exercised, it’s hot, or you’ve been giving your cockatiel foods that make it a bit thirsty. It may also depend on if your cockatiel has babies to feed or if it’s on any special medications.
But if you suspect something such as illness, you definitely want to take your cockatiel to the vet straight away. We have also created a detailed article on why your Cockatiel might not be drinking. You can read it here!
However, it could also be the other way around. In case you feel that your Cockatiel is drinking too much, we recommend reading our article on that here.
Giving Cockatiels Food
The amount of water your cockatiel drinks will also depend on the type of food that you are giving it. Some of the foods you will be providing your cockatiel with are naturally high in water content, including leafy greens and fruits.
Since cockatiels don’t need as much water as mammals do, the water content in these foods will be able to provide them with some replenishment. However, always make sure that your cockatiel has fresh water- no matter what you will be feeding it.
This also goes with food. No matter what type of food you will be giving your cockatiel, it is typically recommended that you give it fresh food at least twice per day.
Cockatiels will typically eat foods such as seeds and pellets, but that also doesn’t mean that you should restrict their diet to solely those foods.
It is recommended that you include some other foods into your cockatiel’s diet every so often to prevent it from getting bored and sick of its seeds. Vegetables and fruits should make up at least 20-30 percent of your cockatiel’s diet.
This will ensure that your cockatiel will get the replenishment and nutrients it needs without it being overkill.
It is recommended to give cockatiels leafy greens- particularly dark leafy greens- at least every other day.
Other foods high in water content that you can give your cockatiel about once a week include apples, cantaloupe, mango, peaches, and watermelon.
(If you want to feed your Cockatiel watermelon, we recommend reading our article on that here. It will show you what you can and what you can’t do when it comes to feeding watermelon.)
There are tons of foods for you to choose from that are safe for cockatiels, so you simply have to experiment and see what your cockatiel likes. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s fresh and that you feed your cockatiel around twice a day.
To help you a little bit and to give you a better understand of what Cockatiels like and what they are actually allowed to eat, we have created the following articles. We highly recommend reading them!
- 15 Treats Your Cockatiel will love!
- Should a Cockatiel eat raisins?
- Can parrots eat lemons? (A Cockatiel is a parakeet, but the info in that article is valid for them as well. Lemons have many benefits!)
Bottom Line
To conclude, you really don’t want to put your cockatiel in a situation where it doesn’t have access to fresh water. Cockatiels can live for about a day without water because they are a lot smaller than humans are and they metabolize their food very quickly.
On a regular day, you will want to make sure that your cockatiel has access to a fresh bowl of water at all times, and switch it out around twice a day- more if you notice that the water has been contaminated with something.
Cockatiels can typically drink a teaspoon of water per day, more or less depending on the other foods you give it. If you provide it with water-rich foods, it might drink only a half a teaspoon.
If you’ll be going away, have someone pet sit your cockatiel because it won’t be able to stay alone for that long. If you’ll be gone for several hours, your cockatiel will be fine. Otherwise, it is mandatory that your cockatiel get fresh food and water daily to stay healthy.
Related Questions
How long can cockatiels go without food?
Just like with water, cockatiels can live for around a day without food due to their fast metabolism. Make sure they are fed fresh food around twice per day.
How much water do cockatiels drink daily?
It is estimated that cockatiels will drink about one teaspoon of water every day. They don’t need much more since they don’t have sweat glands to lose water. But, they do lose water through breathing and through defecation.
How much do cockatiels eat daily?
Cockatiels eat approximately 15 grams every day. They are small creatures and they metabolize quickly, so they don’t need to eat much, much more than that. Just make sure to give them enough nutrients and feed them around twice per day.
