Ernie the lutino has recently invaded our home; he's very intelligent for a cockatiel (as far as I know--I've only had two) but I am worried about his physical strength. First off, he is only about 10 weeks old, and although I have made the harder fruits to eat (eg sunflower, peas, dried fruit, those spherical brown ones, etc.) available, he is picky, choosing to eat only the millet and the parakeet-size seeds. Not only that, I have found that although I adores sunflower seeds when I crack the shell for him, he cannot open it by himself if I give it to him whole. Neither can he eat pellets without me softening it with water. I don't want him eating only those smaller seeds, but I've found that he gets frustrated from eating if he cannot find the smaller seeds. I've supplemented his diet with fruits and meat, but I'm worried about his beak strength. Whenever he walks, he also tries to keep as close to the floor as possible. Is he just lazy, or is it a problem, because other than that, he is a very active, noisy bird. I am also curious as to whether cockatiel dust can create allergies out of nowhere. I am not allergic to dust, and I've had a cockatiel before, but once we got Ernie, I started to cough a lot, including lots of mucus. My mother has the same problem, although she didn't have it either with our previous bird. Thank you.

-Jennifer W.