I need help! Eating issues.

[buddyrecee]

Hello Eclectus lovers...

I have 2 Eclectus parrots: Buddy & Recee.

Buddy is 8 and Recee is 3.

Recee is an angel when it comes to eating, showers, playing, socialization, etc.. Buddy on the other hand, he is my problem child and the reason why I am posting this thread.

We adopted Buddy when he was 5. He was eating seed when we adopted him, so we continued to feed him seed. Of course along with veggies and all other healthy foods.

We've slowly tried to eliminate seed, and end up giving in and going back to it because of the frustration. Finally we've decided to bite the bullet and follow through. I would consider keeping him on seed if he ate all the other goodies that come in the $80 bag of food: dried bananas, cinnamon sticks, dried veggies, nuts, etc. But he only eats the small seed. So 70% of the bag ends up on the bottom of his cage.

We recently started giving him pellet and eliminating seed all together(Higgins Intune all natural). Our female loves this pellet, Buddy just won't give it the time of day.

I've tried softening it and adding a bit of peanut butter because he loves soft foods, but nope, he's not going for it. He'll nibble for a few minutes and then start throwing it out of his bowl.

I could go on and on with all the things I've tried, but I'd have to write a book. Bottom line, I need help/advice! I want to continue to give him his fresh veggies and healthy foods (even though he hardly eats them) and eliminate seed all together..

Does anyone have that "try this, it worked for me!" suggestion?

By the way, he is very hormonally frustrated, and he thinks my husband is his mate.. Which I assume is the primary reason he continues to pluck. He wants nothing to do with Recee (our female Eclectus) in that way. They're brother and sister and perfectly ok with that, although he does regurgitate for her here and there..

Any advice on getting him exclusively on pellet? Will a certain pellet work better than the other? In Buddy's perfect world he would live off of cheese, tunafish, french fries, chicken and pasta.

Help!

Thanks in advance for anyone who reads this..

:red:

 

[GaryBV]

Hi Buddy Parrots are famous for being picky and changing their diet can be a daunting job. The hardest part is for you not to lose faith and to keep it up. There are some things you can do to help your bird adjust, and I'm sure you have tried some of them.

You could try nutri-berries which are a 50% mix of pellets and seeds and most birds take too. There are something called pellet-berries also, which are I believe 80% pellet/20% seed - so that could be a good step as well. Avi-cakes are excellent and my birds love them.

I would also mix his seed 50% with the pellets you have chosen to buy at 50% and make him dig through them to find what he wants. Yes, he will waste, all parrots are wasteful to be honest, and some worse than others. I think in nature all that waste aided plants in propogation and spreading of their seeds. Another trick is to add some fruit juice that he likes to his pellets, to flavor them. You said he likes soft foods - so maybe mixing the pellets with fruit juice to make it more soft might be helpful - just be careful not to leave them in the cage too long because could spoil.

Do keep up with the fresh fruits and vegetables - he may not be eating a lot of them, but hopefully he is eating some, and that is just a cost you will have to absorb - but one thing is certain, if you don't give him any he will never eat any. Good luck, I know it's frustrating and trying, but it's an issue many of us bird owners have faced.

 

[Freespin]

I will be honest. Over here in new Zealand we have very little in the way of pellets. Lots of colored biscuity type kaytee but I have never seen pellets apart from on the internet. I had actually never given them a thought until I joined this site. Now the kaytee blend is colored so no good for eckie. In new Zealand almost all birds live in some form of a seed mix as far as I am aware so why is everyone so anti! Surely as an eckie as long as majority of his diet is fresh fruit and vege what's the huge issue with using a budgie or cockatiel seed mix as well? My boy seems to be doing just fine on it as well as all of the other kiwi eckies (and other parrots) I have come across.

 

[RockysMom]

have you tried any Goldenfeast? Goldenfeast makes all kinds of different mixes all good and natural ingredients , I have one male eckie and I feed him Goldenfeast with just a very small amount of pellets , he only gets pellets about 3 times a week , but to tell you the truth he really doesn't care for his pellets, I have Roudybush and I have some Harrisons he really doesn't care for either one , what he likes best is to sneek into Smokeys cage our grey and eat his Intune pellets and his food , I have to keep running him out of Smokeys cage because Smo0key doesn't care lol he would sit and let him help hiself
you can order Goldenfeast from just about any online birdstore , here is their direct link also heres mysafebirdstore her link My Safe Bird Store | Discounted Bird Products | BIRD FREE ENVIRONMENT| Free Shipping Available

heres Goldenfeast Direct link , Our Complete Line | Goldenfeast Direct
I usually order Madagascar Delite or Carribian Bounty

 

[GaryBV]

I will be honest too Freespin. It's pretty much universally accepted that an all seed diet is detrimental, that it leads to liver disease and a much shortened life. Nobody is anti-seed, in that people say NO seeds in diet, but only in moderation. Pellets have been shown to be a more balanced diet than just a seed diet, and birds can't just pick out the ones they love (sunflowers!) and leave the ones they're not crazy about. I don't understand why you seem offended. It's good your bird is on a varied diet, but time will tell how balanced your bird's diet really is. It has also been demonstrated that dyes can be detrimental over a long period of time - which is why many parronts prefer that our pellets be naturally colored or not colored at all. I would generally value the opinion of an expert or authority on the subject rather than any anecdotal evidence.

Here is a thread on the subject of NZ and pellets:

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/13065-how-can-i-get-decent-pellets-new-zealand.html

Here is a vet in NZ that offers Harrisons:

http://www.exoticvet.co.nz/webfiles...roducing_your_bird_to_Harrisons_Bird_Diet.pdf


I'm sure you could order Harrison's from here:

HARRISON’S DISTRIBUTORS IN NEW ZEALAND

Lynfield Veterinary Clinic
122 White Swan Rd – Lynfield, Aukland
New Zealand
Phone: 0116496264335 – Fax: 0116496266360
[email protected]
www.exoticvet.co.nz

 

[solrac13]

You should try only giving him fresh veggies and fruits mix in a bowl in the morning, with absolutely no seeds

And at night time before bed take out that bowl and give him small portion of seeds

During the first 2 days he may be refusing but im pretty sure on day 3 he will eat his veggies and fruits

I will not try giving him dry fruits best is fresh

If he is a healthy bird with normal weight as i assume viewing his age he can live few days on a diet with no problem

 

[Freespin]

I will be honest too Freespin. It's pretty much universally known that an all seed diet is detrimental, that it leads to liver disease and a much shortened life. Nobody is anti-seed, in that people say NO seeds in diet, but only in moderation. Pellets have been shown to be a more balanced diet than just a seed diet, and birds can't just pick out the ones they love (sunflowers!) and leave the ones they're not crazy about. I don't understand why you seen offended. It's good your bird is on a varied diet, but time will tell how balanced your bird's diet really is. It has also been demonstrated that dyes can be detrimental over a long period of time - which is why many parronts prefer that our pellets be naturally colored or not colored at all. I would generally value the opinion of an expert or authority on the subject rather than any anecdotal evidence.

Everything readily available here is dyed so I will not feed it to my eckie. I seem offended because I am. Everything I read on this forum about diets indirectly comes across to me as I am a bad owner for not feeding pellets to my eckie. But then I know hardly anyone in this country that feeds them! If your bird receives a variety of fresh natural unprocessed foods why do they need pellets too? To me it's just more processed and UN natural too I guess. Like the stupidly expensive dog biscuits with about a hundred different ingredients most which I have never heard of.

 

[Freespin]

Oh and I am not suggesting an all seed diet is ok at all! I believe in feeding fresh fruit, vege, meat (depending on species) etc as well as part of a balanced diet.

 

[MikeyTN]

Pellets should be minimal in ekkies diet as they have added vitamins and such that's detrimental to ekkies as they cause toe tapping, wing flipping, etc. They do better on fresh food and cooked foods such as sweet potatoes, steamed chicken breast meat, lentils, etc. I do give a table spoon full of seeds during evening time. Please do visit this site----> Eclectus Parrots

 

[GaryBV]

I had heard that too, Mikey, that Ecckies had a rather specialized diet that was different from most other parrots. I don't have one so I'm not an expert on them.

Freespin, if you are going to be offended, don't be offended at me or other people who feed our birds undyed pellets, but direct it towards the pet and vet industry in your own country that are underserving the parrot owning community by not offering what is generally available in other 1st world nations. I do understand your frustration but I do feel it's misdirected. Aussies are certainly able to obtain various brands and types of pellets and I don't know why you all woudn't be able too.

 

[Freespin]

I am certainly not offended that people feed pellets and I have no issue with people feeding them it's just the vibes "if you feed seed instead of pellets you are killing your bird" that offend me...I guess there is the part of me who knows I am trying to do the best by my animals and has strong beliefs and then the tiny part that is getting paranoid (then frustrated at myself for getting to that point) about being a bad owner for not doing what everyone else strongly believes. I'm certainly not trying to say I'm right you are wrong but I don't understand why other people see it as that way.

 

[Freespin]

And I am not aiming this at your Gary, it's just something I have come across time and time again on this forum.

 

[GaryBV]

I'm not taking it personal Freespin, and really I do understand. We're both on a forum that's primary focus is parrots, their diets, and their behaviors, so it's not the 'general population.' People on any specialty forum are bound to be opinionated and more knowledgeable than people in general. It gets difficult when the information can be contrary but our goals are the same, to provide our parrots with the best quality of life, best food products, and best mental and physical stimulation we can. That at least is a noble goal

 

[Freespin]

Pellets should be minimal in ekkies diet as they have added vitamins and such that's detrimental to ekkies as they cause toe tapping, wing flipping, etc. They do better on fresh food and cooked foods such as sweet potatoes, steamed chicken breast meat, lentils, etc. I do give a table spoon full of seeds during evening time. Please do visit this site----> Eclectus Parrots

That website is great =) thanks

 

[solrac13]

Pellets should be minimal in ekkies diet as they have added vitamins and such that's detrimental to ekkies as they cause toe tapping, wing flipping, etc. They do better on fresh food and cooked foods such as sweet potatoes, steamed chicken breast meat, lentils, etc. I do give a table spoon full of seeds during evening time. Please do visit this site----> Eclectus Parrots

That website is great =) thanks

Eclectus Land of Vosmaeri Feather Destruction I think a bit of everything makes easy life for u and your pet friend, the more u get them use to all kinds of different things including seeds and pellets is all benefit on the futur run

 

[Mike17]

I will be honest. Over here in new Zealand we have very little in the way of pellets. Lots of colored biscuity type kaytee but I have never seen pellets apart from on the internet. I had actually never given them a thought until I joined this site. Now the kaytee blend is colored so no good for eckie. In new Zealand almost all birds live in some form of a seed mix as far as I am aware so why is everyone so anti! Surely as an eckie as long as majority of his diet is fresh fruit and vege what's the huge issue with using a budgie or cockatiel seed mix as well? My boy seems to be doing just fine on it as well as all of the other kiwi eckies (and other parrots) I have come across.

I have to agree. All our eccies have spurned pellets, only one of four we've had eats them at all. They pick through seed mixes to get their favourites- which is usually sunflower which I try to limit their intake of. Some Nutri-berries are on the way, although they are quite expensive, and take a long time! Our birds just seem to prefer seed. They get apple and greens, pomegranate when we can find them, mangoes in season, ditto strawberries. They seem to go off even strawberries though after a few days. Our hand-raised guy Alex ate all of half a hardboiled egg today, which is a first as he normally picks out the yolk.

I would imagine Aussie VetaFarm products would be available to you in NZ? I'm sure they'll post to Enzed, although it might cost a bit...

 

[buddyrecee]

Well, thank you all for your replies!

It's 9:20 AM here in florida.. My eclectus babies are in the shower listening to nature music (their favorite morning routine).

I am just about to feed them breakfast and the stress of Buddy's diet is setting in once again.

I think the reason it is so stressful to me is the fact that my female is just so easy to please and buddy is anything but easy. My expectations from him are set high because of Recee. She loves munching on her pellet throughout the day and will eat 100% of anything else I give her.

Buddy will not touch fruit, only bananas with peanut butter. When we are in the kitchen he does circles in his cage and screams for food when he knows we're cooking. We've spoiled him so much with giving in to his every demand, that I think we've created a monster.

When I say he loves seed, he actually ONLY loves Higgins Celestial mix. Even though there is the same kind of seed in any other product, he will only eat the Celestial mix. I'm guessing it must have a certain enhanced flavor because of the mixture with cinnamon and what not.

One question I have is, how much food should an eclectus eat per day? If you held out your hand, what is the ideal amount they should eat? Half of the palm of your hand? Small handful?

I don't know if there is a solid answer to Buddy's issues. I've heard story after story of what worked for someone else's eclectus. However none of these work for him.

For now I'll continue to cook and refrigerate his mash: rive, beans, veggies and give this to him at night, and try whatever else throughout the day.

I know Vitamin A is so necessary for ekkies, but of course, buddy won't touch a sweet potato for the life of him. Recee on the other hand knocks it down in 2 minutes.

What if I add a couple marshmallows to the sweet potato?? hmm. That may work. OR is that a complete no no because of the sugar? He loves sweets every now and then. His favorite is a bite or two of ice cream once in a great while.

I come up with new ideas all the time to help him but I'm slowly running out of them...

The good news is, he is loved regardless of his issues! Although he drives us crazy.

Thanks all.

 

[buddyrecee]

Hi Buddy Parrots are famous for being picky and changing their diet can be a daunting job. The hardest part is for you not to lose faith and to keep it up. There are some things you can do to help your bird adjust, and I'm sure you have tried some of them.

You could try nutri-berries which are a 50% mix of pellets and seeds and most birds take too. There are something called pellet-berries also, which are I believe 80% pellet/20% seed - so that could be a good step as well. Avi-cakes are excellent and my birds love them.

I would also mix his seed 50% with the pellets you have chosen to buy at 50% and make him dig through them to find what he wants. Yes, he will waste, all parrots are wasteful to be honest, and some worse than others. I think in nature all that waste aided plants in propogation and spreading of their seeds. Another trick is to add some fruit juice that he likes to his pellets, to flavor them. You said he likes soft foods - so maybe mixing the pellets with fruit juice to make it more soft might be helpful - just be careful not to leave them in the cage too long because could spoil.

Do keep up with the fresh fruits and vegetables - he may not be eating a lot of them, but hopefully he is eating some, and that is just a cost you will have to absorb - but one thing is certain, if you don't give him any he will never eat any. Good luck, I know it's frustrating and trying, but it's an issue many of us bird owners have faced.

I am going to try pellet-berries!! I've seen these everywhere, but never gave them a shot. In order to make the seed and pellet stick together, what do you think they use? I've always had the impression of treats like these that they are a sugary based food.. No? He's got to get the vitamins from fruit somehow. He'd probably pick off the seed and waste the rest.. Wait! I need to stay positive.

Would this be a good morning dish, because of the fruit substance? And because of the fact he will NOT eat fresh fruit that I cut up.. then a small amount of pellets throughout the day, and veggies at night?

 

[GaryBV]

I don't know what Lafeber's uses to stick the pellets together, but I don't think you will find many criticisms of this food, either the nutri-berries or the pellet-berries. Lafeber products are very well thought of. They most certainly can be used as the basic diet, not just treats, but I use them primarly as treats for my birds This is an excellent time to purchase a big tub for about $25.00 as they are on sale for the holidays. You ask if it would be a good morning dish - I think as they are a balanced food they can be given at any time, but it is my experience that my birds feed most heavily in the morning, and that is when I'd concontrate on giving them their most healthful mean.

Here are the pellet-berries on Amazon:


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lafebers-Pellet-berries-Parrots-3-5lb-Tub/dp/B004ZZSGN4/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1387568650&sr=1-3&keywords=pellet+berries"]Amazon.com: Lafeber's Pellet-berries for Parrots 3.5lb Tub: Pet Supplies[/ame]


Here are the nutri-berries on Amazon:


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lafeber-Classic-Parrot-Nutri-Berries-3-25/dp/B0002ARFOM/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1387568650&sr=1-5&keywords=pellet+berries"]Amazon.com: Lafeber Classic Parrot Nutri-Berries 3.25 lb Tub: Pet Supplies[/ame]



And HERE are some tropical fruit nutri-berries:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lafebers-Gourmet-Tropical-Nutri-Berries-Parrots/dp/B00027ZVFU/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_1"]Amazon.com: Lafeber's Gourmet Tropical Fruit Nutri-Berries for Parrots 3 lb. Bag: Pet Supplies[/ame]



I do believe that the larger the variety of foods you can get your bird to eat the better for it. Ecckies also have specific nutritional needs than other parrots, and I would suggest you visit the site that Mikey has provided to get specific information on your bird:


Eclectus Parrots


I also did a search specifically for Eclectus in bird foods on Amazon and here is what came up:


[ame="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=node%3D2975238011&field-keywords=Eclectus&rh=n%3A2975238011%2Ck%3AEclectus"]Amazon.com: Eclectus - Food / Birds: Pet Supplies[/ame]




It does appear for the Eclectus that it is especially important to for them to have fresh fruits and vegetables - which is what you are having problems with. Good luck

 

[Freespin]

Have you tried making a fine chop mix and mixing a small amount of his seed mix in that without offering an alternative? I'm not really sure with parrots (dont want him starving to death!) But with kids and dogs I know it works if you offer the food and they don't eat it take it away and don't offer anything else until next meal time and then do the same. If he learns he has to eat what he is given or he goes hungry he may start trying it...