chris-md
Well-known member
- Feb 6, 2010
- 4,362
- 2,146
- Parrots
- Parker - male Eclectus
Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Nonono. This is used as a sanitizer, not good. Just use tap water.
Could really use some experienced help
- Thread starter Quentin98
- Start date
Nonono. This is used as a sanitizer, not good. Just use tap water.
noodles123
Well-known member
- Jul 11, 2018
- 8,145
- 475
- Parrots
- Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
See- I was missing something lol! THANKS!
- Dec 18, 2013
- 22,301
- 4,216
- Parrots
- Maya (Female Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Jolly (Male Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Bixby (Male, red-sided eclectus. RIP), Suzie (Male cockatiel. RIP)
Hello, Quentin, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!
I love all of the research you are doing for your newly adopted little guy. That's a good sign that he's found a good home. You've also received lots of good advice here already, so I'll just pile on with my own two cents.
First, diet. Here is what I currently feed Maya and Jolly: I tend to provide between 6 and 8 types of food per feeding (2 meals per day), weighted heavily toward the veggie side, as only 1 of the food selections in a given meal is a fruit.
Various sprouts, carrots (very important due to the high content of beta carotene - precursor to Vitamin A), bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and green – also very high in Vitamin A), jalapeno peppers, Jamaican Scotch bonnet peppers, chili peppers, squash (butternut, green and yellow), pumpkin (again, high in Vitamin A), blueberries and pomegranates (both among the most nutritious of fruits), snap peas, broccoli (high in calcium), cactus pears, dragon fruit, persimmon, starfruit, bananas, grapes (only for flavor and hydration. Relatively low in nutrition), kale, turnips, radishes, brown rice, quinoa, cucumbers, endives, dandelion (nutritional powerhouse offered at every meal when seasonally available), sweet potato (cooked), red swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, cilantro, parsley, watercress, arugula, granny smith apples, papaya (don’t go too heavy on this, as it is a diarrhetic), African horned melon, hominy, oatmeal (sans sugar or flavoring), kiwi, barley, calendula flowers, fennel, chocho beans and garbanzo beans, as well as Volkman's Fancy Soak and Simmer as a base for the majority of their legumes and grains.
For food accents I'll add one or two types of the following as well: star anise, milk thistle, elder berries, rose hips, hibiscus, bee pollen and chamomile flowers.
Up to twice a month, I'll give a little hard-boiled egg (with the crushed shell for calcium). Slightly more frequently during a molt.
For their training treats they get an assortment of unsalted nuts (one to three or so per bird in a given day, broken into small pieces and fed as rewards during the training sessions). And for their "goodnight treat", up to a teaspoon or two of seeds.
There are some conflicting reports, but I've heard from a great many sources that spinach has properties that tend to block a body's ability to absorb calcium. I've heard the same about Brussels sprouts. Since I don't know how much would be the amount that would trigger this, I just steer away from both foods.
I also never feed my birds peanuts or strawberries. My objection to peanuts is, by far, the more vehement of the two. As mentioned earlier in one of Noodle's posts, aflatoxins can be found on peanuts that could lead to aspergillosis. Now, some have fed peanuts to their birds for years without a problem. Why? Because not all peanuts have aflatoxins on them. But it can, and does, happen. So, I don't risk it.
As for strawberries, there have been reports of a kind of fungus, invisible to the naked eye, that can be present on them. A fungus that is very dangerous to birds. Not as much to support this one, but again, why chance it?
I don't feed my birds any kind of meat, save for the exceedingly rare taste of a sliver of grilled chicken or fish. Pork, beef, mutton or the like is a strict no-no. The dangers of atherosclerosis and fatty liver disease are real.
And here's a resource I've consulted often over the years. I consider it the dietary bible for eclectus parrots, and every section on the site should be read in full. Great stuff! fruitandveg
As for bonding and training, the most important thing is to build trust. What Chris said about this, in particular, was an awesome point. One of the best ways to build a bond is via training. Not necessarily for the simple fact of getting a certain result using certain stimuli (though this is also valuable), but rather because it establishes a baseline of communication between the two of you. Communication is an important stepping stone toward trust.
To this end, the training I recommend first is usually target training. Especially since targeting can serve as a gateway training type to stepping up or recall. Here is a link to my favorite video on target training: [ame="https://youtu.be/HaOicTtwIZo"]Beginners guide to target training parrots - YouTube[/ame]
As has been said, don't push for the bonding. It always works better when you get him to believe coming to you was his idea. So take the time to learn his favorite treat, and use it exclusively for his training sessions. The goal is for him to form the association in his mind between you and the tastiest of treats. With birds, it's never about domination. It's about getting them to want what you want. And the road to that goal begins with bribery. Lol!
It'll take time and some patience, but it does work. Both my birds go where I want them to go with pretty much 100% reliability. But it wasn't always that way.
I love all of the research you are doing for your newly adopted little guy. That's a good sign that he's found a good home. You've also received lots of good advice here already, so I'll just pile on with my own two cents.
First, diet. Here is what I currently feed Maya and Jolly: I tend to provide between 6 and 8 types of food per feeding (2 meals per day), weighted heavily toward the veggie side, as only 1 of the food selections in a given meal is a fruit.
Various sprouts, carrots (very important due to the high content of beta carotene - precursor to Vitamin A), bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and green – also very high in Vitamin A), jalapeno peppers, Jamaican Scotch bonnet peppers, chili peppers, squash (butternut, green and yellow), pumpkin (again, high in Vitamin A), blueberries and pomegranates (both among the most nutritious of fruits), snap peas, broccoli (high in calcium), cactus pears, dragon fruit, persimmon, starfruit, bananas, grapes (only for flavor and hydration. Relatively low in nutrition), kale, turnips, radishes, brown rice, quinoa, cucumbers, endives, dandelion (nutritional powerhouse offered at every meal when seasonally available), sweet potato (cooked), red swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, cilantro, parsley, watercress, arugula, granny smith apples, papaya (don’t go too heavy on this, as it is a diarrhetic), African horned melon, hominy, oatmeal (sans sugar or flavoring), kiwi, barley, calendula flowers, fennel, chocho beans and garbanzo beans, as well as Volkman's Fancy Soak and Simmer as a base for the majority of their legumes and grains.
For food accents I'll add one or two types of the following as well: star anise, milk thistle, elder berries, rose hips, hibiscus, bee pollen and chamomile flowers.
Up to twice a month, I'll give a little hard-boiled egg (with the crushed shell for calcium). Slightly more frequently during a molt.
For their training treats they get an assortment of unsalted nuts (one to three or so per bird in a given day, broken into small pieces and fed as rewards during the training sessions). And for their "goodnight treat", up to a teaspoon or two of seeds.
There are some conflicting reports, but I've heard from a great many sources that spinach has properties that tend to block a body's ability to absorb calcium. I've heard the same about Brussels sprouts. Since I don't know how much would be the amount that would trigger this, I just steer away from both foods.
I also never feed my birds peanuts or strawberries. My objection to peanuts is, by far, the more vehement of the two. As mentioned earlier in one of Noodle's posts, aflatoxins can be found on peanuts that could lead to aspergillosis. Now, some have fed peanuts to their birds for years without a problem. Why? Because not all peanuts have aflatoxins on them. But it can, and does, happen. So, I don't risk it.
As for strawberries, there have been reports of a kind of fungus, invisible to the naked eye, that can be present on them. A fungus that is very dangerous to birds. Not as much to support this one, but again, why chance it?
I don't feed my birds any kind of meat, save for the exceedingly rare taste of a sliver of grilled chicken or fish. Pork, beef, mutton or the like is a strict no-no. The dangers of atherosclerosis and fatty liver disease are real.
And here's a resource I've consulted often over the years. I consider it the dietary bible for eclectus parrots, and every section on the site should be read in full. Great stuff! fruitandveg
As for bonding and training, the most important thing is to build trust. What Chris said about this, in particular, was an awesome point. One of the best ways to build a bond is via training. Not necessarily for the simple fact of getting a certain result using certain stimuli (though this is also valuable), but rather because it establishes a baseline of communication between the two of you. Communication is an important stepping stone toward trust.
To this end, the training I recommend first is usually target training. Especially since targeting can serve as a gateway training type to stepping up or recall. Here is a link to my favorite video on target training: [ame="https://youtu.be/HaOicTtwIZo"]Beginners guide to target training parrots - YouTube[/ame]
As has been said, don't push for the bonding. It always works better when you get him to believe coming to you was his idea. So take the time to learn his favorite treat, and use it exclusively for his training sessions. The goal is for him to form the association in his mind between you and the tastiest of treats. With birds, it's never about domination. It's about getting them to want what you want. And the road to that goal begins with bribery. Lol!
It'll take time and some patience, but it does work. Both my birds go where I want them to go with pretty much 100% reliability. But it wasn't always that way.
The sweeter heater linked here is a radiant heat panal parrot safe. Not a light. It puts out a lot if radiant heat so hang on the back outside off to one side if the cage. Out a perch on the inside infront if it. That way they can seek hear when they want a d move away from it if they need to. I have used for many years. The smallest size is bigger than really needed but that's all they have.
https://www.amazon.com/SWEETER-HEAT...ocphy=9011492&hvtargid=pla-570447339255&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/SWEETER-HEAT...ocphy=9011492&hvtargid=pla-570447339255&psc=1
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