Disgusted!

[Dinosrawr]

Stephen, I was myself trying to do research on the Eclectus dietary needs through published articles and the like, and many of the articles come from quite a long time ago and rarely discuss the special diet required for them in captivity. The most recent study I found was on a special parrot that was an obligate frugivore, and even then it was a short-term study. They basically confirmed that a diet has to be very, VERY specific to the bird itself to be successful, and even then the natural diet and its analysis needs to be properly matched to any commercially made foods (which really aren't in production). They also confirmed that birds that have sensitive diets (ie. obligate food consumers) also often have extended vili for to allow for an increase of surface area for more microvili, meaning MORE absorption. Which in turn means they absorb nutrients, minerals, and fats far more effectively and in greater quantity, and that means they're very easily affected by what they eat.

I actually even had a difficult time finding the proper label on an eclectus's diet - obligate frugivore, facultative frugivore (I'm pretty sure they're facultative), omnivore, etc. And to be honest, why wouldn't you want to model the majority of an animal's diet - especially one that is NOT domesticated - to its natural diet? Because money... which is sad.

You don't feed a tiger house cat food just because it's a big cat. So why would you feed an Eclectus pellets just because it's a bird?

 

[Anansi]

...While I have fortunately never observed toe-tapping or wing-flipping by my Eclectus, the dietary causal relationship is clear. Attributing these behaviors to natural traits is nothing short of malevolent.

Agreed. The behaviors are so obviously not an indicator of good health that I think malevolent does indeed fit.

Back on point:

There was ample evidence more than 20 YEARS BEFORE this crap was ever published that it was simply NOT TRUE!!! Therefore we can only assume that this is a DELIBERATE attempt by a vet to push product by posting something that goes against pretty much all the medical literature on this topic...

Yup. Malevolent is as malevolent does.

...And PUH-LEEEZE... Comparing what is essentially a neurological siezure disorder to an oddball BP2 mating display?! The letters WTF come immediately to mind!!!

EXactly! You have pretty much captured my exact thought upon reading the article... followed, of course by a healthy dose of disgust.

Stephen, I was myself trying to do research on the Eclectus dietary needs through published articles and the like, and many of the articles come from quite a long time ago and rarely discuss the special diet required for them in captivity.

So true, Chantal! This is why I've had to do so much exhaustive research on the topic, and also why I make sure to list all of the foods I feed to my ekkies so often. I remember how frustrating it was initially to get a straight answer on what is good for them and what isn't. I don't think I've ever researched anything that has so many contradictory "facts" listed as the ekkie diet. Funny thing is, one of the things that you do see with consistency is the fact that toe-tapping and wing-flipping are not good things, and often indicative of either a dietary deficiency or an overdose.

The most recent study I found was on a special parrot that was an obligate frugivore, and even then it was a short-term study. They basically confirmed that a diet has to be very, VERY specific to the bird itself to be successful, and even then the natural diet and its analysis needs to be properly matched to any commercially made foods (which really aren't in production). They also confirmed that birds that have sensitive diets (ie. obligate food consumers) also often have extended vili for to allow for an increase of surface area for more microvili, meaning MORE absorption. Which in turn means they absorb nutrients, minerals, and fats far more effectively and in greater quantity, and that means they're very easily affected by what they eat.

Yessssssss! Thank you, Chantal! Extended villi for increased surface area which, in turn, leads to greater and more effective absorption! But that increased surface area effect can also be achieved via a longer digestive tract. I mention this because some claim that there is no difference between the digestive tract of an ekkie and that of other parrots. A point usually made by someone pushing pellets.

I actually even had a difficult time finding the proper label on an eclectus's diet - obligate frugivore, facultative frugivore (I'm pretty sure they're facultative), omnivore, etc. And to be honest, why wouldn't you want to model the majority of an animal's diet - especially one that is NOT domesticated - to its natural diet? Because money... which is sad.

You don't feed a tiger house cat food just because it's a big cat. So why would you feed an Eclectus pellets just because it's a bird?

Point beautifully made. And I agree with you that an ekkie is probably best classified as a facultative frugivore. (For anyone reading this who is not particularly familiar with the required ekkie diet, they are considered frugivores because their diet in the wild is largely fruit-based. But with the fruits and veggies available to us, we are best able to match the nutritional value of their largely fruit-based diets by going with a significantly larger percentage of veggies.)