Fresh fruits & veggies

[rbreck]

How long can I leave the bowl of fresh veggies in the cage. I have been feeding him before and after work. Also still eating pellets, but I have him off the colored and on natural.

When I leave in the morning he is not ready to eat yet, he eats around 9:00. I work 8 hours... Should I worry about veggie going bad?

They graze all day right?

How do you 8 to 5er's feed?

 

[LoveMyParrots]

It is best to remove fruit and veggies after 3-4 hours depending on the weather. On colder days, I'll say no more than 5 hours, and on hotter days, 3 hours is the maximum for me. I only put the amount Ozzie (my alexandrine) will eat, and he will eat all of it within 1 hour most of the time.

I can't help you much on how I put veggies and fruits for Ozzie since there's always someone home, so I don't need worry about it going bad.

Maybe you should give the amount he will eat within 2 hours, or give it to him frozen, I do that sometimes with Ozzie in hot days.

Hope this helped

 

[Featheredsamurai]

On hot days I only leave in fresh food for an hour at most, bacteria starts growing after 15 minutes in warm weather. On cooler days I will leave it in for 2-4 hours.

 

[mtdoramike]

How long can I leave the bowl of fresh veggies in the cage. I have been feeding him before and after work. Also still eating pellets, but I have him off the colored and on natural.

When I leave in the morning he is not ready to eat yet, he eats around 9:00. I work 8 hours... Should I worry about veggie going bad?

They graze all day right?

How do you 8 to 5er's feed?

Cooked veggies will last longer than fresh veggies. I will usually cook them just until they start to get tender but still hold their shape especially if I'm going to be gone for several hours. Fruit on the other hand is something that I'm a bit more concerned about leaving in his cage if I'm going to be gone all day. So fresh fruit is something that he will get when I get back or well before I leave and then I remove it form his cage.

Yes, Eclectus will graze all day long. Another issue to be concerned about is that Eclectus like to dunk their food in water. So unless you have trained your bird to use a water bottle, you will need to change out their water bowl 5-6 times a day. It's a never ending job with Mac at times.

 

[sodakat]

I've found that once they work through the foods in the bowl, they don't spend much time there again. I always leave the fresh food bowls in the cages all day long. But, I try to put just one layer of food in wide bowls, not a mound of food in a narrow bowl.

 

[Peeker]

I've found that once they work through the foods in the bowl, they don't spend much time there again. I always leave the fresh food bowls in the cages all day long. But, I try to put just one layer of food in wide bowls, not a mound of food in a narrow bowl.

I do the same here. My birds eat hearty when I first put the bowls in their cages and rarely go back for more. I feed twice a day and generally remove the old bowls when I put in the new. I've never had a problem doing this. *knocking wood now!

 

[drlisaort]

I do much the same on this end. I do live in Florida which means my ac is on leaving the house always cool but not cold. When I head out to work I put fresh crunchy veggies and a small corn on the cob which seems to keep him quite busy throughout the day. My vet was okay with this...hope it's right!

Lisa

 

[erictheviking]

Mine doesn't eat veggie and fruits...he is about five months old. Is there something wrong?

 

[sodakat]

Mine doesn't eat veggie and fruits...he is about five months old. Is there something wrong?

Frankly, I'd say there is something wrong with the breeder or hand-feeder who didn't offer him these foods when he transitioned from formula to regular food.

But, don't worry he is plenty young enough to learn to enjoy fresh foods. I've found if I cut the pieces really small, like the size of a pea for example, the babies are more likely to try things. Also small pieces can be moved around in a bowl instead of a large piece just getting lobbed overboard resulting in no more of that item.

I also like big bowls, even heavy crocks intended to be dog dishes. Set one on his cage top or on a counter and let him stand on it to eat the stuff he isn't used to.

I'd try chopped green apple, chopped celery, any type of berry, a papaya slice with the seeds included and fresh edamame or green peas to start with. Buy an ear of corn on the cob, peel off the husk and silk, then slice in 1" wheels. You can cut the wheels in half or even quarters if he has trouble with the entire wheel.

Generally they are willing to try new stuff until they are at least a year old. But look at Grayson. He's been eating a boring diet and is diving into fresh stuff and he's 4!

I have 2 older birds who came to me on a rather iffy diet that love fresh foods. Give him a chance. Eclectus are known to be good eaters. Food is very important to them and they enjoy socializing while eating. He may eat better if he eats near you while you are eating.

 

[rbreck]

Maui eats it all. But if I have the pellets in the cage he goes right to them. For the last week I have slowly reduced the pellets. Today was he first day without pellet in the am. This afternoon he ate his veggie dinner and fruit then i put a tablespoon of pellets in...he hasn't looked at them!!! Yeah!

I have only had him for a 2 weeks. Baby steps

Thank you all for the feedback.:09:

 

[Chikoo]

I've found that once they work through the foods in the bowl, they don't spend much time there again. I always leave the fresh food bowls in the cages all day long. But, I try to put just one layer of food in wide bowls, not a mound of food in a narrow bowl.

Same here. I know some people say to remove it after an hour, but I just leave it in. Chikoo will fly to her cage when she wants to eat, usually at least once or twice before her second feeding. And I try to give Rumi a chance to eat a second time, mid-afternoon, and sometimes he'll rummage a bit again. But not much. After breakfast, it's not much until dinner.

 

[erictheviking]

Thank you for the input, I will keep trying. Thanks