How Many Nuts can Eclectus eat a day?

[Johnchua]

Hi I have an 11 months old eclectus. Im just wondering how many nuts can I feed him a day? I usually give him small pieces of almond. So I usually give Rio 1.5 almonds a day. is that too much?
I also have pistachio, walnuts, and prestige treat stick but I only give him those sometimes.

Im thinking of giving Rio boiled scramble egg since I haven't give him any before yet.

 

[Allee]

First of all, a slightly late, Welcome To The Forums! Congratulations on your newest addition!

I don't know how much research you've done but Eclectus require a specialized diet to remain healthy. We have a lot of members who can answer your species specific questions for you, I'm sure they'll be along to offer friendly advice. Here's a great link with good information (written by, Graham Taylor).


Diet for Eclectus Parrots - Eclectus-Parrots.com

Good luck with your new friend.

 

[Johnchua]

yea that site doesnt talk about nut diet for eclectus... hopefully i can get an answer but my bird wings r trimmed so how do i tell the bird is overweight? he always climb around and i play the target game with him to exercise him. Do you guys give eclectus sunflower seeds then? or nuts? i need to buy sunflower if that's a better choice for healthy treats.

 

[DexMom]

The tropical mix I use for Dexter's dinner (Caribbean Bounty - Goldenfeast Direct ) has some nuts in it, but not many. So, Dexter usually gets 2 or 3 nuts in his dinner - cashews, almonds, pistachios or walnuts. I also sometimes give him a couple of unsalted pistachios in the shell as a treat when he's out of his cage hanging with the family in the evening.

I use sunflowers seeds and pignoli nuts for training treats only. He LOVES them, but they are not very healthy so I keep those to a minimum.

 

[Johnchua]

I see so 2-3 nuts everyday is okay right? I only give Rio fruits n veggies in his bowl but the tropimix has a little bit of seeds inside along with lots of fruits n dried veggies. I just got Rio so I have been using almonds as a treat for training pretty much everytime and everyday. The most I given him in a day is 3 but I kept it down to 1.5 now cuz I saw nuts can cause overweight n stuff. But im still unclear the standard amount of nuts an eclectus can eat a day?

 

[JerseyWendy]

When I had my pair of RS Eclectus they'd get a good handful of mixed nuts every day (unshelled pecans, walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts).

 

[Anansi]

Like you, I use nuts for training my ekkies. As for how many they can get in a day, it depends, to some degree, on their activity level. Nuts in moderation can be good, but they can be fattening. So my male ekkie, Jolly, who is a VERY active flier, is allowed more nuts in a day than Maya who, while also active, rarely flies.

So Jolly will get on average between 2.5 and 3.5 nuts in a day, broken up into small, tantalizing pieces. Maya, on the other hand, can only have between 1 and 2.

I'd also reiterate what DexMom said about sunflower seeds. They should be kept to a minimum, as they are among the fattier seeds available. Fine as a treat, but not so much as a diet staple.

 

[Anansi]

Here is a link to the website I consider the best for ekkie dietary information: http://eclectusparrots.net/fruitandveg.html

 

[littleredhen77]

i give my bird one almond inside a foraging toy for the day time, and one more as a bedtime snack after hes lost interest in his bowl of veggies and sprouts.

i have read to avoid panuts as they can harbor fungus that can cause serious issues.

i have not given him a pistachio before! i wonder, are they healthier than almonds? i think ill pick up a bag on unsalted pistachios in their shells and give him that in his foraging toy instead of an almond.

 

[JerseyWendy]

....so how do i tell the bird is overweight? ....

What sub-species of Eclectus do you have and how much does he weigh? Is his keel bone visible? Is he flighted?

i have not given him a pistachio before! i wonder, are they healthier than almonds? i think ill pick up a bag on unsalted pistachios in their shells and give him that in his foraging toy instead of an almond.

Unsalted Pistachios are AWESOME snacks!

 

[Aquila]

....so how do i tell the bird is overweight? ....

What sub-species of Eclectus do you have and how much does he weigh? Is his keel bone visible? Is he flighted?

i have not given him a pistachio before! i wonder, are they healthier than almonds? i think ill pick up a bag on unsalted pistachios in their shells and give him that in his foraging toy instead of an almond.

Unsalted Pistachios are AWESOME snacks!

The problem with this is I can't buy them, they never make it to my birds, I eat them all first!

 

[Johnchua]

Hi I hv red sided Eclectus, His keel bone is not visible and how do I weigh the bird? I don't think a scale would work plus I will prob freak him out. Rios wings r trimmed so he can't fly right now.

 

[JerseyWendy]

RS Ekkis are on the 'bigger side'. Yes, you CAN and SHOULD weigh your bird (regularly). Decrease in weight is 'often' the first indication something is wrong.

Here, please have a look: http://www.parrotforums.com/do-your...our-kitchen-scale-into-parrot-scale-10-a.html

If you're not so much into the DIY-thingy, there ARE avian specific scales out there (even though quite pricey, IMO)
SAS Sterling Avian Scale - New Design! - HEALTH AIDS/SUPPLEMENTS

Are you planning on keeping Rio trimmed? (No, I'm not trying to start a pro flight - pro wing clipping thing, believe me, I don't) If you are planning on keeping him trimmed, please provide him with as much 'physical activities' as you can possibly think of. Climb, forage, flap-flap (LOTS of that), etc. Eclectus DO tend to get on the chubby side if they stay clipped. Why? Because Ekkis LOOOVE to eat. :54: Therefore, please don't feed him many nuts since they are very high in fat. Fat birds = unhealthy birds.

As for his optimal weight...hold on, there's a thread right here in the Eclectus section: http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/57846-what-does-your-bird-weigh.html The pair of Ekkis I had were RS Eclectus as well, and they were both on the large side, right around the 600g mark. Both of mine were fully flighted.