leg band questions

[camo]

Sure thing. I'll make up a list tomorrow.

That would be great, I would appreciate seeing a list too, not having a breeder to seek advice from (Gizmo and Pebbles both adoptions), I often worry about their food needs and if I am meeting them.

 

[Anansi]

Here is my list of foods for Jolly and Maya, all fresh where applicable, and averaging 6-10 types per feeding: Carrots and pumpkin (One or both of these make it into at least one feeding every day since they are rich in beta carotene - the precursor to vitamin A and absolutely essential for eclectus health), bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and green), jalapeno peppers, Jamaican hot peppers, chili peppers, squash (butternut, green and yellow), blueberries, pomegranates, snap peas, plums, broccoli, cactus pears, starfruit, bananas, grapes, kale, turnips, radishes, brown rice, quinoa, cucumbers, endive, dandelion greens, sweet potato (cooked), dragon fruit, anise, star anise, various sprouts, chamomile flowers, rose hips, milk thistle, elder berries, hibiscus, bee pollen, red Swiss chard, granny smith apples, papaya (with seeds), African horned melon, corn (occasionally), hominy, kiwi, barley, calendula flowers, oatmeal (sans sugar or flavoring) chocho beans and garbonzo beans, as well as Volkman's Fancy Soak and Simmer for the majority of their legumes and grains. (All legumes are cooked) And maybe a tablespoon of seeds for a snack.

Once or twice a month, I'll also give some hard-boiled egg (with the crushed shell for calcium.) Slightly more frequently during a molt. And an assortment of unsalted nuts and the occasional millet spray for their treats.

Edit: Sprouts, dandelion greens and carrots are the most consistent offerings, as they are the most nutritionally dense, IMO.

 

[littleredhen77]

so, today i stopped at the farmers market and picked up carrots, a red bell pepper, a couple small jalapenos, a beet, and a small pumpkin. i chopped all that up and froze some of it for later. i couldnt find any fruits there that i thought he would enjoy, i had planned to go to the supermarket as well and get a couple kiwis and maybe a pomegranate but that would mean travelling in the complete opposite direction. so, ill be getting him fruits tomorrow instead and just chopping it up and adding to his bowl as i serve it to him. this has gotten me wondering, is there anything wrong with buying one of those bags of frozen fruits that are made for smoothies? the berry mixes and things? do they have any less nutritional value than ones i would buy and serve fresh? if he could have those and theyd be just as good for him it would make offering a variety so much easier! im not trying to sound lazy, and if in fact its not a good idea i will just continue to add fresh fruits so his bowl instead, i just figured id ask and see what you guys all think! )
hope everyone has had a wonderful day! )

 

[Anansi]

I'd say fresh is always best, but I don't think frozen is "bad" or anything. Fresh is just better. So that's what I roll with. Every once in a while I do throw in assorted frozen veggies and such, but most of the time I stick to fresh chop.

As for fruits, tomorrow, definitely grab the pomegranates along with whatever else you get. I've never heard of an ekkie who doesn't go crazy for pomegranates, and it's also one of the more nutritious fruits available.

 

[littleredhen77]

pomegranate it is then! most of what ive read seems like they all love it! his previous owner told me he wasnt that crazy about it but maybe he has changed his mind? he sure did love the pumpkin i brought for him! i had him on the counter as i was chopping stuff up and he had his face in the pumpkin almost the whole time! i saved the seeds and lightly toasted them in the oven with nothing on them to dry them out and serve as treats later. i think he ate half of them while i was trying to prepare his chop so he was extra spoiled today
i think i need to change the title of this thread to something diet related since thats what interests me more than deciphering his band. it would be nice to know, but knowing how to keep him healthy is more important

 

[MikeyTN]

My ekkies goes crazy over pomegranate!!!!! It is their favorite as I only buy them when they're in season cause you won't see them out or they're super eexpensive during late in the season but we buy them even when high cause they go crazy for them.

 

[littleredhen77]

so, how do you feed it? just cut one in half and put it in there to serve in a 'natural bowl'? or scoop it out and mix with the rest of the food? im trying to make sure he gets more veggies than fruit but so far he likes fruit better, and im worried he will gorge himself on pomegranate and not eat much of anything else

 

[Anansi]

I scoop out the pomegranates and make sure there is only enough to accent their meals, rather than fill them up.

And for the most part, birds will prefer fruits to veggies. ( Dr. Lisa's sweet ekkie, Oliver, being the rare exception!) So it's up to us to provide a heavier concentration of veggies in their bowls.

 

[littleredhen77]

alright, ill do that then
man this forum is the best, thank you for being so helpful! i feel better knowing im talking to people with hands on experience instead of reading write ups on various websites that could be quite old and un-updated.
my next quest will be to make some sort of perch thing to set on my digital scale so i can keep track of ziggys weight. i have yet to take him to the vets since ive gotten him but ive tracked down the closest avian vet, about 2 hours away. my cockatiel Jake is 17 years old and has never once been to a vet, hes very healthy and active! but im concerned that with a bigger and more..(advanced?) breed like an eclectus, i should be bringing him in from time to time.
but again, it is bed time..and ill look forward to visiting here again tomorrow! thanks again and have a good night!

 

[Anansi]

I'm so glad we could help.

Yes, keeping track of Ziggy's weight is very important. And having a perch on the scale, while not necessary, certainly makes things a lot easier. Mine are trained to climb up onto the scale perch once I say "scale", and then hold still until I get an accurate measurement. I weigh them almost every day. A drop in weight is one of the earliest indicators of a problem, after all.

And as for vet visits, I'd advocate at least biannual checkups for both your ekkie and your cockatiel. Yearly, if it could be managed.

Have a good night!

 

[littleredhen77]

i went to walmart and the grocery store today after work..no pomegranates to be found i have never bought them for myself, is this not pomegranate season? lol i got him kiwi and pineapple instead, and he hasnt been interested yet. maybe tomorrow he will be. i have him a couple pumpkin seeds that i toasted last night and that made him happy! i think he likes those more than almonds! he was so adorably not enthused with his shower this morning, i dont know why but some days hes all excited and spreads his wings, and other days i get this...



hes just like..mom...why.... but then he gets breakfast and all is well again )

 

[Anansi]

Not sure when pomegranate season ends, but I bought some up to maybe 2 weeks ago.

As for his lack of interest in some of the newly introduced fruits, just give him some time. I think sometimes they just need to turn up their beaks at something a few times, first. It's like a tradition. Hahaha! Just keep offering him a wide variety of foods, and he'll ptobably get around to start checking some out.

Your caption really matches the pic. Lol!

 

[solrac13]

He looks darling

But please trim him the Beck and Nails if needed is not so difficult with the right instrument!

I have an electric machine that you can buy in Pet-shops for Dogs

 

[littleredhen77]

i am aware his beak is a little overgrown, yet im hesitant to try to do anything about iton my own because i dont want to make him scared of me. he did let me nip the very ends off 2 of his claws yesterday but after that he started to get agitated and i stopped. ive been leaving the nail clippers on the table where he walks around and eats when i first get home from work, thinking if he sees them around more often he wont think theyre 'bad things' i have noticed that hes been wearing his beak more and more since hes gotten here and it looks like its thinning out in the middle, im hoping he can grind it down on his own. i got him a coconut shell thats split down the middle to hide things in and if he chooses to chew the shell that would help a little id imagine, because right now he doesnt chew any of the toys he has.

i am going to stop and buy a few of those mini pumpkins that fit in the palm of your hand to bake and use as edible dishes, since that last pumpkin i got was such a hit! he wanted to stick his head in and scrape the inside so bad that the other half i had saved for my chickens became his food bowl the next day. he ate his chop out of it and scraped the sides pretty good, then that evening i gave it to the chickens to finish off. im thinking those mini ones once baked will be soft enough for him to scrape off more pumpkin flesh and provide a good amount of vitamin A since so far the pumpkin i cubed raw is being launched out of his bowl every time. he only seems to like it if he can dig it out himself. hes picky but hes hilarious! i couldnt get him to eat kiwi until i sat down and ate one myself, i waited till my last bite and shared it with him. after that he ate his out of his dish! silly bird i love him so much already! <33

 

[Anansi]

Good job trying different things to get him to eat. Using the pumpkin as his food bowl that day was inspired. And showing him that you eat kiwi too was a great tactic. They learn by watching what the fellow members of their flock eat. (Just make sure you're not sharing bites. Parrots have no defense against the gram negative bacteria in mammalian saliva.)

I'm so glad to hear that you are both continuing to bond so well!

 

[littleredhen77]

im very careful not to let him eat anything that has human saliva on it, i read about that somewhere, and i dont want to get him sick

i didnt have time to get him his mini pumpkins today which bums me out, and i wont be able to tomorrow either since i will be working late theyre letting me stay at the garage i work at after hours to get my car lined up and the exhaust welded back on ((im trying to get a new-to-me vehicle on the road)) good news is, here in maine they offer animal rescue license plates that give proceeds to animal shelters, and thats the one i chose ) theres even a little bird in the corner of it!

 

[eddieparrot5]

i am aware his beak is a little overgrown, yet im hesitant to try to do anything about iton my own because i dont want to make him scared of me. he did let me nip the very ends off 2 of his claws yesterday but after that he started to get agitated and i stopped. ive been leaving the nail clippers on the table where he walks around and eats when i first get home from work, thinking if he sees them around more often he wont think theyre 'bad things' i have noticed that hes been wearing his beak more and more since hes gotten here and it looks like its thinning out in the middle, im hoping he can grind it down on his own. i got him a coconut shell thats split down the middle to hide things in and if he chooses to chew the shell that would help a little id imagine, because right now he doesnt chew any of the toys he has.

i am going to stop and buy a few of those mini pumpkins that fit in the palm of your hand to bake and use as edible dishes, since that last pumpkin i got was such a hit! he wanted to stick his head in and scrape the inside so bad that the other half i had saved for my chickens became his food bowl the next day. he ate his chop out of it and scraped the sides pretty good, then that evening i gave it to the chickens to finish off. im thinking those mini ones once baked will be soft enough for him to scrape off more pumpkin flesh and provide a good amount of vitamin A since so far the pumpkin i cubed raw is being launched out of his bowl every time. he only seems to like it if he can dig it out himself. hes picky but hes hilarious! i couldnt get him to eat kiwi until i sat down and ate one myself, i waited till my last bite and shared it with him. after that he ate his out of his dish! silly bird i love him so much already! <33

Hi!
Can you tell me how you bake the pumpkins?!
I've been following this tread since day one, and learn So much!
Thanks
Hilda

 

[littleredhen77]

hello Hilda! i read a recepie for baked mini pumpkins, it said 350F for 30 minutes and they should be tender, im talking about the little gourd looking ones that most people use as decorations i dont think i want them to be as soft as they would be for me to eat them, so ill prolly do 20 minutes and see how they feel with a fork. as long as he can scrape it out with his beak easier than when its raw, he will be a happy bird! i figure if i bake 3 at a time i can refrigerate them and dole one out every day as his morning dish, then keep baking them ahead of time. these typed of pumpkins seem to hold up really well for quite a long time so i can stock pile a bunch of them before they go out of season and still have some for a couple months..maybe ill try freezing? if not ill get a regular pumpkin to bake, and serve as chunks or mashed up, if he'll eat it that way.

so far all i know is that he was the happiest i had ever seen him the day i brought that first pumpkin home and was trying to make chop with him on the counter! he thought it was the greatest thing ever! i have a butternut squash on my counter right now and when i put him next to it while i fill his dish he just stares at it in awe i havent cooked that yet but when i do ill let him have some and ill definatly save out the seeds for him!

im glad youve been reading, feel free to chime in whenever youd like, for i am just learning myself, ziggy is my first eclectus

 

[littleredhen77]

i forgot to mention that in the baking recepie, it said to cut off the top like you would a jack o lantern, and hollow out the inside, i think i will skip the hollowing stage since he likes the stringy seedy stuff too, but maybe put a table spoon of water in it and then set them in a baking dish with a lid, and a littl ebit of water in the bottom, cover it, then bake at 350F for 20 ish minutes i wont be using any butter or sugar like they said, since that recepie was meant for people

 

[solrac13]

I dont know if is commune but my boy will eat any food wish is been served HOT not warm he likes HOt