One Week Down

[Taw5106]

Venus has been with us for a week now and WOW, what a doll! She is VERY quiet, she's screamed three times since we've had her and over the last few days she's been making low sounds like a goose honking. She even honks at me when I talk to her. She's stepping up on command 90% of the time, she has bit me hard three times as well but each day she is more comfortable and relaxed. Today I left her cage open while I was working on my pc and she came out and I got to see her curiosity start taking over. She's going to be a curious stinker for sure.

Now eating is proving to be a challenge. I have no bird seed, Buddy has not eaten seed meals since he joined us last March and Venus has not either. I have raw peanuts, pecans, and a home made trail mix that has sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, and dried cranberries, all these are treat items. Buddy is my green pig, he will eat anything but this week, Venus is being picky. She likes room temperature or warm food and she comes out and eats with Husband or I. Over the last three days, I chopped up yellow pepper, zucchini and kale. Buddy ate his, Venus tossed hers out and she hasn't eaten well so this afternoon after she tossed her veggies again, I heated up brown rice with purple hull peas and corn. She ate the corn and left the rice which makes me happy because I don't think she should eat rice every day. Any recommendations on veggies to get her going? Corn looks like a winner as well as the purple hull peas, she didn't care for kiwi, apple, zucchini, brussel sprout, kale, spinach, arugula, potato (cooked), yellow pepper, or red pepper. Later today I have cucumber ready to see how she does with that.

 

[weco]

You do realize that raw peanuts, especially those supplied in open, non-sealed containers are one of the worst sources of aflatoxins (aspergillus spores), don'r you?

For peanuts, buy the ones sold for human consumption & in sealed bags, unless you are shelling & roasting your own, to kill any potential mold spores.....

Since the spores are around us naturally, it becomes a question of the concentration of spores we and our birds are exposed to and whether we or our birds have weakened immune systems.....

Good luck, just thought I'd mention that since you were feeding raw peanuts and in peanut country ! ! !

 

[Taw5106]

Thanks Weco and thanks for asking and yes I am. I feed Buddy and Venus human grade food only, organic and fresh preferred. I held off on peanuts until a few months back when I found bagged, raw peanuts my father has eaten for years. I keep them in a sealed jar with rice in the bottom to soak up moisture. Buddy and Venus eat better than Husband and I for sure. The peanuts are a treat item only, given not every day.

 

[labell]

All you really have to do is go to the food section here or the Land of Vos website there are tons of recipes, and list of foods.

I love talking about eclectus and love helping people provide the best care but I really feel since there is so much great info already typed and out there concerning diet, that are only a simple search away that it is better for folks to read and do the research on their own then have it typed out for each new person. The two sources I always give are the two I feel the most confident with recommending because I know the advise is sound and the recipes are great.

I do not feed any peanuts I just don't trust them they are not even actually a nut they are in the bean family. Just my 2 cents on that.

 

[Taw5106]

My original question was "Any recommendations on veggies to get her going?" because this is a new challenge.

Moderators can you delete this post and thread? Thank you.

 

[labell]

Wow! Okay seems like you took offense and that was not intended. It is just redundant to type out list after list of the same information when the info is already there.
The thing is with an eclectus that has not been fed high fresh foods it may take you offering the same food many times and her refusing it at first to realize it's food and it's yummy. If it's offered once or twice and is refused that doesn't mean she will never accept it. Chop it smaller and mix it with things you know she loves. Corn is not a great choice even organic, many eclectus can develop reactions to corn so it is better to give that in moderation. Leafy dark green are often over looked and are very needed as well as red and orange veggies. Sweet potatoes are great but you have to try a few ways sometimes to find out what they like mine prefer it raw rather than cooked and sliced in smaller size cuts. They do really love acorn squash baked with some cinnamon and added to their brown rice or quinoa. It is really just a matter of trying many different things especially with a bird that maybe hasn't always been on the best diet.

 

[camo]

I am far from an expert, but I would also recommend trying finely cut. I've been making a chop mixture lately, and find the fine (processing) mean my boy and girl get a bit of everything, they don't really have a choice as it all sticks together, but they also seem to like it more. If I try cutting with a knife into small pieces, I find Pebbles just enjoys picking it up, and throwing it out of the bowl until the only thing left is her favourite food.

Cheers,

Camo

 

[JerseyWendy]

My original question was "Any recommendations on veggies to get her going?" because this is a new challenge.

Moderators can you delete this post and thread? Thank you.

This thread has been quite informative - so far, so what would the purpose be to now delete it? :20:

I see no offense in any of the replies, unless I missed something somewhere?

It can always be challenging to get a new bird to try and eat new things, particularly healthy foods. As suggested, try cutting either thicker, thinner, finer, or even into fun shapes. Perhaps Venus would prefer new foods on a kabob rather than in a food dish? There are so many different ways to go about it...let me find a few very helpful links:

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...afe-fresh-foods-toxic-food-lists-sprouts.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/49831-chop-day-recipe.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/51203-making-chop-wine-helps.html

And the old saying applies here: If at first you don't succeed...try try again.

 

[Anansi]

As always, great job on the links, Wendy!!! Here's one more from maybe 2 days or so ago. http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/48375-eclectus-diet.html

Yes, eclectus can be quite picky about their foods. Sometimes persistence is the key. They may come to develop a love for a particular food after rejecting it several times beforehand.

And camo makes a great point about finely chopping some of their foods. Because there are some things that they just HAVE to eat. For instance, my Bixby will literally and cheerfully throw any pieces of diced carrot at me should I be so foolish and brazen as to place them in his bowl. But carrots are a MUST, as they are so rich in beta carotene! Now I could try boiling the carrots, since some birds prefer that softer texture with some foods, but cooking does leach away some of the nutritional value. Fine for some other foods, not so much for carrots. (Yes, maybe I'm just indulging in overkill, here, but I love those freaking birds!)

My solution? I grate the carrots. I grate them into tiny slivers that he would be hard-pressed to separate from anything else, much less toss anywhere. Then, in the next phase of my diabolical plan, I add pomegranates, grapes, blueberries or cherries to the mix! The carrot slivers adhere to the beloved fruits and voila! He has a balanced diet in spite of himself! (I only mention Bixby because Maya is like an avian vacuum cleaner! She eats almost everything!)

I do something similar with broccoli for its vitamin A and calcium content, and dandelion. Sometimes you just have to trick them into eating it. Since corn and purple hull peas seem to work for her, use those as your agents to get slivers of more of the good stuff past the stern gatekeeper of her palette.

Hope that helps!

 

[Taw5106]

Well this morning I had a reveal meaning I saw something that clicked everything into place. Venus has been a tough cookie to get her to eat, I've even resorted to eating her food with her to show her how good it is. She'd eat some but not very much, less than a tablespoon. This morning I heated up fresh corn, peas and edamame, no salt (I love salt on edamame). I have the parrot pellets in a plastic, air tight box and when I got Buddy last March I had bought a Kaytee brand parrot pellet and seed mix. After reading about healthy pellets and Kaytee is no good, I stopped feeding him the Kaytee moving him to 100% veggie and fruit. The bag was in the box.

Well I went in the office with breakfast, Venus comes out and she eats some of the corn, peas and edamame. She ate a bit and ran off to investigate, I get on my laptop and I hear crunching. The plastic box was open and she was in it eating the Kaytee feed! The pet store told me she was fed fresh veg and some pellets but she went to town on the Kaytee food so i know can confirm she has probably been feed nothing but a sad seed and poor pellet diet. The Kaytee food is in the trash bin, I mixed some Harrison pellets in her breakfast, she won't eat the Harrison pellets but is eating the corn and edamame.

So as others have said, she hasn't been fed right. This will be a journey longer than I expected.

Label, I apologize, I did take offense because I had given her a variety of fresh foods and she rejected them. I know she likes corn and rice now so I figure I'll be eating lots of veggies to show her how wonderful they are. Thank you for you feedback.

 

[JamJar]

Hey

Marley my OWA hates veggies.. but he seems to like cucumber and carrot but only if i boil the carrot so its soft.. he eats all his fruits first and veggies are last resort (typical child) the way i got him eating his veg though is putting lime or lemon slices in with the veg.. the juice gives off a smell i think (just a guess) and this gets him to the bowl at least

goodluck!

 

[labell]

Hopefully I am not about to step on your toes yet again but you should really take another look at the truth about soy beans, edamame both for yourself and the much smaller body of your parrots.

• Soybeans contain phytoestrogens, which mimic the body’s natural estrogen hormones. For men, this can lead to a testosterone imbalance, infertility, low sperm count, and increased risk of cancers. For women, it can cause estrogen dominance, which has been linked to infertility, menstrual troubles and cancer…
• These phytoestrogens are so strong that a baby consuming only soy formula is consuming the equivalent hormones of 4 birth control pills a day!
• The high levels of phytic acid in soy inhibit the body’s ability to absorb important minerals, including zinc, calcium, copper, iron and magnesium (which many people are dangerously deficient in already).
• Soy also contains protease inhibitors, which can block the enzymes that are necessary for the digestion of certain proteins.
• The goitrogens in soy are potent anti-thyroid compounds that can lead to endocrine disruption and thyroid disorders. Infants on soy formula have a much higher risk of autoimmune thyroid disease. (note: cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have these properties as well, though they are lessened greatly by cooking. Cooking does not remove these compounds from soy based foods!)
• Soy is often promoted as an alternative food for celiac and gluten intolerant people, but its lectins can be harmful to the intestines and prevent healing even when gluten is removed.
• Many studies have found even more harmful properties of soy: This link has a summary of many studies done about the harmful effects of soy.
• Consumption of soy foods increases the body’s need for Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, calcium and magnesium.

In addition to being harmful to our bodies, soy production is harmful to the planet and to livestock who eat it as well. Almost all soybeans grown today are genetically modified and “Round-up ready.” They contain a gene that allows them to be directly sprayed with pesticides without dying. There is some evidence that this gene can mutate and create a pesticide-like toxin in the body.
This mutation means that soybeans can be (and are) sprayed with large amounts of pesticides and herbicides during their cultivation.

 

[labell]

I would start with a brown rice or quinoa base. Chop the veggies really fine, in fact in this case a processor might be your best bet. Add them to the rice and warm it a pan, I don't use a microwave (I could go onto a whole new topic about the damage a microwave does to food on a molecular level imo). Since people's eyes begin to glaze over when I get on that soap-box I will refrain.

Anyway...you may have to try the same thing a few times but if you chop it up fine enough and mix it with things you know she likes such as rice, or a little corn, again organic corn but still kept to a minimum as some eclectus develop problems with corn. At least 2 kinds of dark leafy greens kale and collard greens are available in most stores and are a great choice. Dandelion is even better when you can get it. My Whole Foods carries it all the time so I am able to switch the greens up quite a bit. Also add some diced up fruits to this mix after it cools a little, the sweetness of the fruits always attract mine to the bowl.

 

[Taw5106]

No worries Labell. On the up side, I bought the edamame on Thursday and served it once. I have brown rice but I do have a question, should rice be given every day? I am planning on making brown rice, and chop up kale very fine to mix in the rice to see if she and Buddy will eat it. The kale I bought last week I ended up eating because neither would touch it but it wasn't finely cut up. With Buddy I have been able to chop whole veggies and fruits, he eats them but Venus is proving to be picky eater.

 

[labell]

They can have brown rice everyday (not white) but you really want it as more of a base to add all the other stuff to and so it all blends up nice so it's harder for the birds to pick and choose. Along with the greens I would add some diced up red and orange peppers, celery, (fresh is something all of mine love), zucchini, cucumbers, carrots cut super small like grated or the stink-pots won't eat it and it's very good for them. These all are things that Buddy can eat as well. Brady YNA eats the same pretty much as the eclectus although she is allowed a few more nuts as treats through the week. Cooked beans like garbanzo, mung and lentils are all very good to add to the rice and veggies as well.

 

[drlisaort]

Interestingly, Oliver prefers vegetables over fruit hands down. His absolute favorite meal is one I make in bulk and freeze in plastic individual bags to be thawed as needed: brown rice, green beans, peas, carrots, Kale, spinach, mixed beans (soaked and boiled in advance) and Roudybush soak and feed). He absolutely goes mental over this. With that said, in the day he gets one bowl mixed fresh fruit and one bowl of straight mixed veggies....and his hot mix (above) in the evening.

 

[Anansi]

Interestingly, Oliver prefers vegetables over fruit hands down. His absolute favorite meal is one I make in bulk and freeze in plastic individual bags to be thawed as needed: brown rice, green beans, peas, carrots, Kale, spinach, mixed beans (soaked and boiled in advance) and Roudybush soak and feed). He absolutely goes mental over this. With that said, in the day he gets one bowl mixed fresh fruit and one bowl of straight mixed veggies....and his hot mix (above) in the evening.

How lucky are you! Bixby loves beans, peas and all, but I've got to work to get him to take leafy greens or carrots.

Maybe Oliver can give him a pep talk? (Maya eats everything, but he obviously doesn't listen to her. Lol!)

 

[Scott]

Any concerns about rice? AFAIK some varieties contain significant levels of arsenic. Some sources state California-grown is a bit lower, and, ironically, brown rice somewhat higher.

Consumer Reports had a recent issue reviewing rice; they are generally a balanced source of data, though their forte is not food centric.

 

[labell]

Any concerns about rice? AFAIK some varieties contain significant levels of arsenic. Some sources state California-grown is a bit lower, and, ironically, brown rice somewhat higher.

Consumer Reports had a recent issue reviewing rice; they are generally a balanced source of data, though their forte is not food centric.

I do buy organic because we are all eating it.

 

[drlisaort]

Interestingly, Oliver prefers vegetables over fruit hands down. His absolute favorite meal is one I make in bulk and freeze in plastic individual bags to be thawed as needed: brown rice, green beans, peas, carrots, Kale, spinach, mixed beans (soaked and boiled in advance) and Roudybush soak and feed). He absolutely goes mental over this. With that said, in the day he gets one bowl mixed fresh fruit and one bowl of straight mixed veggies....and his hot mix (above) in the evening.

How lucky are you! Bixby loves beans, peas and all, but I've got to work to get him to take leafy greens or carrots.

Maybe Oliver can give him a pep talk? (Maya eats everything, but he obviously doesn't listen to her. Lol!)

Well to be honest, Oliver is not too crazy for the carrots so I shred those (as someone mentioned above), and hide it in the mix so he can't really tell.