Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman
Julia M. asks,
Top of the morning! Could you tell me what a “good” diet is for a three-year-old Eclectus?
I have had him since the middle of his weaning.
Editors note ~ about 20% of parrots are sexually dimorphic meaning you can tell the sex by the bird’s color. Males are green, females are red, so Julia can use the pronoun “him” with certainty. Endnote
Currently, I feed him chop, fruits, one almond, a bit of unsweetened coconut during the day.
In the evening he receives mixed legumes with some veggies – this is a cooked mixture obviously.
In addition, sweet potato, one scoop of pellets, and very few seeds sprinkled on top.
Is he getting enough seeds and nuts?
Is his diet correct?
I have joined every group on Facebook and the advice is usually about the same.
He looks pretty good with the exception of his tail feathers at the end.
He does not pluck – knock on wood!
Any help and direction would be a blessing!
Sincerely,
Julie
Hi Julie,
The bigger question is what is he or she eating or not? Pellets should be available 24/7 because that’s the most nutritious part of the diet
The “chop, fruits, one almond, a bit of unsweetened coconut during the day have little to no nutritional diet.
Setting The Record Straight About Feeding Eclectus Parrots
Pet birdkeepers Think chop is the end-all of end all’s
In fact, those birds who are getting nothing but chop are slowly being starved to death.
I took the most famous bird chop I could find on the internet and using some off-the-shelf software determined the nutritional value of the entire chop you can read about it here.
What is The True Lifespan of Parrots in Captivity?
That said we give our birds fresh vegetable mash every day when they wake up and then we remove at 4:00 pm when they are done supervising us in the office.
Most importantly is simply not putting the food out in front of them but providing some challenges to access it like putting some of the nuts in a small box that they have to force open.
Bury treats under packing tissue strips.
Stack 4 oz dixie cups with a single nut in between each cup.
File under foraging and enrichment.
Editors note ~ Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji’s is a Windy City Parrot Customer Endnote
Overall your bird is living like a king.
Regarding the rough tail feathers, I would examine his vent.
The tail feathers could be rough because his vent is irritated and he’s rubbing it or it might just be from masturbation.
Weighing your Ekkie at least once a month will help you track his health.
Any ups or downs in weight is a signal for a vet visit.
Best of luck
MitchR
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