OK, what is the deal with the odor of the Eclectus........

mtdoramike

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Jan 18, 2011
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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
I'm assuming they all have about the same odor? It's kind of a sweet odor, kind of like honey. I thought it might be because Mac hadn't had a bath in a while, but just gave him one a couple of days ago and he just had one yesterday in his water bowl.

But I notice today, it's quite strong. I mean, I still smell him after I put him to bed. It's like the scent is still in my nose. I have smelled Amazons, Cockatoo's and Macaws as well as African Greys and my Senegal. But there is a distinct smell with Mac. My Senegal doesn't really have a scent at all.

My second question is, WHERE IS HIS NOSTRILS? Most birds their nostrils sit above their beak, but on the Eclectus, I'm seeing nothing but feathers. It may seem like a stupid question, but I have reserached this and have found nothing on it.
 

Alissa

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Jun 22, 2010
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Hi. I have an ekkie too, but she doesn't smell like that. I had a sun conure that smelled like that. It was a pancake syrup type of smell. I think it was the food she was eating. She used to eat Zupreem and it had all those dyes in it, but when I changed her to a natural diet, she stopped giving off that odor...My ekkie eats veggies and fruit and some dye free pellets. Just a thought.:green2:
 

Atwee921

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Sprite the cinnamon green cheek conure.
You can see the nostrils on these ekkies so maybe thats where they are on Mac but his are covered in feathers?
 

JensFlock

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Eclectus,
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Lineolated Parakeet,
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My ekkie has a wonderful smell. I can't really describe it, but it's sort of sweet. I like to stick my nose on his head and sniffffffffff.
I can see Sydney's nostrils when he's drenched in the shower. They're right above his beak.
 
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mtdoramike

mtdoramike

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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
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Hi. I have an ekkie too, but she doesn't smell like that. I had a sun conure that smelled like that. It was a pancake syrup type of smell. I think it was the food she was eating. She used to eat Zupreem and it had all those dyes in it, but when I changed her to a natural diet, she stopped giving off that odor...My ekkie eats veggies and fruit and some dye free pellets. Just a thought.:green2:
The previous owner has him on Zupreem pellets, whih are a natural brown color. These are the same pellets that I give to my Senegal, which doesn't give off a smell at all. I liken the smell to an over ripened freshly cut honey dew mellon. I had read somewhere that died pellets aren't good for Ekkie's and their smell is indicative of their diet. But I can't find it now.

I feed Mac, the Zupreem pellets because that's all that my local Pet Supermarket sells. A table spoon of seed mix and then fresh fruit and veggies twice a day. He also gets a little junk food like Cheeto's, corn chips and at breakfast, he likes whole wheat biscuits with a little honey on it or plain corn cakes with nothing on them. I also give him a little scrambled egg once or twice a week in the morning.

There is a new pet store that opened up 20 miles from me. I will make a trip over there and see what brand pellets they sell. I notice, Mac is not a big pellet eater.
 

MikeyTN

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You shouldn't feed him pellets, its bad for them!!! Feed him mainly fruits and veggies, a tablespoon of seeds of mainly small seeds with very minimal sunflower seeds. Or learn to sprout their seeds. We also give ours cooked sweet potatoes, chicken breast meat, egg with shells, lentils, puffed corn,brown rice, etc. Fruits & veggies include strawberry, kiwi, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, mango, water melon, catalope, blue berry, carrots, celery, cucumber, string beans, corn on cob, broccoli, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Tried leafy stuff and they threw them all out plus some other fruits they absolutely hated.

Yes they can smell! To me the smell stinks, it means they're due for a bath. They should be bathed often. Nostrils are hidden by their feathers.
 

Pedro

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2 Budgies, 3 Cockatiels, 6 GCC'S, 2 Crimson Bellie Conures, 9 Sun Conures, 2 Major Mitchells, 12 Eclectus parrots of various ages, 2 BF Amazons, 2 Hahn's Macaw's, 1 Red Tail Black Too
foodpyramid

This site gives some great ideas of what is good for your eclectus & i feed mine very much the same. Although mine always get raw fresh foods, not cooked.

I think the sweet smell is from the fruit we feed our eclectus mine smell very sweet most of the time. I also shower my birds daily. So they never really get that chooky feather smell.:)
 

Remy

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My caique tends to smell like whatever he's been eating. :p
 

suebee

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Jan 13, 2011
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oh try giving him a garlic, an if he smells garlicy next day you know its to do with his food???

lol just joking, bless i don't think sennies give off any smell, the only time nut gets a smell on is when she's gotten pomegranet juice all over herself
 

mygirl

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Oct 4, 2010
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thats good that you can't see his nostrils :) when mylah had all the sinus problems her nostrils were wet and mucky all the time.. i have a very sensitive nose due to breaking it years ago and i really notice her smells. if we give her strawberry she has a sweet smell but anything like capsicum she just stinks and if she gets wet its worse
 
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mtdoramike

mtdoramike

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Jan 18, 2011
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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
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You shouldn't feed him pellets, its bad for them!!! Feed him mainly fruits and veggies, a tablespoon of seeds of mainly small seeds with very minimal sunflower seeds. Or learn to sprout their seeds. We also give ours cooked sweet potatoes, chicken breast meat, egg with shells, lentils, puffed corn,brown rice, etc. Fruits & veggies include strawberry, kiwi, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, mango, water melon, catalope, blue berry, carrots, celery, cucumber, string beans, corn on cob, broccoli, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Tried leafy stuff and they threw them all out plus some other fruits they absolutely hated.

Yes they can smell! To me the smell stinks, it means they're due for a bath. They should be bathed often. Nostrils are hidden by their feathers.


Thanks Mikey, I pulled what remaining pellets out of his cage. I much prefer fresh and cooked foods for my birds and supplemented with a little seed than pellets. They don't have pellets in the wild. After looking at the ingredients on the bak of the Zupreem bag, I wish I had read them earlier. Like Niasin, I have problems with rashes and stuff when I eat to many things with niasin in it.

I was just about to post a thread asking for Eclectus diet and recipe tips. It wouldn't hurt for there to be a sticky note at the beginning of the Eclectus forum with a breif blip about good foods and dietary ideas for your Eclustus.

Mike
 
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mtdoramike

mtdoramike

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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
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foodpyramid

This site gives some great ideas of what is good for your eclectus & i feed mine very much the same. Although mine always get raw fresh foods, not cooked.

I think the sweet smell is from the fruit we feed our eclectus mine smell very sweet most of the time. I also shower my birds daily. So they never really get that chooky feather smell.:)

Thanks Pedro, this should be a sticky at the beginning of the Eclectus forum. I sent 4nines a request about the forum sticky note.
 
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Molcan2

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Jul 19, 2011
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There is nothing wrong with giving you Ekkie pellets as long as the pellets are specifically designed for Ekkies (which Zupreem has a pelleted food just for Ekkies). The problem with Ekkies is that they cant have too much nutrients or you'll have a problem. Ekkies cant get all of their required nutrients through veggies. If you feeding him cheetos then I don't see why you would be against a pelleted food? Also if your giving him things like cheetos and chips he isn't going to want to eat his pellets. Have you had him to a good avian vet? He needs to be vetted since you just got him to make sure nothing else is wrong with him. Also a good avian vet will answer all your questions and set up a diet plan based on your particular bird. When I took Romie to the vet I thought she was healthy, after blood work turns out shes malnourished. Her previous owners mixed seed in her diet and didn't have the proper lighting. Shes on a strict diet now of just pellets, some additive to her food and she is on veggie fruit restriction (they are only given as treats) until she reaches a healthy state again (if shes ever been healthy - shes a very small Moluccan and has probably been malnourished for a very long time).
 
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mtdoramike

mtdoramike

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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
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I plan on a vet visit for Mac within the next week or so. I have been waiting for him to get adjusted to his new surroundings and bond a little bit with me for taking him to the vets. The previous owner said he HATED vet trips. But yep, I think he definately needs some blood work done to make sure that his Over preening was just due to him being placed in his cage for 8-9 hours a day and greiving over the loss of his owner and not some mdical issues.
 

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