New eclectus - help with feeding

Hello,

I just bought a baby hand raised male eclectus from a breeder who had just finished weaning it. Having a few issues with feeding.

So far(other than sunflower seeds and a dried food mix) the only healthy things it seems to like is pomegranate(it likes this as much as the sunflower seeds) and watermelon in a distant second. He easily devours one large pomegranate a day.

In the morning I handfeed it some boiled pumpkin and sweet potato, it eats about 4-5 mouthfuls in total from them and I have seen it eat fresh zuchini when he is desperate. I also feed it some boiled egg.

I have tried various other fruits and vegetables and at most it nibbles on them but doesnt eat it. I am concerned he is not eating enough and not eating a rounded diet. I also give him about half a table spoon of seed mix a day. Sometimes a bit more when I feel he hasnt eaten enough.

I have tried giving him corn both fresh and boiled and he just doesnt seem to like that either(I read it is usually one of their favourites)


Will he eventually start eating other fruit and vegetables? should I just be patient or have days where I offer him only certain fruit and vegetables so he is forced to eat it?


Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried cooked foods like brown/wild rice and lentils? My ekkie who was on a seed-diet for 3 years likes very few fresh foods, but will eat just about anything if it's shredded/mashed with brown rice.
Maybe you can try mashing/mixing the foods he isn't fond of with the sweet potato, and if you're concerned he isn't getting enough nutritional value, you can also grind/crush pellets and mix them in also.
If he doesn't want to try the mash you can mix in a few of the seed/sunflower seeds, so he sees the food he likes, and hopefully eats the mash also.
We have some members on the forum who are far more experienced than myself with eclectus parrots, so there's better advice to come, I promise! Haha.
Best of luck with your new friend. What's his name?

Sterling1113 said:

Have you tried cooked foods like brown/wild rice and lentils? My ekkie who was on a seed-diet for 3 years likes very few fresh foods, but will eat just about anything if it's shredded/mashed with brown rice.
Maybe you can try mashing/mixing the foods he isn't fond of with the sweet potato, and if you're concerned he isn't getting enough nutritional value, you can also grind/crush pellets and mix them in also.
If he doesn't want to try the mash you can mix in a few of the seed/sunflower seeds, so he sees the food he likes, and hopefully eats the mash also.
We have some members on the forum who are far more experienced than myself with eclectus parrots, so there's better advice to come, I promise! Haha.
Best of luck with your new friend. What's his name?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.

No havent tried any cooked foods other than boiled egg/pumpkin/sweet potato. I will try giving him some rice tonight see if he likes it.

His name is Yoshi(after the mario bros character).

I also have another question about his character. He seems to be very reserved. Well I used to have a ring neck and he was just a wild thing. He was so curious in anything and everything and it seemed his mission in life was to destroy anything and everything.

But the eclectus which I have had for 10 days now(I gained his trust after about day 3-4 just doesnt seems to have that drive or curiosity. As an example his cage is virtually open all day and he never ventures out on his own unless he sees the box of seed mix laying around the living room. He is perfectly happy in his cell whereas my ring neck absolutely hated his cage. Is this something I should be worried about?

suley said:

Sterling1113 said:

Have you tried cooked foods like brown/wild rice and lentils? My ekkie who was on a seed-diet for 3 years likes very few fresh foods, but will eat just about anything if it's shredded/mashed with brown rice.
Maybe you can try mashing/mixing the foods he isn't fond of with the sweet potato, and if you're concerned he isn't getting enough nutritional value, you can also grind/crush pellets and mix them in also.
If he doesn't want to try the mash you can mix in a few of the seed/sunflower seeds, so he sees the food he likes, and hopefully eats the mash also.
We have some members on the forum who are far more experienced than myself with eclectus parrots, so there's better advice to come, I promise! Haha.
Best of luck with your new friend. What's his name?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.

No havent tried any cooked foods other than boiled egg/pumpkin/sweet potato. I will try giving him some rice tonight see if he likes it.

His name is Yoshi(after the mario bros character).

I also have another question about his character. He seems to be very reserved. Well I used to have a ring neck and he was just a wild thing. He was so curious in anything and everything and it seemed his mission in life was to destroy anything and everything.

But the eclectus which I have had for 10 days now(I gained his trust after about day 3-4 just doesnt seems to have that drive or curiosity. As an example his cage is virtually open all day and he never ventures out on his own unless he sees the box of seed mix laying around the living room. He is perfectly happy in his cell whereas my ring neck absolutely hated his cage. Is this something I should be worried about?

Click to expand...

My eclectus is named Yoshi too!! How cool is that?
The ectlectus parrot is a very cautious species, I've had mine for over a month now and he still rarely comes out of his cage on his own, and has only left his cage to explore on his own twice. So don't be discouraged! It can take weeks for a parrot to really adjust to their surroundings, parrots are prey animals, so everything is a threat to them until they learn to trust it.
I've never had a ring neck but it's really hard to compare two birds, let alone two species! Every bird is unique, one eclectus may want to explore and get into trouble all the time, and the other may just want to sit in the cage and enjoy your company.
I'm sure in the next month or so you'll see changes in his personality, I know I see changes in my Yoshi every day! He's 3 years old though, and I'm not his first home, so he's got tons of surprises for me I'm sure.
One thing that may help is taking him out of the cage(if he steps up on you hand, good! If not, try with a perch.) and take him into another room, so he can't see his cage. Bring his favorite treat and just spend time with him, talking to him, practicing step-up, just relaxing and helping build your bond.

[/QUOTE]
My eclectus is named Yoshi too!! How cool is that?
The ectlectus parrot is a very cautious species, I've had mine for over a month now and he still rarely comes out of his cage on his own, and has only left his cage to explore on his own twice. So don't be discouraged! It can take weeks for a parrot to really adjust to their surroundings, parrots are prey animals, so everything is a threat to them until they learn to trust it.
I've never had a ring neck but it's really hard to compare two birds, let alone two species! Every bird is unique, one eclectus may want to explore and get into trouble all the time, and the other may just want to sit in the cage and enjoy your company.
I'm sure in the next month or so you'll see changes in his personality, I know I see changes in my Yoshi every day! He's 3 years old though, and I'm not his first home, so he's got tons of surprises for me I'm sure.
One thing that may help is taking him out of the cage(if he steps up on you hand, good! If not, try with a perch.) and take him into another room, so he can't see his cage. Bring his favorite treat and just spend time with him, talking to him, practicing step-up, just relaxing and helping build your bond. [/QUOTE]

Haha yeh thats cool. I was actually going to name him shrek. My wife insisted on Yoshi haha.

Well I dont have a problem getting him out of his cage. He steps up on my finger most times without any issues. Yesterday I had a nap in the arvo and had him on the pillow next to me. He was quite comfortable watching me sleep lol. He seems to trust me quite a bit and always gives out like a squawk in response to me calling out his name. The ring neck was too wild(his name was cocky and this really described his character) and Yoshi is too reserved. Hopefully like you said he grows out of it and starts exploring on his own a little in the future.

I agree with Suley, give your Yoshi (love the name to both of you!!!) time to "come out of his shell" and soon he will. I find working with a routine (daily schedule) works very nicely. It seems the consistency blends more closely to nature.

As for the diet, Oliver LOVES food, especially mashed. I buy Roudy Bush Mediteranean (and other Roudy mixes) and mix it with beans, rice, sweet potato, Kayle, peas, corn, carrots all mushed together and freeze a months worth in little freezer snack bags...and he absolutely goes crazy over it. I use this mix as his evening meal, while in the morning and daytime he eats fresh fruit in one dish and fresh veggies in another. As for seeds, nuts, and pellets, et cetera, I use a dry mix (can't remember the name off hand) that I put about a tablespoons worth in his foraging wheel. If he had his druthers, he'd eat only this dry mix but of course it's not good for him...like eating Twinkies is not good for us. )

Some things to try:

Cooked= brown rice, quinoa, beans, pasta.

Veggies= Carrots, corn (small amount and only organic imo) squash, pumpkin, peas, peppers, kale, dandelion greens, cilantro, parsley, collard greens, broccoli, celery, any sprouts, cukes, green beans, yams, ginger.

Fruit= pomegranates, dragon fruit, apples, kiwi, papaya, mango, all berries, cantaloupe, fresh figs, small amounts of citrus fruits, tomatoes, banana, watermelon (I wouldn't give much it's mostly water).

There are lots of good recipes here as well as on "The Land Of Vos" for ekkie feeding ideas.

suley said:

Hello,

I just bought a baby hand raised male eclectus from a breeder who had just finished weaning it. Having a few issues with feeding.

So far(other than sunflower seeds and a dried food mix) the only healthy things it seems to like is pomegranate(it likes this as much as the sunflower seeds) and watermelon in a distant second. He easily devours one large pomegranate a day.

In the morning I handfeed it some boiled pumpkin and sweet potato, it eats about 4-5 mouthfuls in total from them and I have seen it eat fresh zuchini when he is desperate. I also feed it some boiled egg.

I have tried various other fruits and vegetables and at most it nibbles on them but doesnt eat it. I am concerned he is not eating enough and not eating a rounded diet. I also give him about half a table spoon of seed mix a day. Sometimes a bit more when I feel he hasnt eaten enough.

I have tried giving him corn both fresh and boiled and he just doesnt seem to like that either(I read it is usually one of their favourites)


Will he eventually start eating other fruit and vegetables? should I just be patient or have days where I offer him only certain fruit and vegetables so he is forced to eat it?


Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

fOR FOOD you just have to keep on tying my boy is abasolutly not into food at all, he eats very little and he is just begingn to start loving red chily>> one thing he really loves is PASTA so if you have a Pasta machine you could try do your own Pasta with carrot juice insted of water >> thats how i sheet on him, I add ingerdients to the pasta I made for him and that works very well of cause i ened up eating it too lol AND IS NOT BAD!

As drlesaort just say >>>routine (daily schedule) works very nicely

I been doing that on Jade who for those who falow his updates > he is very shy!

Well Mr Jade Is begining to get of his shell and now he gets out of his cage by him self >> He walks to the terrase, climbs up to his terrase perch by him self, gets sun bading by him self and when he has enough he just comes back to the house and clibs back in his cage AND ALL THAT EVEN IF HE IS ALONE no need my supervatins assitance TOTALLY INDEPENDENT

Thanks for all the ideas everyone however I am still having trouble in getting him to eat anything other than his dry seed mix and pomegranate.

Today I removed all seeds from his diet and pomegranate. I fed him some cooked carrot and pumpkin and gave him a whole range of fruits and vegetables which he barely touched. He only nibbled on his zucchini and various fruits I gave him and was shouting all day cause he was so hungry but wouldnt touch the food I gave him. Finally just now tonight I gave him half a pomegranate and he is ripping through that as we speak. But I still refuse to give him any seeds.

Not sure how long I can keep this up though. Wont he starve? Or will survival instinct eventually kick in and he will just start eating?

Just attached a picture of Yoshi with my wife

You can give him a small amount of seed toward the end of the day but it is important to try to get him to eat better foods. Did you try the brown rice warm with the mixed veggies? Mine can't resist warm food! Remember just slightly warm not hot.

labell said:

You can give him a small amount of seed toward the end of the day but it is important to try to get him to eat better foods. Did you try the brown rice warm with the mixed veggies? Mine can't resist warm food! Remember just slightly warm not hot.

Click to expand...

I tried white rice mixed with veggies. He didnt go for it either. I dont understand how he cant get enough of pomegranate but wont touch other fruit. Although he does eat cooked pumpkin and carrot and sweet potato.

He doesnt seem to like fresh veggies at all.

Is his eating behaviour normal? Will he eventually start to eat more fruits and veggies?

All of mine are pigs when it comes to any food. Even the two that I rescued that had only been given seed prior to coming to my house eat everything I give them. So it is surprising to me when I hear of any ekkie that is picky about food especially one as young as yours. I really would keep trying all sorts of foods. It may get wasted at first but it is so important that they get a good wide variety. You could try making some different kinds of birdie bread there are great recipes out there. Go to the website "Land Of Vos" and look at the feeding section there are really good recipes and ideas there. Trying taking something he loves such as the pom seeds and put them in a bowl with lots of other choices so he has to taste and pick around other things to get to the pomegranates.

Hi, Suley. You have gotten a lot of good advice, here. The important thing to remember is that parrots are often very slow to change. So don't give up on any of these ideas just because they don't work the first few times. It could take weeks. Possibly even months. Persistence is key. Persistence and variety.

Try a bunch of different foods. Prepare them in a bunch of different ways. Some eclectus love raw carrots, for example. Others will only eat them cooked. Some love their food in larger chunks. Some want them chopped into smaller pieces. But you'll only discover your boy's likes and dislikes by exposing him to as many varieties of sizes, textures and temperatures as possible.

So try the suggested warm mashes of brown rice, or quinoa, or pumpkin, etc. Try mixing pomegranates with other foods you'd like him to taste. Throw a wide variety of foods his way. Not just once, but many times. Eventually he'll try something new and find that he likes it.

Oh, one other thing. Nothing stokes the fires of my ekky's curiosity like seeing me eat something. Suddenly, he feels like he needs to have it, too! With each passing day, he'll feel more and more like part of your flock. Eventually, he'll want to eat what you do. Not so wonderful when he keeps looking for a chance to dive-bomb your steak, but it's great for getting him interested in eating veggies that he might not otherwise try.

Just don't give up. Your patience will eventually be rewarded.

He's adorable. You said he's a baby who is newly weened so I would make sure to provide soft foods because that's what he's used to.

Our girl (Calypso) loves pomegrantes too, and also red seeded grapes are a favorite but they have lots of water so don't freak out if the droppings are very watery.

Just try a lot of different things and see what he prefers. Ours loves Quinoa, sweet potatoes, any kind of rice or pasta but we stick with brown rice or whole grain and not too much.

Try cutting it into different sizes and see how he prefers it. Cantelope is a new favorite of hers and leave the seeds with it … they love the seeds.

We only give Calypso seed mix once or twice a week. No pellets all fresh or cooked fruits and veggies with rice or lentils or quinoa. Oh and we chop up salad greens like mixed greens or arrugula mix. Sometimes she eats that and sometimes not so much. Variety is a good thing because they seem to get bored with the same things over and over.

I was thinking the same thing as Calypso Bay that perhaps your baby is too young for solid foods and may do much better with mashed. If Oliver had his way, he'd eat only mushy foods. I do give him a breakfast muffin from time to time that I keep on hand in little slices in the freezer. It's mushy and filled with everything you can imagine including fruit, veggies, rice, sweet potato, beans, and even crushed egg shells--it's held together with rolled oats (I bake a batch and cut into thin strips after it cools). It's always a winner for him...