First time Eckie owner, need advice.

Rave

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I adopted a beautiful male Eckie a few days ago, and I think I may be in a little over my head! I'd really like some advice on a few things.

The former owner didn't exactly mention their dietary requirements, just giving me a bag of seed mix (Doctors Foster and Smith) and a small bag of natural-colored pellets (he did mention that artificially-colored pellets tended to cause problems). I did a lot of reading up on their diet and what I could feed him afterward, and I've bought fruits and veggies, but I'd really like some advice as to what else he should be eating, if there's a better supplemental food to the fresh food than what I was given, and if I should eliminate the pellets from the getgo. Right now he really likes grapes and cabbage, but strawberries end up in the bottom of the cage.

I've noticed that every so often, he looks at me, lowers his body, spreads his wings out about halfway, and flaps them a little. Should I be concerned about this? I've looked up videos of wing flipping and it doesn't look anything like it. His former owner used to allow him out of the cage to fly (I haven't yet, as he's not yet acclimated to me and the change in location), so I'm thinking he's trying to tell me that he wants to get out of his cage to fly, but I'm extremely paranoid ATM and want to ask someone more knowledgeable than I am.

Max (the boisterous boy Eckie) has a very piercing shriek when people leave the room. Is it possible that, with time, this can be toned down?

Thanks in advance for any help!
 

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labell

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That hunkering down and slight flapping is just his way of saying he is excited to see you. If he is used to flying I would work on getting one room flight safe so that he can fly it does help them burn up some energy since they don't play with toys as enthusiastically as some other parrots.

The call of an eclectus can peel paint off the walls but even with all of mine it is not something I hear often. Just give him some time to adjust, letting him out of the cage will also help with this if he is used to being out for large amounts of time.
 

Selestine

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I buy a ten bean mix at the grocery store and add brown rice to it -- soak for a few hours and then simmer 15 minutes. Then I split it into 1/2 cup bags and throw in the freezer. My ekkie gets most of a bag every morning (I'm not positive exactly how much, since I also give some of the bean mix to my kids birds, but most of it is for my ekkie).

He also gets a generous helping of sprouts with his bean mix, cooked sweet potato and some assorted fruits. Not every day, but at least a couple of times a week I put a half an uncooked corn cob on a skewer and hang it in his cage (he goes insane for this).

In the afternoon he gets a bowl of mixed chopped veggies (things like hot and sweet peppers, kale, celery, snow peas, cilantro, various herbs like oregano and rosemary, etc.. basically whatever is on sale at the grocery store) and a handful of pre-bagged broccoli coleslaw.

About a half hour before bedtime he gets some of the Volkman's Eclectus mix seed (the eclectus seed isn't fortified with any vitamins). I don't really measure.. somewhere between 1tsp and 1Tbsp. 3 days a week he gets some of the conures Harrison pellets. If I make scrambled eggs for the kids for breakfast, he gets some. Usually about once a week.

Zephyr does that cute thing too where he hunkers down and almost quivers. He does it a lot when my husband comes home from work (his favourite person). He always sits with us at dinner time and he also does it when he's begging for something we're eating.
 

Anansi

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I'll just add to that by saying that vitamin A is very important for ekkies.

Selestine has already given some good food suggestions, and that link by Terry will be an excellent guide for you. I'll just give you a listing of what I give to my eclectus, Bixby, in groupings of maybe five food types at a time: carrots, pumpkin, (both great sources of vitamin A!) endive, bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and green), chili peppers, Swiss chard, brown rice, quinoa, corn, pomegranates, grapes, blueberries, asparagus, jalapeno peppers, Jamaican peppers, squash (butternut, green and yellow), snap peas, broccoli, cactus pears, starfruit, bananas, kale, turnips, granny smith apples, papaya, hominy, dandelions, okra, mango, wheat bread, chocho beans and garbanzo beans, as well as Volkman's Fancy Soak and Simmer for the majority of his legumes and grains. And I offer him a few slices of hard-boiled eggs (with the crushed shells - great for calcium!) maybe twice a month. In addition, I provide a separate cup with a small serving of seeds and nuts each morning.
 
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Rave

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Thank you all so much for your answers! I'm glad to hear that I was just being paranoid regarding the wing shivers. This is my first foray into owning a larger parrot, so I appreciate anything anyone here can tell me. I'm currently browsing ways to Max-proof a room so that he won't be hurt when he eventually comes out.

I don't actually know how old Max is, I only know for sure that he's not a juvenile. I roughly estimated two years, but he's likely a little older. This is Max. (The pic is kind of blurry because I only have a 3DS to use for a camera and it's not great) I know he needs a larger cage and different perches/feeding bowls already, this is a short-term cage for him 'til I can find a good one. I'll take any recommendations there too. ;) Looking for a cage that's a decent size for him that won't be too expensive.

nEzmUTT.jpg


How do you all get them to try different foods? His former owner said Max would "eat anything", but I really don't think he tried him on too many foods. I made a small bowl of romaine lettuce, green pepper, pineapple, and blueberries for him today (trying to settle him onto eating fresh meals instead of just the seed). He liked the lettuce, ate a little pineapple, and didn't try the blueberries or peppers. He went down to the seed not long after I put the dish in, so now I'm thinking he's a seed junkie as well and thinking of removing that dish during meal time, is that a bad idea? He shows great enthusiasm for granny smith apples, grapes, a little bit of pasta, and popcorn (nothing added, stove-popped). It's a matter of persistence, right? Is there any particular place I can order eclectus seed, as well? I don't believe the pet stores in my area (mostly chain stores) even carry anything beyond generic parrot food, though I will check to make sure.

I wanted to ask about his beak, as well. It looks a little long compared to most pictures of the breed I've seen, which is why I have a pic of him in profile in this post. I saw a pic of another eclectus today with a beak just as long, which makes me wonder. His beak doesn't look overgrown and he is not having any trouble eating or beaking through his food. His former owner used to clip his beak with a pair of pliers, the idea of which scares me quite a bit. Would I need to clip his beak or would I be able to get him things to chew that would take care of that? Is there a safe way for me to clip his beak, if necessary, or should I contact the avian vet in my area and take him to have his beak clipped?
 
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Selestine

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Hmm.. his beak is longer than my Zephyr's beak, but I guess I can't really comment on whether or not it is an issue. I do believe I've heard that liver problems can cause overgrowth of beak/nails, but I don't want to freak you out since I have NO idea if his beak is too long or what.

As far as food -- if I left Zephyr free access to seed he'd never eat anything else. It is by far his favourite food, and it isn't really particularly healthy for him (very fatty), which is why I only give him a limited amount at night as a treat. This is also why I don't put his fruits in with his veggie bowl -- otherwise he'd just eat his fruit. So he gets his fruit with his beans and sweet potato, all of which he really loves. Then in the afternoon when he's getting hungry again all he's got to choose from are his healthy veggies, so he eats them.

As far as foods that he isn't eating -- I would just be persistent and keep offering them. My ekkie is much more wary about new foods than the conures and it often takes him a few days to decide he will eat something new that I am adding to his bowl if he's never seen it before. Of course, he does just have things that he won't eat (he hates strawberries and peaches for example and won't touch them no matter how often I offer).

For the Volkman's eclectus seed -- my bird store orders it special for me since they don't get enough demand to keep it in stock. There is also a horse supply store that sells the Volkman seed near me. If all else fails, you can purchase it on Amazon (with free shipping).
 

Selestine

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Oh, I forgot to mention! One of the best ways I've found to introduce Zephyr to new foods is to eat them enthusiastically in front of him. That usually makes him jealous enough to want to snipe whatever I'm eating, even if he had no interest before.
 

Anansi

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His beak looks long to me as well, but considering that my experience with eclectus is limited to my own, I'm not in a position to say definitively one way or the other.
You say his prior owner used to clip his beak with a pair of pliers?!? Uhm... Ouch? I've only heard of that being done with a dremel.

As for getting Max to try new foods. Throw a lot of variety his way. And try prepping the foods in different ways. Bixby, for instance, is no longer a fan of carrots sliced or whole. So I started grating them, and that he'll eat. Another ekky might prefer them cooked. It's just a matter of finding his likes. Also, if you find a food that Max goes particularly crazy over, you can mix it in with other food just to increase the possibility of him trying them. Pomegranates are often great for this. Most ekkies lose their minds for pomegranates.

As for removing the seed bowl during mealtime, you might have to do just that. But make sure to observe his eating habits, first. Some birds are just straight seed junkies, but others just have a certain way of doing things. Bixby loves alternating between the dry food and the wet. Maybe he just likes the contrast in textures? I don't know. But whatever works, right?
 
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Rave

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Yep. Pliers. And the guy had several ekkies and amazons besides Max, too. Don't think he spent enough time with any of them. Between that, not mentioning the particular diet that ekkies require which leads me to believe Max wasn't getting what he needed (he called pellets their 'candy', for goodness sakes), and my beloved Indian ringneck parakeet passing away the day after I brought Max home, you can see why I'm particularly paranoid about things going wrong.

Thank you, everyone. I still have a lot to learn about my new friend, but it's no longer so overwhelming. Being able to ask people who have experience with ekkies instead of just relying on Google and contradicting sites has been a big help.
 

Anansi

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I know what you mean. It's because of all the contradictory info on ekkies out there that I always take the time to write out examples of what I feed Bixby. I remember how difficult it was to get reliable eclectus info before discovering this forum!
 

labell

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Yes I agree the beak looks a little long. It can be diet related but also not having appropriate stuff to chew. Eclectus need toys made of softer woods if you give them something thats geared more toward amazons they just don't tear into it as well.
Also you should have at least one cement type perch, hung higher in the cage that he will rub his beak on. I would never suggest pliers ouch!!
If you check out the food section of the forum I just posted an example of what I use to make chop for my ekkies. It's under "Have some chop!!" about 4 post down from the top.

Are you home most of the day? The reason I ask is I do take out the Volkman's seed and TOP's pellets in the morning to give them the morning fresh foods, then they get another helping of soft fresh foods later in the afternoon. The seed and pellets go back into the cage around the dinner time 6 pm or so and stay in until the morning when it starts all over. If I wasn't home with them all day I probably wouldn't completely remove the dry stuff but leave much smaller portions along with the soft foods, the reason being is eclectus can pack away the food. I really don't know where mine put it all but for their size they really do eat an amazing amount of food each day.
 
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Rave

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Max definitely didn't have appropriate things to chew (and he will be going to the avian vet in the very near future to get everything checked). So softer wood toys would work fine for him to chew on? And looking at soft wood toys on the internet, I see that a lot of them are dyed different colors. Would that be OK for him or should I avoid them?

I've been out these past few days asking around about ekkies, picking up things I know I'll need (new stainless steel bowls and some natural wooden perches), hopefully securing a source to order seed, and finding out where all the horrible advice his previous owner received came from (PetSmart...not smart at all regarding these birdies). I am normally home all day, though. So if I know I'm leaving for the day, it'd be OK to leave a small portion of seed and fresh food? He's not eating that much currently, I believe that's because he's still adjusting to the change.

I saw the post about the chop! Very handy list of food, I know I'll need to peruse it more. So it's just put through the food processor and mixed up?

I'm looking at [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Large-Parttot-Finch-Cockatoo-Birdcages/dp/B002SMC25E/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t"]this cage[/ame] for him, its dimensions are 24"x22"x37 1/2". Would that be fine for him? I'm trying to go as big as I can, but I'm unfortunately on a budget.
 

Selestine

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Woods that are dyed naturally are fine -- like the colored toys you'd see at a bird shop. My ekkie really, really, really loves to chew pine cones. If you have any trees around to gather from, you can throw them in boiling water to sanitize them and then dry them off in the sun.

You might also try checking Craigslist for cages -- you can get real steals that way. I got mine (which is enormous) for.. I can't remember if it was $150 or $200, but cheap either way.. from someone who was moving and had to get rid of it quick.
20130726_221308.jpg


You can also save a lot of money by making your own perches! Here's a site that tells you how to make them and lists the safe woods you can use.
Bird; Birds: Safe, Toxic Trees, Woods. Safe Tree Wood. Parrots. Parrot cages.
 

LolaLowlie

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What a pretty boy you have there!

Also just throwing ideas out there for picky eaters... Sweet potato mashed (warm) & mixed with fresh fruits and veggies seems to really help get them interested in the "fresh food" idea. Plus with the mash foods stick together so they try a bit of everything.

Also cutting food into small pieces works well too if it's too big they tend to eat around them, or toss them out. That's been my personal experience ha ha!

Chop is a great idea I just did my first batch recently and it's portioned out frozen with about 2 months worth. I also use Volkmans soak and simmer served with the chop. Toss is pomegranate arils and various berries. Stir up and berries and everything's is thoroughly coated in chop :)

I just got a new cage and I wish I could just give my old one to a good home! If you're close just come get it!

Here is a picture from about 2 years ago of sweet potato mash with various fresh foods mixed in. This is how I started my Howie when I got him at around 4-5 months old. He will eat anything now :)

 
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Rave

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Craigslist was actually one of the first places I went in searching for a bigger cage. Unfortunately, all I found in my area were smaller ones more suited for a smaller parrot or a parakeet. I'm going to keep trying, though. He's fine where he is for now, getting him to the avian vet and getting a good source to order proper ekkie seed is currently a higher priority. His cage right now isn't much smaller than the dimensions of the one I linked, though it's legitimately one of the heaviest things I've ever carried and isn't on wheels. I wish I was close enough to look at your old cage, but it'd be quite the trip for me!

Thank you for the link for safe wood! I'm definitely sure I can make use of that, and the perches shown being made in the page linked on it weren't any different than the ones I purchased yesterday, so they shouldn't be hard to make. For once, I'm happy I live in a pretty heavily forested area.

I was told by Max's former owner that he didn't show much interest in toys, but considering that much of everything else he told me wasn't viable at all...yeah. I don't have a reliable bird-centric store nearby, but I've found that some of the pet stores in my area do sell toys that are claimed to be dyed with bird-safe dyes, plus there's always the internet.

He showed a bit more interest in the fresh food last night, enough to make three trips to the bowl, beak through it several times, and try to bite me when he thought I was taking the bowl away. He had romaine lettuce, bell peppers (green, red, and yellow), two grapes, plum, tomato, cucumber, and a little cooked white rice (since I currently don't have brown...more for the shopping list!). Sweet potato mash is a great idea, I'll need to get some sweet potatoes and try that. I also thought of warming frozen veggies to mix with fresh veggies and cooked brown rice, which would give him an even greater variety of goodies than I'd be able to reliably get fresh. I've read the warnings regarding certain foods, but I haven't seen anything directly forbidding frozen, so would it be OK to do?
 

Selestine

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He might legitimately not be interested in toys if they weren't something he was really introduced to before. A lot of birds need to be taught how to play with toys so that they can entertain themselves, so don't give up if he doesn't seem into them at first! Once you two are comfortable with each other you can play with them with him to get him started :)

I would agree to let him get some out of the cage some time soonish. When ekkies are scared they tend to get really still. If he isn't minding moving around his cage when you're watching, I'm betting he isn't too scared for interaction.
 

LolaLowlie

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If you can't get fresh then frozen is fine, if I use peas or corn its usually frozen :) Only thing is I always check the ingredients list on the back of the bag it should only list the vegetables in the bag no salt, or other additives.

**You can also sprinkle some cinnamon in his food mix.

**I could be wrong on this and anyone can correct me, but I've seen that tomato isn't good for Eclectus? I think I have seen conflicting evidence so I just stayed away from it.

I am so excited for you, and happy you are really interested about finding out how to care for these beautiful birds! ;)
 

labell

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I do give mine tomatoes but in very limited amounts. One thing I am a stickler on is if I give mine fresh or frozen corn it is always organic. Corn is almost all gmo now unless it is organic. Also I think it is important to pay attention to the heavily sprayed food such as berries and peppers and feed those only in organic.

That cage is not really wide enough imo unless he is going to spend most of the day out of it which is great if you can. My cages are not huge 30 wide which is not big but they are out almost the whole day. The room they are in is set up for them to fly around, there are boings and hoops from the ceiling plus huge java trees. If they want to go into the cage to eat or drink the doors are open. They often will poke around in someone elses cage rather than their own, nosey little buggers!

I don't know if you have been to "The Land Of Vos" website but there is a wealth of ekkie information there.
 

Anansi

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I definitely agree with Laura about the cage. (Well, I agree with all that she said, actually, but I'm focusing on the cage at the moment. Lol!) The absolute minimum width for an eclectus cage should probably be around 36". Minimum. Unless, as Laura already pointed out, your boy will be out all day.
 

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