Reducing Pellets

They are determined, aren't they?! Pellets are better than seed, but given the special dietary needs of Eclectus, you are correct that pellet consumption is not best. Steadily reducing the amount given will be helpful and you may reach a point of giving a tiny amount of pellets simply as a treat.

May I ask what sort of pellet you give? Some are less offensive than others!

I will say that parkers total meals as a larger adult red sided eclectus add up to maybe 1/4 cup of food a day, and that's WITH leftovers that get thrown out. 1/4 cup of pellets around here would constitute a full day feeding.

You might consider chopping up the pellets and mixing them into the chop. Simply putting them in whole with the chop means the pellets will easily be eaten and the chop ignored.

try cutting the chop different ways (strips, chunks, micro pieces, etc). My Parker will throw out chucks of fruit, but when chopped into small cubes (hand chopper is my best friend!) he devours them. Kiwis, he want to eat whole and tear them apart.

I'm about to start keeping a list for how how Parker will eat different stuff. It informs how I use my food processor and what settings are optimal. For example

Leafy greens - eats whole if bunched on his stand, chopped small or shredded
Radishes - shredded. If in circles he will toss them
Carrots - anything other than micro pieces will be tossed
Peppers - served any way
Broccoli/cauliflower - must be crumbled/micro pieces or they will be tossed
Mango/pineapple/strawberry - micro pieces.

That's what I do with most of parkers meals, put the frozen bits in water in a small glass and microwave the whole thing (submerge in water to keep it from drying out).

When I'm feeding Jolly and Maya, I take their portions out of the fridge, throw them in a strainer, and run them under the faucet under the hottest temp. (With my water heater settings, that's hot enough to make you shout very bad things if the water catches your hand!)

Within seconds, the food is very warm... though just shy of hot. They love when the food is heated up this way. Then I'll often mix in a hint of coconut oil (which melts on contact with the heated food). The taste sends them into a frenzy!

I do it this way because microwaving can kill some of the nutrients. (I don't know the degree to which microwaving does this, but I always err on the side of caution.)

I wouldn't mix the pellets with the chop unless I would be able to remove any leftovers within a few hours, as moistened pellets are reportedly quick to gather bacteria.

And lastly, take as long as you need to with the transition to fresh foods, and only make the full shift once you are fairly confident that your ekkies are taking in enough variety to ensure a balanced diet. If they're only picking out corn, grapes, and cucumber, for instance, they'll be sporting some serious deficiencies.

As Chris pointed out, trying a bunch of different ways of prepping the food can make a difference. For the longest, I had to grate carrots so that my ekkies would eat them. After all, when grated, the slivers were so small that they couldn't avoid taking some in along with the "good stuff". Lol! In the past month, they've decided they like carrots, again. So now I chop. If they switch up again, so will I.

There's an ebb and flow, and you definitely get used to it.

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You're onto the right thing. 20 seconds in the microwave with a bit of coconut oil is what I do and it's tails up for everyone but the CAG!

Pellets- I recommend Goldenfeast Golden'Obles. No more than 15 a day, offered after your little one has had her veggie mash for the morning. Persie gets her pellets around lunch time, so a good 5-6 hours after breakfast. Sometimes she gets fruit for breakfast and veggies for dinner. My health varies so much and I do what I can based on the kind of day I'm having.

Sometimes I just have to do more pellets because I am having a bad day and can barely get to the bathroom on my own.

Coconut oil plus warmed mash is the ticket.

those who have Ekkies on pellets and seed do they smell Musty?as mine does and was hoping to find a way to de-must him.

I'd suggest maybe consulting with your Dr about your condition and suggestions he has regarding keeping pets. Im not an expert but I wouldnt think the asthma is triggered by a change in scent ie: musty to fruity, when it comes from the same source (the bird)...I'd also recommend talking to the breeder ASAP so that they are aware of your situation and the extenuating circumstances and might be more reasonable in helping you out if it comes to that.

coopedup said:

I'd suggest maybe consulting with your Dr about your condition and suggestions he has regarding keeping pets. Im not an expert but I wouldnt think the asthma is triggered by a change in scent ie: musty to fruity, when it comes from the same source (the bird)...I'd also recommend talking to the breeder ASAP so that they are aware of your situation and the extenuating circumstances and might be more reasonable in helping you out if it comes to that.

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Smells can trigger my asthma just like some flowers like lillie's the breeder is aware of the problem but is on holiday at the minute for 8 days. So he is going to ring when he gets back i really dont want to send him back. I have contacted my vet he is a bird specialist to ask if this is normal. As all I see is peole saying they either smell sweet or they dont smell at all.