Feeding and Diet

throwingcopper33

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The breeder that I got my baby female SI ecelctus(3 months old) from was mainly feeding her Higgins Sunburst seed mix for parrots. He gave me a small bag to continue feeding her while I slowly incorporate other things into her diet. As far as veggies go, I have tried to add fresh sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, red bell peppers, green peas. As far as fresh fruits go, I have tried bananas, pears, blueberries, cranberries, peaches, raspberries, and apples. But my bird will basically ignore everything in the bowl and just go for the seed mix. I have tried whole pieces, chopped pieces, mashed pieces. I have tried mixing everything up together. I have tried putting no seed mix in the bowl, and she won't eat anything in the bowl. I started some sprouts yesterday, but they won't be ready until Saturday. I already have a feeling that she will not eat sprouts either. I saw some websites that offer organic food for parrots.

https://christineschopshop.com/

https://www.theparrotspantry.com/

https://www.texasnaturalfreezedried.com/

Has anyone had any experiences with food from the above websites?
 

Anansi

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Hello, and welcome to the challenging world of feeding ekkies.

I haven't tried any of those, unfortunately, so I can't really say one way or the other.

Some birds are more stubborn than others. The trick here is to be more stubborn than she is. You're right to try and get her off the seeds. They're fatty when given in excess, and can lead to arteriosclerosis. So keep providing as much variety of veggies, grains, and fruits as possible, prepared in as many ways as possible. In the past, for instance, my birds never liked carrots in large pieces or cut up, sliced or diced. But grated? Bring it on! Lol!

A good intro food to try in pomegranate. Rare is the ekkie that wouldn't lose her mind over that fruit! Then try using a cooked base. My favorite for this purpose is Volkmans Fancy Soak & Simmer. Great source of oats, grains and legumes. Quinoa or brown rice works as well. For birds, it's as much about texture as taste. (Their sense of taste is far less sensitive than ours.)

Here's what I usually post up when asked about diet for ekkies:

I tend to provide between 6 and 8 types of food per feeding (2 meals per day), weighted heavily toward the veggie side as only 1 of the food selections in a given meal is a fruit.
Various sprouts, carrots (very important due to the high content of beta carotene - precursor to Vitamin A), bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and green – also very high in Vitamin A), jalapeno peppers, Jamaican Scotch bonnet peppers, chili peppers, squash (butternut, green and yellow), pumpkin (again, high in Vitamin A), blueberries and pomegranates (both among the most nutritious of fruits), snap peas, broccoli (high in calcium), cactus pears, persimmon, starfruit, bananas, grapes (only for flavor and hydration. Relatively low in nutrition), kale, turnips, radishes, brown rice, quinoa, cucumbers, endives, dandelion (nutritional powerhouse offered at every meal when seasonally available), sweet potato (cooked), red swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, cilantro, parsley, watercress, arugula, granny smith apples, papaya (don’t go too heavy on this, as it is a diarrhetic), African horned melon, hominy, oatmeal (sans sugar or flavoring), kiwi, barley, calendula flowers, fennel, chocho beans and garbanzo beans, as well as Volkman's Fancy Soak and Simmer for the majority of their legumes and grains.

For food accents I'll add one or two types of the following as well: star anise, milk thistle, elder berries, rose hips, hibiscus, bee pollen and chamomile flowers.

Twice a month, I'll give some hard-boiled egg (with the crushed shell for calcium). Slightly more frequently during a molt.

For their training treats they get an assortment of unsalted nuts (one to three per bird in a given day, broken into small pieces and fed as rewards during the training sessions). And for their "goodnight treat", up to a teaspoon or two of seeds.
 

GaleriaGila

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Just my 2 centavos... I'm a Harrison's fan.
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.
 

SailBoat

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I'm an Amazon Snob, likely because they are fairly easy when it comes to food in general.
Anansi is, IMHO, the go to person for ekkies diets and likely everything else ekkies. Following his coarse will assure you a safe harbor and healthy ekkies.
 

Anansi

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Thanks, Steven. Much appreciated, my friend.


Just my 2 centavos... I'm a Harrison's fan.
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

This would be good advice for another species, but Harrison's is actually pretty bad for ekkies, Abs. Many pellet brands are, but I'd definitely stay far away from Harrison's in particular. See this link: http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/53854-disgusted.html
 

Tami2

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Wonderful advice! I agree with Sailboat and Anansi. You can't go wrong stalking Anansi's posts. :heart:


And for their "goodnight treat", up to a teaspoon or two of seeds.

Stephen, what seed mix do you use? I'm always looking for new stuff to offer him. I usually, buy a seed mix specific to Greys.

I do the same, I add a little seed mix to his late night chop close to bedtime. So, while he is digging around for the seeds, he is still ingesting the healthier chop.
 

chris-md

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Tami - I’m not Stephen but feed very similarly. In waiting for his reply to ya, I personally will top off with any one of a number of options: Millet, chia, flax, uncooked quinoa, oat groats, sunflower seeds, mustard seed, rolled oats...the list goes on. Any seed does the trick.
 

Tami2

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Tami - I’m not Stephen but feed very similarly. In waiting for his reply to ya, I personally will top off with any one of a number of options: Millet, chia, flax, uncooked quinoa, oat groats, sunflower seeds, mustard seed, rolled oats...the list goes on. Any seed does the trick.

Thank you Sir. ;)
Levi LOVES quinoa, I add it to his chop often. I do add, chia, flax & oats as well. I actually grind the flax for better absorption. I haven't tried mustard yet.
 

chris-md

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No need to grind Up the flaxseed. What do you think your bird does?:)
 
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charmedbyekkie

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Cairo the Ekkie!
Stephen (Anansi) and Chris have got you covered on proper ekkie diet.

As for your links, Christine's and Parrot Pantry both have a fair bit of seed as part of their base. I've never considered them as an option for Cairo, but I'm very picky.

Texas we have, and honestly, we would use more if international shipping wasn't so expensive. Their freeze-dried chop is true chop - veggies mostly with some fruits. You can also order one without fruits. They come in regular "chop" size (tiny pieces) and in Chunky Chop (bigger slices). Cairo loves the chunky chop.

That being said, I don't serve it as a meal. For his breakfast and dinner, he gets chop like what Stephen and Chris mention. The Texas Chunky Chop is his dry snack I leave in his cage if I'm getting concerned about his appetite and weight (it's a Cairo-thing).

The main reason I don't use Texas as the base is because it's easy for him to pick and choose what to eat (purple cabbage and lettuce apparently is not kosher for him) and also because it's dry. Yes, they tell you how to hydrate the chop, but he prefers it dry. And the reason I don't want it dry is because I do want him hydrated - we live in a hot and humid tropical country (if it's below 24C, we think it's freezing), so he needs all the fluid he can get.

It's a great supplement, and they've great customer service. I've also got their freeze-dried sprouts, but haven't tried it yet. But yeah, just a supplement - not the main diet. That should be what the others have written.
 
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throwingcopper33

throwingcopper33

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Yesterday, I used the last of the seed mix the breeder gave me. I came home from work yesterday and it looked like a sweet potato bomb went off in her cage. I guess she was foraging the seed mix in the sweet potato.

So this morning I gave her some sprouts that I made with the Super Sprouting Mix I bought from The Parrot's Pantry. I know it has seeds in it, but I thought if you sprouted the seeds it is suppose to be healthier for your birds. I put some green peas in the mix and some grains. I could tell my bird wasn't happy with it as she didn't stay at her bowl very long for her breakfast. She has gone back every couple of hours to pick at it. This afternoon I have notice that she seems to like the chickpeas in the sprouting mix. I see none of them left. I also noticed she finally started to eat the green peas that I added without slinging them all over the place. I tried to give her some fruit by hand and eating some of the fruits in front of her making pure enjoyment sounds. That didn't sway her to eat the pear, banana, or orange. But she did eat an apple slice out of my hand, and ate quite a bit of it.

So I had a few wins today one her first full day without the Sunburst seed mix. I still have work to do. I know I need to get her to eat something with Vitamin A in it, and I need to find a way to get her to eat leafy greens.
 

chris-md

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Wonderful!

This is easy:
Sprouted seeds=VERY good as big part of diet
Dry seeds=VERY bad as big part of diet

I’m fascinated to read about your experience with peas, as I have much the same. My Parker simply won’t touch them.
 
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throwingcopper33

throwingcopper33

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The Super Sprouting Mix from The Parrot's Pantry definitely help get my Luna(I finally named her) off of the seed mix. I give it to her every morning, and I think she is liking it more with each day. After learning about sprouting, I bought a few things from an Earth Fare and made my own batch. Luna will get that for the first time tomorrow morning.

I just wanted to get the word out about The Parrot's Pantry. I recommend their sprouting mix. I will try some things off of the other two websites, and share my experiences.
 

Anansi

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Wonderful advice! I agree with Sailboat and Anansi. You can't go wrong stalking Anansi's posts. :heart:


And for their "goodnight treat", up to a teaspoon or two of seeds.

Stephen, what seed mix do you use? I'm always looking for new stuff to offer him. I usually, buy a seed mix specific to Greys.

I do the same, I add a little seed mix to his late night chop close to bedtime. So, while he is digging around for the seeds, he is still ingesting the healthier chop.

Sorry, Lady Tams! Just seeing this! I've recently switched to Volkmans Avian Science seed mix for hook bills. I'm trying to remember the name of the one I was using before, but it's just not coming to me. But they started filling it up with waaaaaaaaaaaay too many sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are just so fattening. I don't mind seeing them in a mix, as I don't use seeds as a staple of their diet anyway, but many attempt to use sunflower seeds as filler and it's just too much.

I actually can't get away with sprinkling any of it over their food, though. Because Jolly will seek out every single one first, and for every seed that he eats, there is one less bite he'll take of healthy stuff. Lol! So I only give the seeds after their training sessions in the treat cups of their respective tree stands. Never in their regular treat cups. (Yep, Jolly ruined it for Maya. Lol!) Funny enough, it's also because of this penchant Jolly has that I limit the amount of fruits they get per meal to one type. Otherwise he'll have a bunch of leftover greens every time.

Tami - I’m not Stephen but feed very similarly. In waiting for his reply to ya, I personally will top off with any one of a number of options: Millet, chia, flax, uncooked quinoa, oat groats, sunflower seeds, mustard seed, rolled oats...the list goes on. Any seed does the trick.

I'm definitely onboard with that list!
 
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throwingcopper33

throwingcopper33

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I have tried many different things with Luna from the 3 websites that I originally posted. Some that are Luna approved:

From the Christine Chop Shop: Mega A Blend, Sprouted Birdie Bites
From The Parrot's Pantry: Super Sprouts Mix, Goji Pepper Bread Mix, Gingerbread Treat Mix
From Texas Natural Freeze Dried: The Freeze Dried Chop- No fruit option. There is a chop with fruit, but I want to control the fruit Luna eats.

Pellets(less than 20 percent of her diet): Roudybush and Harrison's. She doesn't like Zupreem or Tops
 

chris-md

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Sprouts are great. I’m sprouting weekly:

Lentils - assorted variety
Chickpeas
Buckwheat
Oat groats
Spelt
Farro
Mung beans
Adzuki beans

You can also sprout chia and flax, but those are mucilagenous, creating a slimey layer when sprouting which makes them unsuitable For mixing in with other sprouts during the sprouting process. It’s why the chia heads work, because the mucus later holds them to the terra cotta surface!

There are others you can soak and serve in 4 hours that you can’t do with the above stuff (chia and flax are in this group): teff, hulled millet, pepitas, to name a few.
 

ALRAINBOW

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My pair love them. I'm lucky they eat almost anything. No banana,s they get chucked fast. Love peas hate some other stuff. Love corn on the cob and carrots. I have to tie them to the cage. Love turnups and other roots. Don't like small greens if I let the seed sprouts get too long. I did veggies twice a day and supreme or seeds at night. They take turns eating unless it's something new then it's a shoving contest. How often do I spray them with water I see varying info
 

ALRAINBOW

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I want to thank the forums admins and posters . In making the time in reading today I have been made to understand much more on why they act as they do. When I planned on buying a pair with the intention of breading birds. What I read and was told was not entirely true . I did ask do pairs act less friendly to me. As pairs of any animals I know of don't look for caretakers. How ever I was told it's fine lol. In reading here I now know why when I pet one the other runs over to get me lol. Not bad bites but clearly a protection matter. I said this a few times to the aviary seller and silence . Now I'm very happy by there guidance and yes she calls me now and then to ask how are they. If it's just one away from the cage just a foot or two I can hug , hold and pet front and back either of them. Now not under wings and not for long . If they hop off the cage alone one would Walk to me to pickup even a room away. Next i built them a recess for the massive cage. I clean it by removing the cage to clean daily. For the last 3 days it's in the middle of the room . Wow they love it and yes act even more friendly. I truly ty you guys for a post saying they hate corners and I dark spaces. Ty all.
 
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