Eckie not eating F&V

[BiancaK]

I have an 11 week old Female Eclectus. She's been with us for 7 days now.

I'm worried that she is not eating enough fruit and veggies, as well as water. I put fresh water and veggies out after every feeding (6 hourly). Morning feedings are a bit more difficult and time consuming,(I've had to try again after an hour or two, twice now) but the afternoon and evening feedings she gulps down within seconds.

The only time she eats her veggies, is when I put chillies in with the veggies, but she only picks them out, and doesn't eat the rest. According to the breeder, she loved her veggies, so I don't know if we (my husband and I) are doing something wrong? On the first day she ate the veggies when I gave them to her by hand, and had a few bites from the bowl afterwards, but once I put the bowl in the cage she doesn't eat it.

She LOVES small seeds, and I've tried adding the canary mix to the veggies, but same story, she picks them out and leaves the rest.
If I put only seeds in the bowl, she will eat until there is nothing left, and I usually have to take the bowl away, as I'm affraid that she will eat to much, as I've read that seeds are "junk food" for an Eclectus??

I even went and baught a food chopper, to chop the veggies smaller than the seeds but that doesn't even help.

The only time I've seen her drinking water is when I drip a bit in her mouth and then she will start drinking from the bowl, again I have to take the bowl away after a few minutes, as she doesn't stop. Should I rather use a water bottle than a bowl?

In the 7 days she's been with us, she has had 1 grape, a small slice of papaya, and 2 small slices of apple, I've tried banana but she just turns her head. If I want her to eat the fruit, I have to squash the papaya, or chew the grapes a bit before she eats it. The apples she eats on her own, and are a bit easier to give, but much more messy, so I don't really know how much she consumes.

The times she does eat the fruit, veg (or the chillies in the veg)and seeds, is when she is out of her cage, I don't know if it is because I feed her, her formula outside, that she believes the outside of the cage is the feeding area?

Currently her feeding bowls are in the middle of the cage, just above the perches, should I rather put them on the floor, or is it fine up where they are know?

Sometimes during and after her feedings she will make noises, but she doesn't scream. I think she has screamed maybe 3 times since she's been with us, but I think the screams is, when she is hungry, I don't know? She makes soft noises when we cuddle or when she is in her cage, I guess this is her way of communicating? Also after her evening feeding when she is back in her cage, she will tilt her head backwards, close her eyes and starts grinding her beak against each other, is she still hungry or is it her way of tucking herself in?

Another Q: How do I know that she has had enough formula? According to the instructions the breeder sent us, she takes about a teaspoon full of formula (Avi Plus Handrearing Finisher) mixed with cooled, boiled water (it adds up to more or less 2-3 syringes, 5ml each). I've tried to google how to check her crop, but the problem is I don't have a clue what to look / feel for, as it's my first time owning a parrot.

Are we trying to hard and too quick on her? Please help, as I don't want my baby to starve, and I want to give her the best care possible. We love her so much, and I cannot imagine my life without her. She is so sweet and has the most beautiful personality.

 

[lene1949]

Congratulations on your Ekkie and welcome to the forums...

I fed Paulie approximately 10% of his body weight twice a day at that age... After eating his formula, he would normally sample some of the food in his cage... I gave him pellets, soaked in orange juice, apple and orange cut up fine... Sprouted seeds, kale, snowpeas, brocoli and chilies...

As long as she stick her beak into her food, it doesn't matter which pieces she eats... Just keep offering a wide variety of foods...

Don't stress about it, just offer fresh foods morning and evening, and if she doesn't eat them, it doesn't matter... Eventually she will...

Good luck...

 

[LoveMyParrots]

First of all, congrats on your new parrot.

Is your eclectus hand rised and tame? If she is handfed and tame, you can eat the fruit and veggies in front of her. Since she has only been with you for a week, it is fairly normal for a new parrot to not eat a lot of stuff, because she is unsure if its safe or not. So you could show her the veggies and fruit, and eat it right in font of her. Then offer her a bit, it usually works. But don't worry to much about it, just keep offering it to her, and eventually she'll eat it. If she is very picky, chop the fruit and veggies into very small picese and offer it to her. She will at lease gets a taste of the juice.

And about her water, I'll say leave the way it is. If she is thirsty, she will drink it. But I have notice with my parrot, they won't drink a lot. Ozzie my alexandrine drinks for about 2-3 times a day. But he gets lots of juicy fruits daily.

I'll say see how she goes, and just trying different ways, and see what works best. Every parrot is different, it works for me but it might not work for you. But give it a try anyway.

Hope this helped.

 

[BiancaK]

Thanx you guys, have learned so much already! Will definately try everything you said!

Yes, my baby is hand reared and very tame!

She weighs 306g currently, so should I start immediately with the 10% body weight feedings??

 

[CathnPoe]

Hi there,
I got Poe (male eclectus) when he was 10 weeks old (he's now 13 weeks) and he only ate a couple of teaspoons of food and then started biting the spoon and rejecting more food. I read he should be eating 80g+ so was worried by the 20g he was managing twice a day. I took him to the vet two days after I brought him home and after full blood tests, it was found he had a staph infection in his throat which was causing him pain to eat. Poor babe. So, if you haven't had your little girl checked, do.

If health in not the case, offer cooked, warm food! Sweet potato, carrot, rice, apple, broccoli, beans, etc, all cooked and lightly mashed so it's still chunky but not too difficult. Poe adores this! especially when they're young, soft warm food is very comforting and easy to digest. Serve it 35'C. make sure there's enough water in the mix, especially if she's not drinking much plain water. My vet said Eccies prefer to get their water from their food.

She shouldn't need formula anymore at 10 weeks, but don't force her off it. Mushy cooked food (add some chilli - Poe loves it too!) should be more than accepted. She might not be eating the f&v because she knows formula is on the way. Try to spoon feed her the cooked mix, as it might help the transition, rather than feeding herself immediately.

As for the seed. eclectus don't do well on high fat diets, so only a little seed should be offered... and the occasional nut for treat purposes only, not diet.

The crop is at the front of the chest. You will not even notice it if she hasn't eaten. After/while she is eating, gently feel the front of her chest, You will feel a small 'balloon' like sack. When it it rounded and firm (but not hard - overfed) and you will be able to see her chest appear more rounded even without touching, she is full. However, she should let you know when she's full unless, like Poe, she's sick. If she does over eat, she will just throw-up the excess (Poe does this when he drinks too much from the water bottle because he finds it fun.)

I would advise using a water bottle as they can't poo in it/ slosh food in it, so you minimise chance of bacterial infections. Especially as she's young, she'll learn fast. Just tap the bead so she sees water coming out, maybe let is drip on her beak, and praise when she touches it. Easy
Poe hardly drinks, but then over drinks when I hold the water bottle for him as he finds it fun to tongue the bead... silly boy. I offer him water throughout the day, and he will often have a few gulps, but I only do this as he spends almost no time in his cage.

Poe wasn't very coordinated when it came to perching, so bowls on the floor could be good (but not under perches where they could be pooped in). heavy ceramic bowls with flat bases (like small dog/cat bowls) are perfect, as she can stand on this rim without tipping it.

Another tip: birds are social eaters. Let her sit at the table with while you both eat dinner/breakfast/lunch. This will encourage her to eat as she will feel part of the flock.

Phew, long post.
Best of luck!

 

[BiancaK]

Thanx for all your advice Cathy, it is much appreciated!! I'll definately try the "mushy cooked food" as well.

In fact, I think it's on tonight's menu!

 

[RobEckie]

Hi Bianca,
We've had our male eclectus for over 2 months now and yes, they are picky eaters but our guy is a great eater. He is around 6 months old now and we picked him up from our breeder a bit over 3 months old and he was very careful not to give him to us too early as he only started eating on his own a couple of weeks before we picked him up.
So if you say your eclectus is 11 weeks old then I would think he is still quite young and will definitely start hitting his prime with eating very soon. The change of environment can cause them to stop eating and he definitely took a good couple of weeks to settle into his new environment.
It sounds like your doing the right thing, except I wouldn't feed him so many seeds. We'll only offer some seeds as a treat a couple of times a week.