Ekkie Diet without Lentils/Rice? And New Habits

[charmedbyekkie]

Hello! Two parts to this ekkie diet:

1.

We've been switching Cairo over from Zupreem to fresh chop. He's deciding on his favourite fruits and veggies (which seems to mean more blueberries for the humans). But right now, it's just that - fruits and veggies, based on the various lists of what is most nutritious for them.

I know other people cook and put in lentils, rice, and other starchy foods. Is this mandatory (ie, am I depriving him of something beneficial to him?) or is this just a good-to-have but not necessary for his well-being?

2.

His previous family used to just leave a cup of Zupreem in his cage, so he would just eat anytime. He seems to expect this from us as well and gets very agitated when this free-flow doesn't happen. I think his agitation stems from the fact that he doesn't eat all in one sitting, but prefers to eat at it with several sittings over the hours. I did try removing the bowl from his cage and placing it back empty, but worry that his hunger and unmet expectation makes him angsty.

How can we switch him to two set meals (breakfast and dinner) without upsetting him so much? I do try to make sure he has a snackable during the day (food in the form of toys - bok choy and coconuts), but it's not possible every day since I work.

3.

On the note of Zupreem, I might have been too aggressive in switching him off it. Need your guys' expert input. His first night, I mixed into full pellets with his food. The next day, I sprinkled crushed pellets in. Then the following, I completely did not add any Zupreem (largely because I noticed a bit of leg kicking). So he almost went cold turkey with pellets (but his leg kicking stopped).

Now I do expect him to be a picky eater (aren't we all?), but should I have at least kept with sprinkling the Zupreem, so he's more interested in all types of fruits and veggies? I still have a lot of Zupreem left, but it's so disgustingly sweet smelling I worry about him.

 

[Owlet]

ahh sounds like Lincoln when I first got him. Lentils and rice aren't absolutely required for chop but they're pretty beneficial! . if you have a dehydrator maybe dehydrate some of his chop so he can still have access to food frequently. birds are grazers and don't often eat everything in one sitting. If you have foraging toys encorprate good into them (if you don't I highly suggest getting some)

I highly suggest looking around this website

nutrition

 

[chris-md]

Throw the supreme out. He’ll eventually eat what you give him.

I’ll agree with owlet on this, they aren’t exactly required but they are amazing additions to their diet, especially lentils. Stepping back, it’s not exclusively lentils, but rather pulses in general (many legumes: lentils, chickpeas, assorted beans). Smaller quantities, as they have a bit of protein the bird doesn’t need, but should be part of the overall diet.

 

[Laurasea]

I would weigh him. Birds are designed to eat all day long, and carbohydrates and protein ate an important part if the diet. Most species of parrots spend the entire day foraging.. I would keep track of his weight.

 

[Kiwibird]

Our bird doesn't have a food dish during the day but he does have foraging 'snacks', which keeps him busy, provides a snack but isn't enough to fill him up between meals. Foraging is very important to pet parrots, as it allows them to experience the natural drive of searching out food then figuring out how to get it. Foraging toys can be as simple as stuffing the cardboard tube from a TP roll with non-perishable treats wrapped in tp for him to find to as complex as some acrylic puzzle toys. I'm not sure what ready-made foraging toys are available in your part of the world, so you may want to get creative in making your own. Lots of ideas out there for some cool toys that would make him work for treats during the day!

I would ask your vet about the grains and lentils in the eclectus diet and how much is appropriate. Both can have a good amount of protein and ekkies, to my understanding, need even less protein than other parrots (and parrots in general have low protein requirements).

 

[ChristaNL]

Hmmm, if you have coconut ...you have the coconut-shells to make foraging toys, right?
(there is a D.I.Y. section here - do it yourself for anything parrotwise)


speaking of coconut- I do not think is is something you would want to feed too many times/ too much of ( but I do not own an ekkie ! it's just with the greys I have to watch the fatcontent of their food)


ask the ekk(e)sperts

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Thanks, Owlet and Chris!

I'll look into ways of cooking some up for him then

If you have foraging toys encorprate good into them (if you don't I highly suggest getting some)

I'm trying to get my hands on some ASAP! This clever boy is already bored of his current toys and is really incentivised by treats. I've been going through the DIY section like mad.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Thanks, Laurasea and Kiwibird!

I've got a vet appt schedule this coming Friday, so we're aiming to get everything done in one go! We did try to weigh him with a kitchen scale, but he didn't think it a suitable platform (he seems to be avoiding flat surfaces, preferring perch-like places instead - though I think this might because his nails are a bit too long).

I introduced him to a toilet paper roll because I wasn't sure if he'd be scared of it. He took to it ok - next step is to stuff it

I was largely wondering about the set mealtimes because I remember reading somewhere that Stephen (Anansi) uses the set mealtimes to help with training (treats mean more before dinner and birds are more willing to go back to their cage for dinner). We're lucky that our little guy willingly step-ups and in (when he's not grumpy), but when he is grumpy (typically from lack of sleep), he just wants to bite everything around him.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Hmmm, if you have coconut ...you have the coconut-shells to make foraging toys, right?
(there is a D.I.Y. section here - do it yourself for anything parrotwise)


speaking of coconut- I do not think is is something you would want to feed too many times/ too much of ( but I do not own an ekkie ! it's just with the greys I have to watch the fatcontent of their food)


ask the ekk(e)sperts

Yep! We just gave him one coconut, but he only ate the lid part - he can't figure out how to eat the inside. So us humans scooped that out for ourselves and downed the coconut water as well Now it's just two pieces of coconut husk he likes to occasionally bite the heck out of as they dangle in his cage. I'll see if he'll go for some treats hidden inside the main part.

 

[Owlet]

how I've cooked lentils is just rinse 1 cup of lentils and put it into a pot with 3 cups of water. Put it on medium-high heat until it boils then bring it down to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Make sure water stays above the lentils and add more water if you need to.