Introducing Ruthie

[EkkieRuthie]

Hi all!

Just a shout to say hello. I just adopted an 18-year old Eclectus female, Ruthie, who is settling in nicely so far. Ruthie is super sweet and gentle, loves shredding, steps up like a champ and is a showering fiend. She does barber her feathers a bit and could stand to lose an ounce or two of weight (we're working on diet improvement), but primarily she's awesome.

I've enclosed a couple of photos and look forward to being part of the community.

Cheers (or squawks)!

 

[Rozalka]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[lplummer52]

Welcome! Great photos...especially the shower!

 

[Jen5200]

Welcome to you both! I love ekkie colors, she’s beautiful

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome, and congratulations!
Thanks for taking this darling into your home.
I'll look forward to following your journey together.

 

[Flboy]

A real stunner, she is! Welcome!

 

[chris-md]

Hello and welcome! We’ve got quite the active Ekkie population here, you’ll fit in very well. Ruthie is a stunner!

 

[Scott]

Welcome, thanks for adopting an older (but not "old") Ekkie! Ruthie is a beauty, nice to see her enjoying a shower!

Ekkie diets are highly specialized, let us know if you'd like some tips for weight loss.

 

[mike126]

Ruthie's pretty! Welcome to the forum

 

[Inger]

Welcome to you and Ruthie! I think Lady Ekkies might be the most beautiful parrots. Such striking colors! Can’t wait to get to know both of you better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EkkieRuthie]

Thank you! Indeed any tips on weight loss would be helpful, and on diet switching. Seems like Ruthie lived the first part of her life eating table foods and her preference is really heavily weighted towards anything warm, soft and white - ranging from pasta, to fish, to goat cheese and muffins (i don't feed any of those regularly). She scoffs at anything green and rarely touches a veggie. Her sweet potatoes and butternut squash go down on occasion, but only when warm... So: any suggestions welcome for how to transition to a better eating regimen! Thanks in advance.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hello and welcome,
yup like everyone already mentioned: she is a stunning bird!


I hope you will have a lot of fun together.

 

[Scott]

Thank you! Indeed any tips on weight loss would be helpful, and on diet switching. Seems like Ruthie lived the first part of her life eating table foods and her preference is really heavily weighted towards anything warm, soft and white - ranging from pasta, to fish, to goat cheese and muffins (i don't feed any of those regularly). She scoffs at anything green and rarely touches a veggie. Her sweet potatoes and butternut squash go down on occasion, but only when warm... So: any suggestions welcome for how to transition to a better eating regimen! Thanks in advance.

You certainly have a challenge ahead convincing Ruthie to forego table foods likely high in sugar/fat/sodium. Parrots can tolerate a less than ideal diet for a while, but eventually develop chronic illnesses. Ekkies have an unusual digestive tract, making them more sensitive than average. Best procedure is to integrate more healthy foods such as vegetables and some fruits while weaning her off comfort items. Changing "cold turkey" is likely to cause peripheral issues and great frustration. Parrots are flock-eaters, so prepare bowls of healthy foods (aka "chop") for yourself and Ruthie. Begin to eat from yours, and exude great enjoyment with head-bobbing and "Mmmmm" sounds. Sounds crazy but often works!

Please peruse our Parrot Food, Recipes, and Diet threads, this in particular: http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-...7-converting-parrots-healthier-diet-tips.html

This is a general primer on Ekkies: http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/52737-so-you-think-you-want-eclectus.html

Eclectus diet: http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/28350-eclectus-diet-confused.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/38464-eclectus-diet-ok.html

 

[EkkieRuthie]

Thanks all, for the kind words and the great suggestions regarding diet switching. I thought I'd post the enclosed picture from the other day, when I happened to turn my head for just a moment... Haha... Need to be more vigilant, I think!

 

[LoriS53]

Welcome! Beautiful bird!

 

[LoriS53]

Welcome! Beautiful!

 

[Laurasea]

She looks like she won the lottery with those muffins!!! Sneaky girl!

 

[Ekkyparrotlet125]

Welcome to you and Ruthie!

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed. We have a large Ekkie membership on here, I am sure they will help you out on any issues she may have.