Just adopted an eclectus.. beans question

[Ekkyparrotlet125]

Hey everyone! So I adopted my boy last night, the woman couldn't provide me on much of his history so I am taking him to the avian vet asap for blood work and check-up. I have a parrotlet as well and I'm keeping them in separate rooms for quarantine. I will write another post on him. But for now, I was making him breakfast this morning (chopped strawberries, banana, raw spinach, grapes, and about 5 all-natural pellets.) Does this sound ok to start? Later I was going to give some quinoa and raw broccoli. So I also happen to have some beans in the pantry, but I'm a bit paranoid about sodium content. The brand is Green Valley organic, dark red beans. It says "low-sodium", and the content is 140 mg per half cup. Please let me know if any of you use this, or how you prepare beans! Also, how much to give him? Thank you!

 

[TiredOldMan]

I just cook dried beans. Usually in 2lb batches and freeze them in zip locks. I season them with cayenne pepper powder and or fresh chilies only, no salt. The birds love them and I eat them also. Course I add a little salt to my serving.

 

[Owlet]

What pellets are you feeding him? Pellets are very hit or miss and a lot of people find pellets do not work with their eclectus.

What to avoid in terms of pellets:
Corn base
Added vitamins
Added colors
lots of seed
lots of sugar
high sodium levels
high fat levels

 

[Ekkyparrotlet125]

Zupreem, the natural ones. I don't ever buy the colorful ones, even for my parrotlet. I know the pellet controversy, and I am planning on avoiding as much as possible. But for now I'm trying to figure out what he likes (he hasn't eaten yet) and possibly just add a few (like 4-5 pellets) to his diet to ensure he's getting nutrition? Honestly I don't even know if he'll eat them at this point!

 

[Owlet]

Honestly I would just ditch the Zupreem as Zupreem generally isn't very good for eclectus as a whole. Even the bag that shows off an ekkie on the front.

I advise a fresh to frozen chop and thaw as you need it.

This is what I generally do for my chops so this isn't a "do it this way or youre wrong" just how I do it / what my boy likes:

Always;
Spinach OR kale
Broccoli
1 or 2 kindd of peppers (green bell are best nutritionally but other bells are good too along with other peppers)

Changes depending on what the store has:
Some kind of squash
1-2 kinds of fruits (depending in how much mass the fruit I'm getting has, I personally limit 1 small thing of berries per chop since my boy reacts badly if there's too much)
2-3 grains (lentil, rice, oats, quinoa)
2 or 3 more vegetables (cauliflower, green beans, and I suddenly forget every other vegetable)

Avoid;
Corn
canned products
too much fruit (natural sugar is still sugar)


I know a lot of people use sprouts too which are really good and easy to grow yourself.

I spend usually around 30$ for the above and it lasts me a good month or two.

 

[chris-md]

Great advice above.

I would emphasize making sure you’re feeding enough vitamin a, a key nutrient for ekkies moreso than others. Some emphasis should be on veggies in the red/orange spectrum, where vitamin a resides.

But make sure you’re feeding the rainbow. Different colors mean different nutrient profiles.

I hope photos are forthcoming

 

[chris-md]

Also, nothing out of a can, you’ve got that instinct right.

You CAN feed beans in low quantities (go easy, they are a bit high in protein, which is not great). They just have to be the dry beans.

And with the pellets, if you’re going to supplement with any pellet, it needs to be either TOPs pellets or Goldenfeast goldnobles II (these look like dark brown Cheerios). They have all natural ingredients, very different from your standard pellet like zupreme (garbage for ekkies!)

 

[Ekkyparrotlet125]

Thank you so much everyone! Your advice is so helpful. I will upload pics

 

[Anansi]

You've already gotten some great advice! Just a few things. I'd remove the spinach from his menu, as it reportedly has properties that tend to block their body's ability to absorb calcium.

Strawberries I also tend to avoid, as I've read that they can sometimes get a fungus that is extremely hard to spot with the naked eye. I haven't read as much on this, but tend to err on the side of discretion when it comes to possible fungal contamination.

In the interests of sharing information, here is what I currently feed Maya and Jolly (my ekkies): I tend to provide between 6 and 12 types of food per feeding (2 meals per day), weighted heavily toward the veggie side as only 1 or 2 of the food selections in a given meal are fruits.
Various sprouts, carrots (a part of every meal due to the high content of beta carotene - precursor to Vitamin A), bell peppers (red, yellow, orange and green), jalapeno peppers, Jamaican Scotch bonnet peppers, chili peppers, squash (butternut, green and yellow), pumpkin (also 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, kale, turnips, radishes, brown rice, quinoa, cucumbers, endives, dandelion (nutritional powerhouse offered at every meal), sweet potato (cooked), red swiss chard, granny smith apples, papaya, 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 or two per bird in a given day, broken into small pieces and fed as rewards through the training sessions). And for their "goodnight treat", up to two teaspoons of seeds.

 

[chris-md]

Stephen, just FYI the concern with spinach is high oxalates (steals calcium to makes calcium oxalates crystals = kidney stones). The Swiss chard and dandelions are also known sources of high amounts of oxalates.

That makes me wonder if jolly’s issue really might be low calcium, if you’re feeding the chard and greens with any significant frequency.

 

[Owlet]

wow I didn't know about that spinach stuff, definitely cutting it out.

 

[Ekkyparrotlet125]

So much to keep in mind! Well I made what I think is a pretty good mix (for a first timer, lol!) and a big batch at that. He seemed to have liked much of what was in it. Trader Joes sells oatmeal packs that are nothing but oatmeal, amaranth, with some flax. I put one of those in, a smashed sweet potato, lentils (which he seems to go crazy for!), green peas, chopped green pepper,a spec of spinach, and broccoli (neither of which he is fond of). I also provided fresh fruit (grapes) at dinner. He LOVES grapes!

On another note, had the avian vet check him out today. His overgrown beak was trimmed down, and the vet noted that he is an obsessive preener. All of the feathers under his wings are a mess. His short tail was probably due to him being a cage too small. Anyway, other than that, the vet said he looked good and was a healthy weight. We did a full blood workup and chlamydia test.

So that was today's adventure for my very stressed out boy! Also I should add, he doesn't eat or drink unless I hand feed him.. I hate to keep doing that but I feel like he needs to eat something! Any suggestions? I swear, he just sits there. And to be honest, I feel like he probably can't go anywhere with the condition his feathers are in!

Also, see my previous post for pics. I linked it at the bottom to photobucket because the original didn't work!

 

[TiredOldMan]

I am so glad things went good today.

I understand your thinking on they have to eat something. This includes having to hand feed or forbid feeding them something that "isn't good for them. I feel the same way. Especially with a new to the flock bird.

I have yet to have one that doesn't eventually eat good amounts of the right things.

We may both get flamed but that is exactly the way I feel about new birds on a bad diet.

You have to get them settled and eating before you can change their diet.

 

[Anansi]

Stephen, just FYI the concern with spinach is high oxalates (steals calcium to makes calcium oxalates crystals = kidney stones). The Swiss chard and dandelions are also known sources of high amounts of oxalates.

That makes me wonder if jolly’s issue really might be low calcium, if you’re feeding the chard and greens with any significant frequency.

It's weird. From what I understand, quite a few greens, which are necessary in an ekkie's diet, have this issue. But from what I've read, it's just a more significant issue with spinach. Significant to the point that it outweighs the benefits.

Funny thing is, I haven't fed them Swiss chard in over a year (just sheer coincidence rather than a conscious choice on my part), nor dandelion for at least 6 or 7 months (again, not by choice... especially for dandelion, as that is such a staple food, but rather because I just haven't been able to find it ANYWHERE!)

But that said, I'm definitely not counting calcium deficiency out as a possible culprit. Especially since another possible cause of calcium deficiency is Vitamin D deficiency, as Vitamin D is needed for the body's absorption of calcium. But I might be putting the cart ahead of the horse, here. First thing I'm going to do is move up the veterinary appointment so we can see what both the Vitamin D and the calcium levels are looking like.

 

[Anansi]

...So that was today's adventure for my very stressed out boy! Also I should add, he doesn't eat or drink unless I hand feed him.. I hate to keep doing that but I feel like he needs to eat something! Any suggestions? I swear, he just sits there. And to be honest, I feel like he probably can't go anywhere with the condition his feathers are in!

I'd say set his food up in his cup when he's at his hungriest and just leave him to it. This could be a case of him training a behavior into you. We all go through that as parronts, hereabouts. They're just smarter than we tend to think they are.

Since he's been declared as being at a good weight by the vet, there isn't quite as much of an urgency. What you don't want is a situation where he expects you to hand feed him at every meal. Because once that becomes his reality, birds can be very stubborn and set in their ways.

If he goes overly long without eating, then you may have to cave. But give it a few hours, first.

 

[chris-md]

Promise I’m actually not trying to convince you it’s CA def. just a snap obervation I made, and clearly not applicable in this case

 

[Anansi]

Promise I’m actually not trying to convince you it’s CA def. just a snap obervation I made, and clearly not applicable in this case

Nooooooo! It was a good point, my friend! And it has to be considered. Not my #1 suspect, but far from exonerated, either. Blood tests will tell.

 

[Ekkyparrotlet125]

One more question...I have some minute brown rice in my cupboard. Is that OK to give (cooked)? I can't seem to find anything on minute rice, just regular. Thanks!!

 

[chris-md]

Yep. It’s a staple in my boys diet

 

[Oliver17]

I luv reading and gaining all this knowledge
Thank You