Toe tapping male Eclectus

[lucazmom]

Hi all,

My almost 4 years old male Eclectus (Luca) has started toe tapping. As soon as I give him almonds it does go away for a while. A calcium dip? His blood work was fine in February. I'm wondering if it's hormone related as well as he just started rubbing his privates last month and the toe tapping just stared a couple of weeks ago. Any input, anyone?

Thanks, Lucazmom

[Amie]

I'm betting he's on pellets. If they're colored or artificial, switch him to all-natural. If they're all natural, take him off altogether and start feeding him other types of food like Mike's Manna Mash.

If he's been doing it for a few weeks, it's going to take a few days for him to stop completely.

If he's not eating pellets, please list what he eats on a daily basis.

[jenseits]

Do you regularly give him an almond when he starts tapping his toes? If so, it sounds like he's trained you pretty well.

[lucazmom]

He's been on Kaytee Exact pellet food since a baby. He's also given a variety of greens, bird treats and fruit. It just seems coincidental that this is taking place right after he started rubbing his privates......I did read online that sometimes it can be hormonal. What is Mike's Manna Mash and where do I get it. I talked to Luca's breeder and he said to push more greens and fruit. Around four days ago I noticed that his pellets weren't going down like they had been and therefore thought maybe the lack of his main balanced food might have been the problem. He seems to be REALLY tapping first thing in the morning and then milder once to twice during the day and then late at night. I'm wondering if I should get him into the vet first thing in the morning when he's really tapping to have blood taken to see if his calcium is down then? Do you think it's necessary? Thanks Amie/Brian...... Cheryl

[Monica]

If you are going to feed pellets I recommend switching to Totally Organic Pellets or Foundation Formula. IMO, these are probably the best pellets out there, especially for eclectus.... however, there are eclectus who'll toe-tap no matter the type of pellet they are on, so MUST be fed an all fresh food diet with maybe some seeds/nuts.

Remember, DO NOT feed dyes. No dyes in pellets or seeds or any other type of food. A vet check may be a good idea.

Here's Mike's Manna Mash
Mike's manna mash - BirdBoard.Com - Parrot Message Board & Pet Bird Owner Forums

BTW, I've heard that eclectus love lory nectar!

[lucazmom]

Thank you, Monica! I'm trying to understand why this would pop up when nothing diet wise has changed for him. Any ideas? Thanks, Cheryl

[Monica]

It could be a buildup of toxins... or due to a change in behavior, a release of sorts that started with diet, but didn't show until behavior changes.

I can't really say, but I do suggest trying out TOP or FF if you can get your eclectus to try them, maybe even bottled/filtered water (there was an article in Bird Talk about the best water to use... can't remember which edition), and maybe speak with an avian vet. Land of Vos website has quite a bit of information on Toe Tapping as well.
Frequently Asked Eclectus Questions

[loyallyroyal]

i personally dont feed my ekkie pellets, he gets cooked sprouted beans and grains for meals with fruit and ekkie bird elicious in between meals
SPECIES SPECIFIC

[Snowy]

sorry to somewhat hi-jack with a stupid question, but what is toe-tapping?

[Amie]

YouTube - Jasmine toe-tapping

The ekkie birdelicious is good stuff, guys.

I have to feed my baby pellets because she doesn't eat fresh fruit or uncooked greens, (picky little witch ) but we use Zupreem all-natural and Roudybush. I want to use Dr. Harrison's, too, but I can't get it down here and the shipping is a little crazy considering the Zupreem and Roudybush are working so well for us.

Build up of toxins combined with a fresh release of hormones can have this affect. And watch out on your almond feeding. Too many almonds can be pretty bad for ekkies. Almonds in moderation are a good thing, though. (Too much of anything is bad for our babies, it seems)