Pellet diet for an Eclectus

[Pharoh]

Hello,
I have jus aquired a Vos Marie Eclectus. I have read lots of info on the eclectus parrot, but I have not read what is a good pelleted diet for the eclectus. At the moment i'm using Harrison's brand parrot food. But i would like to kno if there is a better parrot pellet food especially for the eclectus.

Thank you

[The Outlaw]

Please don't feed pellets to eclectus parrots. Their digestive system is a little different (longer) than other species and many pellets can prove problematic. If you insist upon feeding pellets, use natural uncolored pellets such as Harrison's or Scenic.

Many feather plucking, Toe Tapping Syndrome and abnormally colored feathers have been traced back to the feeding of pelleted diets to eclectus parrots.

Ideally, you should feed a fresh, well-balanced diet. Please check out www.landofvos.com for al kinds of Eclectus information. This is Carolyn Swicegood's site and its the best on the internet for Eclectus information. If you do it right, you won't be sorry. They are remarkable and very beautiful birds.

[felisdomesticus]

Originally Posted by The Outlaw

Many feather plucking, Toe Tapping Syndrome and abnormally colored feathers have been traced back to the feeding of pelleted diets to eclectus parrots.

My ekkie girl gets 2 fresh meals a day--breakfast and dinner. At the beginning of each week, I wash and chop up fruits and vegetables and fill a big tupperware bowl. I also prepare a "carb" mix for her like rice/beans, pasta, plumped corn/rice, etc. It may seem like a huge pain in the butt to feed a fresh diet but I just do it all at once and I'm set for the week. She is a healthy and happy girl who, sadly, eats much better than I do!

This week's menu:
--fruit: oranges, limes, pomegranates, granny smith apples
--vegs: cucumbers, peppers, carrots, mustard greens, dandelion greens, tomatoes, red cabbage, yellow squash
--Trader Joe's wild basmati rice blend with sweet potato chunks
--cottage cheese
--canned salmon (every other day)
--hardboiled egg halves (every other day)

[Pharoh]

Most of the information i have has come from the land of vos web site.
Thank you for you help.

[felisdomesticus]

Originally Posted by Pharoh

Most of the information i have has come from the land of vos web site.
Thank you for you help.

are you needing more information in terms of safe pellets or fresh diets?

What are you going to feed?

[Pharoh]

I am feeding her fresh diet and harrisons adult lifetime.
Less than a 1/3 of her diet is harrisons. Once a day with her
fresh diet, i offer her harrisons on the side of her fresh food
she picks around on it a bit, but doesn't eat much of it.

[Monica]

I'll agree with the others that feeding pellets is a bad idea because of the problems that it can lead to in ekkies... And that Nancy had said it well enough because of the problems that can arise...

[Jean From Harrisons]

I've heard the spirulina/toe tap spiel for some time now. Can someone please briefly outline what the current reasoning is here behind not recommending pellets for eclectus?

[The Outlaw]

BECAUSE of the association with plucking, abnormal coloration and toe tapping. Also, the ekkies digestive tract is different from other parrots and fails to digest pellets the way other birds do. In the wild the eclectus parrot's diet is pretty lean. In fact, most pellets are too rich for them. That is the theory behind not feeding pellets, even Harrison's, to eclectus parrots. For the record, the 2 birds that arrived here for rehabilitation (a Congo Grey and a Hahns macaw) were BOTH weaned to Harrison's and stayed on that diet, plus some fresh foods for 4 years. Both were hens and both were plucking terribly when they arrived. I removed Harrison's pellets from their diets, put them on an entirely fresh and almost exclusively organic diet and both refeathered within weeks.

When the Hahns was returned to its home, it again was put back on Harrison's pellets, pulled every single feather it could reach and to the best of my knowledge is the baldest Hahn's I've ever seen. I wound up adopting the Congo and she still lives with me. Her name is Cleo.

Cleo, has never been re-introduced to the pellets and is in perfect feather today. Granted, there may be other factors at play as well, but within 10 days of dietary changes, both birds improved dramatically. Both birds had been vetted by Donald Zantop of Fallston Maryland. I no longer feed any bird in my home any pellets. Especially my Eclectus. My Eclectus, Mai Tai, also started feather pulling when I introduced her to pellets by either Kaytee or Pretty Bird (I can't even remember anymore) specifically formulated for Eclectus parrots and SHE started pulling feathers within days. I discontinued those pellets and fed Harrison's Pepper. She had never removed any in the 3 years prior. I had her on the remainder of the Harrison's Pepper from the congo and noticed her condition continuing to deteriorate. I removed ALL pellets from her diet and resumed feeding her the recommended diet from the Land Of Vos site, including Pamela Clark's layered salads as well. Finally, the plucking stopped. It may be a coincidence, but I'm convinced its not. I personally have not had good experiences with any pellets, including Harrison's maintenance and pepper. The fresh diet, though labor intense and definitely a balancing act, has kept 9 of my flock in fine feather for almost 6 years. I'll stick with what works for me, and I won't recommend anything that didn't. I know that many people feel that some form of pellet must be offered to their birds. I disagree. I am no expert on anyone's birds other than my own, but in fact if asked for my OPINION, I'm sticking to it. A well-balanced diet shouldn't need to be enhanced with pellets. Again, JMHO