What do you feed your eckie?

[wishingonastar]

Hi everyone,

I've read heaps about eckie food and diet, but just wondered what exactly you feed yours? What's their favourite? Do you have a set routine or do you just feed them whatever you have?

I've had Grover for 3 weeks now. She gets corn every day, a millet spray every day, a fresh eucalyptus branch every two days (but it usually only lasts her 5 minutes!), and I've been pretty random with the rest of her diet. For instance, some days she has a mix of corn, apple, celery, and sunflower seeds. Or it could be sweet potato (cooked and mashed up), brown rice, and corn. Sometimes fresh green beans, with cucumber and corn (I always add corn so she eats the other stuff! I don't think she's had much fresh food before she came to us). Sometimes (perhaps once a week) she also gets a seed & fruit honey log (more for entertainment while I'm at work all day than nutrition).

She's not a fan of grapes, banana, mango, almonds, cashews, cherries, or oranges, and I took her off of pellets by the second day I had her. When I mixed in some peas instead of corn one time she looked at me like I'd done the worst thing imaginable (but ate it anyway!)

Just interested to see what everyone else does

Sarah

[swanwillow]

I... don't do corn. There's not a lot of nutrition actually in it, its more or less colorful, flavorful filler. My bubs get some when I eat it, but thats about it.

Right now, their mash (I make a months batch for 2 birds at once) consists of

Beans
Wild Rice
Sweet potato
Carrots
Radishes
Greens (I forget if it was mustard or parsley)
sprouted broccoli
mango
tomatos
cucumber
...there's so much more, but I can't think of it off the top of my head

[homer305]

For this and more info about your Elclectus parrot this should be your first referance . I just aquired my famale and steped in here. A couple of times i was refered to this site . Take your time, read the site all the windows . Not in a day ofcourse and you will be on your mary way. Keep up to date with Bird board as you can see for the most part we all have eclectus , we all have problems or un answerd questions and at one point or other there is someone out there that has gone though it before and you can have your concerns answered . refer to this page for nutrition. Eclectus Parrots
Once you are in scroll to the bottom of the page. look for the second picture from the bottom up it will be a green male eclictus . Click on it and you will find some good recepies.
Wish you luck and all others.

[Voslover]

Keiki's (5 yr. old female Vosmaerie ) daily diet...

When uncovered in the mornings (approx. 7:30 - 8:00 AM) she gets her water freshened and 20 grams of Harrison's Pepper Lifetime Course.

Mid-morning she gets her water freshened and a very small portion (5-8 grams) of cantaloupe, banana, kiwi, or other favorites (she has many!).

Mid-day she gets her water freshened and a small portion (5 - 8 grams) fresh organic vegetable (again she has many favorites...carrots, broccoli, etc.)

6:00 PM she gets her water freshened and 10 grams of Harrison's Pepper Lifetime Course.

7:00 PM she gets her water freshened and a small portion of warmed mixed-bean and wild rice mash or sweet potato (8 - 10 grams).

Just before beadtime, she gets 1/2 of a pecan nut.

8:00 PM covered for beadtime.

She does not eat all of everything every day but she does receive the opportunity to eat a balanced diet every day. On average, she will consume approximately 30 - 35 grams total in any given day. She maintains a stable weight of approximately 505 - 510 grams. She gets 2 healthy bird check ups per year from a certified Avian Vet and he says she is the healthiest bird he has seen.

[sodakat]

Originally Posted by swanwillow

I... don't do corn. There's not a lot of nutrition actually in it, its more or less colorful, flavorful filler. My bubs get some when I eat it, but thats about it.

I pretty much agree with you, however, I found this web page recently when doing some searching on colony eclectus. This page is titled

ECLECTUS PARROTS IN THE WILD IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
From personal e-mail correspondance with missionary Larry Lovell in Papua New Guinea, Summer 2000

The person interviewed is asked questions about Eclectus parrots that he has seen in the wild. His responses are quite interesting to me, especially this one regarding diet and their favorite food!

Begin Quote

Q: If you have seen Eclectus parrots eating in the wild, can you identify what they are
eating? Fruits? Vegetables? Nuts? What seem to be their favorite foods?

A: They love seeds and grains and also get into the sugar cane quite a bit.

Because the soil on Fergusson grows excellent grass, the people have tried for years to supplement their root crop diets with a nutritious grain of some kind. Sugar cane grows very well here, as does another grass crop called pitpit in Tok Pisin. The people really like corn (which in Minaveha is called pegapega) and have planted it repeatedly, but cannot ever get any because of Eclectus. They eat it as soon as there are any kernels on the cob.

According to the people, their favorite food is corn (maize). They eat corn (Minaveha = 'pegapega') and a grass relative of corn, which in Tok Pisin is called 'pitpit' (M = 'tapuana'). I don't really know what 'pitpit' would be called in English. I've never seen it in supermarkets in the US or England or anywhere else in the world, and don't really know what its scientific name is.

The fruit looks a bit like the top of a cattail.

They also get into the sugarcane (M = 'tou', pronounced "TOE-oo"), papayas (M = 'kaiokina') and bananas (generic M = 'moe', pronounced "MO-ay") and several other crops which grow above ground.

There are several kinds of nut trees and they like two or three of them, but they are indigenous here and not found in the US.

Minavehans don't traditionally plant much that grows above ground because the scorching southeasterlies, which blow quite strongly for 7 or 8 months each year, cook the leaves and fruit of above-ground plants. Traditionally they plant root crops: yams, sweet potatoes, taro, tapioca & manioc (both likely later introductions, perhaps by contact with Samoans and Fijians in the 1800's). The parrots are not such pests for the root crops.

End Quote

from Eclectus Parrots in the Wild in Papua New Guinea

Kathy

[becca623]

Sodakat I love your sig pic! I enjoyed searching for the 3rd bird. Very cute!

My ekkie diet:
Seed available 24/7
A mash/or mix of soaked and cooked beans, cooked brown rice, a variety of veggies: dark leafy greens, broccoli, peppers, squash, carrots, peas, corn, radishes, green beans etc. The mix changes each time we make it. A lot of the foods like the greens, squash, green beans, peas, and peppers come from my mom's organic garden.
Homemade birdie bread with unsweetened applesauce and lots of pumpkin. I usually add some berries and peppers to it.
I give sweet potato and other good for them foods in addition to the above. They don't really go for sweet potato unless I cook it and eat it with them. They don't get a lot of fruit. Each week I buy a couple different fruits to add to their mix. Right now I have blueberries and watermelon. I'm buying apples, bananas, oranges, and plums tonight.

[Elaine922]

Our Eclectus eats everything we eat. When she sees you eating, she screams "Want Some" until you share with her. She doesn't like to be touched, but will come off her cage and eat your food no problem. Whenever we eat out, she always gets a 'birdy bag'. And, of course, she gets her regular food, too.

[sodakat]

Originally Posted by Elaine922

When she sees you eating, she screams "Want Some" until you share with her. She doesn't like to be touched, but will come off her cage and eat your food no problem.

I love that! My birds are also beggars of course as are our dogs. My husband pointed out to me just today that LaFitte doesn't need to see us put fork to mouth to begin begging. Instead, he knows if the dogs are sitting, staring intently at us, it's because we have food, so if they beg, he begs. Sad. We have no dicipline here. As I've said before, he can spot peanut butter on ritz from 30 feet.

We do feed a super, good ekkie diet, of course, but yes, they have tasted ice cream. I'm not going to lie.

Kathy