I can't believe how FAST she grew up! We just returned from a ten day sojourn to Iceland, and she went from being a somewhat grey fuzzy lump (cuddly, though!) to a brilliantly-feathered, active, beaky little adventurer. She still likes to cuddle up under our chins.
The breeder says she's down to one hand-feeding a day and is diving in to her food. If she continues at this rate, she'll be ready to come home, fully weaned, in a few weeks. I'm so thrilled! Fingers crossed, right? =) =) =)
Diet:
I'm now trying to wrap my head around her eventual diet. I definitely want to feed her an excellent variety of food to keep her as healthy as possible; I LOVE BirdieMarie's thread in "Looking into our first Eclectus parrots" (really, even if it's from a yahoogroup, shouldn't it be made a sticky? lol), but there's a lot there. Everyone says an eclectus should be able to live just as long as other parrots of comparable size, and I want to make sure that happens to the best of my ability. =)
Primary Questions:
Is the below a balanced, healthy diet? Where are my gaps in nutrition?
Are my amounts too much? Too little? I swing back and forth!
I'm color-coding this to make it easier for myself to conceptualize everything, lol.
1. Breakfast: Growing Up - Cooked mash (maybe a tablespoon in the morning? Half of one? Is that too much?) of a variety of veggies and seeds and grains (quinoa, oats, rice, etc.) My main concern is that there might be too many carbs to feed her daily here once she's an adult; if that's the case, would cooked quinoa mixed with other cooked veggies (like carrots and broccoli, steamed and diced) work when she grows up? I figure I could sprinkle some chia or flax seed into this, or maybe into the sprouts (which I'm talking about next!)
I'm also looking into trying to sprout things for her, which I could use as a breakfast base instead of the mash; I'd love to feed her a tablespoon of sprouts daily for breakfast instead of mash (picking seeds specifically for protein in addition to other healthy ones). Is that too much? Enough? I have a black thumb, so I REALLY hope it's as easy as they say!
2. Lunch: Rotating variety of fresh fruits and vegetables on a skewer for daily foraging (at least one or two types of green leafy veggies in every one, orange fruits, too) or chopped up and put in a foraging toy every day for the primary base of her diet. I'll also leave maybe half a tablespoon (or whatever other measurement?) of organic, non-dyed pellets. If I can get away with not feeling her these, I will, but we'll see what she eats.
3. One or two nuts or so a day, as treats. (Is this too much? Too little?)
4. Dinner: A few (3-5) thawed berries (fresh if in season, but I live in a state where it's rare that you can find organic berries for most of the year) and chopped up edibles from whatever we're cooking for dinner that night.
The breeder says she's down to one hand-feeding a day and is diving in to her food. If she continues at this rate, she'll be ready to come home, fully weaned, in a few weeks. I'm so thrilled! Fingers crossed, right? =) =) =)
Diet:
I'm now trying to wrap my head around her eventual diet. I definitely want to feed her an excellent variety of food to keep her as healthy as possible; I LOVE BirdieMarie's thread in "Looking into our first Eclectus parrots" (really, even if it's from a yahoogroup, shouldn't it be made a sticky? lol), but there's a lot there. Everyone says an eclectus should be able to live just as long as other parrots of comparable size, and I want to make sure that happens to the best of my ability. =)
Primary Questions:
Is the below a balanced, healthy diet? Where are my gaps in nutrition?
Are my amounts too much? Too little? I swing back and forth!
I'm color-coding this to make it easier for myself to conceptualize everything, lol.
1. Breakfast: Growing Up - Cooked mash (maybe a tablespoon in the morning? Half of one? Is that too much?) of a variety of veggies and seeds and grains (quinoa, oats, rice, etc.) My main concern is that there might be too many carbs to feed her daily here once she's an adult; if that's the case, would cooked quinoa mixed with other cooked veggies (like carrots and broccoli, steamed and diced) work when she grows up? I figure I could sprinkle some chia or flax seed into this, or maybe into the sprouts (which I'm talking about next!)
I'm also looking into trying to sprout things for her, which I could use as a breakfast base instead of the mash; I'd love to feed her a tablespoon of sprouts daily for breakfast instead of mash (picking seeds specifically for protein in addition to other healthy ones). Is that too much? Enough? I have a black thumb, so I REALLY hope it's as easy as they say!
2. Lunch: Rotating variety of fresh fruits and vegetables on a skewer for daily foraging (at least one or two types of green leafy veggies in every one, orange fruits, too) or chopped up and put in a foraging toy every day for the primary base of her diet. I'll also leave maybe half a tablespoon (or whatever other measurement?) of organic, non-dyed pellets. If I can get away with not feeling her these, I will, but we'll see what she eats.
3. One or two nuts or so a day, as treats. (Is this too much? Too little?)
4. Dinner: A few (3-5) thawed berries (fresh if in season, but I live in a state where it's rare that you can find organic berries for most of the year) and chopped up edibles from whatever we're cooking for dinner that night.
