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New Ekkie owner

Caleb

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Caleb Schoolcraft
I am a new Ekkie owner, actually I am a new bird owner. I have wanted a parrot most of my life and I have recently acquired a 15 year old Eclectus. I have been doing some research on their diet and care, and have been trying to incorporate some of the recommended foods. Kamiko doesn’t seem to like said foods and would rather stick to his dry processed crap that you buy from the pet store. He does however love grapes, .... that’s about it. I was told by the previous owners that he likes peanuts in the shell, but I was reading and they recommended not to give Ekkies peanuts because the could be contaminated with mold. That’s niether here nor there, my question is how would I go about switching him from his processed pellets to normal food? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.
 

fashionfobie

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Welcome to the forum :)

Check out this thread:
Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum


I am glad you came looking for answers. You are correct don't feed peanuts. As misleading as the name is they aren't nuts but are a terrestrial legume. You probably already knew this, but I think it is part of the reason some people feed them to birds.

If your avatar picture is your new ekkie I highly suggest a wellness exam at a vet. It will help get everyone on the correct track. His beak is overgrown. This can be a sign of an underlying illness which birds are champions at hiding. It could also be from poor play habits and simply not chewing enough, but a very can rule out health issue.

It will be a long road to get him back to health. Thank you for giving him a new chance and don't hesitate to ask questions here. Ekkies are advanced birds and more and more is being learned about them.


@EkkieLu has a few ekkie rescues that I am sure she would love to share some of her successes and mistakes :)
 

janicedyh

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Congratulation. Feeding Ekkies can be tricky, they are not like other parrots. The sooner you get off processed food the better. If you do choose to feed pellets, get one that is not fortified.Tops or Harrisons for example. Try to offer great fruits like pomegranate, dragon fruit, mango, papaya. If you feed apples, give green or granny smith because they are lower in sugar. Start phasing out the dry food. Look for lists of safe greens and veggies for your bird. Ekkies must have lots of greens in their diet along with food containing vitamin A. An example of my chop is dandelion greens, kale, chard, collards, radishs and radish greens, steamed sweet potato, bell pepper, carrots, sprouted quinoa, brown rice. That is a base chop that I make to last 6 weeks and place in baggies to last 3 days each. Along with the chop you can add other things fresh like squashes, other types of sprouts, lentils. I feed one heaping tablespoon of the chop along with 3 fresh fruits in the morning. At noon I give a quarter granny smith apple, an almond, one teaspoon Volkmans Eclectus seed mix (I remove the nuts and sunflower seeds). At dinner I give One heaping tablespoon of the chop and 3 different fruits. I would suggest sprinkling a little hemp hearts and milk thistle onto his food. You can place things to forage during the day, celery, weave some greens through the bars etc. Since your Ekkie is 15 years old and has been on a poor diet she/he is in danger of having liver issues and these two help with that. I also give a small amount of sustainable red palm oil every 3 days and a pea size amount of Coconut oil. As best as you can, please feed organic. Pesticides are very harmful. Be aware that any fortified foods or snacks are harmful to Eclectus, there are things you can give other parrots that you can't give to eclectus. They are canopy dwellers and are rarely seen eating from the forest floor. If you have not already, take your bird to a good Avian vet. Be aware, however, not all avian vets are that familiar with Ekkies and their special needs and those that are don't trust people to educate themselves properly in how to care for them. If you read, read then read some more you will be able to help your bird be healthy and happy. Eclectus are extremely sensitive and are high on the list to pluck. They do thrive on routine and need a lot of out of the cage time. Thats all I can think of for now. Oh, you are right about the peanuts
 

iamwhoiam

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Congrats on getting your Eclectus.
 

Caleb

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Caleb Schoolcraft
Thank you so much for the input @janicedyh and @fashionfobie. We are Kamiko’s 4th owner and the first owner was an elderly lady that didn’t take that great of care of him. The people that we got him from said that his beak was really badly overgrown when they got him so it is much better now. I will call around and find a good avian vet to take him to, the unfortunate thing for us is we live in a really small town and there are not a lot of avian vets that will treat him. We are slowly incorporating fresh fruits and veggies in his diet and he seems now like some of the things we put in front of him. If he doesn’t like it he will throw it. It’s quite funny. He doesn’t play with his toys that he has so I am not sure how to get him more interested in them.​
 

janicedyh

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At least for this initial visit try and find an Avian vet to do a full workup on him. Do you know for sure if he is a Solomon Island?I know some of the subspecies have longer beaks. It may seem an easy thing to do to have a beak trim but I would rather have the Avian vet to do that. Ekkies don't chew hard woods usually because they are soft billed parrots verses a parrot like a Cockatoo. I go through lots of balsa and have lots of natural wood perches
 

jh81

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Patience is the key with any parrot :) thank you for rescueing this wonderful creature, and for caring! It shows great respect for your new companion that you asked here for advise! You will find this forum a good resource on any question you might have :)

What helps for some, and for my own parrots too (also rescue’s with various issues) is playing with toys, and eating fruits.. exaggerate the fun you have with the toys and how wonderful the food tastes. This makes the parrot curious to try :)
 

fashionfobie

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@Lady Jane, Dianne, has a few articles she has shared on how to help teach your bird to play with toys. Maybe she will chime in and share the resources that have worked for her :)
 

Lady Jane

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As far as toys go, given his background he may not know what they are. When he is out of the cage on a table top with you put a couple toys near him. Then you sit down and begin playing with the toys as he watches you. Perhaps a second person too. Do this for a few days to get his curiosity stimulated.
 

janicedyh

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Ekkies are fairly smart birds. I don't think Doby ever played until I got him and he still isn't big on "playing". He does love shredding though. I tie this everywhere and stick things in them
 

janicedyh

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This is quick to learn game. Doby loves his phone. Took him 5 minutes tops to learn it. You can break an almond or unsweetend organic banana chip into tiny pieces. Have him on a flat surface with the phone. Push the button, give him a piece, push the button, give him another. I added saying wow each time so he learned that also. It really shocked me that within a few minutes he started pushing the buttons to get the phone to light up and talk then waiting for his treat. We also have the jump off me onto the bed game. I lay on my side and place him on my hip, he jumps off onto the bed and says "WOW", then runs to my feet climbs back up nd does it again. He will wear himself out doing that and I'm usually the person that stops the game.
 

Monaco

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I am a new Ekkie owner, actually I am a new bird owner. I have wanted a parrot most of my life and I have recently acquired a 15 year old Eclectus. I have been doing some research on their diet and care, and have been trying to incorporate some of the recommended foods. Kamiko doesn’t seem to like said foods and would rather stick to his dry processed crap that you buy from the pet store. He does however love grapes, .... that’s about it. I was told by the previous owners that he likes peanuts in the shell, but I was reading and they recommended not to give Ekkies peanuts because the could be contaminated with mold. That’s niether here nor there, my question is how would I go about switching him from his processed pellets to normal food? Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Hi Caleb, I'm new, and in the same boat. It will be interesting to see what works and what doesn't as we try to shift them over to a good diet. I hope you continue posting your progress. Monaco comes home October 20th, so I will start a thread for her progress then.

Good luck!
Kelly on behalf of Monaco
 

Les charlson

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Ekkes are grazers. They take their time. As for peanuts, try peanut butter smeared on something he likes then smear it on a new piece of fruit. Mine will do anything for a fresh green bean, a chilli or peas in the pod that she can hold in her foot and peel for the seeds inside. I strip the string off the pods first. She also loves half a passionfruit to hold and eat.
 

EkkieLu

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I stick with a lot of fresh fruits as their main diet source. Steamed veggies, especially sweet potatoes, carrots, acorn squash, pumpkin, etc are offered daily at 1 meal. They get no pellets. Seeds/nuts offered in very small amounts. Twice a week they get a small serving of chicken or scrambled eggs. I try to always give them a warm breakfast to start their day!
 
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