Eclectus Rehome Won't Eat Chop

[Nostromo]

Hello all,

I've had our new ekkie boy, Iago, for about a month. He is a bit of a picky eater. His base diet is Roudybush, which he eats quite well, but he's stubborn about eating any chop other than cooked beans, sometimes green peas, and apple chunks. I've tried lots and lots of fruits and veggies - he might try a taste but not more than that. I've even tried mixing applesauce into his chop to get him to eat it. Instead, my Pionus flies over to his bowl each day and scarfs it down for him

He had a full workup at the avian vet, and they said his triglycerides were way high - probably because he ate a seed diet his first three years. So getting him eating healthy is really important. A primarily pellet diet might be fine for most birds, but not an eclectus with high triglycerides. I'm thinking about mixing his pellets into his chop - anybody had success with this? I've offered three different chop formulations, different size of veggies and fruits, papaya, jalapeno, spiced with cinnamon etc etc. I ordered some Bird Street Bistro to add to the chop to see if that helps. I also sprout seeds, some of which (not all) he'll pick out of the chop to eat.

I'd love to hear what worked to get your picky fids eating their veggies!

 

[April]

@Mizzely @Pixiebeak

 

[Pixiebeak]

I ve read up on them , just for interest , because they are unique and have diet challenges. They aren't so great at processing fat , evolved to be primarily fruit pulp eaters . I found a wild eclectus diet study , will get and link for you.. this study also highlighted they do a big morning and evening feed and fasted in-between, and important gastric triggers were and some differences in gastric intestinal structure. Oh...I think I shar d with you before. Well will link again Incase others are interested.

Exploring The Wild Diet | birdhealth

www.birdhealth.com.au

As for getting your buddy to actually eat all your good stuff, they make it tricky don't they ! Not fair!

If you are doing chop, try while pieces or big chunks . For my non eclectus parrots, I found offering veggies outside of the cage , and letting them come and explore helped . Plus I spread out the big chunks , when I'm feeling like I have the energy to be a good mom , I stuff in hanging seagrass mats, use skewers , stuff ed into metal mullet holders thst I have stretched out some . And I used to make big salads and share and eat together. Kinda created food raiders tho

 

[Mizzely]

Have you tried freeze dried veggies?

You could also try something like these:

Power Pellets

These are our most exciting product ever! They are made with sprouted grains, assorted vegetable powder and flaxseed oil. That's it! Our serving suggestion is to add a few pieces to their regular diet. These pellets are a powerhouse and packed with nutrition and so you need only serve a small...

christineschopshop.com

Green Chunks - Small

This is the small size (about 4 cups). On the products page you have the option to choose a medium or a large, as well. Green Chunks are crispy and crunchy, and parrots LOVE them. But they are not made of cheap grains and artificial colors and vitamins like most commercial pellets. They are made...

phoenixforagingrolls.com

Both are dried mixes of veggies and grains; so it may be an in-between for pellets to fresh.

You could also try bird bread.

 

[Mizzely]

For the record, my Jardine's was on seeds for 19 years and he was very sick. It took me almost 3 YEARS to get him eating any veggies. Luckily he would (and could) eat pellets or he literally would have died.

 

[Nostromo]

@Mizzely and @Pixiebeak thanks for the tips! I got the bird street bistro and cooked it up to add to the chop. Iago does seem more interested. Gotta love those yummy grains. I like the idea of hiding food around his cage - he likes to poke around looking for foraging, so I wonder if that might entice him. I know it'll be a long term project getting him to eat healthy. My Pionus was the same way. If only they knew we were just trying to help them!