I have a 9.5 week old male eclectus . I started to put so fresh vegetables and fruit en he loves it ,, i also put in pellets and parrot mix and he is starting to eat some of the pellets on his own Can i start to cut down the formula from e times a day to 2 times ( and also he is starting to look less interested in the formula) And the last thing how would i know if he ate enough of the fruit and pellets ? Thanks in advance everyone
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Feeding baby
- Thread starter Hagen
- Start date
Im not sure what breeder would sell an unweaned baby- the complications of such can be drastic and irreversible.
At 9.5 weeks- he should be able to 'play' with food, but still be on formula. You give formula till he naturally weans off. It is not the quantity of the food he eats- in Ekkies it is usually down to how much water he drinks as well that will determine if he lives or dies. You need a scale for him ASAP.
Until you know his weight- you cant judge progress as they will not show signs of illness till it is far too late.
Edit: weaning is an extreemly compliated process- and with Ekkies even more so. Many ekkies dont wean till 16 weeks. The last few weeks are so critical in type of fresh food provided, technique, husbandry, etc. People contact me often with the same questions- and they all have sad updates down the line. Please call your breeder- ask him to take the unweaned baby back and return to you when the process is complete.
At 9.5 weeks- he should be able to 'play' with food, but still be on formula. You give formula till he naturally weans off. It is not the quantity of the food he eats- in Ekkies it is usually down to how much water he drinks as well that will determine if he lives or dies. You need a scale for him ASAP.
Until you know his weight- you cant judge progress as they will not show signs of illness till it is far too late.
Edit: weaning is an extreemly compliated process- and with Ekkies even more so. Many ekkies dont wean till 16 weeks. The last few weeks are so critical in type of fresh food provided, technique, husbandry, etc. People contact me often with the same questions- and they all have sad updates down the line. Please call your breeder- ask him to take the unweaned baby back and return to you when the process is complete.
Thank you so much i have a scale for him and he weighs 410grams i am not in any rush to take him of the formula ,, just started to notice he is playing with the spoon and dont want to eat as much
And i cannot take him back due to the lockdown.
Soo any advice would be much appreciated
How many ML are you feeding per feeding? how many times a day?
What type of Eclectus is it? what country are you in?
Generally, not to alarm you, but 410g at 9.5 weeks is far TOO MUCH. Try a different scale.
Edit: brush your fingers over his chest horizontally. There should be a bone in the middle- which one does it feel like?
What type of Eclectus is it? what country are you in?
Generally, not to alarm you, but 410g at 9.5 weeks is far TOO MUCH. Try a different scale.
Edit: brush your fingers over his chest horizontally. There should be a bone in the middle- which one does it feel like?
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He has got a bit of formula on him he just ate
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@Hagen
Thank you, but you need to FEEL it. I cant tell from a photo as there are feathers. Take your finger, and swipe over the chest. You will feel a bone going down the center. On either side of the bone, it will be concave and sharp, slightly convave (dipping a bit), even with the bone, or the tissue on each side will be higher than the keel bone.
Dont feel dumb... we are just talking over and around eachother- lol
Thank you, but you need to FEEL it. I cant tell from a photo as there are feathers. Take your finger, and swipe over the chest. You will feel a bone going down the center. On either side of the bone, it will be concave and sharp, slightly convave (dipping a bit), even with the bone, or the tissue on each side will be higher than the keel bone.
Dont feel dumb... we are just talking over and around eachother- lol
I think it feels like the middle one you drawn
Ok, thats very good. You have a big baby then. While the red sided are larger then say an SI, that seems plump.
At this point, 9.5 weeks I stay on 3 feedings a day. Offer fresh often, then more options the better. Really try to get creative and explore all vegetable and fruit options (try for at least 15 items per feeding).
Eclectus actually get MOST of their fluids from their food (they need 80% moisture content)- so during the weaning process- they do not drink adequate water (YOU have to teach them to drink water) when fed pellets/seeds. When they are older- most likely you will have to eliminate pellets all together (since it is a red sided and seriously prone to major health issues). So best to keep pellets and the seeds away starting at an earlier age.
I would say at 11 weeks, two feedings a day. Morning feeding will more than likely be the first he refuses.
But weigh him DAILY, it is vital.
At this point, 9.5 weeks I stay on 3 feedings a day. Offer fresh often, then more options the better. Really try to get creative and explore all vegetable and fruit options (try for at least 15 items per feeding).
Eclectus actually get MOST of their fluids from their food (they need 80% moisture content)- so during the weaning process- they do not drink adequate water (YOU have to teach them to drink water) when fed pellets/seeds. When they are older- most likely you will have to eliminate pellets all together (since it is a red sided and seriously prone to major health issues). So best to keep pellets and the seeds away starting at an earlier age.
I would say at 11 weeks, two feedings a day. Morning feeding will more than likely be the first he refuses.
But weigh him DAILY, it is vital.
Okyy thank you soo much for the help
And yess he dont eat as good as he use to in the morning , and he starts playing with the spoon, but i will weigh him daily .
I gave him seedless grapes and other fruits ,but his fav is the apples
And also i will just give him a big variety of fresh fruits every day so that he can explore
Really push these fruits and veggies if possible to avoid health complications later:
Fruit: Guava, Passionfruit, Figs, Pomegranates, Mango, Cantaloupe, Plantains, Bannana, Plums, Apple, Blueberries, Papaya, Apricot, Nectarines, Cherries, Kiwi, Dragon fruit, Berries
Vegetables: (steam these if possible in chopped up bits- microwave is the best option) Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, Winter Squash, Summer Squash, Yams
Fully cooked: Beans
Raw veggies: bok choy (not sure in south africa- I cant remember if they had it)
Fruit: Guava, Passionfruit, Figs, Pomegranates, Mango, Cantaloupe, Plantains, Bannana, Plums, Apple, Blueberries, Papaya, Apricot, Nectarines, Cherries, Kiwi, Dragon fruit, Berries
Vegetables: (steam these if possible in chopped up bits- microwave is the best option) Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, Winter Squash, Summer Squash, Yams
Fully cooked: Beans
Raw veggies: bok choy (not sure in south africa- I cant remember if they had it)
I did this post awhile back- You are lucky to have access to unique fruits closer to the natural diet- my guys DESTROY things like jackfruit and breadfruit- HA!
What you need: knife, ziplock bags (resealable as you will be adding to the bags- almost daily)
Step 1: Cut up whatever you have on hand. Put in freezer until frozen.
This it what it looks like before freezing:
From left to right:Yams, zucchini, green beans, banana, carrots and sweet potato (cooked), gooseberries and thai chili, blue berries, mango, kiwi, red bell, broccoli slivers
View attachment 332117
Step 2: To this I add pieces of stuff I have frozen premade from the supermarket (I chop it frozen): Cranberries, Jackfruit, Papaya, Pineapple, Cherries, Peas, Strawberries
This is what it looks like when I put it in bags (use multiple bags- in this case I used two bags):
View attachment 332118
View attachment 332120
Step 3:
Later today, I will add to these bags after I make meals for my hubby and I. *Frozen in the same manner, add to each bag.
Butternut squash (leftover from dinner trimmings)
Brussel Sprouts (leftover from dinner trimmings)
Quinoa (because I will make it for lunch)
Apple (leftovers from my breakfast)
Step 4:
Tomorrow I may ad:
Plum pieces (from breakfast)
Corn (from dinner)
Cooked cauliflower (from dinner)
Kidney beans (cooked from lunch)
*Frozen in the same manner, added to each bag, I will fluff up the bags to mix it together.
By adding a little to EACH bag a day- it never depletes (even though I remove from the bags each day). So I know that I will always have variety on hand. This takes the stress out of it. Of course I give fresh- but this is foolproof
This is the mini freezer I can store everything in- it was 160usd:
View attachment 332119
Hope this helps!!!
I am a breeder but not of Eclectus. Babies can and do weigh more than their parents pre weaning and especially pre fledging. Is your baby flying yet? Underweight is more of a concern than overweight.
In my opinion, the keel bone is not the best way to check body condition on a baby since they will naturally have less muscles around their chest because they have not fully developed yet. So it would be very easy to judge them as underweight when it is just that they are not fully developed yet. With babies, the key is recording keeping and comparing them to themselves rather than other individuals.
You can often feed them up to 10% of their body weight per feeding so in your case about 40ml. This is only if they are interested in food. It is not uncommon for fledging babies to be so excited to be out and about and with people that they are not interested in eating so you have to keep offering a few times before you give up because they will eat eventually if they are hungry.
They way that I like to wean babies is to judge their interest in food and also track their weight and track the amount of formula that they are eating.
Track their weight each morning before they eat, so you get the weight of the bird not the weight of the bird plus food. To track food intake either record the amount they eat in ml or better yet weight him before feeding and then immediately after and subtract, then you will know how much food was eaten.
As for interest in food, if you have been feeding a baby for very long you probably understand what I mean by a baby acting desperate for food. If your baby acts hungry or desperate at any of the feeding times then you would not want to remove that feeding time or cut back the number of feedings.
If he is only mildly interested in food and is continuing to gain or maintain weight then you can consider adjusting the feeding schedule. Basically, at any given feeding you will want to continue to feed as much as he wants to eat. If he is completely uninterested in food or only eats a little then you can make an adjustment.
So at 3 feedings a day I assume you are doing maybe 10-12 hours of sleep at night with feeding every 6-7 hours during the day? Is that right? Let me know what you are doing and how hungry he is at each feeding? Does he eat equally at each, how does he behave? These types of observations help to decide what he needs. Let me know...
In my opinion, the keel bone is not the best way to check body condition on a baby since they will naturally have less muscles around their chest because they have not fully developed yet. So it would be very easy to judge them as underweight when it is just that they are not fully developed yet. With babies, the key is recording keeping and comparing them to themselves rather than other individuals.
You can often feed them up to 10% of their body weight per feeding so in your case about 40ml. This is only if they are interested in food. It is not uncommon for fledging babies to be so excited to be out and about and with people that they are not interested in eating so you have to keep offering a few times before you give up because they will eat eventually if they are hungry.
They way that I like to wean babies is to judge their interest in food and also track their weight and track the amount of formula that they are eating.
Track their weight each morning before they eat, so you get the weight of the bird not the weight of the bird plus food. To track food intake either record the amount they eat in ml or better yet weight him before feeding and then immediately after and subtract, then you will know how much food was eaten.
As for interest in food, if you have been feeding a baby for very long you probably understand what I mean by a baby acting desperate for food. If your baby acts hungry or desperate at any of the feeding times then you would not want to remove that feeding time or cut back the number of feedings.
If he is only mildly interested in food and is continuing to gain or maintain weight then you can consider adjusting the feeding schedule. Basically, at any given feeding you will want to continue to feed as much as he wants to eat. If he is completely uninterested in food or only eats a little then you can make an adjustment.
So at 3 feedings a day I assume you are doing maybe 10-12 hours of sleep at night with feeding every 6-7 hours during the day? Is that right? Let me know what you are doing and how hungry he is at each feeding? Does he eat equally at each, how does he behave? These types of observations help to decide what he needs. Let me know...
