Verdi is 7 years old. We raised him since he was 6 weeks. One he was on solid food, we gave him pellets, Spirulina, and bee pollen (regular food consisted of fruits and veggies). He developed wing-flipping about 6 months ago. We found the diet by Stephanja D (below), cut out all the pellets, Spirulina and pollen. It took about a month, but the wing flipping is gone! (he occasionally flips a few times before sleep, but not for long). Thanks Avianavenue forums and Stephanja!
Stefanja Dumanowski Healthy ekkie Diet
Here is an overview of what I feed here at Out of the Blue. By adult I am referring to an eclectus that is 2+ years old.
FEED EVERY DAY FROM THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES, EXCLUDING 'EXTRAS' ...
***VEGETABLES:
I feed only raw vegetables, organic as much as possible. Every third day I make up a raw veggie mix in batches (so the more delicate stuff doesn't get mushed) in the food processor, mix it together and keep in the fridge in a sealed glass container. It consists of the following categories of veggies:
LEAFY GREENS are critical and include whatever I can get in season ... usually two or three different ones in rotation about every three days. Just made up a chopped mix which included,
BOK CHOY, DANDELION GREENS, ENDIVE, ROMAINE LETTUCE, GREEN KALE
others to use SWISS CHARD, BABY SPINACH, MUSTARD GREENS, COLLARDS, BLACK KALE, DARK GREEN LETTUCES, MESCLUN MIX, etc These greens may also be tied in a bunch or put into a foraging toy, or skewered to be eaten whole. It is always interesting to see which part of the green the eclectus prefers! Swiss chard is a particular favourite here, as is endive.
CELERY is a constant. I put it in the general chopped veggie mix but it is particularly enjoyed by the stick. Feed freely.
OTHER would include summer squash like zucchini, peeled broccoli stems (florets are fine but not every time), raw green beans, raw edible shell peas,
ORANGE VEGGIES include alternating carrots and deep orange winter squash not cooked and finely chopped. I often give a chunk of pumpkin or butternut squash with seeds attached ... or scoop out the seeds by the spoon and place them in feed dishes. Rarely I will use some sweet potato ... but seldom for adults unless they are feeding babies.
***FRUIT:
Fruit is a source of energy and calories and in my experience a very important part of the eclectus diet. I only feed organic berries and those I grow and pick myself. It is not always possible for me to get organic mangos and papaya so I make sure they are well washed and peeled before feeding.
BERRIES are fed nearly every day. I freeze large quantities throughout the summer including BLUEBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, SASKATOON BERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, BLACK AND RED CURRANTS. Fresh and in season I feed STRAWBERRIES, POMEGRANITES (lots and lots), and the fresh versions of the ones I freeze. KIWI is also a favourite (if organic leave the skin on).
GRANNY SMITH APPLES are sliced and fed nearly every day
PAPAYA WITH SEEDS or MANGO
other fruit choices mostly in season are fresh FIGS, PEARS, WATERMELON WITH SEEDS, fresh CANTALOUPE AND HONEYDEW MELON SEEDS (the fruit is rejected by my lot), KIWI (if organic leave the skin on). I feed BANANA rarely as it is higher calorie. It is choice for my pair feeding babies and the weaning babies love it so I reserve it more as a treat for adult pets.
***FATS:
I have found 'good fats' to be essential in the diet I feed my eclectus. Both vitamin A and vitamin D are fat soluble vitamins and both are vital for calcium metabolism. Sources of omega 3 fatty acids should be balanced with omega 6 fatty acids. Our human diet tends to predominate in omega 6 which has an inflammatory effect on our bodies. Since we generally choose our birds' food from those we have available to us humans it it good to be aware of what kind of fats we are feeding.
Generally speaking, here at Out of the Blue, the omega 6 fatty acids seeds are in my sprout mix. These include raw sunflower seeds, sometimes pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds. These could also be part of a dry seed mix if preferred.
In addition, each day I alternate CHIA seed (sometimes called Salba) and ground FLAX seed about 1/4 teaspoon per bird. Sometimes I give both to that amount. But I do this every single day.
WALNUT is also an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids which is the preferred treat food here. Each bird gets perhaps 1/4 walnut per day. Also nearly every day my adults get a soaked ALMOND at bedtime.
PLEASE NOTE: At this point, I just want to say that in the context of the FAT sources that I feed my eclectus here, I FEED A SCANT MINIMUM, IF ANY, COOKED CARBOHYDRATE FOODS. CARBOHYDRATE TYPE FOODS SUCH AS BIRDIE BREADS, MASH TYPE FOODS, (RICE, BEANS, GRAINS, etc) whether home made or purchased, are reserved for breeding and baby rearing where these types of food are a source of high energy and calories. Once my babies are six months old they are eating an adult diet as I gradually phase out the more calorie dense foods. I just give them about double the amount of food that I would give the adults, but the actual food is similar.
***SPROUTS AND SEEDS:
For years now I have fed my eclectus a varied SPROUT MIX that is completely free of gluten grains. I can talk more about sprouts and sprouting in another message but for purposes of this one want to emphasize that sprouting puts the 'seed' at its most vulnerable (free of digestive inhibitors) and nutritionally superior to its dry component. And of course it is a living food and supremely fresh. I have NEVER had a problem with sprouting or with contaminated sprouts that I have prepared myself. And I do recommend doing it yourself and never trusting the packaged sprouts that you can buy. The sprout mix is my main stay for PROTEIN. I would say generally that each one of my adults eats a level to heaping tablespoon of sprouts each day ... more if a couple of my boys manages a sprout raid on the counter!
IF for some reason you wouldn't feed sprouts, then if you asked me for my advice I would suggest that any cooked mix containing seeds, legumes, rice etc. be gluten free and not exceed a tablespoon a day for an ADULT eclectus. Or you could combine some cooked mixes with sprouts for a total of the heaping tablespoon. Please keep in mind that cooking changes the chemistry of the food and and I believe the COOKED MASHES are where the adult eclectus start running into problems with excess weight gain, over stimulated hormones, and possibly nutritional deficiencies generally.
For that tablespoon of sprouts and/or mash I strongly recommend it be mixed with an equal amount of chopped veggies or more eventually. Vegetables are full of fibre and minerals and they are low in calories.
MILLET SPRAY, OR A PLAIN UNFORTIFIED BUDGIE MIX (no sunflower or safflower) are treats here. At bedtime I give either 1/2 teaspoon budgie mix OR a 3" length of millet spray.
***EXTRAS: If you generally follow the guidelines above, you would be feeding your adult eclectus an excellent diet. Here are some foods that I have heard referred to lately that I will just comment on from my point of view:
CORN ... I feed daily to parents and weaning babies and then gradually taper to every second or third day. Adults get about half a wheel of the raw corn on the cob when in season. Other times during the year, frozen up to a 1/2 teaspoon about every two to three days.
BEE POLLEN ... a protein source and extremely concentrated food. Also rich in B vitamins and unless your eclectus is very active can be too rich. Once a week 1/8 teaspoon is fine but no other dedicated protein sources on that day.
EDAMAME AND COOKED BEANS ... Count those beans and not every day! They are a protein source but also high in calories and carbohydrates. I seldom offer cooked beans but do give the Edamame beans (immature soya beans) once or twice a week. Adults get 9 each. I buy organic, GMO free, frozen and then bring them to the boil, rinse and drain.
EGG ... about once every week or two each one of my adults get ONE HALF A TEASPOON of SCRAMBLED EGG on their supper. PLEASE NOTE THE AMOUNT AND FREQUENCY! This is in the absence of other animal protein sources. I buy organic, free range eggs. IF YOU CAN'T GET EGGS THAT ARE ORGANIC AND FREE RANGE ... DO NOT FEED EGGS EVER to the eclectus adult.
PELLETS ... consider them a supplement! They are a processed food. I do use them for parents and babies, BUT none of my pet adults get them.
HEMP HEARTS ... an excellent protein source and source of balanced essential fatty acids. However it should only be offered in measured amounts ... 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon and not on a daily basis as it is high in protein. I use it daily for breeding and baby raising ... but pet adults should have it no more than a couple of times a week and I would suggest it is reserved for times of stress such as moulting.
I have probably missed some things, but am more than happy to continue the conversation. Feel free to ask your questions. I haven't gone into a lot of detail here, but all of this information comes out of my research and experience over many years with a very healthy flock of eclectus including my pair Dharma and Tuli, their babies that are parent reared, and adults of various ages.
Stefanja
