New eclectus family member

[Lostbird]

Hi! On 01/11/21 we adopted a 17 year old eclectus male. He is very loving and gets along with everyone. He was had raised by a single owner who died 3 years ago. The family he was in was very loud with a lot of dogs, cats and kids. He was fed a primarily seed diet and no pellets along with whatever the family was eating — I was told he loves garlic, cheese and Mac and cheese, sandwiches, etc. He also is in the habit of hand humping. He’s also has a history for feather plucking off and on for years. He has not seen a vet since 2006 for anything except a trim. His beak is overgrown too.

We have had a conure before but never an eclectus. I have been reading up on them a lot.

Charlie has really calmed down since he has been with us because we are very quiet family with no other pets and no young kids. We fed him Zupreem fruit for 3 weeks and he gobbled it up. I also started feeding him sweet potato, carrots, peas. He loves pomegranate and will eat blackberries but nothing else. I have been offering him a chop everyday and he barely eats it. Yesterday I bought Roudybush food and switched the pellets and he is eating very little of it. Should I be worried about hypervitaminosis — how long before you see it — I have fed him Zupreem for nearly 3 weeks now!!!

I went online and have been trying everything. Cinnamon on the food does not help. He will eat a little chop if I mix quinoa in it because he thinks it is seed. How should I transition him to a fresh vegetable and fruit diet? How much should he be eating per day? I have tried not give him any food in the morning for 2 hours and then offer only chop (made with organic stuff). He will peck at it and still not eat. He would rather go hungry than eat it and will wait till I put the pellet food down.

he throws a tantrum by growling non-stop for 10-15 min when we eat but we have not been feeding him people good. We have been ignoring him when he does this. I’m not sure if I’m doing things right. Any ideas on how to deal with this? We have been hiding from him when we eat.

He is starting to get down feathers back on his chest and back but appears to be very itchy. He will be sitting calmly and then starts attacking his wings. He also has been scratching the back of his head a lot with his foot. I am worried — no sores yet — I do have an appointment with an avian vet next week. He does not like it when I spray him with a mister (using distilled water). We are in Arizona so it is extremely dry here. Could it be food allergies — if so what should I be feeding him since he is so picky.

Also what should the room temperature be inside the house for him? Should I be sitting in the direct sun with him? If yes, for how long? He loves it when I sit outside with him.

The hand humping is under control. We move our hand so he has to balance or we divert his attention by walking him around the house. I have orders toys online. He is very smart and already learned to pick up stuff on command.

Any and all advice would be appreciated. Everyone on the forum appears to know more and have a lot of experience.

Thank you!!!

 

[Shezbug]

@Monaco

 

[Monaco]

Gosh. It's a lot altogether!

I don’t think you're doing anything wrong. Diet changes can kick up a tantrum like nothing else! Making some of your dinner bird friendly may help. I save some out without seasoning for my girl. It's probably the only real offense, eating without sharing, you're guilty of here. It's also been very helpful here to "prove" it's tasty, not poison, a delicacy, whatever needs proving...but it's taken over a year for her to decide pear and those wide green beans are acceptable. Don't give up on specific foods, just reintroduce things at random forever more.

Definitely possible to get overloaded on any pellet but tops. It's great he likes the sunshine, because without d3 in the pellets he will need to make his own. If his skin is exposed keep it to 20 minutes at a time, and less if you're at any elevation to speak of, but some every day is going to be great for him. The temperature is probably less important than the humidity for his exposed skin. Once he's feathered he will probably adjust to whatever is average in your home.

Eventually I had to take a hard line approach to the diet changes. I think it will probably take less time and be healthier for him as long as his weight is good and remains stable enough through the initial hunger strikes. Monaco lost 20 grams right away (440) and has been fluctuating around 420-430 for a year. I wish I had done the diet swap sooner and faster.

We're far from dry here, but even if she doesn't want a shower (frequently) I still steam the bathroom a bit about once a week and she hangs out on a high perch in the doorway while I'm in a bath sometimes.

For the food issues.... Make it an event to go to the kitchen with you and try new (or again) things every day. Try eating in front of him, with him, or near him with foods as similar to yours as possible. Add sprouts, different sized chops, and different textures until you have enough to make for a staple mix for him. Monaco hates guava, until the other day when was eating it and offered her tiny bits.....for the millionth time....and not since. Anyway, I started freezing a mix of fruits and veggies she will eat, and for some reason that texture is acceptable for most things. Don't worry too much about fruit vs veggies at first. They use fructose very well, and need more than most species. What he does eat is a big win, and what he rejects may not be forever. Anything after a seed and junk food diet is an improvement! Fats, salts and sugars are the big bads, and fruit is the bridge to the better stuff. Think of sugars in terms of simple carbohydrates and actual processed sugar. Give fructose a pass for now until he's eating some veggies.

Have fun bonding! Try making games out of anything you can.

 

[camelotshadow]

 

[sunnysmom]

 

[Lostbird]

Gosh. It's a lot altogether!

I don’t think you're doing anything wrong. Diet changes can kick up a tantrum like nothing else! Making some of your dinner bird friendly may help. I save some out without seasoning for my girl. It's probably the only real offense, eating without sharing, you're guilty of here. It's also been very helpful here to "prove" it's tasty, not poison, a delicacy, whatever needs proving...but it's taken over a year for her to decide pear and those wide green beans are acceptable. Don't give up on specific foods, just reintroduce things at random forever more.

Definitely possible to get overloaded on any pellet but tops. It's great he likes the sunshine, because without d3 in the pellets he will need to make his own. If his skin is exposed keep it to 20 minutes at a time, and less if you're at any elevation to speak of, but some every day is going to be great for him. The temperature is probably less important than the humidity for his exposed skin. Once he's feathered he will probably adjust to whatever is average in your home.

Eventually I had to take a hard line approach to the diet changes. I think it will probably take less time and be healthier for him as long as his weight is good and remains stable enough through the initial hunger strikes. Monaco lost 20 grams right away (440) and has been fluctuating around 420-430 for a year. I wish I had done the diet swap sooner and faster.

We're far from dry here, but even if she doesn't want a shower (frequently) I still steam the bathroom a bit about once a week and she hangs out on a high perch in the doorway while I'm in a bath sometimes.

For the food issues.... Make it an event to go to the kitchen with you and try new (or again) things every day. Try eating in front of him, with him, or near him with foods as similar to yours as possible. Add sprouts, different sized chops, and different textures until you have enough to make for a staple mix for him. Monaco hates guava, until the other day when was eating it and offered her tiny bits.....for the millionth time....and not since. Anyway, I started freezing a mix of fruits and veggies she will eat, and for some reason that texture is acceptable for most things. Don't worry too much about fruit vs veggies at first. They use fructose very well, and need more than most species. What he does eat is a big win, and what he rejects may not be forever. Anything after a seed and junk food diet is an improvement! Fats, salts and sugars are the big bads, and fruit is the bridge to the better stuff. Think of sugars in terms of simple carbohydrates and actual processed sugar. Give fructose a pass for now until he's eating some veggies.

Have fun bonding! Try making games out of anything you can.

Thank you sooo much for your answer!!! I think we won the food battle after 2 days — he likes a last chop I made and has been eating it since last night. I will follow your advice regarding dinner times, sunning and bathing. He is also itching his head a lot should I worry about food allergies and stop all protein — just keep him in the chop for the next 2-3 weeks?

 

[Lostbird]

Thank you!

 

[Lostbird]

Thank you!

 

[Lostbird]

Thank you!

 

[Monaco]

Thank you sooo much for your answer!!! I think we won the food battle after 2 days — he likes a last chop I made and has been eating it since last night. I will follow your advice regarding dinner times, sunning and bathing. He is also itching his head a lot should I worry about food allergies and stop all protein — just keep him in the chop for the next 2-3 weeks?

Once you have switched to tops you will have a better idea of food allergies or skin issues. A vet visit if it's really incessant. I was worried last summer that we had a feather mite issue and gave everyone a scatt treatment. Offer multiple bathing methods, wet lettuce, big bowl, run the vacuum, shower, etc. to see if you find an acceptable method. Otherwise a little bathroom steam time may help. Stay with him so you know it's not too hot or too thick. It may be just a little molting of those fine head feathers, but you will know more as you experiment with humidity and diet.

 

[Lostbird]

Once you have switched to tops you will have a better idea of food allergies or skin issues. A vet visit if it's really incessant. I was worried last summer that we had a feather mite issue and gave everyone a scatt treatment. Offer multiple bathing methods, wet lettuce, big bowl, run the vacuum, shower, etc. to see if you find an acceptable method. Otherwise a little bathroom steam time may help. Stay with him so you know it's not too hot or too thick. It may be just a little molting of those fine head feathers, but you will know more as you experiment with humidity and diet.

Will do. Also one last question...when is the big molt? Is always spring for all birds? There are 4-5 medium sized feathers at the bottom of the cage today...is that normal?

 

[Monaco]

I have experienced a couple of months of body feathers followed by the 2 or 4 primaries, and finally coverts, but it's a several month progression. The big molts I keep reading about are still a mystery for me. Maybe younger birds get them as they're growing? Maybe it's males? I can't say much about it other than the poor things look terrible and probably feel miserable. I'm not allowed to help with pins, but males might be a little more amenable.

Yes, totally normal, and I don't know are the short answers.

 

[Monaco]

Protein question.... It's important. A little every day is fine. Plant protein in the tops and several beans and lentils are in our mix every day. Boiled egg and fish are coveted items here, and I let her have some once a week and more if she's growing feathers. It can really effect hormones as can higher fats and sugars. I use nuts for treats, but sparingly.