COMMON v.s . functional eclectus diet
FRUITS & VEGGIES
FRUITS & VEGGIES
FRUITS & VEGGIES
Which are healthy for Ekkies?
Which you should avoid
GRAINS & BEANS
FRUITS & VEGGIES
FRUITS & VEGGIES
Pulses, mashes,
rice, grains and sprouts
PELLETS & SEEDS
FRUITS & VEGGIES
PELLETS & SEEDS
Popular pellets & decisions
about seeds or nuts
Ideal Diet Simplified
The natural diet was broken down and replaced with commonly found substitutes with the same wild diet composition, providing a diet that is nutritionally (macro and micro) balanced. The simplified, 'Functional Eclectus Diet' is easily executed by the average person living in most counties.
AVERAGE COMPANION ECLECTUS DIET
Most Common Vegetables:
broccoli, white potato, carrots, peppers, corn, green beans, spinach, lettuce
Most Common Fruit:
apple, banana, grapes, strawberries, blueberries
Most Common Grains/Beans:
rice, pasta, garbanzo beans
Most Common Seeds:
whole sunflower seeds or a seed mix for parrots
Strange Additions:
In 27% of subjects, one or more of these items was on their daily diet:
bacon (or lunch meat), cheese, cooked chicken bones, chips, peanuts, commercial sugar cereals
Feeding Schedule
Eclectus have unique habits
With the Elegant Eclectus Functional Diet:
1/2 cup is fed early in the morning- the same time everyday.
1/2 cup is fed at dinner time (4pm) giving the digestive system 3 hours before bedtime to digest.
Foraging opportunities should be provided throughout the day in skewers or toys. Items on the skewers should change daily and not contain an overage of anti-nutrients,
Dangerous Ratios
You need to have the right ratios- an overage of certain vitamins and minerals, or malnutrition or hypervitaminosis (over-supplementation) can cause serious side effects.
Achieving Variety & preparation
Simplify the way you prepare items
Because Eclectus require such a specific diet, you will find yourself spending copious amount of time - chopping, packaging, shopping, feeding and cleaning. Eclectus are one of the most expensive parrots to feed and without a proper diet they will require expensive vet bills. On average it will cost $3.00usd a day to feed an Eclectus ($90 a month), this does not include vital foraging, toys, vet bills or housing.
However there are easier ways to provide the variety and nutritional balance Eclectus require DAILY. Note that this is the master base recipe I use, then add seasonal items. Note the color is predominantly ORANGE, YELLOW or RED. This ensures they are receiving the right balance of vitamins and minerals (like the right amounts of Vitamin A, E and C ).
This is what the master recipe for Elegant Eclectus looks like when frozen.
Master elegant eclectus Recipe:
Step 1: Gather your ingredients, chop them to desired size
1 cup each: Zucchini, bok choy, carrots, butternut squash
1/4 cup each: Green beans, okra, cauliflower, radish, broccoli, red spicy pepper
1/2 cup each: papaya, mango, apple, blueberries, plantains
1/2 cup Quinoa (cooked all the 9 essential amino acids needed for bodily functions and feather growth)
1/4 cup: beans (cooked- NOT garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons crushed egg shell
Step 2: Steam the dense starches & fibrous items (optional)
3 minutes: Carrots, butternut squash, sweet potato, yam
2 minutes: cauliflower, radish, broccoli, red pepper, okra
--- To steam, place the chopped items in a bowl, cover with saran wrap and microwave on high until tender but not mushy. DO NOT BOIL (boiling just leaks the nutrients into the water)
Let cool.
Step 3: Freeze mixture
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Sprinkle the mixture on a sheet pan. Ensure there is adequate distance between ingredients so once frozen you can easily break it apart (you may need to use multiple sheet pans).
Place the sheet pan in the freezer (freezing retains the largest amount of vitamins and minerals). Ensure any unused mixture is refrigerated for up to 2 days (DO NOT leave at room temperature).
Once frozen, place in plastic bags and store in freezer until ready to serve.
*I use quart size bags, only filling them 50% (so in this case, I made 4 bags)
Step 4: Additions- Variety...
Find new items, in this case, the next day I found Guava, Dragonfruit and Kiwi.
Follow steps 1-3
However, once chopped and frozen, add a small amount to each bag (this creates variety).
Find new items yet again: Repeat steps 1-3 a few times a week when new produce is available. A few days later I added strawberries, blueberries, peas, apricots and plums.
- Now you have created even more variety ensuring your feathered friend has an opportunity to indulge all his senses with each meal. Color, taste, texture and even sound play a large role in the mental stimulation of these extremely intelligent birds.
Prevention
Allergens & Natural Supplements
Critical Safety & Medical Conditions
Critical Safety & Medical Conditions
(Above is an extremely sick Eclectus)
Eclectus have dietary irritants and allergies that can be fatal. Some are universal and some are specific to the individual bird.
- Common Eclectus allergens and irritants
- Homeopathic solutions
- Eclectus Tea
Fact: Eclectus parrots will naturally seek out more acidic items when showing signs of illness- even lemons and limes. Do you ever wonder why?
Critical Safety & Medical Conditions
Critical Safety & Medical Conditions
Critical Safety & Medical Conditions
- Cleaning rituals (owners must do specialized cleaning multiple times a day)
- Eclectus Safety (bacterial and fungal infections)
- Poisonous items
- Items not suitable for Ekkies
-Common medical issues with eclectus: liver, renal, toe tapping, wing flipping