By Kathie Jo Miller
Dear Katie,
My friend thinks I should be giving my male Solomon Island Eclectus vitamin supplements, particularly vitamin A. I’ve heard it is not good to supplement an Eclectus’ diet with vitamins. Can you tell me why giving supplements would be a bad idea?
Green guy Mom
Dear Mom,
Eclectus parrots have a longer digestive tract than other parrots which gives them the ability to absorb more nutrients from the foods they eat. If your bird gets plenty of healthy foods, he will get all of the nutrients he needs. Supplementation can overload their systems causing problems like plucking, wing flipping and toe tapping in Eclectus. It is also important when feeding prepared diets or pellets that you choose ones that do not contain added vitamins. If you do feed pellets they should not represent the bulk of your bird’s diet. The bulk of their diet should consist of cooked and raw foods.
I try to keep certain things readily available to scoop into their dishes. I keep a soft mix of cooked grains, rice, beans and sweet potato in the freezer as well as birdie bread. I heat up the bean and rice mix and add frozen veggies or pomegranate to cool it off. I make my own seed mix and keep it in zip lock bags in the freezer. I also keep a salad of fresh veggies, pasta and beans in the fridge. I cut up their veggies in very small pieces so it will be more difficult for them to throw out what they don’t like. By making these things in bulk, I always have ready food for my flock.
When shopping for produce, choose dark leafy greens, lots of yellow and orange vegetables and squash, and other colorful veggies. Here are some examples of what would be good for your bird, but don’t limit yourself to this list. Remember, organic is always best.
Kale, Mustard greens, Collard greens,
Dandilion greens (make sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides)
Broccoli, Green beans, Brussels sprouts, Peas, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber
Zucchini squash, Yellow squash, All kinds of peppers (including hot ones! They love hot!)
All kinds of winter squash, Sweet potato, Apple, Banana, Peach, Pear, Cranberries
Pineapple, Pomegranate (an Eclectus favorite) Star fruit, Kiwi, Many other fruits
Dear Mom,
Eclectus parrots have a longer digestive tract than other parrots which gives them the ability to absorb more nutrients from the foods they eat. If your bird gets plenty of healthy foods, he will get all of the nutrients he needs. Supplementation can overload their systems causing problems like plucking, wing flipping and toe tapping in Eclectus. It is also important when feeding prepared diets or pellets that you choose ones that do not contain added vitamins. If you do feed pellets they should not represent the bulk of your bird’s diet. The bulk of their diet should consist of cooked and raw foods.
I try to keep certain things readily available to scoop into their dishes. I keep a soft mix of cooked grains, rice, beans and sweet potato in the freezer as well as birdie bread. I heat up the bean and rice mix and add frozen veggies or pomegranate to cool it off. I make my own seed mix and keep it in zip lock bags in the freezer. I also keep a salad of fresh veggies, pasta and beans in the fridge. I cut up their veggies in very small pieces so it will be more difficult for them to throw out what they don’t like. By making these things in bulk, I always have ready food for my flock.
When shopping for produce, choose dark leafy greens, lots of yellow and orange vegetables and squash, and other colorful veggies. Here are some examples of what would be good for your bird, but don’t limit yourself to this list. Remember, organic is always best.
Kale, Mustard greens, Collard greens,
Dandilion greens (make sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides)
Broccoli, Green beans, Brussels sprouts, Peas, Carrots, Celery, Cucumber
Zucchini squash, Yellow squash, All kinds of peppers (including hot ones! They love hot!)
All kinds of winter squash, Sweet potato, Apple, Banana, Peach, Pear, Cranberries
Pineapple, Pomegranate (an Eclectus favorite) Star fruit, Kiwi, Many other fruits
I personally give my birds more vegetables than fruits because I don’t want to overload them with sugar, but you get the idea: the more colorful the mix, the better. I make a habit of soaking all produce in GSE or Orange TKO and water as soon as I get home from the store with it. It will keep longer in the fridge and it will be ready for preparation if you do this.
Cooked beans and rice served together make a complete protein and is very healthy for our birds. I try to use a different kind of beans with each batch to give them a little variety, or sometimes I use several kinds at once. You can also give them a little chicken or turkey, egg (with the shell), tofu or a chicken bone a couple of times a week for protein and calcium. When offering egg shells, make sure you heat them for twenty or thirty seconds in the microwave or cook them until any bacteria has been killed. You could accomplish the same by soaking the eggs in GSE and water before cooking them.
Sprouting is something you might want to try as well. When seeds are just beginning to sprout tiny little tails, they are a powerhouse because all of the nutrients of the plant to be, is packed into the stem cells of the seeds. When they begin to sprout, these nutrients are released making them super healthy to eat. You can purchase sprouting kits and sprouting mixes on line or at your local health food store.
Seeds and nuts are also very important to maintain proper Essential Fatty Acids. Many of us make our own seed mixes. I usually just go through the seed and nut bins at the local health food store and choose a little of most all seeds they have. Organic cereals, such as rolled oats, rice, kamut, and multigrain, are also good to cook for your birds or to add to your seed mix. I like to have a supply of nuts, such as filberts, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, shelled sunflower seeds, etc. on hands for treats and to add to the seed mix. Almonds are especially good for our birds and I like to put slivered almonds in their seed mix. I also add dehydrated cherries, which are good for their antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties, cranberries, currants, raisins, and papaya. Be sure the dehydrated fruits you use have no sugar added and are organic.
There are many bird bread recipes you can make as well. They love it and you can sneak foods into it that they won’t normally eat! You will find some great recipes in the “Hard Squawk Café” column in this issue as well as in the archives.
Warm Regards,
Katie
Submit your questions to sages@sagesincages.com Put “Sage Advice” in the subject line.
Katie
Submit your questions to sages@sagesincages.com Put “Sage Advice” in the subject line.
Our mom uses Orange TKO
for all of our cleaning needs!
She even washes my doggy with it! Mom says mats comb
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