Getting an Eclectus Parrot to Eat The Right Diet | Diet Conversion Days 1-4

Fennel the 6 month old female Eclectus came to me eating Zupreem pellets and no set fresh food mix - so I diet converted her from her old food to my seasonal feeding system recipe and my organic pellets. Learn more about a healthy diet for parrots here: birdtricksstore.com/collectio...
More Eclectus videos here: • This Eclectus Parrot H...
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MY BIRDS (Oldest to Youngest) 🐦❤
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BirdTricks is a husband-wife team; Dave and Jamieleigh Womach specialize in parrot training and companionship.
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[@Luna18Cat05]

I must admit, seeing a parrot with a messy beak is adorable. When Eugene has slaw all over his beak as he eats, I get all 🥹

[@Avocetexotics]

She is so precious! I love eclectus!

[@christinedye957]

It is so touching and gentle the way you are caring for Fennel. I have an African Gray who is sweet but also spoiled rotten.

[@Xen-s_dreamagination]

Fennel is such a sweet beautiful baby! 💓

[@Doingood2]

Fennel is only 6 months old?! She is 1 month older than my baby cockatiel.🐤 Btw Fennel is such a nice name. Ugh! Fennels face is so cute!🥰

[@lrhernandez1196]

Omgosh! I so need this! My ekkie is a hard headed girl!

[@ashleighoconnor2810]

mine too! I needed this vid.

[@Emilia-uq3ph]

I used to use pomegranate seeds as treats for my eclectus when he was a baby, he went nuts over it. Also organic baby foods with fruit helped a lot with getting him to eat veggies, id mix some in his chop. I'd not have pellets as a part of her regular diet, just more of an occasional thing when there needs to be some food that wont spoil. Very fast getting her off seeds tho, thats awesome.

[@living_myjoy]

That’s my babies favorite too

[@erinhazelgrove1590]

I’m loving the content lately! So educational & entertaining at the same time! Jamie Leigh you are amazing! Keep up the good work xoxo 💋

[@shuermarvin577]

Love this episode.

[@aoude4341]

You guys did amazing! she seemed so happy eating by the end!

[@georgesabitpol]

Such a pretty bird!

[@petsprofessors3939]

thanks alot for making this video really informative 😀

[@piggieadventures5938]

Wow so pretty! I absolutely love electus parrots. I saw one at a bird thing I went to!

[@butisitsugarapproved618]

That’s one cute bird

[@bal-main915]

her little face covered in food killed me, she's so cute

[@caroltroughton7853]

Fennel is so beautiful .

[@caroltroughton7853]

Good 👍

[@treasuretrovel3816]

So, Eclectus eat a very different diet than other pet parrot species. I've read that in the wild they eat a high fiber, high moisture plant diet and so do not do well on pellets with synthetic vitamins. The Tops/BirdTricks pellets are not fortified so I think that is better for her than the Zoopreem she was eating in the carrier. However, the Tops pellets are mainly alfalfa and I am wondering how that will work for the GI system of an Eclectus. I don't think that all greens are equal-- I think that it matters for different species (Here is where I corrected my comment-- I originally and incorrectly said that alfalfa was a monocot grass but it is actually a dicot from the pea family. My concern was that arboreal parrots should not eat grass plants. I talked with more people on line and did more reading and so stand corrected and so my concerns were invalid. I still don't think a parrot should eat too much of any type of plant or grain, etc. but nobody on this channel or others recommend Tops or any other brand of pellet to be fed as the soul diet. My apologies for thinking alfalfa was a hay). I think it is not known if Eclectus will do well, long term on an alfalfa pellet. I would guess that she should have more chop and less pellets than your other species.

[@littlebats806]

This is a super articulate way of putting this. My avian vet said the same thing when I took my female Eclectus to her. She was a little concerned about how alfalfa leaf would work in her system long term, but she's been great on it for a while now 50-50 with the chop. To her knowledge there wasn't enough on Ekkies and alfalfa to make an educated recommendation and they're better than all the other pellets I can find on the market, so I've stuck with them and haven't had any issues in her bloodwork.

[@Emilia-uq3ph]

She should not eat pellets at all, theres no need for it and its better for her not to.

[@treasuretrovel3816]

@@Emilia-uq3ph I think I know that the current hypothesis is that the main problem with pellets being fed to Eclectus is that they are too rich in nutrition in general compared to their diet in the wild. Compounding that general problem is also the problem that synthetic and/or just unnatural forms of some vitamins and minerals used in commercial formulations tend to bioaccumulate and so may cause harm longer term (i.e. copper sulfate form or "proteonate" form, iron sulfate, d,l methionine (the l form of amino acids is the proper form for the cells enzymes), menadione (synthetic form of vitamin K causes liver problems in rodents and not allowed in human foods)). Unlike all other pellets, the Tops pellets (marketed with the BirdTrick label or sold directly from Tops) are basically dehydrated, organic plant material (no added synthetic vitamins, no added minerals and no added strange forms of vitamins or minerals), pressed together with some millet flour, barley flour, rice flour....see ingredients below. Because they are cold pressed, they theoretically retain a lot of the natural vitamins found in the plants and so do indeed provide some convenient and concentrated natural nutrition. Additionally, they provide a concentrated amount of plant fiber which feeds the microflora. The species appropriate microflora is now known to be crucial for vibrant health as these microbes ferment the plant fibers and then produce short chain fatty acids and B vitamins, etc that directly feed the gut endothelium and also get absorbed to nourish systemically. I think that we know for certain that alfalfa, a grass is not a species specific plant for Eclectus or for South American, arboreal parrots. Not that any plants we give any of these species are exactly what they eat in the wild, I do, however, think we should at least try to stay in the same class of plant species so as to try to stay in the same class of protein antigens, types of fiber, etc. Another concern with pellets and Eclectus is that species evolved to eat mainly plants (and maybe insects) vs. dry seeds and nuts has a high moisture requirement. These species have not evolved to have the habit of spending a lot of time at the watering hole and so do not instinctively consume enough water. This puts a constant strain on the kidneys. Dr. Karen Becker has been warning about this with respect to kibble only fed dogs and cats and how she believes this is a major cause of kidney issues in pet cats. The fact that JamieLeigh, Tony Silva and many other avian experts emphasize feeding fresh veggie chop as the only food in the am regardless of the fact that they recommend pellets the rest of the day certainly off-sets the dehydration concern. Does it off-set it enough for every species of parrot? Nobody knows. Tops Pellet ingredients I am quoting off the label: Alfalfa leaf, millet, barley, rice [The following ingredients comprise no more than 5% of total volume eac.] sunflower seeds, sesame seeds unhulled quinoa whole, pumpkin, buckwheat, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, purple dulse, kelp, rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemary whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, nettle leaf, cinnamon. Note all ingredients claimed to be organic which is wonderful to see in a pellet. So, my only problem is the high amount of alfalfa used as a cheap filler and not even close to species appropriate for all but Australian Grass Parakeets in my humble but somewhat-educated opinion. I would be very happy if Tops formulated a pellet without alfalfa.

[@Emilia-uq3ph]

@@treasuretrovel3816 I'm sorry but thats a wall and I don't want to read all of it but yes i know those pellets might be okay, but why feed them if you already make fresh food that is better anyway.

[@treasuretrovel3816]

@@Emilia-uq3ph LOL, it is indeed a wall. Sorry about that. Agreed, fresh is best for all creatures. Pellets fill in the nutrition gaps for parrots that won't eat a variety of fresh and for parrots owned by people who are unable to put in the time and research to feed fresh.

[@ibrahimdaas]

Nice video.... would you do a video about Jardine's Parrot ?

[@graceshirley9877]

so, if they come to you eating a seed mix do you completely take them off seed mix and start them with fresh chop and pellets the first day or is it a gradual transition? also great job!

[@dniedermaier04]

Can you do another video on your sun conures please?

[@manoukirishanning]

Hey, I taught my Eclectus to raise her foot if she wants to stand up because she still prefers to use her beak. You know better to teach them but I felt like sharing it. I couldn't find a workaround so now she raises a foot when she wants to step up and then I allow her to grab my hand with her beak 😋

[@Lammergeier350]

I adopted my Scarlett at eight years old. She was handled infrequently and was a bit hand shy. It took me over three years of daily handling to where she wouldn't touch my hand with her beak before stepping up. Never biting, and only touching after the first month or so, but always measuring the surety of her new perch before stepping up.

[@ignoredspice]

My eclectus uses his beak as well…he has never bitten me. I think it’s a species thing

[@robb1460]

@12:25. Do birds react to birds nailed to the wall? If I was a new bird in your place. I would have some fears about the place I'm in.

[@whatk8edo153]

Was that cooked spongy corn bit, or the hard corn bits?

[@jessicapeterson4448]

hey jamie i don’t know if you noticed or it’s nothing ahaha but she like spat a lot of water out after her bath time stamp was 13:57

[@sarahhardy3394]

Hi just a quick question my budgie is on a seed diet which I don't like but I've tried him with veggies and tried to make your resipie but I didn't have all the things do you have any tips on feeding him

[@sabahkamal1006]

Hi I'm Fajr I've seen your videos and I complement You you so good with birds you should make a Video about birds for kids and does a Kid need supervision from the parents???

[@spiritmatter1553]

Have you seen the videos featuring their daughter, Capri? There will soon be a new channel called Birdtricks Kids.

[@jodyhowellsmead]

Does she regurgitate something at 13.58?

[@denisewoolsey4735]

My ekkie likes to "find" his food.

[@mimouchkittabenyoussef5892]

I hope it is that simple my africain grey refuse pellets and veggies also fruits very occasionly and am soooo struggeling

[@mochimochmoch7686]

Did she just regurgitate ? at 13:58 Is this normal behaviour to diet change? I am learning. 😁

[@HarjitSingh-209]

I'm a new owner of macaws ... kind of rescue them from bad bad breeder lady 😭... I ordered your book to help me with food...

[@freddymartinez3398]

Question, i have 1 military macaw that refuses to eat healthy foods. She wants seeds only. I have been succesful with my other macaws eating fresh food but this 1 stubborn gal simply refuses to eat if she sees produce in her bowl and well i obviously end up replacing her bowl to only seeds. Help please

[@charlonecruz4376]

Wow. Diet conversion in 4 days while my own bird is taking more than a month and still hasn't been diet converted..

[@davidzraik4859]

Hello, I live somewhat remotely in Papua New Guinea. I have a young male Eclectus that we rescued when it's tree was felled in the bush. I've raised and kept many other birds in the states but this is my first eclectus and I don't have access to standardized diets...obviously I have all the natural food resources at hand....I'll digress now before this gets too long... So anyway, I noticed that my bird has an impacted crop. I'm fairly certain it's impacted and not just a fungul infection or whatever. I've been giving him very diluted doses of gentian violet to stave off an infection and trying to massage his crop a couple times a day but it's still rock hard and I'm worried...do you have any ideas what I can do?? I'm almost ready to try to operate myself. That makes me super nervous but there are no vets out here and I don't know what else to do. I would love to be able to chat with someone ASAP.

[@spiritmatter1553]

I’m really sorry that your rescued bird is having a hard time. There are avian vet channels on KZbin which might be worth your while to visit. Best of luck and good health to you.

[@Christina-mn7np]

I love ekkies, but I thought you were going to take the cockatoo as your next project bird?

[@FukaiKokoro]

This could be recorded previously. So she could still be working with the cockatoo.

[@Christina-mn7np]

@@FukaiKokoro I hope so, then we get to watch two project birds thrive under Jamie's love and care. I love this channel so much ❤️

[@koreanchallengershorts]

Ive just watched one of your video from 2020. about teaching parrot to deal with fear with sticks and rewards. However, i bought my cockatiel from breeder and hes been three months with me. His behaviour is on the good track, hes not so feared of me, his cage is open thru day and only closed when hes sleeping. He also has budgie for a friend and they re doing amazing. However, when i wanna work with them on any way, they are scared. Theres no chance they ll even let me move my hand close to them. So how do i use rewarding system and work with my parrots, was hoping you could provide me some informations. Thanks in advance

[@spiritmatter1553]

Look up target training, there are Birdtricks videos on the subject. They learn to approach a stick rather than a hand. You’d probably do all right with that.

[@deidrecalabro5725]

Saw the first video but didn't see why her owners need you to train her... What are the goals?

[@froggybangbang]

13:58 she looks like she sicked up, is that normal for a baby bird?

[@mariamerigold]

I noticed that too! It looks like she held water in her mouth for a while and then dropped it, how weird!

[@christinedye957]

Do you let the birds sleep in the room? Or do you put them in their cages?

[@spiritmatter1553]

The birds go into their own cages at night.

[@superpringlesyt1134]

So I just bought to baby English budgies from a breeder… what is the best way to tame a “baby” bird

[@joebean3615]

Watch BurdTricks they have a baby bird course (pretty sure it’s free) that will really help

[@timomarcelpietzka6361]

Hello, I have a question. Are such parrots or Amazons suitable for students? best regards

[@spiritmatter1553]

"Students"? Do you mean a specific age range like under 18? I don’t have birds but I’d suggest that to have parrots you should make enough money to feed and house them appropriately and pay for whatever regular and urgent pet care you’d need. Also you should have plenty of time to interact with a parrot and students may be too busy for that.

[@ignoredspice]

Honestly birds take a lot of time and attention..along with money. I don’t get to travel as much as I used to when I was young. I’d say if you are settled and in a stable place to get one then yes, you may be ready for one as they are like children that need a lot of care ..but if you are still in a place where you are busy and not settled in life; I would not get a bird.

[@killertutleyusosheet6688]

Is there any recommended places to adopt a female eclectus?

[@joebean3615]

If your American Ronnies for the love of birds of Kiki’s parrot sanctuary I know are good

[@brihathaway7502]

I've been trying to switch my budgie over to a healthier diet but failing, I've tried the seasonal recipe, your seed mix, and I just received the birdy bread and pellets and she refuses to eat any of it. She only likes store bought seed mix. I've even tried mixing the store seeds with the new diet but she picks out the seeds she likes and leaves the rest. I've been watching all your videos but I'm not getting any progress and I'm not sure what else to do

[@treasuretrovel3816]

Notice that JamieLeigh primarily feeds her budgies a seed mix (she has a couple videos on her recipe for a healthier seed mix that she formulates herself). The fact is that budgies are grass parakeets from Australia that have evolved to eat grass seeds. Their beaks are perfectly evolved to eat grass seeds. So, trying to get them to eat a chop mush or a pellet is fighting millions of years of evolution. And, quite frankly, pellets result in an unnatural gut biome for these species. Of course, they will get deficiencies in captivity if they only eat white millet which is the tastiest thing for them in commercial budgie mix. I do think that some pellets in the diet for budgies is a good thing to offset deficiencies although I am against an all pellet diet for budgies and cockatiels as that is way to rich for desert, grass parakeets in my opinion. The problem with budgies if you do manage to get them to eat a certain brand of pellets, when you alternate pellet and seed, they learn to hold out for when they get their seeds. I would follow Jamie's lead and become committed to making sure you are feeding them a very fresh seed variety. Limit white millet in your mix so they are forced to eat their less favorite things. When I had budgies I gave up on pellets and settled into the following strategy: 1) I would buy from a reputable company like Volkman to try to ensure freshness of seed. I would buy the canary and finch mixes that had higher red millet and canary seeds. I would provide spray millet separately as that was the freshest version of white millet I could buy; 2) I provided mixed greens daily and fed these in the am when they were hungry with the seed out of the cage; 3) I cooked organic black and brown rice, wheat berries, and other organic grains, made a mix and froze aliquots to thaw and heat (cook ingredients separately and then combine). Once one budgie ate, the others followed and since cooked gains are seeds and not pellets they ended up loving the mix; 4) Sprout seeds. China Prairie company of Sacramento, CA is a great company that provides super fresh sprouting mixes. Sprout just till a white root tip is present and feed. Also grow some to tiny plant stage and feed. Sprouted seed apparently provides a different nutritional profile then unsprouted bird seed.

[@casacan77]

I think I was most successful switching my budgie over by mixing the seeds he liked in with a very moist/sticky chop so he couldn't pick the seeds out without getting some chop as well, and just slowly reducing seed amounts (although I do still add a bit of seed to my chop most days). Another thing that was helpful was finding an ingredient he really liked (eggs) and using a bit more of that into my initial few days of chop before balancing my ingredients back out

[@jennysi3157]

I grinded my Harrison and TOPs pellets, even the super fine sizes, with a mortar and pestle. That’s when they started picking at the smallest crumbs and eventually were able to eat the bigger pieces too. They started eating the TOPs first, maybe cuz of its texture, and now they eat all types of pellets.I never mixed with the seeds, always offered on its own. Or else they focus on the seeds.

[@aoude4341]

at 13:58 does she puke?

[@Xakrie]

I saw this too

[@stephaniegoyette9941]

I came to the comments to see if anyone else mentioned that.

[@skribblestyle]

When birds vomit, its a very violent act where they expel the contents of their *stomach* by vigorously shaking their heads from side to side, spraying it everywhere. What Fennel did was regurgitation, which is gently bringing up food/liquid from the *crop*. It can be induced by a lot of different factors like stress, excitement, hormones, new food, unknown environments, over-consumption, etc. It is most often not anything to be concerned about unless paired with other certain behaviours.

[@genesisortiz785]

how do you deal with bird poop?

[@BirdTricks]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q32VdHyknZKenM0

[@housemami66]

my observation: Fennel touched/moved the water dish on the counter, flew to the tree and started drinking there immediately, seems very thirsty. 5 seconds later you start spraying her! Maybe she needs a little bit more space?

[@TiggiTheWillful]

Are you a bird trainer, then?

[@Meraxes6]

She would’ve walked or flown away if she didn’t like the sprayer?

[@beccakern563]

I have an African grey love her but she doesn't like me she loves my husband she was gotten for me but that's the way bird's are lol

[@living_myjoy]

To me the hardest bird to have. I have a male ekkie he is 8 and forever horny jumping anything and everything the level of love gurge is overwhelming constantly cleaning up after my bird

[@spiritmatter1553]

Oh my! Are you doing anything to encourage that behavior? Petting under the wings, chest or neck?

[@living_myjoy]

@@spiritmatter1553 hi, no. Do not pet him because it will be even more.

[@aturniakane4539]

eats cleaner then 6m- 1y old. humans. lol