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D
iet
When it comes to eclectus diet you are primarily thinking about a fruit and vegetable diet due to the need for a high fibrous diet.
Fruit
-
The
more
exotic
the
fruit
the
better,
papaya,
mango,
guava
are
items
which
the
eclectus
are
eating
in
the
wild.
Due
to
their
expense
and
their
availability
it
is
more
practical
to
supplement
these
fruits
with
common
fruits
available
all
year
round,
these
include
grapes,
banana,
kiwi,
strawberry,
melons,
pineapple
and
the
usual
suspects
consisting
of
apples,
oranges
and
pears.
The
only fruit that is poisonous to parrots is avocado, do not offer this to your eclectus under any circumstances.
Vegetables
-
These
come
under
two
types,
fresh
and
pulses.
With
fresh
veg
the
choice
is
endless,
the
dark
green,
orange
and
red
varieties
carry
much
more
nutrients
especially
in
terms
of
vitamin
A
which
eclectus
are
usually
found
to
be
lacking.
Peppers
and chillies are firm favourites with my own birds.
Pulses
-
These
are
different
types
of
beans
and
lentils.
This
item
of
food
is
very
high
in
vegetable
protein.
Preparation
is
very
important
when
you
prepare
pulses
otherwise
there
can
be
a
quick
build
up
of
mould
which
is
detrimental
to
your
eclectus.
Simply
wash
the
pulses
a
few
times
under
a
strainer,
leave
the
pulses
to
soak
in
water
overnight,
then
bring
them
to
boil,
let
them
simmer
for 20 minutes and then leave them for 4-5 hours. Then thoroughly wash and rinse. The mixture can then be frozen in small bags.
Seed
-
Parakeet
mixtures
have
historically
been
recommended
for
eclectus
as
they
have
low
fat
and
more
millets
but
most
of
these
commercial
mixtures
do
not
cater
for
eclectus.
I
now
make
my
own
mix
which
provides
the
range
and
variety
I
feel
important. Seed should always be available in the cage for your eclectus.
Animal
Protein
-
I
am
a
firm
believer
that
eclectus
need
some
type
of
meat
protein
in
their
diet,
scrambled
or
boiled
eggs
including shell, boiled chicken or fish are good sources of animal protein.
Do
not
make
the
mistake
of
trying
to
provide
a
massive
diet
for
your
eclectus,
it’s
just
not
practical,
seed
should
always
be
present
in
a
separate
bowl
as
should
water.
In
addition
to
this
any
meat
or
pulse
product
could
be
given
once
a
week.
The
rest
is
fruit
and
veg.
Get
in
the
habit
of
supplying
a
base
mix,
by
this
I
mean
choosing
a
range
of
fruit
and
vegetables
which
will
be
used
every
day,
these
could
be
grapes,
apple,
oranges,
banana,
celery
and
peppers.
To
this
you
can
add
frozen
peas
and
sweetcorn
after
defrosting.
By
purchasing
bags
of
these
items
you
should
have
enough
to
last
you
for
nearly
a
week
providing
it’s
not
too
warm
and
the
items
are
going
off.
To
this
you
can
add
one
additional
item
each
week,
i.e.
one
week
you
may
buy
some
pineapple,
another
week
some
spinach,
pomegranates
etc.
This
way
your
bird
is
getting
different
tastes
and
textures
throughout
the
year.
Over
time
you
will
recognise
what
your
bird
likes
and
dislikes,
if
your
bird
does
not
like
orange,
discard
this
from
your
diet
and
replace
it
with
something
else.
Lastly,
anything
which
is
not
good
for
humans
is
no
good
for
parrots,
chips,
fried
foods
etc.
can
be
given
as
tit
bits
but
recognise
your
bird
will
crave
for
them
due
to
their
fat
content
and
excess
is
to
be
discouraged,
tea,
coffee
and
chocolate should not be given to parrots due to digestive problems they can cause.