Eclectus parrots have unique nutritional needs because of their longer digestive tracts. They require a diet consisting of predominantly fruits and vegetables and fiber in order to remain healthy. Because of this they could suffer from nutritional deficiencies if their human(s) don't pay attention to these very specific dietary needs.
For the very reason that pellets have engineered nutrition, these birds have been known to literally overdose on vitamins when on pellet diets. The overabundance of vitamins can result in plucking, toe tapping and screeching. While I'm not advocating eliminating pellets out of the diet altogether, wee suggest that you introduce them sparingly and certainly not to allow them to have any colored pellets. This does vary from bird to bird and so it's really something that should you be aware of and be willing to experiment.
Seeds should also be used sparingly. We've seen first hand at the Birdie Boutique a beautiful male Eclectus who's beak had grown far too long as a result of a diet consisting of too much seed. Much like the high levels of nutrition that are engineered into pellets, seeds that have been "vitamin enriched" can be harmful to the overall well-being of these birds.
We offer a wonderful bird seed blend from Volkman Seed especially for Eclectus' because it is not vitamin fortified. We recommend Dr. Harvey's Bird food. Dr. Harvey's Exotic Parrot Food because it has no seeds, no additives, is all human grade and has an enormous amount of high quality ingredients like Mango, Papaya, Apricots, Pineapple, Raisins, Macadamia Nuts, Pine Nuts, Pecans, Pistachio, Walnuts, Almonds, Filberts, Brazils, Cashews and a lot more.
A bird cage no smaller than 32 x 23 Inches is advisable to give the bird room to stretch their wings and have room to move throughout the day while in the enclosure. Bird toys should be size appropriate as we suggest for any parrot species, no less than 10 toys in the upper third portion of the cage to give the bird both privacy and activity opportunities.
The smallest Eclectus is the Westermani Eclectus measuring about 11-1/2 inches The largest is the Macgillivray or Australian Eclectus measuring almost 15 inches long. Although the list of these subspecies include the Cornelia’s Eclectus, Vosmaeri Eclectus, Aru Island Eclectus, Red-sided Eclectus, Solomon Island Eclectus, Biaki Eclectus, Grand Eclectus and Riedeli’s Eclectus, the most popular species are the Red-sided, Vosmaeri and Solomon Island.
Quite frankly we have a hard time telling the the three most popular types of Eclectus parrots apart. Rather than getting into a lengthy explanation of their characteristics, this webpage shows them side-by-side. Personally I think the females are a little easier to tell apart. In most cases you'll probably only have one bird or perhaps a mated pair which then would be very easy to tell, which Eclectus species you have.
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