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Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

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Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby Darwin88 » Thu Aug 22, 2013 12:07 am

I have a 20 month old male eclectus that is gradually getting more and more black feathers. I think it may have started earlier this year. The feather tip started going black on his feathers on his back first. The black has slowly spread across his body and some feathers are all black.

I got him in April 2012. The breeder had him on Kaytees pellets (the non-coloured type). Near the end of 2012 I started to get him on Harrisons lifetime (not high-potency). He loves his seed and I think he has been having to much, so I have recently cut down on it and also he is currently on Harrisons only (kaytees phased out). He gets fresh fruit and veg 4-5 times a week. Also not long after I first got him he was toe tapping because of the kaytees I think. Once he started eating seed more and more vegs etc it stopped and is the main reason why I focused on getting him on Harrisons.

He also hasn't gone through a major moult yet and I am curious when this will happen? He has dropped the odd tail feather. Not sure what bronzing looks like because I have never had issues with my Alexandrine.

The photos are dated so you can get an idea of the progression. My Alexandrine, I noticed the other day he has some missing pigment from the very tips of his feathers on his back. Barely noticeable. Both birds are flighted and fly around alot and my Ekkie loves to cuddle lots. So I have no idea whys its happening. I was thinking maybe a fungal feather infection, but yeah, I don't know. Need help on this please. :?
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Darwin88
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Male Eclectus. Male Alexandrine.
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby Tro » Thu Aug 22, 2013 12:48 am

He is adorable! Anyway those look like stress lines to me, but I'm not claiming to be an expert in the matter. Stress lines can be caused by poor diet, and I have seen some major discoloration in feathers simply because of a poor diet so make sure you are feeding the proper diet for your particular parrot.
Also if he hasn't had his annual exam you should bring him in for your vet to take a look. You metiond you got him in april last year so if you brought him for his annual again in april and your vet didn't tell you anything was wrong with the feathers you may want to consider switching vets!!
Best of luck to you!
Tro
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 73
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Green cheeck conure
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby Pajarita » Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:10 am

Those are not regular stress marks, those are liver malfunction marks and it's all due to a bad diet. You can't feed ekkies pellets. Period. It doesn't matter what brand they are, they all have too much protein and not enough moisture or fiber for an ekkie. They have a highly specialized diet in the wild and the longest intestinal tract of all species of psittacines so they require fruits, veggies and leafy greens in huge quantities every day for breakfast and a smallish amount of cooked cereal grains mixed with veggies/fruits and a couple of low fat nuts (like pistachios, for example) for dinner.

You need to change his diet immediately and help his liver with herbals to cleanse and tonic it (milk thistle and dandelion root extract, aloe vera juice, methionine and cysteine). But he won't look any better for two more years because that's how long it will take for him to molt all those damaged feathers.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby spiral71 » Sat Aug 24, 2013 2:39 pm

Pajarita wrote:Those are not regular stress marks, those are liver malfunction marks and it's all due to a bad diet. You can't feed ekkies pellets. Period. It doesn't matter what brand they are, they all have too much protein and not enough moisture or fiber for an ekkie. They have a highly specialized diet in the wild and the longest intestinal tract of all species of psittacines so they require fruits, veggies and leafy greens in huge quantities every day for breakfast and a smallish amount of cooked cereal grains mixed with veggies/fruits and a couple of low fat nuts (like pistachios, for example) for dinner.

You need to change his diet immediately and help his liver with herbals to cleanse and tonic it (milk thistle and dandelion root extract, aloe vera juice, methionine and cysteine). But he won't look any better for two more years because that's how long it will take for him to molt all those damaged feathers.



hi there
exuse me for asking i dont know if this is polite but what sort of birds do you have? and how many you have not said on your profile so i am abit confused. As you have a lot of knowlege, from what i have read in your posts.

i understand why you feed glop instead of pellets but i use pellets and offer fruit and veg as well.
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spiral71
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 165
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: female indian ringneck 5 to 6 years old
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby sidech » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:14 am

These feathers are pretty bad and I am convinced his diet is the problem.

Ekkies need to eat fresh. Veggis 4-5 times a week are not ok.

required diet : 70 % veggies and sprouts, 20% fruits, and 10% seeds and the occasional meat, with no vitamin added and no sunflower seeds. Seeds need to be canari seeds, maybe 2 tablespoons per day.

Take care of it real quick, poor thing will not live long if you leave him eating what he eats now.
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sidech
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 487
Location: Greater Montreal (Québec)
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Red Sided Eclectus
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby Pajarita » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:46 am

spiral71 wrote:
Pajarita wrote:Those are not regular stress marks, those are liver malfunction marks and it's all due to a bad diet. You can't feed ekkies pellets. Period. It doesn't matter what brand they are, they all have too much protein and not enough moisture or fiber for an ekkie. They have a highly specialized diet in the wild and the longest intestinal tract of all species of psittacines so they require fruits, veggies and leafy greens in huge quantities every day for breakfast and a smallish amount of cooked cereal grains mixed with veggies/fruits and a couple of low fat nuts (like pistachios, for example) for dinner.

You need to change his diet immediately and help his liver with herbals to cleanse and tonic it (milk thistle and dandelion root extract, aloe vera juice, methionine and cysteine). But he won't look any better for two more years because that's how long it will take for him to molt all those damaged feathers.



hi there
exuse me for asking i dont know if this is polite but what sort of birds do you have? and how many you have not said on your profile so i am abit confused. As you have a lot of knowlege, from what i have read in your posts.

i understand why you feed glop instead of pellets but i use pellets and offer fruit and veg as well.



No problem, it's not impolite to ask. Right now I only have around 50 but, when I had the rescue, I cared for around 250 at a time. I've had all different species: budgies, tiels, lovies, all kind of conures, amazons, grays, ekkies, U2s, LSC and Eleanora toos, macaws, jardine, senegals, finches, canaries, doves, cardinals, etc. and I got my first rescue back in 1992.

Lots of people feed pellets thinking they are the best option. We used to feed seeds, monkey biscuits, meat and all kinds of unhealthy things many years ago also thinking we were doing OK - then pellets came out and they were the better option, but we have learned a lot about avian nutrition in the last 20 years and soon very few good bird keepers will be feeding pellets. There will always be some that will, same as there are people who still feed seeds and human food, but the same way that people are now feeding organic raw produce whereas before nobody did, there will be more and more people feeding fresh, live food instead of processed, dead one.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby spiral71 » Mon Aug 26, 2013 4:16 am

i agree that fresh live food is the best option, but with some birds selective feeding is a problem, and depending on their circumstances and routine and invidual bird they can often be advised to use pellets.

thanyou for your response, i know that that you care very much forbirds. i was just curious abit which species you'd cared faor as i thought it very many different species. So it makes semse that you ran a sancuary.
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spiral71
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 165
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: female indian ringneck 5 to 6 years old
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby Darwin88 » Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:37 pm

Thanks eveyone for the replies. I really appreciate it. I am going to completely stop seed intake. Do any of you recommend that I still feed him Harrisons pellets? I noticed a few comments advised against this. I plan to take him to a vet soon to get a blood test, pooh check etc.

Also about a cleansing tonic. Does anyone know of an example of this (brand name)? Or upload a photo of something. I know of health shop brand called Lifestream Aloe Vera juice, is this ok?
Darwin88
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 2
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Male Eclectus. Male Alexandrine.
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby Pajarita » Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:52 am

You can use Aloe Vera detoxifying formula in the water but I would also add some extra milk thistle, methionine and vit B6 to the soft food.

I would not feed pellets to this bird. Pellets are a unknown when it comes to protein and low protein is key for ekkies...
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Help me. Eclectus gradually getting worse black feathers.

Postby sidech » Tue Aug 27, 2013 8:16 pm

Seeds are ok and very much appreciated. 2 tablespoons a day, canari seeds.

Pellets, 8-10 pieces per day, max.
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sidech
Poicephalus
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 487
Location: Greater Montreal (Québec)
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Red Sided Eclectus
Flight: Yes

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