What's the best vitamin A supplement to give my male eclectus ? and do parrots get very lonely without a mate

Answer 1

Natural supplements! Vegetables! Here's a link I found in my bookmarks of some good foods with vitamin A: http://www.dds.com/store/files/49/1860887.pdf
The main link with a bunch of vitamin handouts is here: http://www.thebirdclinic.com/Bird_C_Handouts.html

So to answer your question besides the links, the foods that contain the highest amount of vitamin A are carrots, sweet potato (ideally, baked), jalapeno pepper, kale, spinach, chard, dandelion, butternut squash, sweet red peppers, mango, collard greens.
Here's another link that basically has the same thing, just it's more expanded: http://www.forthebirdsdvm.com/VitA1.htm

If you want to add vitamin drops or something, don't do so without consulting an avian vet and having a checkup done on your ekkie just to make sure whatever you give him will be safe and under the watchful and experienced eye of a vet. I'm sure if you see a vet, they can recommend some good foods to add to his diet. They should be consulted for any dietary change.

As well as this, you should also be feeding a nice balance of fresh foods, grains, seeds, and if you so wish, a brand(s) of high quality pellets.

Parrots easily bond to people, so as long as you're providing him with some ample time (a few hours a day) of interaction, physical or not, even if you just whistle to him, he'll be fine. Also, since birds are so flock oriented, something as easy as leaving the TV or some music on while you're away from home, playing some recordings of other birds or something, can make them feel like there are others around them to keep them company. They don't need mates. With cagemates, if you mean mate in the sense that they're caged together and can physically interact 24/7, they definitely don't need that. As long as they have a sense that someone's with them sometimes, they won't feel lonely, especially since so many can learn to be self-amused.

Answer 2

The best supplements are just fruits and veggies- if you feed a variety of them, some seeds, and a good pelleted mix, you do not need to supplement. If you go to your local grocery store, they may give you old/bruised fruit and veggies for cheap. Usually they are still good, but have some defect so they need to pull it off the shelves.

As for loneliness, if you spend enough time with them and give them plenty of enrichment (things to do, social time with you, etc) they are prefectly fine by themselves.

Answer 3

My Umbrella Cockatoo has a severe vitamin A deficiency. Our vet told us to cook him scrambled eggs, smothered in margarine. The eggs are good protein, and the margarine is rich in vitamin A. It's much cheaper than putting it in their water, and much easier to guage how much of it he's actually receiving than putting it in his water. Plus, you get the added protein of the egg.