Brought home my babies!

[lizard]

So I originally was only going to get a male, but the breeder had one female left so I took her too. She is just too gorgeous. However, they are definitely fitting into the stereotypes of male vs female.

Sully, my boy, while still timid hasn't even hinted at biting me while Raja, my girl, has bitten me several times and I have to use a stick to get her to step up (like to move out of the way to be able to get to the water bowl). I've been talking very sweetly to her and trying to leave her alone to settle in.

Also, the breeder weaned them on to some kind of pellet/seed mix and they haven't touched any fresh foods. I've given in to giving them a little Harrison's pellets with a small amount of Volkmann's seed mixed in. I really want them to want to eat fresh foods more than the pellets so I'll keep offering fresh.

We're only on day 3 with them so I expect things to smooth out as they settle in. I'm trying to keep them comfortable for now.

 

[thekarens]

They are both gorgeous

 

[lizard]

I'm amazed at how gorgeous they are in person. And a perfect size. And their little honks are too adorable.

 

[labell]

Yes very beautiful babies!

Are they siblings?

Please keep working on the fresh, there are threads here you can find in the eclectus section as well as at the website "Land of Vos" with very good diet advise. I am concerned that this breeder weans to seed and pellets and not fresh fruits and veggies, all of mine would protest LOUDLY if denied their fresh foods! How old are they?

It looks from your photo that they might be in the same cage, you are going to have a much better time of it if they have their own cages not only training them and getting to handle them but also being able to monitor how much each is eating, pooping and such. Leaving them together will form a stronger bond between them than with you also a really bad idea if they are siblings.

Mine all hang out in the same room, flying around, landing on play stands and boings and swings hung from the ceiling but they all have their own cages when they want to eat or go to sleep. I give them each there own time with me but allow them to live as a flock as well now that they are older but as babies the idea was to make sure they formed a strong bond to me and lots of training. Both the male and the female should be trained to step up to a stick and your hand. Even though the boy is giving you no problems now it is still better to be able to get them both quickly if need be and sometimes that means stepping up on a stick. Having their own space is important to eclectus imo.

Anyway now that I have written you a book beautiful babies, don't hesitate if you have any questions. There are plenty of people here such as myself that LOVE these birds and will be more than happy to help you adjust or answer any questions you might have.

 

[Allee]

Congratulations! Gorgeous pair of Ekkies!

 

[lizard]

Yes very beautiful babies!

Are they siblings?

Please keep working on the fresh, there are threads here you can find in the eclectus section as well as at the website "Land of Vos" with very good diet advise. I am concerned that this breeder weans to seed and pellets and not fresh fruits and veggies, all of mine would protest LOUDLY if denied their fresh foods! How old are they?

It looks from your photo that they might be in the same cage, you are going to have a much better time of it if they have their own cages not only training them and getting to handle them but also being able to monitor how much each is eating, pooping and such. Leaving them together will form a stronger bond between them than with you also a really bad idea if they are siblings.

Mine all hang out in the same room, flying around, landing on play stands and boings and swings hung from the ceiling but they all have their own cages when they want to eat or go to sleep. I give them each there own time with me but allow them to live as a flock as well now that they are older but as babies the idea was to make sure they formed a strong bond to me and lots of training. Both the male and the female should be trained to step up to a stick and your hand. Even though the boy is giving you no problems now it is still better to be able to get them both quickly if need be and sometimes that means stepping up on a stick. Having their own space is important to eclectus imo.

Anyway now that I have written you a book beautiful babies, don't hesitate if you have any questions. There are plenty of people here such as myself that LOVE these birds and will be more than happy to help you adjust or answer any questions you might have.

Thank you for this! I was told they're from different breeders and they're both four months old. I bought one huge cage just for the male and I'd like them separate but I don't think I can fit two huge cages. Can anyone link to a smaller cage?

Incidentally, I asked the breeder if they'd be OK in one large cage and she said yes! That I could have five birds in my cage, ha. From my reading I know birds in general so better in their own cage.

Also, I mixed up small chunks of fruit in their dry food this morning to start weaning them on to fresh foods.

 

[labell]

I am going to let someone else handle links to cages I am not really good at that.

I hate to sound jaded but yes some breeders will say something is okay when it is less than ideal, after all she was selling you a second bird, certainly you can put them in one cage but is it going to help them be good pets? Without a doubt in my mind...no! If they bond more to each other and become aggressive to you how much are you going to want to interact with them?

So I understand you got them both from the same breeder person but she/he told you they are from different pairs correct? Where you given hatch dates? Are they leg banded or no?

I really wouldn't mix fresh in with the dry it is going to be wasteful because if they don't eat it all you will still need to throw it all out because the juices from the fresh food will contaminate the dry food. You could end up with mold on the dry food which is very bad.

Eclectus are one of the most food motivated parrots there are, piggies with wings. As I suggested look to the food section forum here as well as Land of Vos for great food recipes and ideas for eclectus. You were told that a minimum of 70-80% of their diet should be fresh foods right?

 

[RavensGryf]

Beautiful birds... Do you know what subspecies?

 

[Sunset_Chaser]

Aww, how adorable!!!!!!

 

[mh434]

Beautiful kids!! In the photo, Raja looks like she has some serious mischief on her mind!!

 

[lizard]

I am going to let someone else handle links to cages I am not really good at that.

I hate to sound jaded but yes some breeders will say something is okay when it is less than ideal, after all she was selling you a second bird, certainly you can put them in one cage but is it going to help them be good pets? Without a doubt in my mind...no! If they bond more to each other and become aggressive to you how much are you going to want to interact with them?

So I understand you got them both from the same breeder person but she/he told you they are from different pairs correct? Where you given hatch dates? Are they leg banded or no?

I really wouldn't mix fresh in with the dry it is going to be wasteful because if they don't eat it all you will still need to throw it all out because the juices from the fresh food will contaminate the dry food. You could end up with mold on the dry food which is very bad.

Eclectus are one of the most food motivated parrots there are, piggies with wings. As I suggested look to the food section forum here as well as Land of Vos for great food recipes and ideas for eclectus. You were told that a minimum of 70-80% of their diet should be fresh foods right?

I'm not naive I was moreso describing the breeder's beliefs. I have hatch dates, but they aren't banded. I've read everything I possibly could about eclectus before bringing them home including long nights on the land of vos reading recipes, heh.

I think mixing fresh with what they're accustomed to would be an easier transition for babies, no? I wouldn't let any fresh food sit long enough to mold and at this point I just want to teach them how much yummier fresh food is so I'm not too worried about waste yet.

I'll Google some cages to see what I can find. I think it's definitely in everyone's best interest to have their own space.

 

[lizard]

Beautiful birds... Do you know what subspecies?

They're Solomon Island.

 

[RavensGryf]

They really are cuties . I didn't know the baby females SI lacked the blue eye liner!

 

[kq_fan]

So cute! I would love to get two babies at one time! Especially two ekkies!

 

[labell]

They really are cuties . I didn't know the baby females SI lacked the blue eye liner!

Some of them have it right from the get-go as Jillie did but other babies it will come in over time and sometimes not as strong or thick because the linage has Red Sided which is there but not as pronounced as the Solomon. (Red Sided and Solomon are the only two with the blue eye liner, with the RS not being quite as bright).

Sometimes it doesn't come in at all so there is Grand or even Vos some where in the line. Unfortunately in the beginning of importing eclectus and setting up breeding pairs breeders were just happy to get a pair and were not concerned about muddying up the sub-species. It still happens now because there was so much cross breeding between the species that it is sometimes difficult even for experienced eclectus breeders to tell the differences especially among the males.