Considering an eclectus

[pacoparrot]

Hi everyone. It's been almost 6 months since I lost my precious Echo. She was the apple of my eye. She was a 4 year old female SI Eclectus. We went everywhere together. Her wings were always clipped but one day she flew off and flew into a parked car and died. I have been so heartbroken. I have other birds but they are all rescues that are not tame like she was. So you can see why I'd want to get another bird.

Anyways I have been thinking long and hard about it and I think I want another. I mean my family is already used to the noise they make and I really like their specific diet. It was so much fun cooking for Echo and seeing her get excited for food. Her motivation for food is what brought us so close since I trained her with a clicker to do many things, such as playing by herself and being creative. And some really cool tricks.

She was one of the only parrots that I ever felt a close bond with. My flock is older and most of them would rather not be bothered past being put on a playstand or the occasional handling when they are in the mood. But I want to feel that bond again. I'm hoping this year I can save up the money to buy a baby. I'm leaning toward a male even though i have experience with a female. I heard from many people that Echo was very well behaved compared to most females who have heavy nesting instincts and get hormonal and lay eggs.

I really think it was the training that made Echo the great bird she was, not the species. But I've fallen in love with Eclectus parrots and I hope to have another soon. Either this year or the beginning of next. The time all depends on when I find a good breeder and when I have the money.

Sorry for all that talking I just like to be clear. Anyways can anyone share some stories and pictures of your eclectus? I'd like to hear about how they act and their personalities. And also are they motivated by food?

 

[Terry57]

I am so sorry for your loss of Echo
My ekkie is a male Vosmaeri, and his name is Ekko too.
He absolutely LOVES his food and will eat anything I give him. He is very food motivated and will do anything we ask for it (except stay off the floor..lol).
He is very smart, and learns things easily. He says some things that are situational, and some things I don't think he knows what he is talking about. He is quite the funny guy, and really enjoys his baths. He is not a cuddler, but is still very loving. We got him in Dec., and he quickly adjusted to our home and the other fids. He is just over 2 years old.
Here is a picture of my guy

Good luck with your decision!

 

[pacoparrot]

He's Beautiful!! Echo loved food. She would try anything. But she loved when I gave her coconut oil on a spoon mixed with oatmeal and banana. It was her special treat. She wasn't much of a talker. She would never talk in front of me but could say "Hello", "Echo", "Come Here", and then she would also have quiet conversations with herself that couldn't be understood. She also didn't like to cuddle either but she was pretty good with body handling. She didn't like it but would tolerate it for nail clipping and being picked up if she was getting into something. She was still affectionate though. She would preen my hair and finger nails gentely. She was good with just about everyone. She would go to a complete stranger and behave better than she would with me.

 

[Sterling1113]

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your baby. I understand how losing a pet/companion (Especially a parrot) can be such a heartbreaking event. I'm sure you'll find the perfect bird when the time comes.

My boy is an SI Eclectus, his name is Yoshi and he's a doll. I've only had him for about a month, he's 3 years old(so I've been told) and he's a recovering plucker. He hasn't plucked since I got him, and he makes a wide variety of sounds! All sorts of things that I have NO idea where he could have gotten them from. I'm 99% positive he lived in a home with small children and dogs, nothing else explains the sound effects he makes. He's very curious, although prefers to stay inside his cage unless he's in the mood to explore. He's cage-protective but will step up on a perch, and then onto our hands/arms once he's out. He's not very food motivated at all(haven't gotten him to take any from our hands yet.) and he doesn't like to try new things, but he was only given a mix seed diet in the past so he doesn't know what he likes! So far he likes the cooked foods(Rice, shredded veggies, etc) and fruits like strawberries and grapes, but he won't try anything else. He did switch from his seed mix to a pellet diet pretty easily though, so he's getting nutrients. He's clearly bonded to my boyfriend and I, as you can see how excited he gets when we make his food(anyone else gets a fluffy, evil death glare.) He has a ton of potential in his scared little body and we're just waiting for him to show us what he's got!

Sorry for the rant!! Here's a picture:
(Silly, with a feather on his head )

 

[Kiwibird]

Hi everyone. It's been almost 6 months since I lost my precious Echo. She was the apple of my eye. She was a 4 year old female SI Eclectus. We went everywhere together. Her wings were always clipped but one day she flew off and flew into a parked car and died. I have been so heartbroken. I have other birds but they are all rescues that are not tame like she was. So you can see why I'd want to get another bird.

Anyways I have been thinking long and hard about it and I think I want another. I mean my family is already used to the noise they make and I really like their specific diet. It was so much fun cooking for Echo and seeing her get excited for food. Her motivation for food is what brought us so close since I trained her with a clicker to do many things, such as playing by herself and being creative. And some really cool tricks.

She was one of the only parrots that I ever felt a close bond with. My flock is older and most of them would rather not be bothered past being put on a playstand or the occasional handling when they are in the mood. But I want to feel that bond again. I'm hoping this year I can save up the money to buy a baby. I'm leaning toward a male even though i have experience with a female. I heard from many people that Echo was very well behaved compared to most females who have heavy nesting instincts and get hormonal and lay eggs.

I really think it was the training that made Echo the great bird she was, not the species. But I've fallen in love with Eclectus parrots and I hope to have another soon. Either this year or the beginning of next. The time all depends on when I find a good breeder and when I have the money.

Sorry for all that talking I just like to be clear. Anyways can anyone share some stories and pictures of your eclectus? I'd like to hear about how they act and their personalities. And also are they motivated by food?

I am very sorry for your loss of Echo. It sounds like this affected you very much

Someone really needs to say this, and I will do so as respectfully as possible- no bird will ever be "another Echo". Of course, you can certainly have another wonderful bird who is very bonded to you, but they will be their own individual. I think if it is a carefully thought out decision (which it sounds like it is) you should get another bird because you want another bird, but you cannot put the expectation for that bird to behave in any certain way.

I actually ended up with Kiwi because I so dearly missed my mom's DYH after I grew up and moved out of my parents house. She had been my constant companion since I was born, and we were VERY bonded, but at the end of the day, she was my mom's bird, she has a lifelong "mate" who's also my moms, and I just couldn't have her. I thought (quite naively) if I just worked with another amazon, I would get another Lucy. Not so. Don't get me wrong, Kiwi is an absolutely wonderful, sweet bird who I adore and love like a feathered child, but he still doesn't fill the void of the bond I had with Lucy, and he is a whole other personality.

I mean no offense by this, I just wanted to share that so you go in with eyes wide open that your getting a completely new baby who will have his or her own wonderful attributes and unique quarks I also think your rescues have the potential to be wonderful, well trained and closely bonded birds too. They're just being stubborn. Kiwi is a rescue and wanted nothing to do with me for the first few YEARS we had him (he took to my husband much faster). I just had patience and was persistent in building his trust and proving that I only wanted to be kind to him. Slowly, but surely, he responded. He is 16 and came to us having never been handled and quite vicious. In the 6 years we've had him, he's gone from essentially feral to most recently, working on some basic trick training (and is a very fast learner might I add). Don't write the rescues off, they have a great potential to also be wonderful birds and learn new things. When you get your new baby and are training him/her, why not make it a bit of a birdie competition and get the rescues involved too? Many people use a "competitive" environment for more effective training of multiple birds

 

[RavensGryf]

That was a good point Kiwibird. I would NEVER be able to get another male Red Bellied parrot after Robin... he has been my best little friend and deeply bonded for nearly 20 years now. It would just be too weird to look at another one who visually looks the same but is a different "person". Maybe I feel this way about a Red Bellied because I've had HIM for so long. That would be true for me of any pet animal species or breed that I've had for a long time.

I did get a same species ONCE. With Raven my Bronze Winged Pionus. I had a female BWP who passed at a year old. I only had her for 8 months, and I was devastated. However, I REALLY needed to have a BWP. So, 7 years later I get Raven, and as much as I love him, he is not the same easy going sweet character as Adrion was. Individual difference is very strong here, and maybe also the difference between male and female, as the sexes differ in personality like their close cousins the Amazons.

 

[pacoparrot]

I understand where you guys are coming from. I'm not looking to replace Echo as much as just have another companion. My DYH amazon Paco has been with us for 5 years and we have made little progress with him. His personality just shows that he wants to be let be. He doesn't want attention outside talking or the occasional trip to the kitchen to observe our conversations. The only person that he really leans toward is my mom. He is 16 years old and is very hormonal sometimes and cannot be handled. I love him and all but he's not bonded to me like Echo and a few other birds from past were. I fostered a green wing macaw in 2012 and he loved me. But his noise was a little much for my household and his price tag was a little too high at the time or he would have been mine. My green cheek conures are great. They really enough being on my shoulder and being around me. I'd like to try clicker training with them but I can't get them to take treats from me. But I want something bigger that's the same way. The cockatiels are older and are not tame. They don't like being bothered at all since they are a pair. I'm not dead set on a male eclectus. I just like them because everyone in my house is used to the noise they make and would be more accepting of it. I'd also consider a pionus, an african grey, an alexandrine parrot, or any bird that fits the description of what I'm looking for. If I had a choice I'd have a confident, trainable, and friendly parrot that is motivated by food. Talking doesn't really matter to me since none of my birds talk now anyways. What matters is that there's a bond and the bird is behaved enough for my household as far as screaming goes. I want another bird because I want another friend. I know Echo and it would be too much to ask for another bird to fill her shoes completely.

 

[RavensGryf]

Also, if you get another Ekkie, remember it may have a totally different personality from your last one, since some Eclectus like to be more like your Amazon and hands off, or want to be near you but not cuddle.

'GENERALLY' speaking... The other species you mentioned are also TYPICALLY hands off species as well - Pionus, Grey, Alexndrine. Those are commonly like how you say your other birds are, like to hang out or on your shoulder, but may not bond super tight with you. I think you're really desiring a more cuddly type?

I know you don't want something too small. How about a larger conure species? Mini Macaw? I can't wait to hear what you decide

 

[pacoparrot]

I do understand that they are hands off species. Echo didn't like any touching. But she wouldn't bite me if I did touch her, just beak me and complain. Mini macaws aren't very common where I am. I have considered a sun conure. I have worked with them and jendays before a long time ago. The screaming was pretty intense. I worry about the noise but after having and fostering much larger birds I would like to think me and my family have grown to the point that we can tolerate a sun conure. I mean we've had macaws, and large mall cockatoos. I would just need to work with it. I know that conures are much more affectionate. My green cheeks love head scratches and being tipped on their backs in my hand.

 

[MikeyTN]

I guess my ekkies are the weird ones that will cuddle with me! I touch them all over without issue.

 

[RavensGryf]

You're in the US where you can get mini Macaws of all types! I guess you mean rare in your part of PA? Why not get a bird shipped from a breeder in another state? They almost always go through Delta "pets first", and they're pros at it. Never had a problem. Of course there is the drawback of extra shipping costs that you might be thinking about. That part is no doubt a drag.

I've heard the Blue Crown conures make really good pets and are typically less vocal than others in their genus. Nanday conures are gorgeous IMO. Red Masked or Mitered conures are pretty and larger. It sounds like your family is already pretty immune to parrot noise

 

[RavensGryf]

I guess my ekkies are the weird ones that will cuddle with me! I touch them all over without issue.

I've seen or heard of other "weird" ones besides yours but you know it's not typical!

 

[MikeyTN]

My breeder friend's ekkies are like mine as well, once they get adjusted to me I can pet them and rub them. They actually enjoy it! They're finicky about strangers though!!!! If they don't know you well, better not touch them cause they will not hesitate to chase you down to bite.

 

[Kiwibird]

If you want a more cuddly bird, I would think the small cockatoos would be about the mot cuddly of all Goffins, rose breasted and bare eyed tops are all medium-large sized birds (similar to amazons/greys/eclectus), known to be generally very cuddly birds and very much "velcro" birds who are highly intelligent and have a great capacity to learn. I think I have also heard of the mini macaws being more touchy feely than other species, but they do seem to be harder to come by.

And I don't see why you wouldn't get another eclectus if you are comfortable with the species. Especially if you're going for a baby bird who knows very little and will learn his or her pattern of behavior from you

 

[labell]

Having had one already (I am sorry that you lost her so tragically) you are already familiar with the diet and sounds they can make. That said I have 6 and no two are a like. The only thing all of mine have in common is an extreme love of food. There has been nothing so far mine have turned their beaks up to and that includes my newest two that were only fed seed in their last home.
Some of mine will tolerate some light cuddling but none of them appreciate it for any length of time.
I know personally of a great breeder in upstate NY near Albany but I don't know how far that is from you, she is more reasonable in price and she really loves and socializes her babies.
I would consider myself very bias as I think Eclectus are the perfect parrot, for me at least. Typically when some one asks about them I relay all the negatives first because I do believe they are different in care and personality than a lot of parrots but you know what they are like so I say go for it. Start saving money for a baby or you might even look into an older rescue, that way if you wanted a girl again and she was at or past sexual maturity you would know what her personality is like. Boys can change too so an older male would also not be a bad idea.

 

[Anansi]

Here are some pics of my Bixby. I was originally told he was a Solomon Island eclectus, but I've recently learned that he might actually be a vos.
He's a very affectionate parrot who is a little too hyper whenever he's in my hands to be considered cuddly. He loves wrestling with my fingers (he's very good about his bite-pressure training) and trying to sprint his way up my shoulder since he knows that's not allowed! Lol! He's a very quiet bird, except for when my children are running around raising a ruckus and he feels like joining in the chaos! (He enjoys mimicking their sounds and has even mastered the all-too-often-heard, "Ow!
He has moments when he enjoys petting, but usually he'd rather play.
And as seems to be the case with so many ekkies, he LOVES his food! He's more "me" motivated than food motivated, though, as our bond is quite strong. Great for recall training, of course! Not so much when training him to fly anywhere else! Lol!
He doesn't have much of a vocabulary yet, outside of "hello" and "ow", but he's only 8 months.

I got Bixby 2 years after the loss of my first parrot, a cockatiel, who I'd had for nearly 18 years. As others have pointed out, he couldn't replace her...but he has definitely carved out his own unique place in my heart.

Best of luck with whichever bird you decide to get!

http://www.parrotforums.com/members/anansi-albums-bixby-picture11379-bixby-chowing-down-apple-treat-after-flight-training-session.html[/IMG

[IMG]http://www.parrotforums.com/members/anansi-albums-bixby-picture10642-knocked-out.html

 

[Terry57]

Stephen, your pic of Bixby didn't show up

 

[Anansi]

Oh! Thanks, Terry! Maybe it's because I tried to do 2 at once? I don't know. I obviously need a tutorial. Lol! K, here's attempt# 2. One at a time.

 

[Anansi]

There we go! Aaaaand pic #2

 

[pacoparrot]

Thank you for all the advice and pictures. Whatever I end up with I'm sure I'll love it. But I do agree that I am familiar with eclectus parrots and I think I might do better with that species. But nothing is set in stone. I'm kind of hoping that a specific bird will stick out and I'll know. I don't really like shipping. It's not that I don't trust that the bird will arrive dead or anything. I just don't like the idea that you're blindly paying a lot of money for something you never seen in person. People could easily lie about the temperment, age, or anything really. At least when you meet a bird in person you get to see it and examine it first. Can you tell me about the breeder in Albany NY? That's pretty far from me but then again no eclectus breeder is local to me.