greetings, cage and Eclectus questions

[David P]

Hello, first let me introduce myself... my family used to raise birds, from parakeets and cockatiels to ringnecks, pheasants, chickens, and others... Any how after being away from birds for several years I decided that I really missed my two pets and amazon and a mustache parakeet. Im on an unusual business trip for over 2 months in Asia and lots of time to read the net... Anyhow Im seriously considering getting a bird again, specifically an Eclectus.
There is so much more known about these birds now then there was back when. I never knew parrots needed 12 hours of sleep, my amazon was in the living room and when he got tired, he turned his head around and slept... He had a cage with a play pen right next to it. He was never locked in his cage unless he was a "bad bird" and always free to sit on his door, or on top of the cage or on his play pen. The mustache keet was kept in a cage becuase he would fly around the house and get in trouble. I hope to have an Ecy free from being locked up all the time, but am ready to keep it safe if need be.
I am rather surprised by the cage requirement for such a small bird, and then I read about putting the bird in a bedtime cage in a dark bathroom, this makes perfect sense, but I have not really seen what size cage it can be, or if it can just be a pearch in the room... I think I need to get a large cage, but hope to really not need a cage as I leave for work at 5am, my GF gets home at 8 am and shes usually leaves for work at 10pm (past the birds bed time) so someone is usually home all the time except a few hours in the morning... Id rather get a large play pen for the bird but Im asking because I want your opinions.
Also, I had aviaries at my house in Southern California and in the high desert where it could get below freezing. The birds thrived in open environment(we had half protected aviaries where they could get out of the sun/wind) I now live in the high desert and wonder about building an aviary for more tropical birds such as eclectus. Has anyone kept a small flock outside in weather from 20s to 110?
I have not seen anything mentioned about keeping 2 ecys together in one cage... any reason not to?

 

[Quantumcat]

There is so much more known about these birds now then there was back when. I never knew parrots needed 12 hours of sleep, my amazon was in the living room and when he got tired, he turned his head around and slept.

For a parrot's health and mental well being, it is best to let them have plenty of sleep at night. If you are still using the room their cage is in at night, you can cover their cage with a dark sheet. If after a while they are quiet, they are probably asleep. If not, then you should either modify your late-night habits, or relocate the cage (still keeping it somewhere in the middle of family life).

He was never locked in his cage unless he was a "bad bird"

Putting them in their cage as a punishment doesn't really work. The only thing the parrot will learn is that when they want a free ride back to their cage, they need only perform a behaviour you disapprove of! In any case you can avoid bites by simply watching the parrot's body language and doing what he's telling you he wants you to do (usually going away). Then he knows he doesn't need to resort to biting to get the message across.

I hope to have an Ecy free from being locked up all the time, but am ready to keep it safe if need be.

Fantastic, I my personal opinion all birds are happier and better adjusted being allowed to fly.

I am rather surprised by the cage requirement for such a small bird

Any parrot needs at least enough space to fully stretch out his wings, and in an Eccy's case, that's about 60 - 70cm. They need more if they spend more than two hours or so at a time in their cage (excluding sleeping). But if your eclectus will be free all the time you only need the minimum size. Maybe in pictures you saw, the eclectus looked small, but actually they are bigger than amazons (who only have a wingspan of 40 - 50 cm)

and then I read about putting the bird in a bedtime cage in a dark bathroom, this makes perfect sense, but I have not really seen what size cage it can be, or if it can just be a pearch in the room...

A perch in a room in fine for sleeping, as long as the room is completely and utterly bird-proofed (since you won't be supervising for many hours).

I think I need to get a large cage, but hope to really not need a cage as I leave for work at 5am, my GF gets home at 8 am and shes usually leaves for work at 10pm (past the birds bed time) so someone is usually home all the time except a few hours in the morning... Id rather get a large play pen for the bird but Im asking because I want your opinions.

It's ok to not use a cage at all, but there will be situations where it will be very inconvenient not to. I'm fairly sure anybody who keeps their bird without a cage still has one in their garage for emergencies.

Examples:
-You're moving, and need to leave doors open to move furniture in and out.
-Workmen are coming over while you're not at home and you never know what they might do (would you trust the safety of your bird to total strangers giving one of them the instructions, "Don't open the third door on the left under any circumstances!"?).
-You're having a party with loads of people over. You can't stand next to the door all night making sure no-one opens it! And someone might open a window and the next morning, before you notice, you've let the bird out of the room and he's flown straight out.
-Many other possibilities!

So even if you decide to keep the bird without a cage, it will still be smart to have one handy if necessary. If you're trying to save money by not buying a cage, hardly much point, the birds themselves cost $700 - $1000 here in Australia, I think cages the right size would be about $100 second-hand.

Also, I had aviaries at my house in Southern California and in the high desert where it could get below freezing. The birds thrived in open environment(we had half protected aviaries where they could get out of the sun/wind) I now live in the high desert and wonder about building an aviary for more tropical birds such as eclectus. Has anyone kept a small flock outside in weather from 20s to 110?

There are other people more qualified to answer this than I, but when I asked my vet on my first visit with Scarlett, she advised me to leave the heaters going during the night to at least 15 degrees (celsius). I don't know what that is in farenheit, but it's something like a pleasant early spring morning where you just don't need a jumper.

I have not seen anything mentioned about keeping 2 ecys together in one cage... any reason not to?

No reason not to keep two eclectus together, as long as they like each other. Of course you will need an extra-large cage.