Hello all!

[Parrots4life]

New here but not to parrots... I use to raise several types of birds.. we got out of breeding and went into doing rescue... however due to my 9th child being born (was told the birds were making her sick which was not the case) and moving to another state for a new job we rehomed all of our birds... now a few years later we are thinking of possibly owning another parrot.. however we can not decide if we want an Eclectus or a greenwing macaw... so figured I would get some friendly advice! Thanks in advance..

 

[Birdsfourever]

Hello. Having many children I recomend the eclectus. They tend to birds bond with the family and are much smaller with the greenwing being second largest macaw. Interact with both though and see witch one choses you and if thats a greenwing then bring home the greenwing.

 

[labell]

I would have to say that with 9 kids I would not even consider an eclectus their diet requirements are complicated and specific and not something that can be changed because of a busy day with children. The other issue is that eclectus do MUCH better in calm quiet environments. That much movement and noise I believe would make an eclectus very nervous.

 

[labell]

Hello. Having many children I recomend the eclectus. They tend to birds bond with the family and are much smaller with the greenwing being second largest macaw. Interact with both though and see witch one choses you and if thats a greenwing then bring home the greenwing.

I am not trying to be rude but you are a teenager and have not had an eclectus, please be careful throwing out advise on a species you don't know anything about. Eclectus are very complicated, sensitive parrots much like African Greys in not only environment sensitivity but even more so when you factor in the special diet they require.

I know you are wanting to be helpful but eclectus are a species that is near and dear to my heart and frankly one of the species that way too often is not kept in the manner they should be and suffer greatly for it.

 

[Parrots4life]

Ty all... I have owned ekkies and also macaws just never a gw... I know all about the diet of both.. like I said im not new to parrots.. all my kids have been raised around birds from day 1 other then my youngest. Every ekkie I have owned was very social with the whole family.. as was all of our birds except our breeders.. its just something I cant decide which to go with.. I have a local Breeder that has both about to be weaned.. its just so hard to choose lol

 

[Terry57]

I don't have a macaw so can't speak to that, but do have an Ekkie who is a great guy I also have a friend that has a couple of ekkies and several kids and as long as the kids are not too rowdy around them, her ekkies are happy.
Good luck with whichever you decide

 

[Anansi]

Like Terry, I don't have a macaw either. But I do have two ekkies, one male and one female. They've actually acclimated quite well to the rambunctious activities of my two boys, aged 7 (well, as of Feb 24th) and 4. Granted, two is a far cry from nine, (RESPECT!) but my boys can be an earful. My ekkies, however, hardly even seem to notice them as they play.

The important thing is, though, that I know my birds and my boys. And, while the birds have acclimated to my boys, my boys have also adjusted to them. For instance, lightsaber play makes Maya uncomfortable. So my boys keep their lightsabers, and any other instruments of swordplay, out of any room where the ekkies are. So long as you know your children will make whatever adjustments are necessary, it can work with an ekky. IMO. But if they tend more toward the mischievous side of things, then not so much. Also, before choosing, you might want to go to the breeder's with a few of your children and see if either bird seems apprehensive of the extra activity and attention, or curious. You answer might present itself right there.

 

[Parrots4life]

Not all 9 live with us.. 6 do.. however we have no noise makers in the house lol! Mommas rule.. they are all pretty mellow most of the time.. I mean kids are kids but I dont put up with wrestling and things like that... they also are either outside or in the bedrooms to play.. they know they keep their toys in their space..the living room where the bird will be is for quiet family time... yes im strict but with this many kids ya have to have order in the home lol. the great thing about this breeder is she has smaller kids also... when we use to breed our kids helped socialize the babies... but they know once they get to a certain age they are off limits to handle..

 

[JerseyWendy]

I will have to dig up some photos later, but I had a pair of Ekkis (several years ago, while my kids were still at home), and we had quite a busy house, with 'kids' coming and going all the time (gosh..how I miss that now). Anyway, neither of my Ekkis minded. I raised both of them, so they were accustomed to the commotions, AND they both actually loved mingling with family and friends. They loved being the center of attention.

I'm also owned by a GW Macaw (+ 3 other parrots), and they, too can make EXCELLENT family members if socialized properly. My big red guy willingly goes to strangers without ever removing any limbs.

 

[Amanda_Bennett]

My big red guy willingly goes to strangers without ever removing any limbs.

I'm glad he hasn't removed any limbs! LOL

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'm glad he hasn't removed any limbs! LOL

Oh yeah, me too. I don't think I could afford the lawyer. :54: Nah, Ripley's a good boy. He willingly steps up on anyone - he's just not overly keen of necessarily being petted by perfect strangers. :32: (that's why I made the remark about the limbs...)

And, I located one of many pictures of Gemma 'visiting' with a family friend. Yes, she was incredibly cuddly and loving. Velcro Eclectus, go figure - AND a female, too.

 

[Birdman666]

Go greenwing!

 

[Birdman666]

I will have to dig up some photos later, but I had a pair of Ekkis (several years ago, while my kids were still at home), and we had quite a busy house, with 'kids' coming and going all the time (gosh..how I miss that now). Anyway, neither of my Ekkis minded. I raised both of them, so they were accustomed to the commotions, AND they both actually loved mingling with family and friends. They loved being the center of attention.

I'm also owned by a GW Macaw (+ 3 other parrots), and they, too can make EXCELLENT family members if socialized properly. My big red guy willingly goes to strangers without ever removing any limbs.

I have to agree with Wendy on this one. Either one would work... I had a foster eckie in a house full of utter chaos, and she did just fine. Eckies are generally not big on the touchie-feelie stuff...

My greenwing will go to anyone... and if socialized properly they are winged puppies. They do require a firm hand, boundary setting, and discipline.

 

[Parrots4life]

Ty all! I think for the baby I'm gonna go with a Gw! However I did find an ekkie that is very close to me and needs a home! So I think I will be bringing him home for now and getting a Gw in a few months when weaned.. The ekkie is in pretty bad shape. But with a good diet and attention I believe we can turn that around... I would rather take one in that "needs" a home then a baby that can get a home no problem..... I'm a sucker for the not so pretty birds which I think they are all beautiful!

 

[Birdsfourever]

I have reasearched ekkies for a wile and know about their diet and how they have dif personallity. I may be a teen but I care about parrots alot and more than people. They are a tad smaller but greenwings are gental giants. Macaws will do more hard bites but can be sweet if raised properlly. If you are confident with an ekkie go for it. I recomend going to a resque as im agai st breeding of parrots.

 

[Parrots4life]

We all had to start somewhere... As for me my 1st bird was a sun conure then a umbrella cockatoo... From there my love of the parrots grew and I added another sun conure and a jenday... And from there I got into breeding and raising babies which I loved ..I won't lie about that! However then people started sending us birds they no longer wanted.. At 1 time we had 15 birds that people would call and ask me to come get... One guy called and told me I needed to go to the airport and get a m2 cuz he shipped it.. I knew nothing about it.. At that point I couldn't breed anymore.. I didn't want to help contribute to this issue... I re homed all my breeders and kept the pets and rescues... Once the rescues were good we re homed them... With all that was going on in my life I had to rehome my pets as well.. However I do keep in touch with most of them... So there is a lil more to my story! One day I'll post all of our birds

 

[Delfin]

why not get both?

 

[Anansi]

why not get both?

And so the enabling begins! [emoji23]

 

[Delfin]

I don't believe that the Eclectus have a specialised diet or are that complicated to deal with. Their requirements are just different to most other parrots, and any competent parrot person should be able to meet the needs of most parrot species. to meet the requirements of a parrot, is fresh food, fresh clean water, medical care, mental stimulation, physical activity and training plus a suitable size cage. I believe that even the same species have different tastes and will not eat the same foods. Delfin doesn't eat bananas but Mulawa will and they are both the same species.

How many people on this forum have a number of different species of bird and would say that most of their birds would have the same requirements. Yet their personalities are completely different. The Personality is what I believe how a bird interacts within it's environment and the birds socialisation has a large bearing on their personality.

I seen a photo of an male Eclectus parrot sitting on the shoulder of his owner whilst riding a trail bike. My own birds don't mind being picked up and scratched on the head, petted or put on their backs and their belly rubbed. Delfin is well socialised within the family. Yet I have read that the Alexandrine is not a touchy feely bird and can become attached to one person. This is not what I have experienced with Delfin, and Mulawa is starting to do the same. But I know that other species of birds are more inclined to human touch and others are not. Of course this all depends on being socialized properly and boundaries put in place. When generalisations are made there will always be stories that will challenge these generalisations.

Having a companion animal is part of a journey through your life and like any journey you need to take a first step and with each step after, you gain a bit more experience and skill until you reach the journey's end. Some people have more than one journey.

 

[Parrots4life]

I do believe I will have both at some point lol.... Just want to go slow