Hello Everyone! 😊

[Lamb]

Hello!

I thought I would introduce myself and my feather babies.

I live in NC and work from home and they’re all spoiled and have lots of out of cage time. I am currently building an aviary in my backyard for my small babies, and plan on building a greenhouse/aviary for my new guy to accompany me while I garden. Anyways I have 8 birds:

Budgies: Kitty, Puppy, Birdie, Eevee, Rainbow, and Blu.

Fischer Lovebird: Mango

And a brand new addition as of this morning, a stunning 6 year old (his band says 2012 so I’m fairly certain it’s correct) Solomon Island Eclectus.

We haven’t named him yet, we were thinking Aslan, Bastion, or something else.

He’s very sweet but I do have a few questions, as he’s my first Eclectus. I have a lot of large bird experience helping my grandpa in his aviary growing up and then helping at an aviary in Kansas. I’m confident I’ll provide him with an amazing home.

First question:

His feathers seem very greasy, almost plastered to him and not light and fluffy. Would it be too soon to try and let him shower? I plan on calling the local avian vet tomorrow for a checkup. Right now his cage is in my living room and I recently moved my others to my sunroom so they’re separated, so no worries there.

Second question:

My macaw I had never tried to fly, so apologies if this is an unintelligible question.

He tries to fly but seems to have difficulties. He doesn’t really fly but rather glides and hits the ground quickly. Imagine a 45 degree angle. That’s as good as it gets with his flying. His wings aren’t clipped. So is this due to weight? Or maybe lack of using his wings?


I love him already. I have thicker pecan branches baking right now to make some perches around the house. I have thinner ones already up for my small birds but they wouldn’t hold him.

He’s currently playing out on top of his cage as I want him to get used to being out most of the day. He seems happy enough but I want to make sure I do everything I can to get him settled in. Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Yay! We've had a recent influx of ekkies welcome! We've a lot of ekkie experts on the forum.

Ekkies are oil-based birds, rather than powder-based birds. If he is more 'oil'y than usual, just go ahead and give him a shower. And definitely do bring him to your avian vet.

Not sure if you're aware (and I'm sure other ekkie parronts will pop in to fill in gaps in my info), but ekkies do need a specific diet. Very rarely do they take to pellets well - it's just a matter of their digestive tract absorbing things. But they need a diet of mostly chop - the forum has a plethora of chop, including ekkie-specific ones.

Just checked the photo - his chest (and potentially also tail) does look off. It might be that he is barbering? Not sure, but it's unfortunately common for ekkies to have problems with either barbering or plucking (not to mention toe-tapping and wing-flipping but these last two are largely diet based). We've a few on the forum who have tried everything, and they'll probably weigh in with their knowledge and research. Hopefully your vet can see what's going on!

 

[Lamb]

Thank you so much!!!

He was a rather unplanned adoption. My boyfriend got him for my birthday! I’ve not had experience with ekkies so I will definitely look at the recipes for chop. He’s been on ZuPreem Natural pellets.

It maybe diet related then? I’ll try that and see if he’ll be interested in a bath right now. He is so sweet but I just don’t want to stress him out as I read they get stressed out easily.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hi

I do not own an ekkie, so will not get into diet etc. with you.
Great you are taking him to a CAV soon - starting up with a checkup is always a wise thing to do.


I do not know how much information you have about his previous living conditions- but if he seems up to it...try a shower!



(my second grey came to me couvered in nicotine - she was so relieved to get a bath! / I had to scrub down that cage 3 times in a row with pure limejuice before it stopped being sticky to the touch, it was that bad)


ps. listen to Charmed that one totaly knows what she is doing, just a bit too modest about it

 

[Lamb]

Well... I made him some “chop” with what I had on hand. He seems to like it. I had black eyed peas, pasta, broccoli, corn, unsweetened coconut flakes, fresh cranberries, fresh oregano, fresh parsley, carrots, and a jalapeño. He tried it while on top of his cage then I moved it inside... he kept pushing my hand away when I asked him to step up so he climbed in himself. I still have a bowl of his old food in there. But since he won’t let me pick him up, I’ll have to wait on the shower.

 

[Jen5200]

Welcome to you and your flock! You’ll find lots of great info and several Ekkie people here to help out

 

[Lamb]

Thank you! �� Really enjoying it so far.

 

[saxguy64]

You're in the right place. Welcome!!!

Thank you for asking questions, and taking advise, it's how we all learn about these guys. Ekkies are different from all the other species, and their needs are a huge learning curve. At least it was for me, and I learn new things every day. Never assume that you know everything you need to know - just keep learning, always. They are SOOOO worth it though. They generally like to study you, watch your every move, and will see YOU right down to your soul. That might sound a bit far fetched, but anyone here who lives with one will say the same without question.

As said above, vet check ASAP. As for diet, though I'm far from an expert, a few things to consider... Zupreem is generally accepted as not good for Ekkies, even though they put an Ekkie on the bag. Avoid anything with added vitamins, enriched, or what have you. So I would wean off the zupreem as soon as you can. Grains and veggies more important than fruits. Corn, try to avoid as well. "Super foods" like blueberries and such have been known to cause issues if given too much, or in combination with other foods. Not that they're bad at all, quite the opposite, just go light on them. I'm lucky this time around, my Tucker has little interest in most fruits, at least for now. Won't touch berries of any kind. A little kiwi, and maybe some mango, but that's about it. Carrots are a favorite right now. Bell peppers, all colors are a staple for us, and green beans as well. Sweet potatoes, and pumpkin are popular for my guys lately, and I use a lot of pumpkin in their birdie bread, along with some other good stuff they wouldn't eat otherwise. Variety is important, as they, like us, do get bored if you don't change it up. Oh, and cooked beans are great as well. Sprouts, for those who can do it are fantastic, but that's an art form I haven't begun to try yet.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of stuff, but hopefully a help to get in the right direction. Sorry if I come off as rambling, there's so much info to digest, and I'm just hoping to hit a few highlights for you. I'm sure more great info from really knowledgeable Ekkie parronts will follow.

Again, welcome to you and your flock. We all love lots of pictures here too. :-D

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[Lamb]

Thank you so much! It helps a ton. I’ve already made some “chop” as suggested and he’s already gobbled it up. I grow my vegetables and herbs in my garden so it won’t be a problem. I already cook for my dogs so cooking his food is just fine! �� He’s already talking to us which I think is a good sign. So far he wolf whistles, says hello, peekaboo, who?” Lol

I did notice he watches me carefully. Lol. He takes treats from me, so far a cranberry and a piece of carrot. He’s so sweet.

 

[Lamb]

Oh! I do sprouts for my little birds! It just takes some good quality seed and soaking it to sprout them. ��

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome!
I'm so glad you're here... we have a wonderful (and growing) Eccomunity here.

 

[Flboy]

Really awesome! Welcome to you all!

 

[Lamb]

Thank you everyone! I’m quite determined to get this guy in tip top shape. Now to decide on a name! Rafiki doesn’t really suit him and he doesn’t respond to it.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your menagerie!

Ekkies have special dietary needs partly because of lengthy digestive system that absorbs nutrients efficiently. A diet high in veggies with emphasis on vitamins A & D, lower fat than typical for a parrot, and some fruits is ideal. Pellets are generally nutritional overkill.

Highly recommend you read various threads in the Eclectus forum. This in particular has dietary links in third post: http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/52737-so-you-think-you-want-eclectus.html

 

[Lamb]

Hello Scott!

I spent most of my day yesterday researching and reading the threads here. I have made him some chop that he loves. I have tons of veggies and fruits, so no problem there. I already cook homemade meals for my dogs, so a specialized diet for my new buddy isn’t an issue either. Calling the avian vet this morning for an appointment. ��

 

[Lamb]

Update! He let me take him into the shower and LOVED it! I’m not sure he’s ever had the opportunity before. I’m going to start a three in the Ekkie section for some questions though.

 

[saxguy64]

Update! He let me take him into the shower and LOVED it! I’m not sure he’s ever had the opportunity before. I’m going to start a three in the Ekkie section for some questions though.

YAY!!! My Tucker loves the shower as well. Jumps off the perch on to me to get under the water about every 2-3 days. The other days, he likes to go in, hangs out on the perch, and enjoys the mist/over spray without the full on soaking. He got REALLY JEALOUS the other day when I left him in the cage and took Baxter (my Amazon) in for her shower. Quite funny, but I had to spend time with him after she was done so he knew all was okay.

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