Met with the breeder!

[Sadie]

So yesterday i met with the breeder, she was great! She spent a good 3 hours with me and we discussed a lot about eclectus'. She told me to look up a woman by the name of Laurella Desborough to find some other information. So i plan on doing that soon. She said her birds are taking a break from breeding but what she does is gets a male from other breeders she had connections with and she continues the hand raising while i come and visit and assist with the bird about once or twice a week. Sounds great, im very excited. i think the only thing standing in my way now is our yearly trip out of state. Even if she would be able to get me one tomorrow, the baby wouldnt be coming home until june. I dont think it would be a good idea to pack u a bird that is a month into a home and taking them on a 6hr drive. Plus while we are there we are rarely in the house. The people we stay with while on vacation have a gray so it is a bird friendly home, but i think it would be a bit much for the bird to take in. If i am wrong please let me know your opinions, but if not then i think i will call her and tell her we will be wanting a bird that will be ready to come home mid july. Sorry for the random post. I just wanted to share about my visit and get some thoughts on traveling soon after bringing the bird home. Like i said i figure it will be best to wait, but i could be wrong and it may get them use to our yearly vacation? Thanks!

 

[roxynoodle]

I think it would depend on how well bonded the bird is to you before the vacation. But, I've had to rush Merlin to the vet many times now and we have done fine. But, she did love me immediately and trusted me right off. Yesterday for the first time she vocalized the entire trip there. So that was our best car ride yet. Maybe though the sooner they get used to traveling with you, the better so it's not so stressful to them. Pete and Rowdy like to ride in the car and sing songs.

 

[Fiwi]

We're taking Emmitt with us by car to Florida this week. It's a 19 hour drive. I think we'll do it in 2 days, though. Yesterday, I took him for a 1 hour and 20 min drive back to the farm where I got him for a training session. He loved riding in the car. Talked the whole way there and back! I wasn't sure about taking him all the way to FL, but the farm where I got him said it was fine. He's bonded really well to me and he obviously loves going for drives. I think it will be better than leaving him at home with our house sitter who is a stranger to him.

That said, Emmitt is 5, not a baby. We'll be home a lot while we're there too. I think the ride would be fine, but if you're not going to be around much while you're away, perhaps it is best to wait.

Best of luck with your decision!

 

[Pedro]

Sadie, IMO Eclectus Parrots are very bomb proof. Not a lot fazes them. The only thing could be is he could get a touch of car sickness but you can give him grated fresh ginger in his food.

You are going to be able to visit your baby on a regular basis so he will know you. Once he is weaned & home with you I would get him used to the car & being placed into his travel cage sort of have a few test runs before the trip. I know a few eclectus owners that pack their parrot up & take them on caravaning holidays & on camping trips out in the bush. The birds seem to have a wonderful time without any adverse effects.

But if you have any doubts check with the breeder, she maybe willing to hold on to your baby until you return from your trip.

The plus side of taking your bird on the trip is that he will be a very social bird by the time you return.

 

[Sadie]

Thanks! That is exciting news! my main concern was if he was left alone for long periods so soon he may begin the attention screaming, or we would loose our bond, that type of thing. Or it might be overstimulating and he turn into a plucker. Then again if he goes on the trip this year, he will know what to expect next year without a year of being used to just staying at home all day. I will get in touch with her tomorrow and run it by her, and hopefully get a call that she has a boy for me soon!

on another note, the cage came friday and i wanted my husband to take it to the basement for now, but he insisted it would be more fun to set it up and ad toys little by little in anticipation, im so happy we did. during shipping a leg bent! and the color i want that matches my living room to a T is out of stock until the middle of april! So i called the company and they said they will ship a new one out as soon as they come in (EST 4/11/12) So thats good...happy i found out with enough time! They told me to hold on to the broken cage for 3 weeks to see if ups wants to inspect it. if not i can do whatever with it. That made my day because i would love to donate it to a bird rescue. It works if you prop up the one back leg. wood blocks maybe? but if im paying that much for a cage...i dont want to have to do that! So hopefully ups wont want it!

 

[roxynoodle]

That would be awesome actually if you could donate the cage with the broken leg.

You know, it might even help the bonding process to travel with you. I talked to Merlin all the way home from the airport, and when we got here she stepped right up for me and gave me a big kiss, lol! Pete was a lot more skeptical of me on the way home with him, but since then he has loved going for rides and singing songs. Rowdy has always loved going for rides.

 

[Sadie]

i would love to be able to make the trip with my bird. assuming she can find one for me in time. I would get to show off my baby sooner!

Thank you roxy, and everyone here who has been so helpful!!
I hope sometime i can start giving advice instead of always asking a million questions.

 

[roxynoodle]

You will. 12 years ago I decided to get a conure after 30 yeas of budgies. Boy, was I ever in for a surprise, lol! Rowdy is who really taught me about birds. I bought behavior books and nothing was really helping. I had to take a step back and say to myself, ok, you've owned nearly every kind of pet there is, you can figure her out, too. And I did, and since then I've worked with other birds quite well. So Rowdy was my teacher.

I admit I've not had an Eclectus and haven't spent a lot of time with one though. But, some things all parrots have in common, even though they are each individuals. Some of them are bold and outgoing, some are shy, some like merriment and some are more intellectual. You just get to know them each on their own terms.

 

[Sadie]

i am really looking foreward to finding out the personality of my baby. I have a lot of learning to do, but i'm sure we will get through it!
I have spent the last 3 months researching parrots and after narrowing it down, a whole month and a half just on the eclectus and im sure i haven't even scratched the surface.
When i was younger i had a cockateil, i bought him from a breeder and he was just beginning to have feathers. I have no idea why a breeder would sell a 15 yr old a bird to hand raise, but nonetheless i succeded and i hand fed my little guy into a strong handsome bird...only he somehow managed to bond to my 13 yr old sister and he would scream and have a fit when she wasnt around him. i ended up giving him to her. They were happy so it worked out, but now its my turn

 

[Sadie]

I called her a few hours ago...being impatient waiting for her to return my call!!!
This is too exciting, these months of waiting are going to seem lke forever!

 

[Fiwi]

We just finished our 17 hour drive to FL and Emmett was great! By far the easiest pet I have ever traveled with. He chatted happily on and off during the drive. Spent some time in his cage and most of the time perched on the arm rest of my seat. When it became dark, I swaddled him in a blanket and he fell asleep on my lap!

 

[roxynoodle]

That's great news!

 

[Sadie]

that is great news! Happy to hear you had a pleasant experience! Puts me at ease about going on vacation. thanks for the update!