My new Ekkie Grayson / Veronica Update

[James972]

Well as you all may know I acquired Veronica about a month ago here's here story if anyone is interested..

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/27595-veronica-s-story.html

I honestly don't know what is up with parrot parents in the DFW area but there are a ton that are being sold due to "neglect/not being able to make time". I came across an ad for a Vosmaeri Eclectus named "Grayson" his mommy ran into some financial trouble and could no longer care for him.. he is very well cared for but seems a bit underweight? are Vosmaeri Eclectus Longer? less stocky?

anyways his beak and eyes were glowing.. his feathers are a bit ruffled and dirty, Might Need a bath.

He is on quarantine from Veronica Even though his mommy said he was healthy and had his last vet visit a few months ago..

He will be housed separately from Veronica in a different Cage and will NOT spend time together unless supervised.. I don't want him to hurt her and vice versa. Also I don't want them to breed.. Just want to slowly introduce them to each other so they can play outside when the weather is nice.

Immediately after bringing Grayson Home he "smelled" Veronica in the air and started bobbing his head and swaying side to side in his travel kennel..

Veronica started screaming and completely went beserk.. she looked Excited/Happy/Angry all at the same time. (she loves its when I play her videos of eclectus parrots on my bigscreen tv lol).

Grayson is super sweet he was handfed and I can already put my finger to his beak and he will not chomp down or put alot of pressure..

He's talkative and not shy.. but I have noticed that he doesn't use his claws to grip his food.. (Is this something normal for a handfed parrot?)

How can I encourage Grayson to use his claws to grip his food?


Update on Veronica.

She is doing great! she's talkative and loves to watch TV with me. Can't wait til baseball season starts! She is the color of my favorite Team, The Texas Rangers of Course

Also She is getting the blue ring around her eyes back. she is very beautiful and is recovering very nicely.

Here is a recent picture of veronica and a new picture of grayson

 

[Birdlover11]

Beautiful pics, ekkies are just such a joy to have !

 

[kesma]

I live in the DFW area and saw Grayson's posting on CL. I was tempted but didn't know if 2 male ekkies would get along. I am so happy to know he has gone to a good home!

 

[James972]

Oh his mom Erin Was super nice I'm glad i was able to get Grayson from her.

hes so sweet. I Was cooking his weekend meals Last night and he wanted to participate. He's not shy at all! Loves to fly to my shoulder and Rub his beak on my cheek.

Here are some pics of him

 

[kesma]

He's beautiful! Wow his beak has a lot of orange. My Kokomo's beak is mostly yellow. Dinner looks great! Maybe I need to look for some good Ekkie food recipes.

 

[James972]

Thank you your Kokomo is also very handsome.
Its was a simple bean, brown/wild rice and yam mash.. Grayson looks a bit thin to me.. so im trying to get him to bulk up. His Vet appointment is next Tuesday. Even Though Erin (His Previous Owner) took great care of him. I'd like reassurance. Hopefully all goes well

Can't wait until he's through his quarantine. I'd like to introduce him to my female ekkie veronica She's gonna freak out. She loves watching males on the computer... Of course it will be a gradual and careful introduction.

 

[drlisaort]

Grayson is totally gorgeous!!!! I have a five and a half month male named Oliver. He too is very, very sweet. I wish I had the courage to touch his beak as you describe touching Grayson's. Every time Oliver sees my fingers close to his face he opens his mouth (like I'm sure all babies do!) and of course I turn chicken. I'm happy Grayson found you and you him...and wow is Veronica in for a treat....he's one looker...

 

[James972]

Grayson freaks out if I try and grab his beak with an open hand.. I usually just grab it with my index finger and if he's cooperative then I'll approach him with an open hand...

Oddly hes a bit more temperamental than My Female Ekkie, I usually can't handle him after his morning fruit/oats chop breakfast (Oatmeal, Barley, Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Carrots, Sweet Peas, Apples, Grapes, Yellow Squash and Pumpkin, Im guessing the fruits give him a sugar rush or he's just not a morning parrot.. I'm considering removing the apples and adding blueberries...

I was told Grayson was 4 years old.. but I highly doubt that... He seems so juvenile.. curious to put his beak on everything..

Don't be scared of your baby, they can sense fear.. that is no way to build a bond. Just know that you will get bit eventually its their nature, they are wild animals, a small price to pay for their companionship and overall beauty

 

[sodakat]

Grayson is a very handsome boy! Yes, Vos are long and lean especially compared to a Soloman which I imagine Veronica is. Do you know what he weighs?

His eyes look like a younger bird, to me. Of course it's hard to tell from a picture. But a 4 year old Vos male would just be coming into maturity and the yellow iris of his eyes might still be a bit dark. In other words, he could definitely be 4, IMO.

It's wonderful that you are giving a home to both of them!

 

[drlisaort]

Thank you for the advice. I'm definitely not afraid of Oliver, only I don't dangle my fingers in front of his face. I do have a beak concern but it's slowly fading with each passing day. He's been home for a little over one month and it's been almost perfect. I know my beak issue is my issue because I can touch him everywhere and he's as sweet as pie. Today I'm proud to say I even kissed the crown of his head a few times and of course he's as good as gold.

 

[moni.k]

I love ekkie french kisses!! Your finger got a nice little nibble of love <3 Thank you for sharing Grayson's story, he is absolutely stunning.

 

[James972]

drlisaort, great news its all about judging their body language. I'm still learning about Ekkies, I've only had my female ekkie for about a month now and i'm still learing a great deal about her personality..

@moni.k He is absolutely a lovely bird. I am so lucky that I have been blessed with 2 really loving really well behaved Ekkies.

 

[James972]

Hiya Sodakat, I just noticed your post sorry for the delayed response..

Veronica is indeed an SI Ekkie. and Grayson is a long and lean Vos. I was worried at first but not so much anymore... I do not know how much he weighs, what would be the best way to determine?

He still wont grip his treats with his claws... I normally give him 3 almonds a day he only takes the tip and they go to waste. He is a well balanced bird as I have him on a perch when I am home.

Also I've noticed that he does not like to eat in his cage... even his favorite (warm chickpeas).. He loves to eat on his play top of his cage.. meaning he makes a HUGE mess.. How could I encourage him to eat inside his cage?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Grayson is a very handsome boy! Yes, Vos are long and lean especially compared to a Soloman which I imagine Veronica is. Do you know what he weighs?

His eyes look like a younger bird, to me. Of course it's hard to tell from a picture. But a 4 year old Vos male would just be coming into maturity and the yellow iris of his eyes might still be a bit dark. In other words, he could definitely be 4, IMO.

It's wonderful that you are giving a home to both of them!

 

[sodakat]

Lots of Eclectus don't hold food with their feet. It seems to be an individual preference. I have one who takes any food I hand him to eat over the water dish! Obviously he only gets to eat stuff that floats. So if I give Sully almonds, I cut them into small pieces and put them in a dish so he doesn't get the urge to carry them.

The size of the bowl can make a big difference in how and where they eat. I don't think anything smaller than 6" diameter is good for Eclectus. They need to see everything in the dish or they will dig around and often toss out the stuff on top. If you have a large, sturdy crock-type dog dish that would be ideal for feeding on top of his cage. He can stand on the edge and it won't tip over. If you put about 3/4 cup food, maximum in the dish he will be able to see it all and will make less of a mess. Eclectus are known for being messy eaters though. I've found the wide sturdy dishes make a huge difference.

You can weigh him on a kitchen gram scale if you can find something to place on the scale to give him a sturdy surface on which to stand. Otherwise, scales intended to weigh parrots are available online and they come with a T-perch that can be screwed onto the top plate. Very handy.

He probably weighs high 400s but when he's an older adult he may very well weigh over 500g. Vos look lighter than they are sometimes because their bodies are longer.

 

[James972]

Well its been about 2 weeks since I last posted..

Things are going really well with my ekkies.

Although Grayson yanked a feather out yesterday.

With the beginning of Daylight Savings Time I now get home with enough sun to let them frolic in the backyard.

Veronica has been a bit nasty to Grayson lately.. mainly chases him around and hisses/screams at him... She has also stopped talking...

Normally she will chatter up a storm when its breakfast time... now shes sits quiet on her perch and waits to be served...

Occasionally they will start preening each other and they play around...

But then out of nowhere Grayson Starts Squawking and Veronica starts Chasing him around..

She is still very sweet and cuddly with me.. but I guess she's Hormonal...

Grayson is eating a ton... but still i find thin shreds of his feathers at the bottom of him cage... The Vet said he needed more sunlight (which I have been supplying).. I guess plumage isn't a quick fix.. but I'm optimistic that with time and good eating he will look great.

Both Love their showers (Will post videos soon) and they love going outside now that the weather is perfect in North Texas...

I built them a Java Stand.. But both of them are just terrified of it...
They both fly off it and refuse to eat or play on it.. (They much prefer their cage top perches).

Here are a few pictures for those interested



Grayson Hanging out eating his Sunday seeds yesterday afternoon

Taste Testing their weekly meal.

Posing for the Camera

 

[Jtbirds]

They look great and almost like my pair. Although mine are SI . Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[sodakat]

That male squawk outta nowhere is part of the whole ritual. Who knows how things will end up with them, but I'm glad to know they tolerate each other.

 

[drlisaort]

Great pictures James! Your babies sound well taken care of and loved! Oliver loves the shower too! He's very quietly, rarely squawks. He's more of a chatter box--trying to say words. Of course his flock is all humanoids which could explain the lack of "bird calls."

 

[James972]

Thanks!

The Female is SI and the Male is Vos.

They look great and almost like my pair. Although mine are SI . Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[James972]

Hi guys. Thought I'd Give y'all an update..

Shortly after my last post on this thread (late March) I was involved in a pretty bad Car accident..

Thankfully its all behind me now..

Things kind of got back to normal in my life early in July..

Unfortunately.. I had to give up my Grayson and Veronica

I couldn't keep up with their needs while recovering from my injuries

Luckily My aunt is bird enthusiast.. though she specializes in conures/quakers.

She was able to take them in and they are doing great with her..

My aunt lives in Baytown Texas (near Houston) and she tells me they are doing great.


Both of the Ekkies have really warmed up to her.. At this point to avoid putting them

through another stressful event in their lives I told my aunt she could keep them

down in Baytown.

I'll get to visit soon when Im on vacation in October. I'll post pictures of them

Of course now that things are back to normal things are a bit lonely in the house.. I did keep Poncho my cockatiel but he's a bit temperamental and is a complete grouch.

I needed a companion parrot. I did my research and narrowed down my choices to an Alexandrine or an Indian Ringneck.

I have Grayson and Veronica's old cages and toys.. So I aimed for a medium sized parrot..

Luckily I Found a good breeder and she cut me a deal on a baby Female Alexandrine.

and She also gave me an African Ringneck.

I really miss Grayson and Veronica.. I can't wait to see them but at the same time

I know that they are with someone I know and trust. Plus they are closer to the gulf..

Im sure the weather is a bit more humid and less dry than up in north Texas.

Hopefully they'll get to meet my Alexandrine Dany and my African Ringneck Lola.

I'll post some pictures tomorrow

its good to be back.