Pretty sure I'm going to become a creepy bird man :)!

[Chikoo]

My female prefers my wife, and all females. She will immediately go to a female and feel comfortable. My male prefers men however, but he is friendly with everyone. Eclectus are very laid back birds, you can't go wrong. Good luck with your female! She will prove to be a very sweet and happy bird, I'm sure. But don't let her get into nesting and all of that.

 

[mtdoramike]

I spoke to the lady at the pet store and she said its perfect for an eclectus, they had a Congo grey in one and it had lots of room.

Inside it measures 42"tall, is that not enough? That's why I wanted to get one ready before moving her in. We did go for one of the biggest we thought, and most expensive


We have decided on a female, the hen just sounds too lovely too miss out on.


We just wondered and we may be completely wrong, but does being in a same sex relationship have any effect on which sex we should have?


Thanks for your guys" replies x

I think your cage is perfect for your bird. I love the open top of the cage. My bird loves to spend time on top of her cage.

 

[Robyn]

Hi there,
I also did a fair bit of research before getting my very 1st bird, a male ekky. I also read that females can be more possessive of their owners and yes temperamental. I read that males were easier.
I bought mine from a breeder, he was 14 weeks , not fully weaned . The breeder told us what to do with food and gave us additives to put in his baby food and how to fashion a teaspoon to fit his beak. We bought him home, our very 1st. The screams were a shocker when hungry and we got a bit scared that this was how loud he would be and we had no idea, started to think it was a big mistake. But the more we fed him with his little baby spoon sitting on a table top perch all obiedient waiting for his next mouthful, the more we realised we couldnt give him back. We speak to our birds allllll the time and the one we have had from a baby has a vocabulary of over 150 words. Says sentences too at the right time and we just laugh soooo much , they are sooo entertaining. The screams slowly got replaced with continuous talking, THANK GOD ! , amazing talkers.
He is now turning 4 in June and we got another male ekky last year of the same age, so our 2nd male was already 2 yrs old and couldnt fly. We got him from somebody who had no more time for him. Over a long time we taught him confidence, grew his flight feathers back and he now flies and climbs. Now that both are flying , we are getting confused at times as to who is who especially when wet from a shower lolol
So we now have 2 male ekkys both turning 4 later this year. They do get jealous of each other, they have their own big cages. They are BIG attention seekers especially our 2nd.
I am soooo glad I got males. They are such amazing pets ! Good luck with choosing , if it were me choosing , it would be a male.
I have seen sooo many videos of female eclectus's and a lot of people call them Ruby lol which is a beautiful name.

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

It all comes down to the individual bird and how well they were raised and socialized. There is some good advice on this forum but people also tend to generalize. A lot of people say ekkies aren't cuddly or that females are far more standoffish than males but my breeder has several perfect females who are sweet and cuddly and never have any issues with nesting or hormones because she feeds them properly and raised them well (and also doesn't encourage nesting).

Their first few months of life are vital! Buy a well socialized baby and do NOT buy an unweaned baby, no matter what anyone tries to tell you. The extra cost these factors might incur will be more than a worthwhile investment for the future of your bird and your relationship with her.

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

And as long as you are patient and nurturing, and the baby was properly socialized, I don't think it will matter the gender of you or your partner.

 

[Brodie]

So basically I didn't read all the posts on this thread but I read most, I'm running out of time at work! Lol. So if I repeat anything, sorry!
But I just wanted to say, I honestly think it depends on the bird, and how you raise it. When i first brought scarlet home she was well.. Quite evil. But this has taken a complete turn in the other direction since August. I have socialised her well, she will step up for everyone, but only from outside her cage. I think this may be a female thing, but then again my mums Alex does the same thing. But she loves people now, me the most, but she can tolerate just about anyone! She will let me pat her, anywhere, as much as I want and she loves it! She likes cuddles too, and hasn't had a problem with any egg laying as of yet. Although it is something I have worried about in the past.
She loves life with us, she's always so happy, always plays, talks, wants to be with us all the time or talking to Dean (my boyfriend) who she absolutely loves to have conversations with in the mornings when I'm at work!
She showers with me every day, unless it's really cold, and I have just ordered her a flight harness and that will be our next step!
I couldn't be happier with choosing a female, she is amazing and ill love her for the rest of her life. As I said, I think it's more about your bird and how you have brought them up.
On the other hand I have a friend with a male Eclectus, his just like scarlet, talkative, playful, but not so cuddly.

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Thank you all so much for replying, I really appreciate everyone's individual opinions and experiences.

Thankfully me and my partner work a lot at home so she will be out her cage a lot of the time, but I do now think the pet store assistant may have not known what an eclectus was, the cage sizes aren't too small but I think if she was in it too much I may have invested in a bigger one. Might be an idea to look at one much bigger just in case though I don't want her to be uncomfortable.

I think my heart is set on a female, I used to have a female cockatiel and have missed her ever since. With Cricket running wild like a teenage boy it will be a nice challenge to have a girl in the house. Jack gets on with boys better an me girls so I'm hoping to get some hens in the house lol!!

At the moment I like the names Flo & Pheobe. Open to suggestion though.

Today I may be putting a deposit on bird from a really well experienced breeder. She's slightly more expensive but I think it's worth it. Proper care and up bringing cant really be bought so, now I'm just super excited.

Will keep updating with cage pics etc. just need some imaginative ideas for cage bits, I want some rope, more perches, and lots more toys

P.s saw a scarlet macaw in the store with their owner and the size was so scary lol, literally stunning bird though.

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Oh also, I wanted to make myself an action plan for her arrival. Make sure I'm prepared and all.

To get into training and keeping her tame this was plan so far,

Day one of getting home make sure I start. Sit with her talking and reading etc. I'd like to have her eat breakfast in her cage then come out to play. But eat tea with me and jack, literally out of the cage with us eating some fruit an veg.

It's things like step up which take me a while, as Cricket is just about getting it. Any tips of keeping her tame and socialising her. What are some of your daily routines.

Thanks

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

Well coming home can be slightly traumatic, so I'd bet on sitting next to her cage with her inside and talking to her, reading to her, etc. Might be better. Let her get comfortable with her crazy new environment and don't force her into anything. After she's had some time to acclimate (one, maybe two or more days) then you can see if she's ready to come out and experience her new world. It might be hard to wait but patience is key! She's still just a baby after all.

 

[Joshuwaaa]

That is a good point, I don't want to overwhelm her. I've only ever had older non hand game birds before so this will be a first. I'm off to visit the breeder tomorrow to see all the eclectus he has. He also has African greys, Macaws lol. So he is well experienced.

I'm so looking forward to choosing a bird, or being chosen should I say, and bringing them home soon !

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Just had a phone call from my friend who breeds birds, she has no eclectus for me which sucks but she has just said that she knows of a boy who is 4 months old, they are finding it hard to sell him because he has dark "patches" on some of his feathers.

They wanted me to go and look at him tomorrow and I thought as I have plans to see that breeder I could maybe go, I'm a sucker for a bird that needs a home.

Only things I'd like to know are:
Has he been checked by a vet and given the okay,
Has he always had the patches or is it recently.

I know the person breeds lots of birds and very good quality hand taming, but do you think I should stay away from a bird with patches just incase? I would be heart broken if he died from something because of it.

Or should I take him in, he's still young, playful, silly tame and needs a loving home?

This also contradicts my female, but if its god plan for me to have this boy then what can I say, I don't want him to not find a home.

 

[Chikoo]

I would find out why he has dark patches, it may not be something you want to sign up for. But if its just dietary, then it would be fine, as you can feed him the right diet, etc.

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

Oh and scratch my last info... I just read tonight in one of my bird books (which has turned out to be my favorite and most trusted, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Sally-Blanchards-Companion-Parrot-Handbook/dp/096712980X"]I highly recommend it![/ame]) has suggested that while you do give them some time to get acquainted with their cage, you don't need to leave them in there for too long just for that purpose! You just do what the bird seems most comfortable with, and if the bird is ready to play and learn and interact on day one then you should let him/her! Most of my other books indicated the one or more days, but I trust this source more. You should maybe look into it if you're interested!

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Need to investigate the dark patches more when I see him in person, don't want to get into anything I can't handle, or end up making anything worse.

Oh Harrison, that sounds like a really good book. That's the exact advice I was going off, friends of mine try and make it a strict rule to start the birds training and such on the first day, I just think it depends of if your going to terrify them or if their okay with some interaction so early.

How typical the day I'm full of excitement to go looking, it snows in England for the first time in like a year lol. Too excited really lol

 

[Fleabane]

Joshuwaaa, if the little Eclectus is the one I think he is they have been advertising him for a while and have stated the feather issue suggesting it will moult out. The price has also dropped with each advert from what I can tell.

Good luck with the snow and visit, let us know how you get on.

I've also been looking for a little man and have our new little chap (2 years old) arriving next week, I now how excited you are

 

[Joshuwaaa]

Joshuwaaa, if the little Eclectus is the one I think he is they have been advertising him for a while and have stated the feather issue suggesting it will moult out. The price has also dropped with each advert from what I can tell.

Good luck with the snow and visit, let us know how you get on.

I've also been looking for a little man and have our new little chap (2 years old) arriving next week, I now how excited you are

Hey fleabane. Yea that is the advertisement, I'm so unsure on what to do. Looked on some sites and they have been somewhat desperate to find his home. Whether its because he is getting older and people prefer commercially young chicks or there is a problem I'm not sure.

What do you think I should do? I'm torn, I don't want him to be left until too late where he will find it hard to switch family from them to us.

I'm too excited to be honest, an this snow is killing me lol, work is completely dead which makes it last forever and I want to go looking aaaaaa lol x

 

[Fleabane]

Josh, I'm by no means an expert, in fact my experience is with Barn Owls rather than Parrots so a new field for me!!.

All I can tell you is that the breeders I have spoken to have all said that the Eclectus and pre owner baggage is often a mild combination unlike the African Grey and baggage (apparently!).

They are pretty chilled birds and known to think things through rather than react, this allows the new owner a chance to undo any wrongs that might have been enforced through poor handling, neglect or lack of understanding.

If it was me I would go and look (we were not near enough!) see how you both get on. He is clearly looking for his forever home and it might be you he's waiting for.

Good luck

 

[ProbablyHarrison]

I've heard of black on the feathers before and it was because they were feeding the poor baby a seed diet, which is terrible for him. So that might be the case, and a good diet would clear those spots up. But it could be something more serious, too, so I would definitely try and get him to an avian vet (maybe even before you put down any money on him). It could be part of your deal with the seller. You could offer to pay for the vet visit after a decently clean bill of health comes back and ONLY IF everything turns out okay and you still want to purchase the bird. I'm not suggesting you pay for the visit before that kind of guarantee, or that you buy the bird and then find out something is really wrong. You could end up paying far more than a healthy eclectus would go for, and still lose your baby, if something is seriously wrong.

 

[Joshuwaaa]

See he says darker patches, an from the pictures it looks like he has some darker green plumage. So it needs some investigation. It can't be down to diet because he has so many birds, however you may be right as I haven't questioned that, I usually ask everything when I'm there.

I think your suggestion is the best thing, we were going to ask if he had been vet checked etc. I like that idea.

I can't visit today now unfortunately because of the weather conditions in England, so I'm going to wait until like tomorrow

I'm off to pets at home now to get some more cage accessories to mend my breaking heart loll x

 

[Joshuwaaa]

So another general question, sorry to keep going on.

What do people do with food, I've read lots about quarter cups and morning and evening meals. With seed through the day but in small amounts.

Anyone have more experience and advice on what they do and what works, what's healthy etc