Question about Eclectus

[Parrotdise]

His beak looks to be adult a male will have a candy corn looking beak when young the male will have a little black on the beak. Also his beak appears to be a tad long.

 

[sodakat]

Gosh, I own 8 eclectus and his beak doesn't look at all long to me.

My caution would be that you intend to buy him primarily for your daughter. I assume she will be doing lots of petting and cuddling with him. This is not a good situation for Eclectus. It is very easy for them to become stimulated and to misunderstand this type of touch.

I urge you to consider a different species if you want a bird that will be constantly handled.

 

[ziza]

Gosh, I own 8 eclectus and his beak doesn't look at all long to me.

My caution would be that you intend to buy him primarily for your daughter. I assume she will be doing lots of petting and cuddling with him. This is not a good situation for Eclectus. It is very easy for them to become stimulated and to misunderstand this type of touch.

I urge you to consider a different species if you want a bird that will be constantly handled.

oh no, i didn't mean that. First of all she is 10, and very mature. And she is not all over the place...She just misses having a bird in the house, and i do, too... I actually would not say she handled our sun conure that much..He preferred me

 

[sodakat]

Gosh, I own 8 eclectus and his beak doesn't look at all long to me.

My caution would be that you intend to buy him primarily for your daughter. I assume she will be doing lots of petting and cuddling with him. This is not a good situation for Eclectus. It is very easy for them to become stimulated and to misunderstand this type of touch.

I urge you to consider a different species if you want a bird that will be constantly handled.

oh no, i didn't mean that. First of all she is 10, and very mature. And she is not all over the place...She just misses having a bird in the house, and i do, too... I actually would not say she handled our sun conure that much..He preferred me

Oh, good! I hated to say anything negative but I've seen some sad stories where Eclectus spend their entire time trying to "date" their owner. It's just better to not pet them frequently.

I think you should visit the young male. 4 of my 8 were aquired as adults and they are very nice birds.

 

[ziza]

How do i make sure he is not too old?

Is there a way to see that he is not 10 years old or something?

ps
anyway my daughter is in school and at other activities most of the day, so even if she wanted she would only be able to pet him at night before going to bed...

I thought only girls try sometimes mate their owner? Males, too? that's important to know, thank you!

And please, its better to hear negative now then when i have a bird AND problems

 

[ziza]

Am i right about getting a male? I've read on numerous forums that girls are more agressive and tend to only like one person in the household...and also that boys are more mellow...is it true?

 

[sodakat]

They are never "too old" in my opinion. Older birds are settled in their ways and less rambunctious, so they might seem like they aren't having fun beating up toys and hanging upside down from things, but they are just wonderful companions.

One of the males I bought 2 years ago, Jackie, has a band but there is no year on the band so we have no idea how old he is. I think he's at least 10 but really have no idea. He is a gorgeous bird with beautiful feathers and beak and a strong flier. A pleasure to watch.

The oldest girl I have is 14. She came to me when she was 12. She had lived alone her first 9 years then spent a couple years in homes where it didn't work out. She was plucking from boredom mostly. Unbelievably, she decided to allow one of my males to get close with her and they have become mates. She acts like a young bird.

Like Peeker said the only way you can know for sure if this male is less than 2 is if the iris of his eyes is still dark, almost as dark as the pupil. Once they are adults, the iris turns yellow, orange or red, depending on the subspecies. Youngsters eyes look big because they are brownish, blending in with the black of the pupil.

Females who are petted like kittens, held all the time and especially those allowed to spend times in dark spaces, are likely to think about raising a family with or without their human friend. Some hens lay eggs regardless, but as long as they are healthy this really is not a problem.

Males that are petted like kittens and held constantly, can decide their owner would make a nice mate and offer to feed them and sometimes want to masterbate on them. Frustrated males often squawk their displeasure if not allowed to have their way, and sometimes bite the person they love.

If you do things with your bird besides stroking them, allow them to fly each day, provide them things to chew and feed them a lean diet there is no reason they will decide to look at you as a mate.

It is a personal thing whether or not you allow or care to have a bird regurgitate for you and rub on you. I don't happen to care for it because I think the bird often ONLY wants to do that. Some males like/need a small stuffed animal to "date". I just find it easier to not encourage them to look at "me" that way.

Here is a great website that explains it much better than I can (the rational parrot -- how not to be a tease) RP - Mating. It's worth reading regardless what species you own, IMO.

If birds in your country are often parent raised you will have less chance of them being human imprinted, so everything I've said may be moot. It's still good to know how you should behave to help them be a well rounded parrot and lead a rewarding life, I think!

 

[ziza]

Sodakat, Thank you for such a detailed answer!
I've read many stories online and 90% of the ones who bite are girls...

Who is better with noise - boys or girls? Or house can get loud sometimes...


ps
I am in the USA by the way...

 

[moni.k]

From what I've heard and read, females tend to deal with louder noise and stressful situations better than males.

All birds have the capability to bite, male or female. I find females tend to have a bad rap because of their "aggression" written all over the internet, but there is always a reason as to why they behave the way they do (ex: fear, health, excitement, territorial, etc.). They can always be worked with and make great companions as do males. If you're set on a female or a male, you will still have to put the commitment into them to keep them socialized, happy and friendly. Don't write off a certain gender because of what the internet says. Every bird is different and are raised differently. There's a lot of members here that have amazing female and male ekkies. haha take me for example. I have a female eclectus and I LOVE her. Wouldn't trade her for the world. However, in the future I definitely would love to have a male as well.

 

[sodakat]

I am partial to the girls. If you leave them flighted they won't become a floor bird, seeking dark areas. Keep them out of dark areas and they are wonderful.

 

[ziza]

Oh my I am torn now! I was set on a male bird but now i don't know!

 

[ziza]

i asked the guy what does the bird eat and if his beak was yellow when he got the bird...He said Higgins diet and yes, yellow...

Can't find what Higgins diet is...

Well i was going to put the cage in the kitchen (bright-lit) or probably playpen in the kitchen and cage in the office, so i can keep the bird away when we have guests over. Our sun conure didnt mind the guests, but i don't know how eclectus would react...
Can i cut his/her wings? Can they live like that?

 

[moni.k]

Here's a link on the Higgin's site. Might help you gain a little bit of info on the diet he's been on. (Other than their sunburst: large hookbill seed mix, nothing else looks very promising... a lot of peanuts and sunflower seeds )

:: Higgins Premium Pet Foods ::

As for clipping wings. Nalani's wings are clipped currently. Although I am letting them grow out now so that she may be flighted. Health wise, I just remember my vet telling me to watch Nalani's weight. Since eclectus tend to LOVE food, many ekkies that have their wings clipped tend to be obese. That's about all the information on clipping I have for you. Otherwise, it'll turn into one of those endless debates.

 

[ziza]

Here's a link on the Higgin's site. Might help you gain a little bit of info on the diet he's been on. (Other than their sunburst: large hookbill seed mix, nothing else looks very promising... a lot of peanuts and sunflower seeds )

:: Higgins Premium Pet Foods ::

As for clipping wings. Nalani's wings are clipped currently. Although I am letting them grow out now so that she may be flighted. Health wise, I just remember my vet telling me to watch Nalani's weight. Since eclectus tend to LOVE food, many ekkies that have their wings clipped tend to be obese. That's about all the information on clipping I have for you. Otherwise, it'll turn into one of those endless debates.

we had our sun conure's wings clipped, but then i was told on other forum how bad it is, so i felt bad and let the wings grew...And one day he flew away


The food....thats what i found from google, but i thought it's something else...

i don't know...i think i am going to pass on that bird...the age is unknown, the diet is bad...I don;t think i am ready for such a challenge... I think i am going to keep looking or wait for that little one to be ready...

THANK you all for helping, i'll keep you posted on my search

 

[mtdoramike]

Yes, he is much older than 8 months. I would say he is a few years older.

 

[ziza]

How bad is it for a parrot that he was only eating the mix for a while?

If my parrot gets sick i will do whatever i can to help him...But i don't want to buy a bird that might be sick already...

 

[sodakat]

How bad is it for a parrot that he was only eating the mix for a while?

If my parrot gets sick i will do whatever i can to help him...But i don't want to buy a bird that might be sick already...

He certainly does not look sick to me. What makes you think he's sick?

Just because he has been on a less than perfect diet doesn't mean he's sick.

Eclectus have hearty appetites usually and will often start eating fresh foods as soon as they are offered.

Still think you should go visit this boy!

 

[ziza]

How bad is it for a parrot that he was only eating the mix for a while?

If my parrot gets sick i will do whatever i can to help him...But i don't want to buy a bird that might be sick already...

He certainly does not look sick to me. What makes you think he's sick?

Just because he has been on a less than perfect diet doesn't mean he's sick.

Eclectus have hearty appetites usually and will often start eating fresh foods as soon as they are offered.

Still think you should go visit this boy!

i think i read to much LOL! I've read so much about importance of the diet that i figured i should not buy a bird that was on a diet for some time!


Ok soooo...Now what i have...
there are now 2 birds on the craigslist. Second one is 2 y.o.

AND i found good breeder in CA that has 2 birds available - one boy and one girl. THe are weaned and ready to go. The breeder says girl is very sweet and boy is somehow distant...I would not be able to meet them, so i would need to rely on the breeder and she would ship the bird...And again, should i get a girl???

What do i do, what do i do??? oh my.....

 

[mtdoramike]

If you have an active house with kids, female eclectus tend to do better in active households than males do.

 

[ziza]

If you have an active house with kids, female eclectus tend to do better in active households than males do.

that's what i was reading lately....our house is very active, and loud sometimes...