So..you think you want an Eclectus.

[chris-md]

Hello Dave and welcome! Don’t house them in the same cage. That’s just a nono for male ekkies.

 

[birbsRcool]

I decided to spend some time today really giving the honest truth about eclectus both good and not so good. Some of these will be generalizations there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rules.

I will also discuss some girl vs boy points. Typically males make better pets if you are wanting more of a hands on pet. Girls are wonderful in my book but they are somewhat different, not better or worse imo just different. While both male and females tend to seek out petting affection on their terms this is more true with the gals, again this is mostly correct, there are exceptions. An eclectus will usually politely push your finger away or give other signs and sounds that they have had enough petting. Ignore this at your own risk. They have scalpels for beaks and when you get bit it will not only be a pressure bite but unless your hands are super callused and you wash them in battery acid it will also CUT! All that said eclectus love spending time with their people flock and enjoy hanging out and talking while being able to see you. They do respond well to training, they are highly food motivated and excellent at talking if you put the time in.

They are not allopreeners so they don't necessarily appreciate having their feathers messed with as other species do. In fact I once saw a boy in really bad feather condition, like the feathers were worn thin. He was on an excellent diet, sunshine, plenty of baths but his owners pet him all the time and encouraged others to as well. The rubbing and oils from human hands had actually ended up being the culprit to his feather condition not to mention once he hit sexual maturity, all that touching had him masturbating and regurgitating on everything and everyone.

Both sexes can be somewhat cage territorial though it can be worked through. I don't really consider this a negative just something to be aware of and always stick step-up train as well as hands.

Noise, this is one of those that is not a set yes or no. Babies make the most god awful noise, it is constant, it is loud and there is no stopping it until they are completely weaned. No one should hand feed a baby unless they are very experienced but when it comes to eclectus this is even more true they are one of the most difficult. They don't have a super strong feeding response which makes it easier to aspirate them if you are not experienced and they like the formula warmer than most species. However too warm you can burn the crop too cold and they will refuse to eat or end up with crop stasis (food hardens in the crop). After weaning they stop that particular baby noise. Some can be what I would consider quiet but others that I have seen and heard are not.. so would I say absolutely they are quiet...no way. Noise is an individual thing very dependent on both the bird and the environment and what the bird is used to. Stress out an eclectus and they stand perfectly still while screaming their heads off! Their alarm call can peel the paint off the walls.

Speaking of walls....eclectus are messy, not as messy as toucans and lories but very, very close. They rub their soft fresh foods every where on the bars of their cage, on their play stands, on the perches, on the edges of their bowls and fling with true abandon. You will be scrubbing things like beet juice, pomegranates, blueberries, carrots and all manner of staining foods from everything! It must be cleaned up daily, if they eat old scraped off food it is a great way for your fid to get a bacterial/fungal infection. Not to mention the high likelihood of unwanted outside critters being attracted if it's not kept clean.

Toy selection is also a bit different with them. You can't go into your local Petsmart and grab a medium size toy and call it good. Typically when someone tells me their eclectus doesn't play or chew wood I find they are not providing the correct toys. Eclectus love to chew but the toys that are designed for macaws or amazons are cut too thick and the wood is mostly harder woods. Eclectus appreciate softer woods like balsam and pine cut thinner than you would for some of the other species. Shredding stuff is great and gals like that especially but those softer woods must be provided so that the beak can be kept in good shape. An over grown beak is usually caused by not providing correct chewing toys or feeding an incorrect diet resulting in liver issues.

The two major things in my book are baths and food. Mist often at least 4 times a week whether they act like they love it or not it is very important! Don't let the bird decide when it will bathe.

NUMBER ONE...FOOD!
The correct diet must be fed, not sometimes, not when your schedule allows, not when you feel like it..always! Many, many eclectus lived short miserable lives when they were first imported due to incorrect diet. Even now with the information out there birds suffer with toe tapping and wing flapping (imagine a muscle tick that won't go away, won't let you sleep, it can lead to neurotic feather plucking and even flesh mutilation). Over grown beaks, shot livers, kaput kidneys all because someone jumped into eclectus ownership before doing research or thought they could handle it and a few months or years in they don't want to hassle with that kind of extensive food prep and it is..both expensive and time consuming. Though there are ways to make it easier such as making larger batches of chop (enough to last a month or so) birdie breads, sprouting.

I am not going to go into the full list of what should or shouldn't be fed it is already here in many threads as well as The Land of Vos. Think long and hard about whether this is something you can and will do for many, many years. When I was in the hospital I had my husband go to Whole Foods and buy their fresh organic cut stuff from the salad bar, it cost us a fortune to buy it that way for convenience but I wasn't able to make chop and hubby was working and visiting me in the hospital. The birds still HAD to have their fresh imo no matter what is going on in my life. Hope this helps someone make the right decisions on whether or not an eclectus is the right species for you.

Wowwww didn't know all that! I love eclectus parrots and if theres a chance i can take care of one i'd probably take it. For now i'm good with smaller birds, cockatiel on my shoulder right now. Never knew how hard it was to take care of those parrots! They are basically macaws, though.

 

[chris-md]

Oh yeah, ekkies are a whole other world.

TBH, I’ve had a conure in the past. Taking care of my Ekkie hasn’t been drastically different: they all want attention and love, all are curious and interactive, all wan to train. Their diet is actually a great universal diet for most parrots in general - all parrots would thrive on fruit/veg/grain diet for the most part. What I’ve found most challenging personally is the aggression, when it happens like any other parrot. The bigger the bird, the bigger the bite (though I’ve heard plenty of stories with people saying their cockatiel ornlovebird bite was much worse than their macaw bite). I’ve curiously found I take my ekkie’s bite much more personally (a cardinal sin, never take the bites personally, but sometimes I can’t help it) and get significantly more frustrated/flustered, even depressed, helpless, and hopeless if it happens at the wrong time, than I ever did when bitten by my conure.

But that’s just a function of my own personality, and absolutely not an indictment of the species as a whole. And partly that my partner - who Absolutely resented me for getting a bird at first - became the favorite by far, and I’m working 3x as hard on training just to keep up with the basic stuff he can do without any effort. I feel like my sentiments would be different if I were single, living on my own and the sole focus of my boy.

Also the hormone management...that’s different. Always on guard for hormones and keeping them at bay. That’s the biggest LEGIT distinction.

 

[cytherian]

Oh yeah, ekkies are a whole other world.

TBH, I?ve had a conure in the past. Taking care of my Ekkie hasn?t been drastically different: they all want attention and love, all are curious and interactive, all wan to train. Their diet is actually a great universal diet for most parrots in general - all parrots would thrive on fruit/veg/grain diet for the most part. What I?ve found most challenging personally is the aggression, when it happens like any other parrot. The bigger the bird, the bigger the bite (though I?ve heard plenty of stories with people saying their cockatiel ornlovebird bite was much worse than their macaw bite). I?ve curiously found I take my ekkie?s bite much more personally (a cardinal sin, never take the bites personally, but sometimes I can?t help it) and get significantly more frustrated/flustered, even depressed, helpless, and hopeless if it happens at the wrong time, than I ever did when bitten by my conure.

But that?s just a function of my own personality, and absolutely not an indictment of the species as a whole. And partly that my partner - who Absolutely resented me for getting a bird at first - became the favorite by far, and I?m working 3x as hard on training just to keep up with the basic stuff he can do without any effort. I feel like my sentiments would be different if I were single, living on my own and the sole focus of my boy.

Also the hormone management...that?s different. Always on guard for hormones and keeping them at bay. That?s the biggest LEGIT distinction.

I live with 3 Eclectus parrots at the moment and each of them are quite different from the other. It really is a "crap shoot" on what you'll get, if you inherit one already into adulthood. From what I see, raising one may be a ton of work, but it's worth it if you have the time & patience.

Case in point, I had the pleasure of seeing a baby male raised from hatching. His owner spent a lot of time with him and did tons of vocalizations. She also bonded with him a bit much on the affection side--lots & lots of touching, cuddling, etc. I think that made him bond so much to her, that he became so skittish of other humans. It took me over half a year to "break through" and finally get him to step up to my hand. Anyway, he is a TALKER! A very attentive and inventive one too. It's like night & day compared to the other two (his parents). Even though he's very reserved & skittish about touching, I can be right outside his cage and be very chatty with him. He loves to respond and get responses. Generally he's well behaved but so easily triggered by a loud or unfamiliar sound.

The adult male (10 years old now) is as close to perfection as you can get. He's VERY friendly. It took no time at all to gain his confidence to be on my hand and let me stroke him. When he bites to get you to stop doing something, it's only a short squeeze. He never bites hard enough to draw blood. He's also generous--loves to feed the other two birds. It's just a shame he never talks. He has a nice range of chirps, tweets, and squawks. He's pair bonded to the female and is 100% devoted to her. You open her cage to get something, he squawks in alarm. When they're out, he's at her side, never leaving her alone. So, to have any time with him, the female has to stay in the cage.

The adult female (11 years old) is very reserved and also quite mean. She can bite hard enough to tear flesh. Her body/eye language doesn't radiate friendly. And as I posted in another thread, her vocalizations are very unpleasant and at times excruciatingly awful. This one is a baby machine. She wants nothing more than to procreate, create eggs, and produce offspring. Being cooped up in a cage for most of the day makes her quite irritable. She has bonded with her owner and actually won't mind being cuddled & stroked. But it's all on her terms. When she's out of the cage and near her "nesting carrier," you have to be VERY cautious with interactions. Frankly, she's about the perfect example to convince someone not to get a bird! :31:

So there's 3 very different personalities for you!

 

[kme3388]

This was an excellent thread for me to read. I learned a lot! I just adopted an ekkie, and he's between 15-18 years of age. I joined this forum/chat, and another in specific to learn more about ekkies.