Soon-To-Be Eclectus Parront

[TweetRF]

Hello all, this is my first post on this forum. My wife and I are about to be first-time bird owners and in about two weeks we're going to be taking home a three-year-old eclectus that we fell in love with after visiting a parrot rescue in our area.

We've gotten loads of information from the good folks who run the sanctuary, but I'm anxious to hear any advice from anyone with first-hand experience caring for an eclectus.

Right now, I'm focused on making sure the house is set up for the addition to our family. I'm shopping for a main cage and a night cage, and trying to figure out the best way to set up both with toys, feeders etc. Any advice you can give in this area would be very helpful.

I know they're not on the standard parrots "beginners" list, but based on the reading I've been doing, the toughest part about eclectus's is their diet. That doesn't bother us since we're vegans, anyway, and we have no problem going the extra mile to make sure our parrot gets the best to eat.

 

[Laura729]

Congratulations!! Ekkies are wonderful birds. That's great that you are rescuing as well. Do you know anything about his past?

Hopefully some people with more experience will chime in, but I can mention some of my experiences with my eclectus for now.
If you already have lots of fresh vegetables and fruits on hand, that should help cut down on the diet difficulty. I'm not vegan (yet, haha), but cook with fresh produce often, so I can just put aside some of whatever I'm making (as long as it's parrot safe - there are many lists you can check for this, and search the forum as well) to make "chop" for my Charlie (if you search this sub-forum for chop, you will find tons of great recipes that are easy to make). Eclectus can have sensitivity to corn, wheat, etc. so
that's something to keep an eye on. I've learned that a good way to get a parrot to try a new food (that they may otherwise just discard or ignore), is to eat some yourself (or pretend to) in front of them.

Are there any specific cages you are looking at currently? It's recommended to go as large as you can, and provide varied (size/diameter, material) perches (especially natural wood perches). Lots of ekkies seem to like "shredding" toys, as well as soft woods (my Charlie loves balsa and cork). Foraging toys and activities are great. Charlie loves his clear, acrylic foraging wheel (I believe it's this one: PTCF613 Reinforcement Foraging Wheel by Creative Foraging - CREATIVE FORAGING SYSTEM). I will try and get some photos of his general cage set-up, which seems to work well for him.
I often have trouble finding a good selection of toys and perches at stores in my area, so I do most shopping online from a few trusted vendors. Where are you located?

 

[Anansi]

Hello, and welcome to Parrot Forums! Congratulations on the soon to be new addition to your family!

If you peruse this thread/sticky, you will find a wealth of helpful information and resources: http://www.parrotforums.com/showthread.php?t=52737

If you have more specific questions, don't hesitate to ask away. And please keep us updated!

 

[TweetRF]

Congratulations!! Ekkies are wonderful birds. That's great that you are rescuing as well. Do you know anything about his past?

Hopefully some people with more experience will chime in, but I can mention some of my experiences with my eclectus for now.
If you already have lots of fresh vegetables and fruits on hand, that should help cut down on the diet difficulty. I'm not vegan (yet, haha), but cook with fresh produce often, so I can just put aside some of whatever I'm making (as long as it's parrot safe - there are many lists you can check for this, and search the forum as well) to make "chop" for my Charlie (if you search this sub-forum for chop, you will find tons of great recipes that are easy to make). Eclectus can have sensitivity to corn, wheat, etc. so
that's something to keep an eye on. I've learned that a good way to get a parrot to try a new food (that they may otherwise just discard or ignore), is to eat some yourself (or pretend to) in front of them.

Are there any specific cages you are looking at currently? It's recommended to go as large as you can, and provide varied (size/diameter, material) perches (especially natural wood perches). Lots of ekkies seem to like "shredding" toys, as well as soft woods (my Charlie loves balsa and cork). Foraging toys and activities are great. Charlie loves his clear, acrylic foraging wheel (I believe it's this one: PTCF613 Reinforcement Foraging Wheel by Creative Foraging - CREATIVE FORAGING SYSTEM). I will try and get some photos of his general cage set-up, which seems to work well for him.
I often have trouble finding a good selection of toys and perches at stores in my area, so I do most shopping online from a few trusted vendors. Where are you located?

Thanks for the toy suggestions! I'm definitely going to check those out.

All we know about our ekkie so far is that he's been through three owners since he was hatched three years ago. Through all the owners, the running theme seems to have been "malnutrition." I'm told his last owner fed him a diet mainly consisting of Cheetos. When the sanctuary got him in November, he had large patches of skin where the feathers had fallen off. He's gotten a lot better since, but he still has a small patch on his chest where the feathers haven't grown back in yet.

We've had a couple of sessions with him over the past few weeks and he's a shy little sweetheart who, like your ekkie, loves to shred things at the bottom of his cage. I think once we get his diet straightened out, he's going to have a great time. He has been thoroughly checked by vets and tested for diseases that could lead to feather loss, and he's checked out OK. We're probably going to take him for a checkup with an avian vet in our area in New Jersey who has a great reputation, Dr. Michael Doolen.

This is what I'm going to use for the main cage:http: Amazon.com : A and E Cage Co. Bayard Dometop Bird Cage : Birdcages : Pet Supplies

For the sleep room cage, I'm going with the 22X24 version of the same cage.

I was going to go with the extra-large large (36 inches wide), but the rescue folks talked me out of it. They felt based on their time with him that he'd be more comfortable in the smaller cage.

Would you have suggestions on how to set up the cage? I want to make sure he has enough to keep himself occupied when we're working.

 

[Anansi]

I definitely disagree with those rescue folks. I think 32" wide is the minimum you should consider. (Inside spacing. Not including the seed skirt.) 36" or more would be even better. Unless he'll only be using it as a sleep cage. (Which, upon rereading your post, might be exactly what you mean. Lol! Not sure what you meant one way or the other, though, so I'll leave my post as is.)

The only exception would be if he's handicapped, somehow. Or has trouble maintaining his grip.

As for setup, you should go with natural wood branches and lots of shreddable and soft wood type toys. The best thing about dome tops is all the extra room for hanging toys.

 

[Christinenc2000]

Hi and welcome

 

[Laura729]

I agree that you can't go wrong with a larger cage (unless there is a special circumstance, such as a disability, as Anansi mentioned). Do you happen to know what subspecies of eclectus he is? As far as set-up goes, you'll probably have to adjust once you see what/where he likes in his cage, how he moves around, etc. Has the rescue mentioned any toys he specifically prefers?

That's very sad that your boy has been passed around so much, and that his diet has been so severely neglected. Charlie came to me from a neglectful situation as well, and we are working on getting his feathers back (we've made a lot of progress this last year, but sometimes there are regression periods. Since Charlie was older when I adopted him, and had been ignored/alone for so long, I think his regressions are now more habit-related).

 

[plumsmum2005]

Congratulations!! Ekkies are wonderful birds. That's great that you are rescuing as well. Do you know anything about his past?

Hopefully some people with more experience will chime in, but I can mention some of my experiences with my eclectus for now.
If you already have lots of fresh vegetables and fruits on hand, that should help cut down on the diet difficulty. I'm not vegan (yet, haha), but cook with fresh produce often, so I can just put aside some of whatever I'm making (as long as it's parrot safe - there are many lists you can check for this, and search the forum as well) to make "chop" for my Charlie (if you search this sub-forum for chop, you will find tons of great recipes that are easy to make). Eclectus can have sensitivity to corn, wheat, etc. so
that's something to keep an eye on. I've learned that a good way to get a parrot to try a new food (that they may otherwise just discard or ignore), is to eat some yourself (or pretend to) in front of them.

Are there any specific cages you are looking at currently? It's recommended to go as large as you can, and provide varied (size/diameter, material) perches (especially natural wood perches). Lots of ekkies seem to like "shredding" toys, as well as soft woods (my Charlie loves balsa and cork). Foraging toys and activities are great. Charlie loves his clear, acrylic foraging wheel (I believe it's this one: PTCF613 Reinforcement Foraging Wheel by Creative Foraging - CREATIVE FORAGING SYSTEM). I will try and get some photos of his general cage set-up, which seems to work well for him.
I often have trouble finding a good selection of toys and perches at stores in my area, so I do most shopping online from a few trusted vendors. Where are you located?

Thanks for the toy suggestions! I'm definitely going to check those out.

All we know about our ekkie so far is that he's been through three owners since he was hatched three years ago. Through all the owners, the running theme seems to have been "malnutrition." I'm told his last owner fed him a diet mainly consisting of Cheetos. When the sanctuary got him in November, he had large patches of skin where the feathers had fallen off. He's gotten a lot better since, but he still has a small patch on his chest where the feathers haven't grown back in yet.

We've had a couple of sessions with him over the past few weeks and he's a shy little sweetheart who, like your ekkie, loves to shred things at the bottom of his cage. I think once we get his diet straightened out, he's going to have a great time. He has been thoroughly checked by vets and tested for diseases that could lead to feather loss, and he's checked out OK. We're probably going to take him for a checkup with an avian vet in our area in New Jersey who has a great reputation, Dr. Michael Doolen.

This is what I'm going to use for the main cage:http: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N2EG1O/ref=dra_a_rv_bb_hn_xx_P1400_1000?tag=dradisplay-20&ascsubtag=da3a9949d694ed326788880988f0bea6_S"]Amazon.com : A and E Cage Co. Bayard Dometop Bird Cage : Birdcages : Pet Supplies[/ame]

For the sleep room cage, I'm going with the 22X24 version of the same cage.

I was going to go with the extra-large large (36 inches wide), but the rescue folks talked me out of it. They felt based on their time with him that he'd be more comfortable in the smaller cage.

Would you have suggestions on how to set up the cage? I want to make sure he has enough to keep himself occupied when we're working.

Hello and welcome I would like to say thank you also for taking him in and giving him a great home.

I have highlighted a segment of your post. I agree to the additional AV visit, my concern is - are there any repercussions of his totally diabolical diet? To have him given a totally clear bill of health will I feel help you go forward with a clean sheet.

We'd love to know his name and we love pics here also, good luck.

 

[Eitak579]

I would definitely recommend a larger cage. My current setup has the same dimensions as the cage you shared and after having him in it since I adopted him last August, I'm searching for something quite a bit larger. He utilizes every inch of his cage when he's in and it's really not enough for his size. Just my two cents, it would've saved me some money if I had upsized from the beginning.

 

[dragonlady2]

I have a double macaw cage for my Ekkie, and he uses every inch of it. He is fed on one side and he climbs to the top of the other side at night to sleep. I agree with using as many different perches as possible. I find that an Ekkie's grip is not quite the same as other parrots, so I have it so he has to navigate around the cage for his favourite toys, food etc. I also have two flat wire platforms in different areas that have a favourite toy hanging nearby so he has some stability when attacking them, lol. He is so smart, I am sure you will love your Ekkie.

 

[chris-md]

Please do get the larger cage. I have the 22x24 size cage at my moms when we go to visit. It's fine for a temporary stay, but downright cruel for permenant housing. It's very depressing seeing Parker in that cage. No room to move around much.

Do NOT get the 22x24 for him.

 

[Newbsi]

welcome and congratulations!

 

[TweetRF]

Thank you all for you input.

Here's some more information on Tweety that may answer some of the questions that you all brought up ...

First, here's some photos. This is what Tweety looked like when the rescue group got him in November:

Here he is now:

The rescue folks really have done a wonderful job getting him on the road to recovery. As you can see from the photos, he was a victim of major neglect. His feathers were so bad when he came in, the vet who examined him suspected he had beak and feather disease, but he thankfully tested negative.

They really don't know a lot of the details of what his life was like before he was put up for adoption because the owners gave him to another organization who then transfered him to the rescue group. Other than the lousy Cheetos diet, he shows signs of being a bird that was rarely let out of his cage. He does talk, however, with one of his favorite phrases being "Peak-A-Boo."

All he needs now is a comfortable, stable home and a sound diet -- something I don't think he's ever had before. I'm also looking forward to giving him a lot of the out-of-cage time that seems to have also been lacking (The rescue folks told me he only speaks when he's inside the cage -- never while he's outside).

We saw him at the rescue today and he's going to be brought to our home for good next weekend. I'll be busy getting his cages ready for his arrival this week. Right after I'm done with this post, I'm going online to buy a bunch of toys, perches and playstands. As for the cage, we're going to start with the 32-inch-width main cage. The rescue people asked me to start with that for two reasons: 1) His size is a little below-average for a male eclectus and 2) He likes to spend a lot of time at the bottom of the cage to shred stuff, so they're concerned about him navigating the height of a larger cage. I'm going to see how he handles the 32-inch as he settles into our house, then I'll decide on whether to move to something larger.

 

[Eitak579]

Looking forward to seeing your updates, he's a very lucky guy!