Tell me the good, bad, and ugly males or females

[Bleedingrose68]

Hello All,

I was wondering if you could tell me your good and bad experiences with both males and females? I have experience with males so I guess my questions are more geared towards the females but Id love to hear all experiences with both sexes.

Do females tend to speak as well as males? (I know no bird is gaurenteed to speak)

Do females tend to be family birds vs one person birds? My male loved everyone, even new people.

Personality wise, are females or males more easy going? I do have children at home, my boy loved them, do females like a busy home as much?

Do all females bite when broody (which from what I understand is pretty much all year? I know years ago that is what I had read but new information is coming out all the time. I read alot of females attacking peoples feet and trying to nest under sofas.

Any and all experiences you can share would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[Thechoplady]

Speaking only about females here as I have never owned a male. There will be exceptions but generally speaking, females are very aggressive, unpredictable, and territorial. They are usually sweet up until sexual maturity and then after that, their personality changes. My ekkie fb group is filled with heartbroken owners who dont understand why their previously sweet female ekkie has now turned aggressive. In nature, it’s the females that are in charge of protecting the young, and defending the nest (usually against much larger birds such as cockatoos). They are programmed to be aggressive and territorial. Being around her cage when she is in it is an absolute no no. I also need to be in tune to her body language to see if she is starting to guard some thing and if so, I need to be very careful around her. Unlike other parrots, they do not have a breeding "season", they breed all year round so they are hormonal all year round. Also, they do not give very clear signs before they bite (like an amazon would have clear body language that they are unhappy). When they do bite, it’s pretty bad, meaning blood (mine once gave me nerve damage that lasted 6months). They also can kill other birds quite easily so please keep that in mind.

With that being said, I love my girl very much. She is very clever and a pretty good talker. She sings a little and knows a few tricks. She loves to be in whatever room im in and hangout with me. She will fly from room to room to stay with me. She is fun to watch as she is constantly playing with her toys. She is not very destructive to the house. She loves to shower with me every day and is very intuned to things and seems quite empathic. She is independent so she does not scream for my attention and she does not scream very much in general. She will step up for me and would love it if i just carried her around all day. However she does not like to be pet or scritched at all but she loves to just sit with me. She is target trained and is a quick learner. She is a good eater and loves her food.

I do have to be very diligent with her diet and sleep schedule in order to keep her hormones as low as possible. She has a tendency to "comandeer" certain areas of the house due to her tendency to be territorial and that behavior has to be managed.

If I had unlimited space and unlimited finances I would open a sanctuary for all the female ekkies that people have given up on. They are not for everyone but I love mine. Hope this helps. Best wishes with whatever you decide.

 

[Bleedingrose68]

Thank you so much for sharing. I wonder if all the videos I am seeing is of people with younger females. They all say they just want more time alone but are not what all the information says about them. When I had my boy he LOVED to be a part of the daily hustle and bustle and loved to be around kids (maybe because they were loud and destructive too). His favorite was building legos with them, he'd bring them peices and then perch ontop of the newest tower they built him before destroying it, haha. He also never bit hard, he nipped me only twice I think, and both times it was my fault because he had pinned his eyes and done a beak slam or two before nipping.

Do females tend to like more quiet and calm environments. My house isnt excessively noisy but we do live here with children. Im fine with providing alone time ajd space, but dont want a bird who regularly hates me for existing.

 

[Thechoplady]

Thank you so much for sharing. I wonder if all the videos I am seeing is of people with younger females. They all say they just want more time alone but are not what all the information says about them. When I had my boy he LOVED to be a part of the daily hustle and bustle and loved to be around kids (maybe because they were loud and destructive too). His favorite was building legos with them, he'd bring them peices and then perch ontop of the newest tower they built him before destroying it, haha. He also never bit hard, he nipped me only twice I think, and both times it was my fault because he had pinned his eyes and done a beak slam or two before nipping.

Do females tend to like more quiet and calm environments. My house isnt excessively noisy but we do live here with children. Im fine with providing alone time ajd space, but dont want a bird who regularly hates me for existing.

There are the unicorn female ekkies out there but the majority that I have come across are very sweet up until age 2-4, then their personality changes and they become obsessive with nesting. I would not recommend one around children. My girl likes a quieter environment. I feel pretty confident saying that as she is not one to scream, however when we have company over and if it gets a little overstimulating for her she will give some screams. Have you considered a handfed baby Senegal? They can be incredibly sweet and fun and even learn to talk.

 

[kme3388]

I don’t have bad experiences with my male. He’s a male Ekkie is how I would describe him. He regurgitates food all over the place, and on me (gross, but it is quite common in male Ekkie’s from what I’ve gathered). He protects me who he thinks is his mate, and attacks my husband (intruder). I’ve not found a really good resolution. I’ve changed Nico’s diet, changed his sleep schedule, changed his environment, added enrichment, and he still masterbates all over his favorite people, and perches.

My male Ekkie is a feather plucker (he used to self mutilate). When I first adopted him this was extremely overwhelming to me as I had no experience with this. I’m a little more educated by trail & error.

 

[Bleedingrose68]

There are the unicorn female ekkies out there but the majority that I have come across are very sweet up until age 2-4, then their personality changes and they become obsessive with nesting. I would not recommend one around children. My girl likes a quieter environment. I feel pretty confident saying that as she is not one to scream, however when we have company over and if it gets a little overstimulating for her she will give some screams. Have you considered a handfed baby Senegal? They can be incredibly sweet and fun and even learn to talk.

No, I had a male ekkie who was one of my greatest loves and I only want another ekkie. My boy was amazing, he went everywhere with me. Dont get me wrong he was constantly up to shenanigans and sometimes pretty moody but I loved every second of it. He was rehomed to me and even though he was Mr. MassChaos he brought me so much joy. Unfortunately my husband (ex now) at thd time came back from a deployment and started drinking heavily and getting very angry, paranoid, and making untrue accusations and ultimately ended up snapping, and almost killed me. My kids and I had to flee and I had no where I could take my boy. I had some friends he really loved and they offered to keep him while I got on my feet and found a new home. By the time I got fully settled he had bonded so well with them and was so happy it felt selfish to move him and so with a heavy heart I said goodbye one last time. Its been a few years and now Im ready to start looking again.

I absolutely love the males but the females are so stunning and easier to find. I figured Id ask if everyrhing Id heard about females was wrong after seeing so many people saying how sweet they are. Thank you for your advice.