help purchasing a 3yr old male ekkie

rio1 · Jul 18, 2011

hi, everyone i am new here and been reading and educating myself on my future purchase on a ekkie, had several birds in the past sun conures and love birds.and i am in love with the eclectus.

i found someone selling a 3yr old male eclectus he said he has several birds and this 1 was a rehome that he had for a few months ,he talks,and is sweet with every1 in his house and every1 he meets.however told me he has a small bald spot on his chest that was like that every since he got him from the previous owner. when asked about his diet he said he gives him pellets and his favorite treat was fruitloops and cherrios.

he is asking 400.00 with a cage
should i be concerned with the bald spot ?
could it be his diet and the lack of fruits and vegies?
my wife stopped after work and visited him she fell in love,he talks up a storm and was really sweet not shy at all and the owner got him in small cage.
here is a pic

Pedro · Jul 18, 2011

IMO the poor bird looks a bit on the scruffy side. Not in very good feather & his beak looks over grown to me. All that aside if the diet is improved on & you were to give him the correct diet I am sure he will look beautiful in the next molt. I don't think the poor bird has a balanced diet & he certainly won't get what he needs from only pellets.

A link to a better diet if you do buy him.

diets

He sounds like a very gentle bird.

MikeyTN · Jul 18, 2011

Like Pedro suggested! He will be just fine when you improve his diet. Mine were in pretty bad shape when their main diet was seeds and pellets. We minimize their seeds to very little amount with mainly fruits and veggies, plus they get chicken breast meat, cooked sweet potatoes, cooked eggs with some shells, etc. Over grown beak can be taken care of at your avian vet clinic. He looks wonderful!

rio1 · Jul 18, 2011

i am really glad to hear positive things,i was told by a local breeder to stay far away from a mature ekkie ,possible b/c she wants me to buy her birds.

anyhow i am going tomorrow to take a look at him with my daughter.
any other suggestion and advise is deeply appreciated

thanks in advance

MikeyTN · Jul 18, 2011

Mine are 5 and 6 years old. I got them as a pair. Gracie is a plucker and JoJo needed training with damaged beak and terrified of being held. Got him trained and his beak have grown out healthy and I just wish Gracie would stop plucking. But I don't regret getting them ever as they're sweet and gentle, great talking ability, and very quiet most of the time. Some of the best birds I've ever owned!!!

suebee · Jul 19, 2011

i dont know how much a beak trim is your way, but a personnally would see hopw much that will cost and explain to seller why you asked for a reduction in price??

unless birds already had a full check up, really recently

mtdoramike · Jul 19, 2011

Yeah, that beak needs a trimming. But $400.00 isn't a bad price at all for a 3 year old Ekkie. But you will still have to figure in a cage if the cage that he has him in is too small and if the cage goes with the bird.

mnsalani · Jul 19, 2011

When I got Sushi, our 4 year old female ekkie, she had bald spots all around her eyes that were really prominent. At her old home she was fed mostly pellets and I think had very little fruits and veggies in her diet. We've had her a little over a month now and she is now devouring any veggies we give her. Those pesky little bald patches are almost all the way filled-in now! Her hormones seemed to have settled a lot too

His beak needs to be trimmed, but otherwise he looks very handsome! Keep us all updated!

rio1 · Jul 22, 2011

Re: got him home today

hi, everyone i finally picked him up.he looks so different than in the pics, he looks so much bigger and brighter and the bald spot on his chest is actually grey feathers.his beak actually looks bigger in person.

he is so sweet,just checking everything out,he has not said one word yet or made any sounds, my wife gave him some corn ,tomatoes ,pepper and his ate it all up ,loved it. the previous owner only gave him zupreem colored pellets , seed and nut mix that gave their african grey.

previous owner said he is a SI Electus? ,he is about 12" from head to tail feathers.

does any one know how much a vet charges for a beak trim or is something i could do myself.i live in tampa.

thanks in advance for your replies and advise.

kerry · Jul 22, 2011

The gray on his chest is down, he is missing the feathers there.
A beak trim is not something that you should do yourself, it should be done by an experienced Avian vet. You can call the nearest Avian vet & ask them the price for a beak trim. He should have the beak trim ASAP. I saw many male S.I. Eclectus advertised for more money without a cage & he looks to be very tame, but be careful with him by anyone's faces as you don't know him well, especially your children's. Generally the "rule" is to keep pet birds on your hand not by your face for safely especially if they are new to you. Good luck & have fun!

MikeyTN · Jul 22, 2011

Being 12" he is a SI Ekkie! The prices varies from vet to vet. Call them up to get a price, best not attempt on your own if you don't know what your doing. They can bleed from their beak if you don't trim it properly. I know how and I don't even do it myself. Its safer that way!!!

MikeyTN · Jul 22, 2011

He also look like he can use a bath!!!

Cowtown · Jul 23, 2011

Congrats on the new FID.... I know you will enjoy him, Just be patient he will need to settle in to his new environment.
I do not know where you live, but I took Abby to my Vet had her beak and nails trimmed, also a check up. My Vet only charged $80.

I agree he needs a good bath.

What size cage did you get, Eckies like a lot of room to move around in and a lot of toys. Abby keeps herself entertained and is funny to watch her 'attack' her toys..

Read up on Eckies diet the diet is different.
Get a good organic brown rice and cook it he will love it.
Also sweet potato, cooked and mashed up.
Granny Smith apples, Jalapenos, spinach, just about all veggies and fruits.

Do not give him chocolate, Avocados , caffeine and anything with sugar.
Also No salt.
Limit the nuts, especially peanuts... give him almonds as a treat but not too many as they are fattening.

Plain Cheerios area good treat.

Mike

mtdoramike · Jul 23, 2011

Try [email protected] their website is www.mobilebirdgrooming.com They are based in Orlando, but cover all of central Florida from Coast to coast and go as far up as Jax to as far south as Fort Myers. I use them and they are great. They charge $8.50 for beak, $8.50 for wings & $8.50 for nails. They do a whole assessment of your bird from the bird to the cage and diet when they come.

It's also cheaper as far as travel cost goes if they have someone else in your area so that you can piggy back. It may take a week or two or else you will have to for their time, which starts at like $10.00 and goes up from their.

rio1 · Jul 23, 2011

thanks for the advise i have been doing alot of reading up on eckies so i am in the right track. as for the cage the previous owner threw in a cage 30x24x36 i know its on the small size and will be getting a bigger one by next week looking at a 46x30x80.

jay jay is so quiet,gave him a bath this morning and he loved it didnt want to get out,fed him some fruits and then he started to talk in his cage saying hello,good bye,jayjay,no no and other words i could not make out, he so sweet really a awesome bird.

will also be getting his beak trimmed a.s.a.p i think he has a hard time eating with it. i will keep you all posted on the progress.

thanks again

Cowtown · Jul 24, 2011

Glad you are taking care of Jayjay... sounds like he is settling in real good..
You will have a companion for life now.
Just love him and be patience with him.
Keep us updated and post some more pictures and a video of him talking.

JensFlock · Jul 31, 2011

Congratulations on the new arrival. It's great that he's eating so well for you. My ekkie eats anything I give him, so I can really give him a variety. That will help you to get him away from that all-pellet diet and give him some new tastes.

alleycat39402 · Aug 9, 2011

Congratulations! He is beautiful!

help purchasing a 3yr old male ekkie

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Oh, how I love my lazy birdie...

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