Could a small cockatiel possibly get along with an eclectus?

Yo my birdy peeps.

So my first bird is a small cockatiel called Jamie, who I love to bits. I spend most of my day with him when I am at school, and pretty much all of it during the holidays and weekends. But I still think it must be demeaningly boring for him to be in his cage hours on end when I am away. Now I know what you're thinking on how an eclectus might not be the best idea, but I do not want to get him a female friend as they would start breeding and I want a new kind of parrot. Despite that I love my little weero bird, I found him a tiny bit too easy. I want something new and more challenging, so an eclectus should do the trick. The only thing I am worried about is the two birds getting along. I saw this adorable picture of a larger bird hugging a smaller one under its wing which first gave me the idea. I will not put them in the same cage as that would just be cray cray, but I want to put their cages close and be able to take them out at the same time. I hear that eclectus parrots generally don't bite easily, but my little Jamie definitely does. Heck, he is frightened if his own reflection. Sometimes. Sometimes he is really happy to see his reflection. Maybe if I leave their cages near each other they would get used to it? And one last thing, I am still a student in high school so I am on a limited budget. I can generally take care if my pets very responsibly be it a bird, dog, fish or bird. But I cannot afford a thousand dollar bird which requires a gazzilion dollars worth of seeds each year. Could I maybe get an eclectus from a shelter? Would that work out better for me?

Here is the image that gave me the idea

We have a male eccy and a male 'tiel who hang around together, but it's one way traffic, lately the 'tiel puts his head down for a scratch in front of the eccy but Alex still manages to grab hold of Ariels crest while "preening"- Ariel's crest is now rather thin. Ariel never gives up- he's inseparable from Alex the eccy. The 'tiel gets scratches from us, but bites, often yet is Alex pulls a feather out, Ariel just comes back for more after a bit of a screech.

I've attached a pic of Alex with Ariel hanging close by.

It varies from bird to bird for one to get along with the other one. You just never know. I tried to get Dixie to play with the ekkies but only JoJo showed any interest but eventually went to pick on Dixie so I had to keep them separated. It is unsafe at times when you put a big bird with a smaller bird together as it only take one bite for the big bird to do some major damage. That's always something for you to keep an mind on!

Just take into consideration that I have heard many, many stories of female Ekkies killing smaller birds due to hormones. A breeder I personally know had her female Ekkie kill 6 smaller birds before she was forced to rehome her. It was her pet and if she was allowed out of the cage she would kill her smaller breeders that she could get to through their cage. So beware, because female Ekkies are well known for being aggressive towards smaller species.

Perhaps you could try something smaller, like a ringneck or a conure?

drlisaort said:

What an adorable picture! How in the world do you get your male eccy to lay on his back like that!!! I don't think Oliver can stay still.

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He doesn't stay on his back for long! It just one thing we do as part of his "before bedtime play" as he's on verandah for the day and not loose inside the house due to the smaller birds.

Boysmom said:

Just take into consideration that I have heard many, many stories of female Ekkies killing smaller birds due to hormones. A breeder I personally know had her female Ekkie kill 6 smaller birds before she was forced to rehome her. It was her pet and if she was allowed out of the cage she would kill her smaller breeders that she could get to through their cage. So beware, because female Ekkies are well known for being aggressive towards smaller species.

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What if I get a male ekkie? Would there still be a good chance he will hurt, or kill, Jamie even when supervised?

Eclectus Parrots are one of the most expensive to own. Given your last comment was on the cost of food I would be cautious of an Eclectus who requires mainly fresh fruit and veggies (yes even in winter when high priced and you are replacing them weekly)

I could be mistaken although I also do not believe Eclectus and Cockatiel's are breed-ready birds. Especially not if your male is a biter, and Ekkie females are known to be the more dominant while cockatiel males are the dominant. I do not see it working?

An Amazon might be a better pair for your little one, as much as I love Ekkies,

you could but get them to meet each other on neutral territory

I think it's a great idea to want a friend for your parrot! Eclectus parrots are a very particular parrot, they have a longer digestive track meaning they need more fiber than other parrots, their diet needs to be 80-90% veggies,fruits,sprouts, and good pellets like Harrison's. They are susceptible to toe tapping and wing flapping and fatty liver disease so watching their diet is extremely important. These parrots are not only expensive but vey different from other parrots. If you do choose to get an eclectus do some research to know exactly what you will be getting involved with. Your new eclectus will thank you for it if you do decide to get one. Some species get along better with others but i think it really just boils down to the parrot himself...they all are different there's no exact answer to this question, you'll have to test it out and see good luck with your new addition let us know who you pick!