considering eclectus in near future... info please?

Hey guys.
My name is Mandy. I have a blue and gold macaw. I'm a college student and still living at home with my folks. I'll be moving 2hrs away in the fall and coming home on weekends. River, my macaw, will be coming with me.

My mom has gotten really attached to River, and is wanting a bird. She's going to have "empty nest syndrom" when my brother and I leave home for school...and River coming with us.

We went to a bird show and she looked around while I took care of my vendor stand/. ( selling nuts and handmade bird stands)
She saw a female eclectus and she fell in love. The baby was bought like 10 minutes after she saw it but she got the card of the lady who was raising her. Said she had some eggs that hadn't hatched yet.

I've researched them but would like some owners first hand experience with them. How do they compare to macaws? or even african greys? I have experience with both those guys.

How loving are they?
Talking capability?
Do they adapt well to more than one person in general?
Noise level in comparison to other species?
Diet requirements in comparison to macaw or greys?
Neediness ?
how easily do they stress?

I've been very fortunate with River. He's a laid back Mac. Loves car rides and did really well at the shows. Lots of people got their picture taken with him and he did amazingly. Didn't stress. and the only time he's really loud is if we get loud or the dog barks. he HATES barking dogs.

She LOVES the vivid color in the females. and she likes their size better than the macaws.
We had discuessed getting a Galah cockatoo or an amazon, but she really likes the look of the ecletus. She's a nurse, but not currently working. Taking care of the farm is a full time job in itself, but she has lots of time at home.

It would be a couple months or maybe 6 or more till she would get one. But thought I'd gather some intel from the forum.
any and all info would be great! thanks =)

Hi Mandy,
I'll give my 2 cents since no one else has replied yet, though i've only had my boy 5 months so i'm sure a few others have more info they can share.

How loving are they?
Yoshi's loving when he wants to be. He's a very gentle soul when out of his cage, when in his cage he likes to be left alone alot of the time, never bites but runs away when he doesnt want to come out. He has a massive macaw cage with tons of toys so he's quite happy amusing himself in there or on his playstand most of the day. When spending time with me he loves just chilling on my shoulder and when he's relaxed enjoys neck and tummy rubs and lots of kisses.

Talking capability?
Amazing talkers. Yoshi will be 8 months in a few days. He only started playing around with sounds and words the past 2 months but already has a small vocabulary (peekaboo, tickle tickle, step up, whatcha doing, good boy) and many other sounds that havent quite been made into words yet. He spends a good portion of his day chattering away to himself. He's a bit shy though and wont talk if im looking at him! He can be on my shoulder talking away but i cant roll my eyeballs in his direction or all goes quiet hehe.
If you look on youtube you can see some amazing talking capability. They pick up things really fast.

Do they adapt well to more than one person in general?
Depends on each bird and how much you let them interact with other people. Once a week i take Yoshi to my parents house for dinner and he has his dinner at the table with us and enjoys a bit of shoulder snuggle time with both my parents. He LOVES my dads big shoulder and often has a bit of a snooze up there. I also take him out on his harness at least once a week into town and he gets lots of attention from people and is always well behaved. Will step up for almost anyone (though i only let people i know offer an arm) and never bites.

Noise level in comparison to other species?
I only have a cockatiel to compare to, so in comparison very loud xD. 95% of the day Yoshi is very quiet, only making sounds when playing or talking. He has moments of screaming but only early morning or mid/late afternoon for brief bursts lasting 20secs max and overall never lasting longer than about 5 mins. He only ever screams when on top of his cage (very very rarely inside, only done this twice) and its almost always only when i have the blinds open so he can see outside. There is a large flock of sulfur crested 'toos in the neighbourhood and i'd say the volume of Yoshi's scream can rival that of the 'toos, but if i had one of teh 'toos scream in my ear i'd probly say Yoshi isnt quite that loud haha. Overall though My ekkie is a very quiet boy.

Diet requirements in comparison to macaw or greys?
I've never owned either (would love a B&G one day though!) and dont know much about their specific diets but i feed Yoshi a good 80% fresh fruits and veggies with a small amount of seed and nuts. I personally dont feed pellets but some people do in small amounts. Pellets for ekkies is a debated topic as they dont really need the extra vitamins etc found in pellets as they get enough from fruits/veggies if fed a good variety. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference but if you do choose to feed pellets it should only make up about 5% of their diet max.

Neediness ?
I think this comes down to the individual bird but overall in comparison to some other species they arn't really all that needy. Yoshi enjoys spending time with me and other people but has no problem being left with his toys (he has quite a lot to entertain him when im at work) when im at work and even when i am home a lot of the time he likes to chatter to me and acknowledge me but likes to do his own thing.

how easily do they stress?
Another thing i think depends on the individual bird. They also hide it quite well. If Yoshi finds himself in a stressful situation he usually just freezes and can become quite unresponsive while he assesses the situation. If he is uncomfortable he will quickly step up so i can move him elsewhere or so he can just snuggle on my shoulder where he knows he's safe. If he is scared or threatened by something/one he'll puff up and strike out aggressively until the threat is removed. Yoshi will sometimes do this when first offered new toys (so i put them in his cage in places he can observe for a while and approach when he's ready), and did it to me alot the first couple of weeks i had him, until he settled down and knew i wasnt a threat.

Overall in my very short experience i can say that ekkies are generally quite calm and quiet, love attention but also like to do their own thing. Also theres not much they wont do for food. Yoshi is always complaining when im not making breakfast fast enough, or dinner is unsatisfactorily late (gets cranky if he has to wait an hour or more after usual feeding times haha) and will often go sit on his eating perch while calling out and waiting for me to hurry up

I hope this helps a bit and i'm sure someone with a bit more experience will chime in with a few other perspectives

Hi, Mandy! As Tate mentioned in his response, a lot does depend on the individual bird. So I'll answer based on my experiences with Bixby, a 9 month old eclectus male.

How loving? : Very. Though not necessarily in the cuddle bug kind of way. Bixby loves being on me and interacting with me, but generally he is not really into the whole cuddling thing. He has his moments where he'll enjoy a little petting on the neck, back, stomach or even under the wing, but only from me or my wife, and DEFINITELY only in doses. Lol! He'd usually much rather play an exciting game of "finger-boxing" or beak wrestling.

Talking capability? : Generally considered to be top 3 or 4. I've heard some say the best, but I personally wouldn't give it to them over greys. Bixby has only picked up hello and ow so far, (the "ow" comes from my two rough housing boys, of course! Lol) but he's young yet and I've honestly been far more focused on flight and potty training than talking. Oh, and he mimics laughter and other such sounds rather well.

Adaptability to more than one person: Bixby is great with socialization. He has his definite favorites, of course, but he'll go to anyone and behave well. This is something that you have to foster in them, of course, but an eclectus' naturally laid back demeanor rather lends itself to it. They don't tend towards being "one person" birds.

Comparative noise level: Bixby is a dream bird in terms of noise level. He'll flock call to me once or twice if I'm out of sight, but nothing outrageous. Only time he gets a little on the loud side is when my boys are being loud with their play near him and he starts mimicking their sounds and laughter. Hilarious to hear!
*One important note, though. They do have a peel-the-paint-off-the-walls alarm call that they are known for, but for most ekkies this is a very uncommon thing. For MOST. But it is something one should be aware of going in, just in case the one you choose is one of the relative few for whom it is a more frequent thing.

Comparative diet requirements: much more specialized, I'd say. Eclectus parrots have longer digestive tracts than other birds, which makes them more effective at extracting vitamins and such from their foods. Because of this, vitamin-enriched foods that would be wonderful for other parrots could cause health issues in an eclectus. This is why it is recommended to give your eclectus little or no pellets, and absolutely no colored pellets. Their diet should be 80-85% fresh fruits and veggies, with a healthy dose of grains. The other 15% can consist of nuts, seeds and even a very small amount of organic, uncolored pellets.
Neediness: Not very needy at all. They do need healthy levels of interaction, of course, but they tend to be good at keeping themselves amused if you leave enough stimulating toys in their cages or on their play areas. Bixby always prefers to be on me, but he accepts staying on his stand or back in his cage when that's not a possibility... for the most part. Never becomes a scream fest, though.

Susceptibility to stress: Eclectus are known to pluck if neglected or stressed. What it takes to get them to that point depends on the personality of the individual bird. But, like a grey or macaw, an eclectus does require a lot of mental stimulation. Boredom is killer. Noise and raucous activity can also be a stressor, but this can be mitigated by acclimating your bird to it early. My bird isn't fazed in the slightest by my boys and their friends running through the house, but that's only because he's used to it.

Hope that helps. I personally think an eclectus is a great addition to the family. No regrets with Bixby!

Since you have gotten some great advise already I will add just a few things that are more specific to the females.

They are in my opinion and in my home less loud than the boys can be, mine talk as well and in some cases better than the boys. Even then eclectus aren't typically screamers, if they are then I would say there is something off in the environment, lack of stimulation, foraging toys not getting enough personal attention. They do have the outbursts during the early morning and just before dark but I consider this normal parrot behavior.

Females while lovely have different temperaments than the boys not better, not worse just different. Jillie who is my Diva, and also affectionately known as "Jillie Bean the Queen of Mean" has her quirks but she loves spending time with me, gives kisses, will occasionally tolerate petting, but is not needy and is happy just to hang out with me. She can be more cage territorial than the others so teaching her to step onto a stick as well as my hand has gone a long way and is something I feel is important with any eclectus. Lola who I rescued from a very bad situation had major attitude with me in the beginning but not backing down, letting her bite me and still following through without showing fear and calling her bluff backed her down. Now she never bites me.

Females are the dominant one in eclectus so it is important that your mom can handle the occasional attitude that a female may display and not back down. If a female knows she has you scared you're done!

The other thing I think is different and important to stress is I feel eclectus need a minimum of 4 baths per week and as was covered a much higher ratio of real food.

There is imo a lot of bad, scary info out there going on about how awful the females are as pets I think that is bunk! If you understand the role the female plays in the wild, if you are spunky yourself and can stand your ground the red heads make wonderful companions!

Hi everyone,

I am getting a 14 week old male eclectus in two weeks!

I am thinking of getting this cage below for him, will that be alright?

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KINGSTON-WHITE-MACAW-OR-PARROT-CAGE-/161264856403[/IMG]

I have asked my breeder about a hatch certificate and he has not yet replied. I have been doing a lot of research and read about hybrids on the market. If he doesn't have a hatch certificate how do I tell if he is a hybrid or not?

Im getting photos of him to see how he's doing so I will upload them when the breeder sends them

All advice will be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Dan

I would really rethink that cage they are really difficult to clean as access to that smaller side is limited. Eclectus are VERY messy eaters and wipe their beaks around the cage. Keeping the cage very clean is a must so that they don't eat any old wiped on food that could make them sick.

Mixing of the sub species unfortunately happens quite frequently. A hatch certificate I don't believe would prove one way or another what the parents really are. It is most difficult to tell a mixing of sub species with the boys even for experienced eclectus people. The girls are a little easier to tell.

I almost missed being able to help you with this because it was on this other persons post. If you have any more questions or cage ideas if you make a new post it is more likely to be seen.

They live very long 50 and over. They are generally family birds, not strongly bonding with one person though every bird is different. They aren't generally noisy, but can be pretty loud. They aren't very cuddly, but will follow people they like around the house, much like dogs. About 2/3 of their diet consists of fresh fruits and vegetables and pellets is optional. Though you have to stay away from added vitamins and artificial colored ones.They aren't very needy and are pretty independent, but they still like to hangout and be with their "flock". I've found no common thing of whether they stress easily or not, it really depends on the bird. Also, don't forget that no one can guarantee the Eclectus your mom may get will be A typical. They are all different. But the diet is not something that really varies, they NEED lots of fresh fruits and veggies and a little seed and or pellets.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate it. =)
Hearing people's experiences with their birds is, I think, much better than reading from a generalized review of the species as a whole.

I have a macaw who is a lot quieter than most big macs. SO i know thinks vary from each individual bird. She is more interested in a female. She loves the red color.
She would love to teach it to talk and wants a companion to be with her throughout the day.
If she were to get one, it would be a while before it happened, but I'd rather us have as much information so we can give a proper home than not enough.

Thanks again!!! =)

Definitely do your research! The more you know the better, but as someone said before there are a lot of opinions about these lovely little red heads. I was very skeptical about getting a female a first, because of all the terrible things I heard about there temperament. But it truly does depend on the bird, and how much time your willing to put into your companion. (Which I'm sure you already know) I absolutely love my Zilla (my female) and hate myself for even considering not getting her because of rumors. As for how they bond, again every bird is different. Zilla only ever took to me she wants little to nothing to do with my husband. She is also VERY jealous and wants my attention 24/7. I don't work so I am home all day and they are out with me every second. Which has made Zilla very clingy, and she will get upset and hold a grudge for a few days if I am not home and she isn't out. lol she is a decent talker doesn't really say anything to clearly other than "Ouch" and "haha" but she LOVES to whistle and scream!
Now Achilles (Male) other hand is polar opposite. He could care less if I was home or not, he doesn't really have anyone that he likes any better in the house than the other, and he just kinda likes to do his own thing. Achilles is a VERY excellent talker though... well for his age, he will be a year in July and already says everything Zilla says. He is always practicing and saying new things. So it really does all depend on who the bird is. I would tell your mom to do her research, and make sure that she really wants a female. Although my female doesn't live up to the reputation you my acquire one that does, so just be advised in case. Even if that were to happen, if your Mother spent enough time with her I am sure she would be fine. A little love goes a long ways! and
"That's all I have to say about that" lol

Good luck Mandy!

-Lauren

I LOVE my pair of eclectus!!!! They're wonderful birds, both are as sweet as they can be but yes they're super messy. Their cages gets caked up with gunk very quickly. So be ready to yank their cage outside for a good scrub down often!!! They will throw food everywhere too so be sure to either cover the back of the cage with a blanket or hang shower curtains on your walls if near by. Do not sit their cage on carpet flooring unless you want food stains on them.