Wanting an Eclectus..

Hey everyone!

Just joined the forum and like the title of the thread says, I want an eclectus!

I have wanted a parrot since I was 11 when I 'bird-sat' a family friends bird (a Congo Grey) and fell in love with him after having him only two weeks. So for the last 13 years I have wanted a CAG and was very close several times on putting a deposit down on one. Then I went all through college telling myself I would have one later in life. It's now been over a year since I graduated and one day I was like "Oh yeah.. I forgot I want a parrot!" and now that I am graduated, it seems like a more reasonable time to get one.

So, I was looking at a green cheek at a pet store and thought it was very sweet. I ran into another customer that loved the little bird too and she said she had 3 eclectus boys! I was like you have THREE? and they're ECLECTUS? I knew exactly what they looked like but never realized how cool of personality they had. from the research I have done (GENERALLY SPEAKING) it seems that they are calmer, quieter, less temperamental and more readily accepting of other people than CAGs are. I love their voice, colors of course, their general curious nature and need to kind of explore. I hear they will also come "find you" if they haven't seen you for a while instead of screaming for your attention.. but perhaps this is a personality-specific trait of the specific eclectus someone owned?

Anyway, my whole point is that even after wanting a CAG for over a decade, I actually think I am leaning quite a bit more toward an eclectus now. My absolute biggest and really ONLY fear of owning one (or any parrot) is that I will bring it home and SOMEHOW hate my lifestyle having it.. or never get USED to having it.. ? (I fear ever thinking to myself 'I wish my life could go back to the way it was before I got this bird') I hope that makes sense.. Like, when I first got my little yorkie.. Of course I went through a stressful period when she was new, crying all the time, needed to be potty trained, etc. and sometimes I ALMOST regretted getting her.. but NOW I cannot imagine life without her and owning her and taking care of her is simply second nature to me! nothing is really hard or an inconvenience ever.. Now, I realize a dog is quite different than a bird.. but.. Does anyone out there know what I mean and could you put my over-thinking mind to rest and let me know if owning your eclectus/any parrot has simply become second nature to you like how I described with my Yorkie?

I've wanted a parrot so bad for so many years and have really just held myself back in fear that I would "get sick of it in a couple months" or something.. Not sure if anyone understands my dilemma or how I am feeling but if anyone does, I would greatly appreciate some advice. I have just been so hesitant and have been inches from getting one for a long time.. Not sure what is holding me back. I just don't want to give the bird a poor life is all. But I also want to make sure I will enjoy living WITH the bird..

Thanks for any help/advice in advance!

Kyle

Hello KyleJames, I think I know how you feel.
Considering that you are familiar with birds and have fallen in love with one before, and considering that you have a little Yorkie and you love it and cannot imagine life without it and taking time and care of it is second nature to you now, and considering that you have always wanted one, and considering that you were smart enough to know that being in school was not a good time to get one and you waited, and considering that you are smart enough to know all of that...... well....... I don't know.

It is definitely a game changer owning a bird. Sounds like you already know that.
Considering that you have already done some research on their behaviors....
Consider the fact that you probably won't be satisfied until you have one....
But considering all of the above.....
And considering that you are already considering a thoughtful selection of one....

I think you will make a great parent

MrsKay,

Thank you for the reply. As you accurately mentioned, I have done a lot of research on both african greys (years of research) and now recently on Eclectus, I am one of those people that if I am going to own a parrot I am going to do it right. I would never buy one spontaneously.

And thank you for the compliment that I would be a good parent that alone makes me feel more confident. I literally feel like this is as big of a decision as deciding if I want to have a child right now.. which I am sure most everyone here would agree that it is virtually the same responsibility to some degree. Funny enough, I do not intend on having children.. animals will simply be my kids and a part of my family

I imagine that owning dogs is quite simpler.. but I just wish I could KNOW that I would never regret my decision and that it BECOMES as simple to me as owning a dog..

I know Eclectus are generally known to be a "quieter" breed (as far as parrots go). Can anyone tell me if it is possible to go lets say a full WEEK without any screaming from an eclectus? I don't mean total SILENCE.. I love the sounds, coos, mimcs, and voice they have..and don't even mind if that gets elevated in volume.. I just do not like the DEATH SCREAMS parrots can have. Granted, I am ok with them screaming loudly if they are excited to see me (or if it gets abnormally startled at something) but that would be the only time I find it acceptable.. If it is possible/normal for eclectus to go DAYS or longer without SCREAMING then I would have no problem.. I just fear constant noise.. I am not completely intolerant of noise but I fear having a bird and then never being able to 'escape' it.. I have a feeling that, with an eclectus, being this quiet IS typical..

These of course are worse-case scenarios that may be dramatic but I want to plan for these sorts of things and know what to expect..

Oh! Something else I have wanted to know but can't really find any direct info on.. How is it some birds are able to just be OUTSIDE in the open completely free? Some people here on the forum have all sorts of birds that have large outdoor play gyms and they don't fly off! Do you just train them? Does clipping the wings just make the bird naturally realize its limits? I would LOVE to have a parrot that I could freely walk outside with or put out on a large handmade play gym when the weather is nice here in phoenix without fearing that it will just fly off.. Dying to know more about this

Also, if that is possible, does anyone go to the grocery store or just do errands with their birds??

Hello Kyle, and welcome. I'm new here to, and have had my Ekki for 5 months. I wish I would have done it sooner. I have a wife, son and a Pomerainian. All get along pretty well with Mango. He is moulting right now, and not quite himself. He loves to be near you and play on or around us, not so snuggly as he was before the moult. But I hear that this will pass. He is very curious, people friendly and very playful. He loves showers and I take him most everywhere with me. My wife says I'm just plain wierd. Lol! But she'll come around. I always have him on a harness when we go outside. Lately, since he has been moulting, we haven't tried the harness, just think he would object, due to all his pin feathers poking back into his thin skin.
Diet is another thing, I only feed fresh fruits, vegetables and beans. He gets almonds and pistachios as treats. He loves berries and kiwi. Sprouted seeds are good too, I haven't given him any for a while now. I get worried I am doing it wrong and concerns about mold.
I am very happy with my decision to get him. Very quiet, except when a vacuum cleaner is running. Than all hell breaks loose! His wings come up, fluffs his feathers, and screams loud!
Only time he does this. Almost like he's competing who can be loudest! ? If you get one make sure it is well socialized, I think that has alot to do with how they act and grow up.
Hope this helps!

Hi Kyle and welcome!
I have a male ekkie, and he is a wonderful bird. I just wanted to see if you have been reading about their dietary needs? Ekko gets fresh veggies and fruit three times a day, and has an ekkie seed mix for his overnight food. Their diet is so important...when we got Ekko last December, his feathers were in terrible shape and he was chewing on them as well. We immediately changed his diet, and the feather bronzing is almost gone (finally!). It only takes me about 10 minutes per feeding to cut everything up, though I make my plans around the birds feeding and out times.
He is like a toddler, stubborn, sometimes has temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way...but he is amazing. He is quite smart, but is not a cuddly bird. He loves attention and interaction with us, and loves to be held, but does not like neck scritches.
He can scream so loud it shakes the walls, but hardly ever does. He does once at night every couple of days, and that's about it.

It is great that you are doing your research, and questioning yourself. There is no way to know whether you would regret it until you actually have one, I think.

Most of the folks you see here whose birds are outside without a harness are recall trained. You would not want to do this with an untrained bird, even if the wings are clipped. Just because a bird is clipped doesn't mean that the wind can't catch them and they are gone before you know it.

A bird will definitely change your schedule and your life...but I think there is nothing more worth it

Thank you Terry and Mango Alot of inspiration I wanted to hear. Thank you both for the practical information and letting me know their actual daily routines and noise levels. I think it is something I could handle. I personally think my nieces and nephews are more out of control than your birds sound THOSE baby screams get to me worse than bird screams lol.

And yes, I do know of their diet needs! I do not think this will be a huge issue.. not as convenient as just pouring some seed into a bowl but I could handle it.. Would a bag of mixed frozen vegetables (plain,natural, nothing added) be acceptable when I am pressed for time?

A local very reputable breeder had a boy eclectus but JUST sold him two weeks ago has anyone had any experience with eclectusparrot.com? I do not know how I feel about shipping a bird.. With the little knowledge I have on shipping birds, I do not think I like it.. what are your thoughts? Is it OK to buy a bird interstate? these birds seem to be very well socialized from that site..

There is also a 7 month parrot at a STORE not far from me but they want a little much for him and it is a STORE. but it is a very bird-friendly and highly regarded store.. how could I tell if the boy at this store has been properly socialized? I held him and he seemed sweet but since he was nervous with me he just sat still, quiet and observed..

Personally I would not use frozen veggies in place of fresh, you could always cut up a double batch of fresh instead if you were going to be in a hurry later

Darwin, my Hawkhead, was shipped to us and she arrived just fine. As long as you are dealing with a reputable dealer and airline it should be just fine, as long as the weather is not too extreme.

The way I look at it is that the birds in stores also need a good home I would recommend spending some more time with the one at the store even if you decide on getting one from a breeder. It will give you a little more insight into what an ekkie is like. Ekko spends a lot of time just quietly sitting and watching everything as well, he has this ekkie freeze that he does.

Terry57 said:

Personally I would not use frozen veggies in place of fresh, you could always cut up a double batch of fresh instead if you were going to be in a hurry later

Darwin, my Hawkhead, was shipped to us and she arrived just fine. As long as you are dealing with a reputable dealer and airline it should be just fine, as long as the weather is not too extreme.

The way I look at it is that the birds in stores also need a good home I would recommend spending some more time with the one at the store even if you decide on getting one from a breeder. It will give you a little more insight into what an ekkie is like. Ekko spends a lot of time just quietly sitting and watching everything as well, he has this ekkie freeze that he does.

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True, store birds need a good home. And I wouldn't want to deprive the poor thing simply because I HAVE to have it from a breeder.. It is not a typical bird store.. if that makes sense.. does it matter that it is 7 months old? Seems a little older than normal.. but I can't imagine that this is a big deal. I wonder if it will have any "long term" behavior differences (more screaming?) since it is around some loud macaws all day every day? I will go back and visit him again though!

Ekko was 2 when we got him, and I don't think it made any difference with him.
I also have amazons and Ekko picks up words they say but so far has not imitated their screams. I think that they would eventually stop anyway after they are not around the macs anymore. A few of my birds are quite loud, but Ekko doesn't hardly scream at all, I think it is just not in his nature. There are others here who have ekkies and they have mentioned that they don't scream alot either.
Please let us know how your next visit goes!

Eclectus like to sit and watch alot. I take my boy out on the deck in his travel cage, after a shower, or just because. He just loves watching and listening to the crows and the buzzards soar above. Even the occasional butterfly grabs his attention! Very peaceful parrot. And he has no problem keeping himself occupied when we're busy around the house. He is starting to mimic laughing and the dogs howling now. The first time really caught me off gaurd, nothing like petting your dog and hear his howl in the next room!
As long as the Ekki your looking at isn't lunging, or running away from you, he should be able to conform to your needs. I have used frozen veggies with no ill effects, in fact, I read somewhere they can actually be fresher than fresh veggies, because of how quickly they are flash frozen. I use both, depending on what is available locally.

Here's a picture I found of Mango and Einstein enjoying dinner on the deck. Can't figure out why all my pics are upside down, or sideways? ?:30:

Terry57 said:

Ekko was 2 when we got him, and I don't think it made any difference with him.
I also have amazons and Ekko picks up words they say but so far has not imitated their screams. I think that they would eventually stop anyway after they are not around the macs anymore. A few of my birds are quite loud, but Ekko doesn't hardly scream at all, I think it is just not in his nature. There are others here who have ekkies and they have mentioned that they don't scream alot either.
Please let us know how your next visit goes!

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Awesome! Thank you Terry!

Also, Does anyone have an opinion on traveling with their ecelectus? Not like vacation but I am frequently going to my Girlfriends house and would like to be able to take him with me. Not immediately of course, but I want him to get used to and maybe even like car rides..? Is this just too stressful? What about staying over night between my girlfriends house and my house? I would mostly be here at my home of course but would bringing an eclectus back and forth with me, say once a week, be too much stress on him? or is this something I simply would need to try and observe his behavior and stop if I see negative signs?

Mango121913 said:

Here's a picture I found of Mango and Einstein enjoying dinner on the deck. Can't figure out why all my pics are upside down, or sideways? ?:30:

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That's a fantastic picture! And thank you for the additional information. I am reading everything! thanks everyone for you continued input!

As I said, I take Mango everywhere. He loves car rides. I started the day I brought him home, 1.5 hr ride home and he was cooing, beak grinding all the way.. of course he was only 3 months old. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. Ever since, he has been going my mothers house every week when I go to mow her yard, about 30 minutes drive, along a bouncy bumpy road. Even took him to the beach where he loved all the attention he got from strangers. Watching the pelicans fish, and was amazed by the ocean waves too! Start with short trips and go from there, after he trusts you.

My boy Jolly was hand feeding still at 7 months, much longer than normal granted, he begged...I caved.. but he is a sweetheart and I don't think 7 months is too old. In fact at that age you will have bypassed the awful crying/begging noise that eclectus babies make which in imo is much worse than the occasional scream.

If something scares them they make a scream that will curl your eyelashes but it is rare and even then it's two or three loud screeches and it's done. Not like an amazon that can go on a jag! I have amazon's as well and as Terry said my ekkies have not picked up their noises.

There is no problem if you socialize your boy and expose him to new places, people and sounds and in fact is very good for them so going to your girlfriends house would be fine.

In a time crunch day I use some organic frozen veggies but I always add fresh stuff to it as well. The hardest part is thinking ahead so that they are getting a wide variety of foods and not the same thing day in and day out. Eclectus need variety even too much of a good thing is bad for them.

Eclectus are one of the parrots I will go on record saying try to avoid wing clipping if you can, imo they do not handle it well. That said you will either need to get a harness or a travel carrier to take him with you.

I also firmly believe that due to the ekkies unique feather structure that they really benefit from frequent baths 3 to 4 a week.

Good luck finding your new family member!

Thank you everyone for taking the time to give such detailed and informative responses. This is all great info..

That's great to know about the age and noise level. I really think an ecelectus will be great as far as noice goes. I am really excited that they are good travellers. I would definitely get a harness for him. I would also prefer NOT to get his wings clipped too.. I mean, look at those COLORS! I love the blue! I don't wanna clip that if I can avoid it!

Admittedly.. I have to mention that last night when I was laying in bed trying to sleep, I kept thinking about an eclectus and owning one as I have done every night for some time now and I am not sure if I am overwhelming myself by thinking of all the things I have to do but ultimately I told myself I shouldn't get one.. I have gone back and forth so much now saying YES I am getting one and NO I really shouldn't, it is driving me crazy. Has anyone ever done this? Or is this simply a sign that I shouldn't have one? :/

I try to imagine what my day would be like.. getting up, what I would do with him in the morning, feeding him, etc. then I tell myself "then I have to do this and this.. and that.. and this.. and then clean the cage regularly,etc.." then I get overwhelmed and think I shouldn't get one.. am I just overthinking it at this point?

I am sure you are all thinking "shut up and make a decision!" I don't want to regret getting one and I don't want to NOT get one and never know what I am missing out on..

All pet ownership is more responsibility, there are certainly things you can do that make it all easier, such as having some chop made up in batches so that it is less work everyday. Regular light cleaning makes the days that deep cleaning is needed not so difficult.

Only you can answer the question of whether this is the right time or not, if this is the right parrot breed for you or not.

Any time some one asks me about eclectus I first mention the most difficult aspects which is the varied fresh diet and how messy they can be because of that diet. They like to rub their food covered beaks on everything so keeping up with cleaning is important. If you let that old food dry on the perch and they keep rubbing fresh on it and then maybe peck some off and eat it you could have a sick bird on your hands, bacterial and fungal infections are a real concern due to the amount of fresh foods that they really must have.

While my coffee is still brewing and before I have even had a sip I am working on the birds breakfast. I would be lying if I said some days I feel all of my almost 50 years, would prefer to go back to bed and have no responsibilities but myself but those days are rare. The companionship, enjoyment, love, affection, laughter, comfort that my pets give me makes it all worth it!

^^Vey good post Iabell. I would add that the reward for me and my family outweigh the negatives of ownership by far. Yeah, they can be messy, but really all birds are to an extent, I even considered a Lori, bit my wife said that would never happen. I still think they are beautiful colorfull birds. But I really couldn't be happier with our decision. My wife is actually the first person Mango spoke to. He just did it yesterday, I thought he was just being silly. But he did it again this morning! I spend the most time with him! But, in all fairness, she helps make his bean cusine we freeze for him. So he notices things like that.

First off, let me applaud you for taking the time to consider whether or not bird ownership is for you. All too often, people impulse buy and then come to regret their decision later. And suddenly another bird is dropped off at the rescue.

The question that you're asking yourself is an important one. Personally, I wouldn't take the leap and get a parrot if I wasn't confident of both my ability and willingness to take care of it. Not everyone has the necessary temperament.

It is a commitment. Depending on the species of parrot, it is a lifelong one. Definitely not something to be entered into lightly. Food must be prepared. Cages must be cleaned. The parrot must be taken for vet visits. Bird toys, fresh fruits and veggies must become regular expenses. And daily, significant out of cage interaction time is absolutely necessary. All of these things will inevitably become neglected if you are not passionate about your fid.

Please don't think I'm trying to dissuade you from getting a parrot in general, or an eclectus in particular. I am a parront to a male eclectus named Bixby, and I find my companionship with him extremely rewarding. He is recall and bite pressure trained, partially potty-trained (work in progress!), and rather quiet save for his excitement when I first get home from work, or when my boys are running about and wrestling with one another. I couldn't be happier with my feathered boy.

But I happen to have a passion for parrots. Know what I mean?

My suggestion? Try to spend some time volunteering at a local bird rescue. The work you'd be doing there would likely dwarf what you'd be dealing with at home with a single bird, and you would get exposure to a good variety of different parrots. The experience would either cement in your mind your love for parrots, or convince you beyond all doubt that parrots are not for you. Then you could make the most informed possible decision.

Please keep us updated, either way.