Potential new Eclectus owner - please help me choose :)

Hi there, I posted on another part of this forum last week to ask about what parrot would be suitable for me and my family. TBH I hadn't even thought of an Eclectus until today, I went to a bird show and saw a pair and fell in love! I was wanting to know if you guys thought that one would be suitable or whether I should leave it.

I am wanting a family bird who can interact and become part off our family - my family consists of me, my partner and the kids - my step-son is 16, my son is 7 and my daughter is 4. I am planning on being the main carer however my kids would like to be involved. What I need to know is would an Eclectus bond with just one of us or would it be OK with everyone? How tolerable are they of kids and what sort of temperament are they likely to have - i.e. are they prone to bite (I am aware all birds can bite but is this a known problem in them)? Also would a male or female be more suited or doesn't it matter? Sorry for all the questions, I am doing research myself on websites alongside my questions on here.
Thanks,
Lauren

Hi Lauren,
I have a male eclectus and he is a great bird. He does bite sometimes, but is easy to get along with for the most part. He seems to like my husband and I equally. He has not been around small kids, so I can't speak to that part where he is concerned.
The diet is an important thing to consider. They require mostly fresh veggies and fruits as their main diet, and mine also gets a small amount of Volkman Eclectus seeds for his overnight feed.
It is great that you are doing your research before deciding on what kind of bird will fit your family

Terry57 said:

Hi Lauren,
I have a male eclectus and he is a great bird. He does bite sometimes, but is easy to get along with for the most part. He seems to like my husband and I equally. He has not been around small kids, so I can't speak to that part where he is concerned.
The diet is an important thing to consider. They require mostly fresh veggies and fruits as their main diet, and mine also gets a small amount of Volkman Eclectus seeds for his overnight feed.
It is great that you are doing your research before deciding on what kind of bird will fit your family

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Thanks for your answer The diet would not be an issue, we eat a great variety of fruit and veg is our house so there is always a selection I always do research before buying any animals and with this being a pet for a long time I think it is especially important, I don't want to make a mistake and buy an animal that is not suitable or we can't care for properly

Hi Lauren,

I too have a male Eclectus (Oliver a tad over two years old) and I too researched every article I could get my hands on before deciding which parrot would be a perfect blend for me and my family. I too am the primary caretaker but he's great with everyone. I don't have little kids but he's fine with my 75 pound German Shepherd (who's more afraid of this little green spec than the other way around!).

Oliver is out of his cage whenever I'm home hence interacting with us throughout the day. He is quite independent and for the most part quiet (no loud screeching but when he does...holy cow is it loud!. I'd see he's a talker which is totally adorable.

I feed him only whole foods such as: brown rice, beans, fresh fruit, vegetables, etc. and when I got to work a tablespoon of seeds, pellets, and other goodies) placed in his forage wheel.

I hope that helps! I love Oliver (and all the work that a comes with owning a parrot) and have not one regret for the species I chose. Oh and for the record, I was petrified he'd bite so I had a huge beak fear...which thanks to this forum I'm totally past and even go so far as to kiss his beak on a regular basis. He's never bit me but I do pay attention and respect his moods...

Thanks for the reply Your's sounds lovely I still don't know if I will venture into eclectus just yet - the species is definitely on the cards for the future though!

Hi,

Iv only recently purchased an Eclectus but I'll give you my opinion anyway.

The gender battle, general consensus is that the males are less likely so show aggressive behavior, but it comes down to the individual bird. I played with two different female Eclectus and they were extreme opposites. One was quite nippy and unpleasant and one didn't like to bite at all, no matter how much you annoyed her. Personally I think it's important that you spend a bit of time with a few different males/females to find the right one for you.

You might also want to try and get a Solomon or Red Sided Eclectus, iv 'read' that they're more docile than the others.

Uroplatus said:

Hi there, I posted on another part of this forum last week to ask about what parrot would be suitable for me and my family. TBH I hadn't even thought of an Eclectus until today, I went to a bird show and saw a pair and fell in love! I was wanting to know if you guys thought that one would be suitable or whether I should leave it.

I am wanting a family bird who can interact and become part off our family - my family consists of me, my partner and the kids - my step-son is 16, my son is 7 and my daughter is 4. I am planning on being the main carer however my kids would like to be involved. What I need to know is would an Eclectus bond with just one of us or would it be OK with everyone? How tolerable are they of kids and what sort of temperament are they likely to have - i.e. are they prone to bite (I am aware all birds can bite but is this a known problem in them)? Also would a male or female be more suited or doesn't it matter? Sorry for all the questions, I am doing research myself on websites alongside my questions on here.
Thanks,
Lauren

Click to expand...

So I own a Solomon Island female & male. When I got my female she kept to herself and didn't want to go near me. I've now had her for three years and my vet told me she's the calmest femail eccy he's met! Both my male and female are totally different - My male is full of energy while the female is happy to sit on my shoulder all day long.
They both are very calm and aren't bothered by our dog we have.
I feed them both brown rice, vegies and fruit.
They're awesome birds to own.