Eclectus Life Span?

[Hurricane]

How old do they generally live? I am reading some very conflicting things. Some say from 30-60 years old, and then I read somewhere else that they only live to 20 if you're lucky.

Any insight?

 

[Bobby34231]

Under ideal conditions in captivity I would say the average lifespan would be about 30-35 years, I think 60 would be pretty rare

 

[JawzX]

I don't know, but I'd just like to chime in and say I have similar problem with finding the lifespan of Alexandrines...

some sources say 20-25, some 30-40... Not quite as large a disparity as you are seeing, but it seems evenly split between 20-something and 30+...

the sources that talk about wild birds all seem to tend toward the longer side though.

 

[Hurricane]

I was not reading about the lifespan of a wild ekkie, I was reading about their lifespan in captivity.

20 years just seems so short a life... especially for a parrot.

 

[Bobby34231]

I think its going be pretty hard to say as Ekkies are one of those companion birds that haven't been kept as pets over a long period of time, at least not by those that have documented it.......

 

[nofearengineer]

Remember that lifespan is different than life expectancy.

Lifespan is a biological term, and basically represents how long the bird can live in optimum conditions.

Life expectancy is how long it will probably live (on average) in the conditions it is actually in.

People tend to confuse the two.

I think with Eclectus parrots (just reading...no personal knowledge), the very regimented diet required to keep them healthy has probably caused their life expectancy in captivity to suffer. Properly cared for, I don't se any reason why they would break with the loose rule of thumb "the larger the parrot, the longer-lived." I wouldn't think 60 years would be out of the question, if someone were very diligent, and yes, lucky as well.

I think other species of parrots have a longer life expectancy in captivity than their wild brethren, albeit some would argue that their lives are not as full (not me! ). Eclectus parrots (Eclectuses, Eclecti..is it Greek or Latin? ) might just be the exception to that rule (but hopefully that will change!!!).

 

[Hurricane]

You are correct. I meant life expectancy. I'm hoping for my birds to be a part of my life for much longer than 20 or 30 years.

I also agree that it is most likely due to the little knowledge about them... and I too hope that this changes.

The name comes from the word eclectic (or so I read) due to the fact that they are sexually dimorphic.

 

[Aussie Ben]

You may be interested in this thread:
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/4796-dumb-question-about-lifespan-ekkys.html

It really is hard to say what age these birds may be able to live to in captivity. There is still so much we don't know about their diet/environment requirements.

Here is a thread about an ekkie, where the leg band suggests he is 23yo:
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/4880-male-adult-eclectus-rescue.html

 

[Peeker]

I'm certainly hoping for a life expectancy of more than 20 years! I was told my Tina was 10 when I adopted her and I've had her for another 10 years! So far she doesn't seem any older than the day I first got her. I know that the information I got could be wrong but I also adopted Ruby from the same person and she has a leg band dated '96 which puts her at 16 or 17 years old now.

 

[c3honey84]

The truth is, the eclectus parrots that we all now own, will probably be the oldest living ones in captivity! Especially since now we know so much more about their digestive systems and behavior. They have only been widely bred for a few decades, so no one really knows how long they can live. I would love to hear who on this forum has the oldest one!

 

[Peeker]

I would love to hear who on this forum has the oldest one!

So would I! I don't really think of mine as old. Ruby still lays an egg or two every year and I would think that would mean she is still breeding age and NOT into her twilight years.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I was always saddened by the life span of the eclectus. I actually never wanted one because of that. It makes a lot of since that it was simply caused by our lack of knowledge on diet and such. When I first got Rosie everywhere I looked(in America) said 30-40 years. I later learned it was from bad diet and no flying, I know of many Galah's now that are in their 60's and still kicking.

 

[Soyajam]

In lots of the books I've read, they say if you really look after them, they can live to 60+. Thats a helluva long time!

 

[littleredhen77]

ive recently adopted an eclectus, and his previous owner told me he was 25. im unsure though because his leg band says either 95 or 96, its hard to read because it looks like it was stamped twice where the number didnt make a good enough mark and theyre kinda overlapped. either way, if that number represents his age, he is 19 or 20. ive ony had him a few weeks, less than a month, and he is my first ekkie so i cant say if hes extra active or 'young acting' but he sure is friendly, curious, and happy!

i too would like to know what the oldest one here is, because i prefer to think they can live to be 60+, i want my Ziggy to be my friend for a long time to come! )

 

[MikeyTN]

Just letting you know that your posting into a very old post.

From everything I've read their life span is right around 35. Our pairs are around 10 years old. My Cockatoo is the oldest at 20 years old as she was hatched in 95.

 

[littleredhen77]

i realize it is old, but i found it from google so i figured id update it for the next person who finds it

 

[Anansi]

The lifespan of ekkies was previously believed to be 20-30 years because of their specialized dietary requirements. When these dietary requirements are not met, years, even decades, are likely lost from their life expectancy. Initially, life span estimates were coming in as low as 15 years!

Given what we know now, an ekkie on a good diet will live much closer to 60+ years than the previously believed 30.

 

[steeleyourheart]

A couple years ago when my male eclectus started declining I started hunting for a answer . I couldn't find anyone with a answer or a parrot that had any age on them. My boy lived to 38 . I never found another one older. I could not find a vet or a breeder who had ever seen a older one. I have had a lot of vets since try and tell me how to raise eclectus , I found the reason my boy lived longer than ones brought in around the same time is he always had fresh fruit an d veggies , He had seeds, a lot of variety. A lot of people suggest pellets , I strongly advise against this. Enjoy a long happy life with you bird

 

[goran]

The lifespan of ekkies was previously believed to be 20-30 years because of their specialized dietary requirements. When these dietary requirements are not met, years, even decades, are likely lost from their life expectancy. Initially, life span estimates were coming in as low as 15 years!

Given what we know now, an ekkie on a good diet will live much closer to 60+ years than the previously believed 30.

I want it to be truth. And I want to be an eclectus keeper. I can get started next year and now i want to know everything about diet and other requirements.

But 60 years old eclectus is just theory now. In practice I already see very messy information. And I think we can to improve it.

For example. I have read about officially maximum detected ekkie lifespan of 28y. It was detected long time ago in one of zoos. After this I have looked for birds in zoos, which still alive now. And I found much better! There are Mae eclectus from Tulsa zoo. She is 33 years old and she is alive now. So, we can't say 28 years is maximum age which we can proof documentary.

But Tulsa is just one zoo which pablic this information. And I don't know is she was born in the zoo and is this her real age. Can we get fresh statistics from another zoos or vets? I believe there are an eclectus older.

 

[Keatz]

I don't think eclectus have been kept long enough to find out what their life-span in captivity is.
I did read that they should have the same life expectancy as any other parrot their size, which would suggest that if kept in the right conditions, with proper nutrition, they could live considerably longer than thirty years.
I think nutrition is the key to a long life. Cockatiels live for around twenty five years in the wild, but in captivity, most live for around ten. It is believed that the reason for this is because most cockatiels in captivity are fed mostly seed.
Of course, even if an eclectus does have a long life expectancy, it doesn't mean it will be around for that long. Before Oscar, I had a pet cockatoo. She was supposed to live from fifty to seventy years. But she was twenty four when she died, after getting an infection in her blood from an operation to remove a hernia.
Now with Oscar, I don't worry about what his life expectancy is. I just enjoy him while I have him.