Unanswered Questions

Hi! My family is considering getting an eclectus. I have been diligently researching for a while now and here are a few questions that I have not been able to find clear answers to that I'm hoping you all can help with! I realize a lot of these questions will vary for each individual bird but I'm just trying to get a generalized idea. Feel free to answer any or all questions and skip the ones you feel may be too personal.

1. How much food to they eat daily? There is so much information about what they eat and how to prepare it but the actual quantity is hard to find.

2. Realistically how much time do you spend with your bird on you each day?

3. I am a stay-at-home mom but if I return to work in the future will this be a problem? I am a teacher and would not work long hours.

4. Do you clip your bird's wings?

5. Do you use a harness?

6. How many times a year do you get bit?

7. How much did you pay for your eclectus? The asking rate seems to be $1100 USD but I know this is open to negotiation.

Thanks for all your help!

Hey there and welcome!

1) it's kind of a duh answer, but feed them as much aas they want to eat. With chop it may amount to up to 1/4 cup each meal. I feed less, because much of that 1/4 cup goes to waste here.

2 &3) we work 9-5, so are out for up to 11 hours. As long as you have a decent sized cage with lots of toys it's fine. Parker is out of cage on his playstand whenever we are home. So he's WITH us 5 hours during the weekdays. Spend with him? It's up to him. He's pretty independent so most of the time is happy just sitting on his cage, refusing to come down.

4) no. Ekkies more than other birds are more likely to react to clipping with barbering/plucking. Plus it's better for their mental health to remain intact.

5) I tried. Parker never took to harness training so I got a Pak o bird

6) on average I get bit maybe once every month and a half to two months. Some of it is my fault, like he's on my shoulder and I change direction too quickly. Other times, he may be just a touch hormonal and inpredictable.

7) I adopted my boy for $500 plus large cage. But you have the average about right. Maybe $1200-$1400

1. It depends on your bird, give him more than you think he'll eat and then over time you'll learn how much your fid eats

2. My birds tend to end up velcro birds so whenever I'm home, bird's with me lol

3. Possibly, if you find out you're going back to work, what you can do is, you start going away more and more as the days or weeks progress so that eventually, your fid will be used to you being away during those hours

4. Personally, no, I prefer having them flighted and bird proofing my home

5. I was harness training Kiwiberry before she passed away, unfortunately we never got to go all the way

6. It totally depends on your bird and the circumstance in which you get bit, there's no way to estimate it

7. It depends on where you live, but I had an ekkie for a short while and I paid right around $450 for him.

This may help summarize all your questions!





And of course,

I havent gotten a serious bite in ages...the first month was a learning curve for both of us, but after a year it's mostly him grabbing my finger and shoving it away with a growl. I cant recall the last time I was bitten in anger or fear from him. Does it hurt? yeah, some...not a tickle but it certainly isnt the end of the world. I dont look to get bitten but im also not afraid of it.

How much does he eat? ....that's a tough one, but generally the other responses are right on target. Each bird is an individual, you may get better mileage out of your food but mine has been a work in progress over the last year. Im finally winning the food war, but it's taken a LONG time.

Cost: for a baby $1100 seems a tad low, but close.

Do I clip? Yes--for right now. When he grew his flight feathers back in he wasnt secure enough with us or his environment to where I felt giving him the run of the house was a safe thing to do. Right now he has run of the house but doesnt travel much beyond his cage when Im not home. I may find him on the table (2 feet away) or see that he's been on the counter, but he's only left "his room" a few times---and that was to wait for me on the stair railing by the front door. He's in his cage if no one is home, my husband lets him out if he's home but does a realllllllly poor job of supervising. We have started working on recall training (an essential skill i feel, if I leave him unclipped), and he ABSOLUTELY wears a harness when outside--there are too many hawks and falcons for him to not be tethered to me. If we are on the patio, he's in a cage. If you start young, you can probably accomplish harness training per the video instructions. As an adult, my independantly minded boy isnt going to go for that so it's wrestle-mania when it comes to harness time. I know Im not in the mainstream with this approach, but for us it works--he complains but doesnt bite--he trusts me, he's just sharing his "opinion" on it. He only fusses about the cinching and knows harness = outside/walk so he calms down fast. I want to emphasize that I can read him...this may not work for everyone.

How much time do i spend with him? My schedule is erratic so some days im gone for 12 hours and some days Im home most if not all the day. When I run errands I often take him with me--he loves car rides. If Im home, he's pretty much with me--he's a great shoulder rider but also a velcro boy. We're working on that. He has to be in the same room or I'll get endless flock calls. This is probably my fault for being too lenient when I first got him and not establishing boundaries. If/when you go to work you will need to provide toys and things to keep your bird busy and not bored, but honestly there is no way to tell in advance how they will react to a sudden change in lifestyle.

No matter what, you'll surely end up in love---they have a way of pecking their way into your heart pretty darn fast.

1. Fill up the cup, see how much they eat, then adjust. Changes sometimes as well. For "snacky time" it's always 1 tablespoon of mixed seeds.

2. Through the week a couple hours a night. His cage is open as soon as I get home so even if I'm not handling him I still talk with Jasper and he plays on top of his cage.

3. I'm gone about 9 hours a day from Jasper. They adjust to your schedules but you need to make sure they have lots of toys while you're gone. I have a variety of music that I leave on for Jasper when I'm gone as well. I also keep an eye on him via Skype so I know he's ok hehe

4. I did for the first 2 years, not now. He doesn't fly much in my apartment so it seems to be fine right now. I made the decision to stop because he was having hard landings and breaking too many tail feathers.

5. Trying to!! This will be the most frustrating experience for you probably....

6. I've never had a serious bite from Jasper. He's never drawn blood. Pinches but never has bitten.

7. About $1100 + shipping in Canada from a breeder

EkkieLady said:

Hi! My family is considering getting an eclectus. I have been diligently researching for a while now and here are a few questions that I have not been able to find clear answers to that I'm hoping you all can help with! I realize a lot of these questions will vary for each individual bird but I'm just trying to get a generalized idea. Feel free to answer any or all questions and skip the ones you feel may be too personal.

1. How much food to they eat daily? There is so much information about what they eat and how to prepare it but the actual quantity is hard to find.

2. Realistically how much time do you spend with your bird on you each day?

3. I am a stay-at-home mom but if I return to work in the future will this be a problem? I am a teacher and would not work long hours.

4. Do you clip your bird's wings?

5. Do you use a harness?

6. How many times a year do you get bit?

7. How much did you pay for your eclectus? The asking rate seems to be $1100 USD but I know this is open to negotiation.

Thanks for all your help!

Click to expand...

1. Listen to the others. Sofus is in the process of a complete U-turn regarding his diet, so he isn't eating as much as he should. My hope is he would eat about ½-1 cup of fresh and a small handful of organic pellets.

2. I work from home, but I can't have him out with my macaws and still focus on work, so realisticly, he's out from about noon to nine o'clock at night.

3. If you give your bird enough space and things to do (I see the eclectus in need of more puzzles and things to solve, than my macaws) going back to work, should be ok. Just remember to "job train", so you don't just go back to work and come home to find a naked chicken, because the stress was too much.

4. No, I don't wing clip any of my birds. The respiratory system of birds are dependant on their movement of their wings to keep functioning properly. You take a substantial amount of years of their lifespan, if they don't get regular exercise of their wings.

5. Yes, I harness all my birds. They know, that harness means going outside (and sit on Mommy for hours), so they quite quickly accept the harness. Even my Ekkie, who I have not have for long, is harnessed. He was with me all day yesterday as I had to work at one our depots.

6. I have only been bitten once and that was the first time I put a harness on him (he didn't know the fun we were going to have). Other than that, he just gently removes my fingers, if I do stuff he dislikes.

7. Mine is a rescue, so I only paid 450 USD with a cage and a lot of toys and ropes for playstands.

My ekkie is a bit traumatised as he has changed homes 7 times in his 5 year long life. His true nature may be feistier, once he starts to relax and becomes more of a bird. They handle stress differently and my Sofus reacts by blocking himself from the world around him.