Male Eclectus Talking

Hello just bought a Male Eclectus he’s 1yr 3 months old and
Bought him from a breeder from a parrot Show I’ve had him for a month he makes noises but don’t talk! Is he to old to learn to talk or can he still learn?

Thanks James

there's no such thing as too old to talk.

But he has to WANT to talk and also needs to learn the words as part of his mimicry. You can't force talking out of a parrot. The easiest way to get them talking is to make them as happy as you can, Gigantic cage, tonnes of toys, good diet (Eclectus' require special diets in case you hadn't been made aware) foraging opportunities and importantly time with you playing and bonding.

But like I say be aware he may just never decide to talk. There are many African Greys that never talk despite being known for their speech abilities, and yet there are some tiny Conures which aren't known for talking who can say loads of things. It is their decision after all

Hello and welcome!

Youbboh is at an age where, if he talk, he’s only just going to start learning. I think they can start as young as 6 months but I think typically it’s 9-12 months. They’re never “too old” to art art. I’m sure your boy will start talking soon enough, it’ll just be on his own time.

Ofc course some birds never talk, and that’s ok too. The talking shouldn’t really be a big factor in choosing a bird.

I have a 10 year old macaw who learns new words all by herself-- no idea how fast she will learn if I would be practising with her.

So I do not think your bird is too old to learn.
Not sure how well male ekkies talk though?

(I did not think macaws would talk either! I always asumed they would not, when you see them in films there is always a voice-actor doing the work ...)

Thanks and another question we try and get him to step up on our hand but he lunges at us! What can we do to teach him to step up! And some times he stands on one foot then swaps it for the other but it’s not when he sleeps!

Thanks James

Oh..there is a sticky about that question...


( lemme see if I can find it for you, you mostly use: ) http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html to kind of 'lure' him on your hand and teach the "step up" command.
And no... once they know the command it is no guarantee they will comply every time, parrots do have a mind of their own



... you might need: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html as well
(almost everyone does eventually)


there is a youtube by birdtricks where they teach a parrot to step up that way: no pain, much gain.

Thanks all is there any more tips or advice for a new Eclectus keeper noobie?
And can’t find the step up vid on your tube?

There are myriad videos on YouTube on how to do step up training. Promise

“Any other tips”...such a vague question. Suppose we could point out the specialized dietary needs you must observe, or the critical need to learn your birds body language, which with ekkies isn’t easy since they are very subtle.

Training training training is so important to help stimulate the mind.

And incorporate foraging into your ekkie’s daily routine.

Another question the smell coming from the parrot is strong is there anything I can do to tone down his odour?

Jimmy07 said:

Another question the smell coming from the parrot is strong is there anything I can do to tone down his odour?

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There shouldn't be a strong odour.

How often do you shower him? He should be getting a shower once every day or two. Literally just mist him or put him in the shower (don't use soap or anything) and he'll take care of himself.

If he does get regular showers and still has a strong odour, then bring him to the vet asap. Where do you live? We can help you find a Certified Avian Vet, or at least an avian vet with some knowledge.

I’ve had some strong fruity odors coming from Parker before. It was either hormones or diet (often seemed to coincide with hormones).

Either way it should subside on its own.

If you're talking a sour odor, get him to the vet right away. Is it coming from his mouth? Or body in general?

On talking - try watching some videos of parrots talking, on Youtube, with your Ekkie. Thats how Salty learns most of the things he says. He mimics us too, but he will get things quicker if he hears an Indian ricgneck or another Amazon saying it.

Eclectus are very capable of talking. My male "Sasquatch" had the smoothest little-boy voice and a good vocabulary.

Regarding talking, it took Cairo about 2 months (pretty fast actually) to start practicing, then a few more weeks before he would practice in front of us.

That being said, he prefers to learn things that both my partner and I use, especially things we say together. I'm the only person who uses food-specific vocab, so Cairo doesn't pick it up. But laughing is something we both use, so Cairo quickly picked that up. He only started to pick up whistling after a session of my partner and I whistling together.

That being said, my partner works from home, so Cairo has picked up saying his own name and "step-up" in my partner's voice.

I know other ekkies pick up sounds that pique their interest. But Cairo only cares if it's something his flock (the two of us) use. He will occasionally practice things a group of people say to him (we had friends that sat in a circle around him, making clicking sounds, so he did practice that a little the next day, but we never used it around him, so he then stopped practicing the sound by the following day).

Your little guy probably has his own criteria of what's considered worth saying.

I'm kind of concerned after reading that your bird "has a very strong odor coming from him"...Exactly what kind of odor are you talking about? What does he smell like? And where is the smell coming from, from his feathers/exterior body, like a general smell, or is it coming from his mouth/open beak?

Birds don't typically have any odor or smell like anything, certainly not a "very strong odor", that's alarming...I know you said that he's over a year old and that you apparently adopted him from his prior owner or bought him as an adult from a pet shop, so it's quite possible that he's got some type of infection, which is usually what causes "odors" coming from a bird...Specifically a Fungal/Yeast infection can cause a bird to smell kind of "sour", and if the smell is specifically coming from his mouth/open beak then that's a sure sign that he's got a Yeast/Fungal infection in his Crop/GI Tract...

It's also possible that your bird smells because he was living in a dirty cage or was exposed to something in his prior home/store, such as cigarette smoke, or if his cage wasn't cleaned regularly, or if he had dirty drinking water and his tail got into the water (if there water isn't changed daily they can poop in it or dunk their food in it, and it becomes horrible smelling)...So it just depends on what he actually "smells" like. Just know that he shouldn't have an "odor" at all, least of all a "strong odor coming from him", and you need to address this and make sure it's not some type of infection...He may just need a good shower/bath from living in his prior home...If you give him a nice, long shower (which he may even enjoy) and then he still smells badly,
then something isn't right...

Have you found a Certified Avian Vet yet? You should ALWAYS take a new bird to a Certified Avian Vet within the first couple of weeks of bringing him home for a "Wellness Exam" that must include a Fecal Culture and full, routine Blood-Work to check his Liver and Kidney function, check for any active infections, and see if he is suffering from any dietary/nutritional deficiencies...And please do not take him to an "Exotics" Vet who sees all kinds of animals, but rather a Certified Avian Vet or Avian Specialist that ONLY sees birds and has lots of experience specifically in treating only birds. Exotics Vets usually only make things worse, as they have no special education or training in avian medicine at all, they are simply "willing to see" birds, along with reptiles, rodents, primates, etc. They have no expertise in anything. We can help you find the closest CAV or Avian Specialist Vet to you, there is a great search tool her for that, and trust me, even if you have to drive a few hours one-way to get to the closest CAV or Avian Specialist Vet, it's absolutely worth it, as it often is the difference between a healthy bird and a bird dying.

***Also, since you asked about "tips and advice", you are aware of the very specialized diet that all Ekkies must be eating that is very different than that of any other parrot species, right? The biggest thing you need to be aware of when owning an Ekkie is what their regular, daily diet needs to be, as you shouldn't be feeding him a common pellet/seed diet, but rather a diet based in fresh veggies and fruits, along with other natural grains...So if you are not aware of this then that would be the first thing that you need to address immediately...

EllenD said:

...Exotics Vets usually only make things worse, as they have no special education or training in avian medicine at all, they are simply "willing to see" birds, along with reptiles, rodents, primates, etc. They have no expertise in anything....

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While I strongly agree with just about 95% of what you said in your post, I do think the part I quoted here is a bit strong. I also advocate seeing CAV's over Exotics Vets, as they generally have more experience and schooling when it comes to birds. But I just wouldn't go so far as to say they usually make things worse.

I'm not nitpicking here. I just don't want anyone faced with a choice between an Exotics Vet or no vet at all to make the wrong choice for fear of making things worse, you know? When I advocate going to a CAV, I'm not taking anything away from Exotics Vets. I'm just saying that CAV's are, generally speaking, the better choice for birds.