Help! New to Eclectus Parrots

MangoEvans

New member
Jan 9, 2019
1
0
Hello everybody, I am very new to this!

Over Christmas, we found an Eclectus parrot in our garden.
We have taken him to the vets and followed up on lost bird ads, but no luck. Somebody must miss him terribly, but until someone comes up, we are more than happy to care for him. We have no history about him whatsoever, but have done lots of research and want to give him the best life while we have him.

I have been trying to feed him a healthy diet of fresh veg, salad, and fruit- minimal nuts and seeds and have even started sprouting, but he is not having it. He is fine with some things, but just throws out the stuff I think is best for him like dark greens and other things high in vitamin A. I also NEVER see him drink or go near any water. I've tried spraying him, but he doesn't care for that either. He's quite tame, but is a bit aggressive and destructive when it comes to food. He is always trying to get into things that aren't good for him like when I'm cooking or preparing mine or my families food. I'd just really appreciate some tips and advice please! Trying our best!

Thank you in advance!
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Hi and welcome.
As a devoted parrot owner, I would be beyond devastated. So I would encourage you to look on parrot 911, and Facebook, and other social media, to see if maybe you have missed the owner searching for their lost pet.

Have you had a parrot before? There is a lot to learn if you haven't. Many things in our home can be dangerous to birds. Like Teflon.

Ekkies have very special diet needs. And all Parrots are picky , and can be difficult to get to eat new things.

I want to support you, but only after an exhaustive search to reunite the parrot with their owners. Christmas can be a chaotic time , making loosing a parrot easy. Maybe visiting family accidentally let the bird out, maybe someone was traveling home to visit family and the bird escaped..... So I beg you to do more than look at bird adds and talking with one vet to reunite this bird with their family, please.
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Here is one listing from parrot 911
Export, Pennsylvania, United States 15632
Date Lost: December 16, 2018
Banded: No
Microchipped: No
Red under the wings. His favorite word is wow and he makes a chirp like he’s agreeing with you when he’s relaxed. He can be lured with almonds, and he loves peas. He can bite if frightened but he’s generally a friendly bird. He’s flighted but missing feathers and will occasionally whistle.

There is also a listening for one lost in Florida around Thanksgiving......
 
Last edited:

Anansi

Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Dec 18, 2013
22,301
4,211
Somerset,NJ
Parrots
Maya (Female Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Jolly (Male Solomon Island eclectus parrot), Bixby (Male, red-sided eclectus. RIP), Suzie (Male cockatiel. RIP)
Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

First, thank you for taking in this lost parrot and taking the time to learn the proper way to care for him until he can be reunited with his family. He's lucky to have found you.

As for feeding, some birds are just really finicky eaters. Add to that the possibility that his people might have had him on a diet other than veggies and fruits, and you have a real challenge before you. There's just no way to know what he is used to eating on a daily basis.

The thing is, birds can be VERY stubborn. So we have to be at least as persistent as they are stubborn. Sometimes a food type thrown away with disdain for one week becomes a favorite in the next. It might just be a matter of making it readily available until they finally give in and try it.

But it's not only persistence. There's also creativity. For birds, shape and texture can be just as important as taste. (Their sense of taste is far weaker than ours, so those other characteristics take on a greater level of import.) For instance, when one of my birds was turning his beak up at carrots (an important source of beta carotene) I took to grating the carrots instead of chopping them. All of a sudden, carrots were the best thing EVER! Weird, but true.

Perhaps try chopping the leafy greens and such so fine that they can't help but to eat them while eating some of the yummier tidbits. And while the emphasis should be on a variety of veggies, always throw a good fruit or two into the mix to amp up the flavor quotient.

You can also try mixing up the veggies in some unflavored oatmeal. Or zesting up the flavor of the chop with just the slightest pinch of virgin coconut oil. Try different temps. Different sizes. Soft vs crunchy. Just think outside the box.

As mentioned above, if this is your first birds there's a lot you should know. Here's a link you might find helpful: http://www.parrotforums.com/new-mem...friendly-warnings-keep-your-parrots-safe.html

And here is the site that I consider to be the ekkie bible when it comes to eclectus diets: fruitandveg That site is chock full of valuable info and worth reading every section.

Please reach out if you have any more questions.
 

EllenD

New member
Aug 20, 2016
3,979
65
State College, PA
Parrots
Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
I will second that you go to all of the websites you can, including Parrot911, ParrotAlert, and all of your local Craigslist pages (Community-Pets) and not only search/look for "lost bird" ads, but also please place your own "Found Bird" ads, on each website, without giving out the species of parrot. Simply state that you "Found a tame parrot in my garden", state the town/city that you live where the bird was found and the date that you found it, and ask them to contact you. Then when anyone contacts you see if they can describe what species of bird it is and tell you where the bird flew-away from...There isn't going to be more than one tame Eclectus anywhere near you that flew-away, and especially since you can identify the gender/type of Eclectus the bird is, anyone that contacts you and immediately tells you that they lost their Eclectus on a date before you found him, then you'll know that it's their bird...

This bird is someone's baby, their family member...And while I am thankful that you're caring for this bird and you looked for any "lost bird ads", you do need to be proactive about finding his owner by placing your own "Found Bird ad" in all the proper places, as well as letting your local pet/bird shops and all the Veterinary offices know that you've found a tame Eclectus and give them your info, and let them filter out the loonies. Someone is missing him very much, could be children that are missing him desperately and crying over it every day...it's especially hard to lose a family member over the holidays, and the fact that he's tame means he was probably a very dear pet that may have gotten loose while traveling or going to the homes of family or friends during the holiday...so please place a "Found Bird Ad" on at least Parrot911, ParrotAlert, and especially on all of your local/surrounding Craigslist Community Pet pages, as that's probably the first place people are going to look for a lost pet that has been found...
 

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,045
8,742
Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Thank you for rescuing this darling, and good luck in finding her family!
Thank you for sharing and reaching out...
 

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