Eclectus: preparation guidance for first time owner

4toes_1beak

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Hello,

I'm new to the forum and I do not own an Eclectus parrot but am preparing myself to bring one home within the next 2-3 years (maybe 4 but hopefully it will not be that long). Looking for a Solomon Eclectus.

I understand that special diets and care need to be taken into consideration as they are different from most parrots down to their difference in the colors of a male vs colors of a female.

I have been looking up breeders just to educate myself on the signs of a quality breeder vs an unscrupulous breeder. I've ordered a book by a vet that you guys have recommended on here through reading your forums (waiting for the book to arrive) and read your experiences with different personalities found among eclectus parrots even though most of them were male and I am interested in a female, and I understand females tend to be more aggressive than males which is something I don't mind. I've seen photos on what large birds can do, and am willing to accept responsibility. I use to work in an animal hospital and I use to be around horses regularly and have nearly been killed by a horse I knew quite well and mounted back on him moments later after telling him he was a very bad boy (only reason I'm not around horses anymore is for the same reason I will not get a parrot right now... financial obligation towards special veterinary attention). Aggressive animal behavior doesn't easily scare me away. Disease will.

There are a lot things I would like to know that I cannot find online (aside from wiki-how if it even has what I'm looking for) and would like some insight.

1st: What is the best way to acclimate a new eclectus to a home with 2 kids (my kids will be 7 and 8 years of age if I bring home the bird in two years) a live-in man (he sleeps in the bed with me, helps cook dinner, helps take care of the kids and dogs, loves animals as much as I do, helps clean the house and does his own laundry), and 2 large dogs. (The dogs will be almost 9 and almost 10 in 2 years so there is a chance that they might not be around in 2 years).

2nd: Do eclectus show any warning signs before they bite or are they like cockatoos where there is no visual warning sign you just feel this heightened energy all of the sudden? How do I train them not to bite? (wiki-how had a special thing on eclectus no-bite training but I would like some insider help and if there is a different approach with male vs female.)

3rd: When a female is showing hormonal behavior, what do you recommend to stop her from doing this?

4th: I read that eclectus like to eat eggs if they are well cooked. ... Could I feed the female eggs that she has laid or is that a "don't do it"? (Don't look at me that way.) Can they have cooked steak?

5th: Are they possible to potty train? I have potty trained a budgie before but... that's a budgie. Took a ton of patience. Potty training my daughter took more patience. Rabbits are the easiest to potty train.

6th: I live in the USA. So far I've only found one Eclectus breeder and while they do have a lot of positive reviews, there were two negative reviews that concerned me and the fact their aviary isn't open to the public is more concerning (am I overreacting? Please let me know.) What USA (preferably northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin area but I will make the drive cross country if need be) breeders and aviaries do you recommend? I don't want to adopt a re-homed bird. I feel like that would be for a more experienced Eclectus owner. Plus I wanna raise it from 4 months old.

7th: Will they get "too jealous" if a newborn baby arrives? I DO NOT want more kids. I have a son and a daughter. But, accidents can happen. If jealousy does happen, how do I correct this? How do I go around this?

8th: What is the most humane training method to teach an eclectus not to scream?

9th: What type of people would make the best person to will the bird to if something happens to me? Should I educate my friend that has an african grey about eclectus parrots? Should I just rely on my spouse or kids? (I love horses and every year there is an equestrian that is killed by their love of being an equestrian. There's always a risk when you deal with an animal that weighs as much as a car and has a mind of it's own.)

I want to be as educated as possible when I get this bird as they do live a long time (I'm 29 now, so by the time I get this bird they will pass away by the time I'm in my early 70's if not later).

I know each bird has their own unique personality, so considering this all the information I can get to prepare myself and my family to have this bird not only survive but thrive as well as keeping the house hold happy will help even if it is information as simple as how to train them to enjoy a shower and stealing treats from someone's hand is bad manners.
 
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charmedbyekkie

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The more ekkie pros on the forum will probably pop by shortly, but I just wanted to quickly answer you briefly in the meantime.

Before all that, I highly recommend you adopt an adult bird, not a baby. Your baby may be cute now, but that could all change with puberty. And puberty isn't always nice - it could be aggressive (biting/attacking), it could be screaming, it could be masturbating. In addition, ekkies can live up to 50 years or so. Do you have any plans for if a (now) baby outlives you? A more adult bird is more likely to be settled in his personality, more chill overall. Whereas a baby going to teenage years (which can last until they're about 7 or so) will be more attention-needing and bouncing off the walls (at least that's how it feels like to me sometimes).


1. Follow your bird's lead. He might want to fly around a bit. He might want to chill inside his cage.

2. This depends on the individual (another reason why you should get an adult). Our boy normally gently pushes your finger away unless you keep insisting, and then he increases pressure. At the peak of his puberty hormones (which may yet come back since he's not yet 2yo), he would dive-bomb and attack to draw blood without warning. That's hormones. Now that it's died down, he gives warning. He doesn't bite me at all, but he learned he can bully my partner (yay, teenager testing boundaries), so his feathers will swell and his eyes will start pining (by then it's danger zone). Now, females are hormonal in a different way, and they can be more territorial. Until your bird goes through puberty, it's hard to know how they act during hormones time.

3. There's quite a few threads in the forum about hormones. I'll briefly summarise:
- don't allow her in dark areas that she could make a nest (under furniture, in boxes, in clothes, etc)
- don't pet any bird (male or female) anywhere but their head and toes (touching on the body is propositioning them and ultimately frustrating them).
- don't feed warm, mashed foods or too much fruits
- make sure she gets 12 hours of sleep at least

4. Laurella Desborough (one of the reknown ekkie experts in the US) does not recommend giving eggs. She says her vets have autopsied ekkies who have died young and found the cause of death to be clogged arteries from eggs in their diet. People do recommend feeding crushed shells for calcium. Ultimately, it's your personal decision. I don't because Cairo had terrible droppings after the one time I did.

5. Our boy was potty-trained within a weekend. There are a lot of threads about safely training your bird (the key is to not encourage a situation where they hold it in or force it out - you do NOT want them to force out a poo on cue because birds have had a prolapse from this before).

6. IMO, 4 months old is too young for an ekkie. Ekkies are notoriously hard to wean. Some ekkies are on formula up to 9 months old or longer. And they're incredibly picky as well (more than most parrots). They'll be starving, but demanding their formula at the absolute right temperature (not a touch off) and the right consistency. And you just have to keep making the batch of formula until they accept it. Forced weaning is psychologically unhealthy, and forced weaned birds often regress later on. You want an abundance-weaned bird, which means for an ekkie, that may take more than 4mo. I honestly would only suggest a baby ekkie for experienced owners - handling a baby bird is something you need experience for, and puberty needs a lot of assistance as well.

7. This also depends on the individual bird. There are a lot of threads on this forum about jealousy. Some ekkies do get jealous, others don't.

8. There are many different threads on training a bird not to scream. Remember that all training should start from positive reinforcement and understanding. First, understanding why your bird is screaming. Is he in pain from some internal medical condition you cannot see? Is he utterly bored and his intelligent brain cannot handle the lack of stimuli? Is he concerned that his flock is seemingly abandoning him as they go about their lives without him? Then positively reinforce 'nice' sounds - treat him when he makes a noise that you want him to make. (Remember, I'm just quickly summarising, so please look into the other threads for more detailed explanations).

9. This is up to your personal decision. I've even considered this country's national bird park - our little guy takes to tricks so easily, and he could be a great ambassador for his species.
 

wrench13

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LOL, as an aside comment - if you know "a live-in man (he sleeps in the bed with me, helps cook dinner, helps take care of the kids and dogs, loves animals as much as I do, helps clean the house and does his own laundry)", heck give me his name, I will marry the dude! Hope my wife doesn't see this!!
 
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4toes_1beak

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The more ekkie pros on the forum will probably pop by shortly, but I just wanted to quickly answer you briefly in the meantime.

Before all that, I highly recommend you adopt an adult bird, not a baby. ears or so. Do you have any plans for if a (now) baby outlives you? A more adult bird is more likely to be settled in his personality, more chill overall. Whereas a baby going to teenage years (which can last until they're about 7 or so) will be more attention-needing and bouncing off the walls (at least that's how it feels like to me sometimes).

I greatly appreciate this information on why an adult would be better than a 4 month old.
This information widened my eyes a bit.

This is why I asked about eggs. I've heard of birds having digestive issues after eating eggs but when I saw people giving eggs to them it made me wonder.

Doesn't surprise me that your bird had nasty droppings after eating. Feces are usually my first go-to to see if an animal companion of mine is having a medical issue (Check daily).

I figured adults would have the stress of separation and trust issues, but this gave me a better insight. Better to gain trust than to risk a young one die of starvation. I thought ekkies live up to 40 years. (Maybe I misread where I got that information?) Either way, I would find an appropriate person to will the bird to.
 

shinyuankuo

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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
Hi! I am, too, an ekkie owner-wanna-be! While I don't have any experience in handling one, I thought we can share and get more advice together. I have been doing my ekkie homework in the past 6 months, and I am hoping to bring one into my family in the next 6 months if all goes well.

Hello,

1st: What is the best way to acclimate a new eclectus...
I really like the approach of Bridtrics in this topic. They have a video of brining a new bird home. While that is not an ekkie, I think it applies to many birds. [ame="https://youtu.be/wLNB1zQIOS4"]Bringing Home a New Bird | What Day One With a New Bird Looks Like!!! - YouTube[/ame]

2nd: Do eclectus show any warning signs before they bite or are they like cockatoos where there is no visual warning sign you just feel this heightened energy all of the sudden?
I believe ekkies show signs, but they are harder to read compared to macaws. They natrually freeze more often when scared, but it depends on the bird-sonpality (personality). I am expecting myself to read them, be bit a couple times, and learn from observations.

3rd: When a female is showing hormonal behavior, what do you recommend to stop her from doing this?
I think you've got great advices on this one already.

4th: I read that eclectus like to eat eggs if they are well cooked. ... Could I feed the female eggs that she has laid or is that a "don't do it"? (Don't look at me that way.) Can they have cooked steak?
I personally won't be feeding eggs or steak regularly. I've seen other ekkie owners complianed about them stealing filet mignon from human plate...I figure it's not great for them, but once in a while we will have to forgive a hungry thief.

5th: Are they possible to potty train?
I believe they are, but how easy depends on the bird again.

6th: I live in the USA. So far I've only found one Eclectus breeder and while they do have a lot of positive reviews, there were two negative reviews that concerned me and the fact their aviary isn't open to the public is more concerning (am I overreacting? Please let me know.) What USA (preferably northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin area but I will make the drive cross country if need be) breeders and aviaries do you recommend? I don't want to adopt a re-homed bird. I feel like that would be for a more experienced Eclectus owner. Plus I wanna raise it from 4 months old.

I also am debating between breeder and rescue. You are probably in a better position than I am. I live in the middle of no where, and pretty much no rescue will consider me, except one. Personally, I lean more towards rescue, but I might not have a choice in the end.
I prefer an adult, so I can skip over the teenage period. However, I am terrified if I rescue a bird with hidden disease. My family health is a little compromised already, so I can't invite chlamydia into the house. The rescue I'm in conversation with has not made their quaratine procedure clear to me, and the adoption contract says no guarantee of health.
With that said, I actually feel much more comfortable with a breeder with closed aviary. Some breeders enforce that to prevent diseases. We just have to be very careful to know whether the breeder is legit or a bird mill. I've got some great breeder names from the ekkie facebook groups. I encourage you to join one, too.

7th: Will they get "too jealous" if a newborn baby arrives? I DO NOT want more kids. I have a son and a daughter. But, accidents can happen. If jealousy does happen, how do I correct this? How do I go around this?
I should be worried about this. I am planning to have kids in the future. I believe they do get jealous, but we have to manage the relationship. It's doable. Once again, I would refer to Birdtrics: https://birdtricksstore.com/blogs/b...home-a-human-baby?_pos=1&_sid=45cb01771&_ss=r
8th: What is the most humane training method to teach an eclectus not to scream?
I think this is debatable in some ways. We have to understand the positive/negative reinforemcent and punishment. Each bird has different things that can be positive or negative. I hope to do my best in training, too.

9th: What type of people would make the best person to will the bird to if something happens to me?
I hope my ekkie will live a good life but die before me. If not, I will make sure that I raise bird-loving kids.

Let's help each other in preparing. I hope we both can be great ekkie parents in the near future.
 
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4toes_1beak

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Hi! I am, too, an ekkie owner-wanna-be! While I don't have any experience in handling one, I thought we can share and get more advice together.

Let's help each other in preparing. I hope we both can be great ekkie parents in the near future.

Yes to all of what you said! 😀😀😀 I'd love to bounce information back and forth.
Additionally I've been following "bird tricks" as well. She shows a lot of stuff but I think I need to find a local "parrot" rescue and spend some time around ekkies to really know their body language.

I don't think a rescue would be a good fit for me. I did however find a breeder who has adults available. 2 of the girls are 11 years old! Definitely settled in to their own personality. But that makes me question what's wrong with them, as her adults birds are sold for fairly cheap and she only breeds solomon island eclectus. Nothing else. I talked to her today and she helped ease a ton of my concerns but not all of them.

I can give you her info if you are on the USA continent.

Do you have any other big concerns?
 

charmedbyekkie

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Cairo the Ekkie!
If you're concerned about hidden diseases, you can always request their test results. In the US, these tests are easier to get done since everything is done in country.

Rescue birds aren't always there because of "bird problems". Often times the problem is the human side - no time to take care of a bird, new housing situation, spouse doesn't like birds, owner passed away, etc.

If you want a pure blood line for breeding, sure, get a baby with lineage. Otherwise too many birds are rehomed on a regular basis. Someone buys a bird without understanding what they're getting into; they don't spend time or give adequate care; the bird tries to communicate their needs; the owner doesn't want to solve anything and rehomes. Given that they live for so long (longer than cats or dogs) you can imagine how many birds this has happened to, given how many cats and dogs it happens to.

I can't attest to birdtricks, as I don't follow them. But Steve Martin and Barbara Heidenreich are other knwon parrot trainers. These forums also have a wealth of information on training for all sorts of situations - you just have to poke around :)
 
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4toes_1beak

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If you're concerned about hidden diseases, you can always request their test results. In the US, these tests are easier to get done since everything is done in country.

Rescue birds aren't always there because of "bird problems". Often times the problem is the human side - no time to take care of a bird, new housing situation, spouse doesn't like birds, owner passed away, etc.

If you want a pure blood line for breeding, sure, get a baby with lineage. Otherwise too many birds are rehomed on a regular basis. Someone buys a bird without understanding what they're getting into; they don't spend time or give adequate care; the bird tries to communicate their needs; the owner doesn't want to solve anything and rehomes. Given that they live for so long (longer than cats or dogs) you can imagine how many birds this has happened to, given how many cats and dogs it happens to.

I can't attest to birdtricks, as I don't follow them. But Steve Martin and Barbara Heidenreich are other knwon parrot trainers. These forums also have a wealth of information on training for all sorts of situations - you just have to poke around :)


Thank you again for the information! I don't want a pure bloodline fore breeding. Ijist want a "forever baby".
That makes sense what you said about rehoming birds. The number one reason golden retrievers are rehomed is the shed (I have one. She's almost as bad as a husky.) and miniature schnauzers because of their bark and it's incredibly difficult to get them to stop due to the fact that they are a terrier.

This is why I am doing research. I don't want to break anyone's heart (mainly the bird's as we're tougher when it comes to mending a broken heart.)

I'll ask the breeder I found if she can run tests for hidden diseases when I am ready.
 

shinyuankuo

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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
If you're concerned about hidden diseases, you can always request their test results. In the US, these tests are easier to get done since everything is done in country.
Definitely, will have to do that. We have to be alert of the possibility of disease wherther the bird comes from a rescue or a breeder. Unfortunlately, there are bird mills and bad/fake rescues in the market. I wish the world can be simple.

miniature schnauzers because of their bark and it's incredibly difficult to get them to stop due to the fact that they are a terrier.
WHAT?!:eek::eek::eek: I had a schnauzer 10 years ago. He grew up with me and left me at the age of 11 (organ failure). I honestly thought he was uncapable to bark the first two years because he was SO QUIET. Well...another example of stereotype expectations and individual personality. I have a soft spot for all schnauzers because of him.
 

shinyuankuo

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Winston 屁撚, the Eclectus. 屁撚 (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
Yes to all of what you said! 😀😀😀 I'd love to bounce information back and forth.

Do you have any other big concerns?
Yes, especially there are so much unknown about ekkies. We will have to rely on each other and the community to do our best. I don't have other major concerns at this point. I feel that I am as ready as I can be for the challenge. There's only so much we can do without a bird.


I will for sure have problem when I get a bird. It's never gonna go as well as we plan. :20:
 
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4toes_1beak

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I will for sure have problem when I get a bird. It's never gonna go as well as we plan. :20:

That is true. But researching all that we can will help make solving the problem so much easier.

So far from what I've read on here, eclectus fb community, books... if an ekkie is screaming and they're past their terrible teens hormonal stage,
It's because something is upsetting them and it could be medical. (I view 'dietary' as medical). Other reasons are feelings of neglect... etc... the normal stuff that would make a bird upset.
 

Anansi

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1st: What is the best way to acclimate a new eclectus to a home with 2 kids (my kids will be 7 and 8 years of age if I bring home the bird in two years) a live-in man (he sleeps in the bed with me, helps cook dinner, helps take care of the kids and dogs, loves animals as much as I do, helps clean the house and does his own laundry), and 2 large dogs. (The dogs will be almost 9 and almost 10 in 2 years so there is a chance that they might not be around in 2 years).

The biggest issue here would be the dogs. My advice here, and I can't stress this enough, is to never forget that dogs are predators. Never trust them with your birds. Ever. No matter how sweet, cuddly and peaceful they may typically be with other animals. There have been so many stories of birds and dogs (or even more so with cats) who seemed to be best buddies, only for things to go horrendously wrong one day seemingly out of the blue.

As for kids, I'd just suggest that you curb their roughhousing type play whenever they're near the birds. I have two young, very energetic, boys. They are now 11 and 8, but they were only 5 and 2 when I brought my first ekkie home. The main thing here was teaching my boys not to do all kinds of crazy play in the family room, as that's where I keep my ekkies. This makes a difference, because that kind of craziness can really stress them out. (Same for screaming in anger. They are sensitive to emotion.)

4toes_1beak said:
2nd: Do eclectus show any warning signs before they bite or are they like cockatoos where there is no visual warning sign you just feel this heightened energy all of the sudden? How do I train them not to bite? (wiki-how had a special thing on eclectus no-bite training but I would like some insider help and if there is a different approach with male vs female.)

They show signs, but theirs tend to be more subtle than most other parrot species. So, you'll hear a lot of people saying that their eclectus bit them out of "nowhere". But truth is, you just need to learn their body language. Here are some links that may help in terms of biting. The first is for both identifying why the bites are happening and avoiding them in the first place, and the second is for dealing with biting and teaching bite pressure.
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

4toes_1beak said:
3rd: When a female is showing hormonal behavior, what do you recommend to stop her from doing this?

Tis was perfectly covered in Charmed's answer. Nothing more to add.

4toes_1beak said:
4th: I read that eclectus like to eat eggs if they are well cooked. ... Could I feed the female eggs that she has laid or is that a "don't do it"? (Don't look at me that way.) Can they have cooked steak?

Great point made by Charmed here as well. An excess of eggs can lead to arteriosclerosis. I will give my ekkies a slice of a boiled egg maybe one day out of a month. Sometimes twice. If at all. Point is, it's given sparingly. Something of a rare treat. And even then, only a slice. I do give the boiled shells for calcium on a more regular basis, however. No, I would not feed a female ekkie an egg she has laid. And a hard no on the steak. The only meat I would allow, on an exceedingly rare basis, is grilled, baked or boiled chicken without seasoning. Or cooked fish. But again, it should be a rare event. The novelty value of those foods does not outweigh the dangers of arteriosclerosis.


4toes_1beak said:
5th: Are they possible to potty train? I have potty trained a budgie before but... that's a budgie. Took a ton of patience. Potty training my daughter took more patience. Rabbits are the easiest to potty train.

Potty training parrots is definitely doable. Just observe and get a feel for how often your ekkie guy or gal poops (usually between 30 minutes and an hour for ekkies), then make sure to bring them over to a place that is acceptable for droppings right before you figure they'll be ready to go. Then verbally praise when they drop it, while using whatever word you've chosen for that activity. And the practice is different for flighted vs. non flighted birds. For instance, with my male ekkie, Jolly, who is a very experienced flier, I did this practice enough until he understood that I wanted him to fly over to the tree stand when he was ready. So, nowadays, I don't really need to think about it. But with Maya, who has her full feathers but refuses to fly (she was never given the chance to fledge in her prior home), I always keep in mind how long she has been on me, and watch as well for her usual tell-tales that she's ready to go. (Shuffling uncomfortably back and forth.) Then I put her on the tree stand and tell her to "go poop".

4toes_1beak said:
6th: I live in the USA. So far I've only found one Eclectus breeder and while they do have a lot of positive reviews, there were two negative reviews that concerned me and the fact their aviary isn't open to the public is more concerning (am I overreacting? Please let me know.) What USA (preferably northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin area but I will make the drive cross country if need be) breeders and aviaries do you recommend? I don't want to adopt a re-homed bird. I feel like that would be for a more experienced Eclectus owner. Plus I wanna raise it from 4 months old.

Always research a breeder thoroughly. And, as mentioned earlier, ekkies can take their time with weaning. While some ekkies have weaned as early as 3-4 months, others can take up to 7-9 months. The important thing here is to find a breeder who "abundance weans". Such breeders allow their birds to wean at their own pace, as opposed to "force weaning", which most will want to do since it is more cost-effective for them. But it's worth it to get one who was abundance weaned, as they will tend to have a gentler disposition.

4toes_1beak said:
7th: Will they get "too jealous" if a newborn baby arrives? I DO NOT want more kids. I have a son and a daughter. But, accidents can happen. If jealousy does happen, how do I correct this? How do I go around this?

Depends on the bird's individual personality. Best thing to do is to make sure that you always find time for your bird. How you would deal with negative behaviors that spring from this varies according to the behavior being exhibited, so there's no general go to.

4toes_1beak said:
8th: What is the most humane training method to teach an eclectus not to scream?

Behavior extinction. Basically, you want to discourage the bad behavior by leaving the room or turning your back, and then encourage the good behavior (Quiet or more acceptable vocalizations) with your return and with treats and such. Please note, though, that this is for excessive screaming. All parrots will vocalize to some extent. Flock calls, for instance, are quite natural. This is when they call out once or twice when you are not in the room. In this instance, I would just respond by saying hello or whatever and keep it moving. This usually reassures them that you are around and okay. It's what they do in the wild and not to be discouraged.

4toes_1beak said:
9th: What type of people would make the best person to will the bird to if something happens to me? Should I educate my friend that has an african grey about eclectus parrots? Should I just rely on my spouse or kids? (I love horses and every year there is an equestrian that is killed by their love of being an equestrian. There's always a risk when you deal with an animal that weighs as much as a car and has a mind of it's own.)

I want to be as educated as possible when I get this bird as they do live a long time (I'm 29 now, so by the time I get this bird they will pass away by the time I'm in my early 70's if not later).

I know each bird has their own unique personality, so considering this all the information I can get to prepare myself and my family to have this bird not only survive but thrive as well as keeping the house hold happy will help even if it is information as simple as how to train them to enjoy a shower and stealing treats from someone's hand is bad manners.

As has been mentioned, ekkies have a longer lifespan than you believed. The reason for the discrepancy is that knowledge about eclectus parrots is relatively new in comparison to most other currently kept parrots. People did not know how sensitive ekkies are when it comes to diet. Feeding a diet of all seeds is bad for any parrot, but it is far worse for eclectus. As such, people initially thought ekkies only lived between 16 and 30 years. The truth, however, is that they can live upwards of 60, much like the comparatively sized African Grey.

As time went on, we've also come to learn that most pellets are also bad for eclectus parrots. (Though even some vets don't realize this, yet.) Many can cause adverse reactions such as toe-tapping, wing-flipping, plucking, and general irritability.

Hope this all helps, and props to you for doing your research so far ahead of time. That is a sign of someone who will make a very good parront.
 

bug_n_flock

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2018
1,371
207
Isolated Holler in the Appalachian Wilderness
Parrots
B&G Macaw, Galah, 5 cockatiels, 50 billion and a half budgies. We breed and do rescue. Too many to list each individual's name and age etc, but they are each individuals and loved dearly.
I don't know ekkies, sorry.



But I will be another person saying that a breeder not letting you visit is not always a bad sign. I breed budgies and soon enough plan to breed cockatiels and eventually a few more species. We run a mostly closed facility: we do not allow prospective parrot parents to visit. We are VERY selective about who we let visit, in fact.



This is done for many reasons. We are worried about theft, rumors, disease, stress on the birds... the list goes on. Strangers are a wild card, and I don't like to take risks with my birds when avoidable. :)
 
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4

4toes_1beak

New member
Oct 9, 2019
10
0
Illinois
Parrots
Currently looking for one
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The biggest issue here would be the dogs. My advice here, and I can't stress this enough, is to never forget that dogs are predators. Never trust them with your birds. Ever. No matter how sweet, cuddly and peaceful they may typically be with other animals. There have been so many stories of birds and dogs (or even more so with cats) who seemed to be best buddies, only for things to go horrendously wrong one day seemingly out of the blue.

As for kids, I'd just suggest that you curb their roughhousing type play whenever they're near the birds. I have two young, very energetic, boys. They are now 11 and 8, but they were only 5 and 2 when I brought my first ekkie home. The main thing here was teaching my boys not to do all kinds of crazy play in the family room, as that's where I keep my ekkies. This makes a difference, because that kind of craziness can really stress them out. (Same for screaming in anger. They are sensitive to emotion.)

4toes_1beak said:
2nd: Do eclectus show any warning signs before they bite or are they like cockatoos where there is no visual warning sign you just feel this heightened energy all of the sudden? How do I train them not to bite? (wiki-how had a special thing on eclectus no-bite training but I would like some insider help and if there is a different approach with male vs female.)

They show signs, but theirs tend to be more subtle than most other parrot species. So, you'll hear a lot of people saying that their eclectus bit them out of "nowhere". But truth is, you just need to learn their body language. Here are some links that may help in terms of biting. The first is for both identifying why the bites are happening and avoiding them in the first place, and the second is for dealing with biting and teaching bite pressure.
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html



Tis was perfectly covered in Charmed's answer. Nothing more to add.



Great point made by Charmed here as well. An excess of eggs can lead to arteriosclerosis. I will give my ekkies a slice of a boiled egg maybe one day out of a month. Sometimes twice. If at all. Point is, it's given sparingly. Something of a rare treat. And even then, only a slice. I do give the boiled shells for calcium on a more regular basis, however. No, I would not feed a female ekkie an egg she has laid. And a hard no on the steak. The only meat I would allow, on an exceedingly rare basis, is grilled, baked or boiled chicken without seasoning. Or cooked fish. But again, it should be a rare event. The novelty value of those foods does not outweigh the dangers of arteriosclerosis.




Potty training parrots is definitely doable. Just observe and get a feel for how often your ekkie guy or gal poops (usually between 30 minutes and an hour for ekkies), then make sure to bring them over to a place that is acceptable for droppings right before you figure they'll be ready to go. Then verbally praise when they drop it, while using whatever word you've chosen for that activity. And the practice is different for flighted vs. non flighted birds. For instance, with my male ekkie, Jolly, who is a very experienced flier, I did this practice enough until he understood that I wanted him to fly over to the tree stand when he was ready. So, nowadays, I don't really need to think about it. But with Maya, who has her full feathers but refuses to fly (she was never given the chance to fledge in her prior home), I always keep in mind how long she has been on me, and watch as well for her usual tell-tales that she's ready to go. (Shuffling uncomfortably back and forth.) Then I put her on the tree stand and tell her to "go poop".



Always research a breeder thoroughly. And, as mentioned earlier, ekkies can take their time with weaning. While some ekkies have weaned as early as 3-4 months, others can take up to 7-9 months. The important thing here is to find a breeder who "abundance weans". Such breeders allow their birds to wean at their own pace, as opposed to "force weaning", which most will want to do since it is more cost-effective for them. But it's worth it to get one who was abundance weaned, as they will tend to have a gentler disposition.



Depends on the bird's individual personality. Best thing to do is to make sure that you always find time for your bird. How you would deal with negative behaviors that spring from this varies according to the behavior being exhibited, so there's no general go to.

4toes_1beak said:
8th: What is the most humane training method to teach an eclectus not to scream?

Behavior extinction. Basically, you want to discourage the bad behavior by leaving the room or turning your back, and then encourage the good behavior (Quiet or more acceptable vocalizations) with your return and with treats and such. Please note, though, that this is for excessive screaming. All parrots will vocalize to some extent. Flock calls, for instance, are quite natural. This is when they call out once or twice when you are not in the room. In this instance, I would just respond by saying hello or whatever and keep it moving. This usually reassures them that you are around and okay. It's what they do in the wild and not to be discouraged.

4toes_1beak said:
9th: What type of people would make the best person to will the bird to if something happens to me? Should I educate my friend that has an african grey about eclectus parrots? Should I just rely on my spouse or kids? (I love horses and every year there is an equestrian that is killed by their love of being an equestrian. There's always a risk when you deal with an animal that weighs as much as a car and has a mind of it's own.)

I want to be as educated as possible when I get this bird as they do live a long time (I'm 29 now, so by the time I get this bird they will pass away by the time I'm in my early 70's if not later).

I know each bird has their own unique personality, so considering this all the information I can get to prepare myself and my family to have this bird not only survive but thrive as well as keeping the house hold happy will help even if it is information as simple as how to train them to enjoy a shower and stealing treats from someone's hand is bad manners.

As has been mentioned, ekkies have a longer lifespan than you believed. The reason for the discrepancy is that knowledge about eclectus parrots is relatively new in comparison to most other currently kept parrots. People did not know how sensitive ekkies are when it comes to diet. Feeding a diet of all seeds is bad for any parrot, but it is far worse for eclectus. As such, people initially thought ekkies only lived between 16 and 30 years. The truth, however, is that they can live upwards of 60, much like the comparatively sized African Grey.

As time went on, we've also come to learn that most pellets are also bad for eclectus parrots. (Though even some vets don't realize this, yet.) Many can cause adverse reactions such as toe-tapping, wing-flipping, plucking, and general irritability.

Hope this all helps, and props to you for doing your research so far ahead of time. That is a sign of someone who will make a very good parront.


Thank you for this valid information! Yeah I wouldn't trust a dog around any animal smaller than them. The house will be divided. I was more worried aboutthe barking stressing out the bird. My golden will bay like a bloodhound when she smells an intact male walk by....

Your information leads me to one more question...
If I adopted a bird that never had a change to fly before getting their feathers clipped, is it possible to let the feathers grow and teach the bird to fly? I want the bird to know it can fly for a variety of reasons. If I have to take the bird to my spouse's friend's stable to have enough room in the arena for her to learn to fly then so be it. (They love birds and have ducks solely as pets so they'd be all for it.)
 

Anansi

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Dec 18, 2013
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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)
Your information leads me to one more question...
If I adopted a bird that never had a change to fly before getting their feathers clipped, is it possible to let the feathers grow and teach the bird to fly? I want the bird to know it can fly for a variety of reasons. If I have to take the bird to my spouse's friend's stable to have enough room in the arena for her to learn to fly then so be it. (They love birds and have ducks solely as pets so they'd be all for it.)

Excellent question! Yes, developing such a bird's skills in flight is absolutely possible. Though you want to start small rather than big. Having the option of a large stable for flight practice is awesome... for a future option. But when starting out, you want a situation with more control. And one that won't overwhelm your bird.

My very first ekkie, Bixby (who was born with a disease and has since passed), was not allowed the chance to fully fledge when he was of age, as the store policy was to clip or harness. Flight was not allowed.

Once I got him home, I gave him flight sessions where I worked with him in a small room closed off from the rest of the house. For tools, I used two adjustable height training perches. To start, I set the perches to the same height and set them around 2 inches apart. I set him on one, and then tapped the other while using the chosen command word. Mine, at the time, was "target".

Whenever Bixby did as I asked, I made a big deal about it, praising him enthusiastically and giving him his favorite treat. Once he was reliably going from perch to perch on command, I increased the space between them to four inches. Wash, rinse, repeat. Always being careful, btw, not to make training sessions last beyond his effective attention span. For Bixby, it was around 25 minutes. For other birds, it might be as little as 5 or 10. Every bird is different. Always consider your bird's individual personality.

I continued on with these incremental increases in perch separation until Bixby had to hop from one to the other. And then a wing flap from one to another. And then, finally, he would need to fly from one to another. Doing it this way allowed him to slowly build confidence in his abilities. And doing it in a small room kept setbacks small. On those occasions where Bixby got excited for whatever reason and took off flying only to crash into a wall, it was in a room small enough that he did not have enough space to build up to a dangerous speed. Not much more than his ego was bruised upon impact.

Once Bixby was reliably flying the length of the room, I then started to increase the difficulty level. And by this point, training was assisted by Bixby's enjoyment of flight itself. The training became a thing of enjoyment in and of itself. My warmest memories of him center around the way he would flash his tail about in a flourish whenever he would pull off a new flight skill. You could see him taking pride in his accomplishment.

To increase the difficulty, I began changing the heights of each perch so he could practice the skill of flying from a low elevation to high (strength training), and from high to low (Believe it or not, a very important lesson. Flying from a high point to a low one is a separate skill set, and some birds who fly out of a window or door and up into a tree sometimes don't fly back down to their person because they simply don't have the skill to do so).

Once his strength had increased to the point that he could fly from the floor up to a perch, and his skill had progressed to the point where he could fly from a high elevation down to a low, I started working on his recall. This was a natural progression, as recall is basically targeting to yourself and, at this point, Bixby was completely reliable with targeting.

Then the harder skill, if your bird is bonded to you, is getting him to fly away from your hand/arm and to a perch. They just don't want to leave. But again, you work in increments, here. Tap the perch, then put him on it if he won't go and react enthusiastically. Then work up to the point that he'll fly to where you target him.

Finally, once he has this all down, you can move him out of the small room and into the house/apartment proper for bigger scale flight training. (Just make sure to acclimate him to the whole house/apartment first with several preparatory walkthroughs, first.) And once he's good with flying around your house, and completely reliable with recall, you can take him to your friend's stable to show off what he's got.
 

1oldparroter

Member
Nov 4, 2019
267
7
Waiteville, WV
Parrots
I am 71, married and fairly private. I have PM privileges but prefer the phone. Printed messages, are so limited. jh
YouTube.com and search on Eclectus, wingsNpaws or BirdTrix. There are a jillion video's that will give you visual and auditory data, we can't possibly impart in printed forum's. By All Means, come back to the forum and ask about the video. A lot of them seem breed specific but there are a lot out there. Watch them and ask about your " understanding's " here. jh
PS: Being a non-smoker is important, no Teflon cookware, scented candles; learn the things that will harm a bird and rid them. Birds have sensitive lungs. With that in mind here are 3 video's " I " think are important and may introduce some of you to outside visual's to think on. 1
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwW5Fn-JFp8"]What's the First Thing I Should Train My Bird? - YouTube[/ame]
2
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoXMWj-RMh4"]Teach Your Bird Biting is Not OK - YouTube[/ame]
3
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Agev8O84UkY"]Top 3 Parrot Essentials - YouTube[/ame]
cul jh
 

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