Does my make eclectus need a female..

Hi there, first time posting so bare with me. I’ve been doing a lot of reading as whether or not to get a female eclectus parrot for my male eclectus and have had some conflicting answers so I am hoping I will get some straight answers by posting here.
My male eclectus is around 1.5 - 2 years old we got him as a rescue and he is the best thing that’s happened to me and my husband, we are huge animal lovers and this little guy keeps us entertained and laugh a lot, he is super chilled , friendly, hangs out with both us us a lot as well , tamed always wanting to be on or around us no matter what kind of work we’re doing around the house. As we really enjoy having him around we’re not too sure as we are new to the bird world whether to get him a friend . We always believe that there should be 2 of each species in the household so they have each other as company , we just don’t want him to miss out on this before he gets older and becomes set in his ways, making it harder to bring in a friend for him .
Sorry should of said we have had him for about 8 months now, we know the work that goes into looking after him and are prepared to bring in a new addition. We just don’t know about the following;
1) will bringing in a friend change his personality in a possible negative way?
2) are females more at a health risk due to what we’ve been reading about anyways if they don’t lay eggs this can be detrimental? We’re not in it for breeding, we just don’t want the female to get sick.
3) is it better to get another male eclectus but younger?
4) do we get the female at younger as well?
Obviously we know the slow introduction phase and this could take awhile we’re not going to put them in the same cage on the first day or anything like that.
5) do we get another parrot not of an eclectus but an African grey or somethjng smaller?
If you need to ask me anything else please contact me I should of also mentioned our sons name is Pena ..lol
Thank you in advance and look forward to any help of any kind.
Molly.

Never get a bird for a bird...only get a bird for you..You cannot predict that they will get along. They may fight, it may make bonding with you way harder (they can push away from people if another bird is around-- but not always, especially if they don't like that bird)...you may have to deal with sex and the many complications that come with that (including crazy things with babies, aggression and hand-feeding (which is SUPER complicated)...You may not be able to even let them out at the same time....so...that is like...4 hours each if they don't get along...You cannot keep a male and a female and expect them to just "get along"--- they will either fight or want to have sex all of the time 99% of the time once they are mature...

Females are MORE at risk because they can be triggered to lay eggs by the presence of a male bird even with no contact, and this is hard on them physically and can kill them if they become egg-bound...


How old is this "chill" bird you describe....? Birds are not truly themselves until they reach sexual maturity, so any bird under that age will not be the same as when they are hormonally active....Plus, they all have their own personalities, so judging one based on another's behavior is like guessing that all kids will act the same way.

Why do you want another bird so badly? 2 species or mixed species can fight to the death..they can also TRY to mate...This whole thing is a massive gamble and if your bird hasn't hit puberty, I think you should consider this carfully, because what seems manageable now, may not be as easy later.

I would not get a Grey because they are a powder-coat bird and yours is not. Your bird could have sensitivities to it. Anytime you have 2 birds, you must be completely able to attend to them both separately in the event that they do not get along.

ANY new bird needs to be completely quarantined for a minimum of 45 days in a separate room and air-space, due to their ability to spread deadly diseases without showing any symptoms at all....A seemingly healthy bird can go its whole life killing other birds without ever knowing it (by nature of feather dust, fecal matter, saliva etc)...It's very important to quarantine and get thorough exams from avian vets, including more than just the physical portions (e.g, blood work).

Welcome to the forums Molly!

The best way to answer to your question is simply this: Do you want second bird for YOU, or as a "friend" for your boy? Adding a second bird because you want another one is certainly okay. Assuming that your boy will get along with another one, boy, girl, ekkie, grey, whatever, doesn't always work. There is no guarantee that he will. Obviously, it works out beautifully sometimes, but you have to be prepared for the possibility that they just won't get along. That means dividing your time and attention between them, separately. Twice the time, twice the work. Not that you can't make the situation work, I do it. My Ekkie guy loves my YNA girl, who wants nothing to do with him. She would seriously injure him given the chance, so they just have separate out of cage time, always. Period.
Here's a link that might be helpful.

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/74214-introducing-second-bird.html

Now, I don't have a female Ekkie, but we have several knowledgeable folks here that do. Someone will likely be along soon. I can tell you this much- they are... different. Not better or worse, just different. Completely different mindset. They truly are the divas of the parrot world, as it is the way they do things in nature, and it is deeply ingrained.

Can bringing another bird into your flock change behaviour? Absolutely. They're social creatures, so changing the dynamic can affect things. There might be friendship between them. Maybe not. It might become more important than their bond with you, or not. It might cause jealousy over your time spent with one or the other, as happens in my case. My Ekkie was here first, by several months, and is insanely jealous sometimes. Again, I divide my time between them as equally as possible, accounting for who is in what mood at any given time. Tricky, but workable for me. They're worth the effort, no question, but it takes a lot of time and patience.

Best of luck with your decision. I'm sure you'll have more questions. Feel free to ask away! We're here to help in any way we can. By the way, we love pictures here if you wish to share

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Just adding to what noodles123 said about hormones and puberty..
OP indicates the bird is 1/5-2 years old, and from what I have read about Eclectus they do not hit maturity until 3 years.


I only have two budgies myself but I *definitely* want a bigger bird next year, and I'm doing all my research... I am half set on an Eclectus, but I have read a lot about them being super hormonal.
So it it were me, I would definitely wait another year or two before thinking about another bird. Just so you know exactly what "mature" and "hormonal" actually mean for your particular guy.