Just want to introduce myself!

Hello fellow Parrot Lovers!

My name is Chrissy. I am a veterinary receptionist in E TN. I have a wonderful loving husband, 3 Chihuahua's and 4 cats (one being a puppy and one a kitten).

I have always wanted to adopt a parrot (a male eclectus to be exact) as long as I can remember, but could not offer the time that they needed before. Now that my husband and I are settled down, we are ready to give the love and care that the parrot would need.

Recently, we were offered to adopt a 16 yr old B&G Macaw. We went to see him, as well as arranged for the current owners to come see where he would be living. Everything went great! But, At the last minute they called and said that they could just not give him up and didn't give much explanation. I was heartbroken.

Now, we are hoping **crossing fingers** to meet with a 16 yr old SI Ekkie this week. I am BEYOND excited as this is our dream bird! The current owners are looking to re-home him due to just not having enough time for him. They do not think it is fair to him and they are looking for someone who has had experience and can give him the loving that he needs. I have previous experience hand raising different kinds of birds, although I am a little nervous adopting an older bird. I am doing a little research and brushing up on my skills - is there anything that anyone could recommend or give any advise on adopting an older Ekkie? Please and thank you in advance!

Welcome I have never even met an ekkie so I'm of no use. The man your looking for is anansi the eclectus whisper he will more than likely respond to this thread. But you have stumbled into an amazing resource for learning all about Everything bird related.

Welcome, Chrissy! So happy you joined us! Best of luck with your new adventure! Eclectus, the exotic beauties of the bird world. Incredible species, I understand your enthusiasm. We have some amazing Ekkie parronts, I'm sure they will be along to help. Here is an excellent article for you.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/52737-so-you-think-you-want-eclectus.html

And in case you need extra encouragement here's a sweet thread to make you want an Ekkie even more.

http://www.parrotforums.com/training/64364-jolly-s-progress-color-identification.html

Welcome to you!
Lots of experience and information and support on ANY type of parrot here!
I'm glad you found us!

Hello and welcome! I know there's definitely a few eclectus owners on here. But with regards to specifically adopting an older bird, I'm not exactly sure who would have the most experience with that aspect. I'm sure someone will be able to provide you with answers to your questions!

Everyone has been super friendly and helpful to me (I'm fairly new too and got my first eclectus recently). I must say that Anansi has some super advice on eclectus parrots, he's helped me alot. I'd recommend searching for his comments / threads. Plus Scott also has an older eclectus and may be able to answer your questions.

I hope you get your dream bird!

Welcome to the flock!

Welcome and squackyhonkglaberflip ( thats Salty saying welcome, I think. Amazon gibberish is so hard to decipher).

Welcome to the forums, hope we can collectively offer you great information. I'm sure Stephen/Anansi will discover this thread, as he is parront to two younger Ekkies and is a treasure of a resource.

Mine is a single female Vos Ekkie, just a tad over 28 yrs. I've had Angel since weaning, with a few odd health problems along the way. She is currently in the beginnings of heart failure, though responding very well to drug therapy.

Diet is extraordinarily critical with Ekkies, rich in varied vegetables and some fruit. They can be a bit less demonstrative than other parrots (lacking a crest to show emotion and limited pinning of eyes) but are very intelligent and can bond well. Talking ability is good, my experience has been they have very clear voice intonation.

While sixteen is not terribly old, be aware a potential decade and half of poor diet can take a toll. Regardless of history, once in your possession you will be in command of better housekeeping.

Good luck, and please keep us updated - pics are always appreciated!!

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

As Scott mentioned, diet is extremely important when it comes to eclectus parrots. They tend not to do very well on most brands of pellets (though some have reported success with certain organic, ekkie-specific brands) as they often prove too rich for them. So I focus on a largely fresh diet of sprouts, veggies and fruits. The key is a wide variety of foods so that you are providing a complete and balanced diet for them. Heavy in Vitamin A and leafy greens. Here are a few links that you might find helpful in that regard:
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/28350-eclectus-diet-confused.html

And two recent threads on getting an eclectus:
http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/64006-hello-thinking-about-getting-eclectus.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/64083-my-first-parrot-female-vosmaeri-eclectus.html

And the ekkie food bible: fruitandveg (Worth reading every sub-section)

As for the specifics of taking on a 16 year old ekkie, one potential issue is that he's likely set in his eating habits. Not an issue if he's had a good diet, but a heck of a lot more problematic if he hasn't. But this only means you'd have to work through a more gradual transition. Harder, but not impossible. As Scott said, once he's in your household his diet will be up to you.

Please keep us updated on how the meeting goes, and we'll all be looking forward to pics if it goes well. And let us know if you have any specific questions.

WELCOME!

I have had a few questions come up while I was doing some reading of the links that were provided (thank you for that! Lots of useful information!). I am still kind of confused as to how to use this site, so I hope someone sees this reply!

I had read that, of course, scented sprays, candles, etc are harmful to birds. Also, I had read that Tea Tree oil is harmful as well.

I use Tea Tree oil in my daily regimen, It has been truly difficult to find one that works for me and Tea Tree oil does wonders. I apply this to my face once a day. Will this be harmful to Marley if he is not in the same room? I am terrified to think I am going to harm him in some way.

We also use scented candles as well as plug ins. I know I will have to get rid of these - but are there alternatives to use that will not harm him? There are some homemade oils that I could make (Coconut oil, with spices like cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract) but will this potentially harm him as well?

Hello again, I had always used tea tree on my face every day, but since getting my Bella, I've changed my tea tree for aloe vera. If you have any tea tree on your face and there's physical contact like snuggles and kisses going on, It could be dangerous. Equally, if hands aren't washed thoroughly enough after applying a tea tree based product, and traces of tea tree get into the food you prepare for your bird, that too could be dangerous. You may wish to have some trials with different bird safe products until you find one that's good for both of you

As you probably already know, birds air sac systems distribute the stuff they breathe in all around their body. They don't just breathe things out like we do, so toxic stuff can build up over time.

I did find find this thread, which may be useful to you:

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/33622-safe-scents-birds.html

Personally I'd be inclined to use the cooking options mentioned.

I would be interested to know what other people are currently using too, so I'll check back in on this thread later

Sweet find on that Scents thread, Violet_Diva! I'd never seen that one, before. But weco was a very thorough member when it came to researching info. His stated facts tend to be quite solid.

Chrissytea, I'd definitely stay away from the tea tree oil. Same as with teflon, avocado, and chocolate, the instant something is revealed to be toxic to birds, it's best not to take any chances with it.

And I'd stay away from the oils as well. Parrot respiratory systems are so delicate in comparison to ours, due, in large part, to what Violet_Diva explained about their lungs and air sacs.

Welcome!!!


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