Future bird owner with so many questions! Help appreciated :)

This year is my last year of college and then I'll be entering the real world as a *gasp* adult! I've always loved birds but due to my family's rules about pets and then my current apartment's pet rules, I've never had the pleasure of owning one. Instead, I've spent all those years researching and reading everything I can about parrots. However, I still have so many questions that I would love help answering; I want to make the best, smartest decision I can about my future feathered friend!

Quick info about me: I'm a senior in college and live in a small city. After graduation I plan to move elsewhere, definitely to an apartment or home that allows pets. I'm an artist, and a freelance artist at that, so I anticipate most of my jobs will be in-home (giving me ample time to spend with my bird). I always do thorough research before committing to any pet so I can properly take care of that pet.

What I'm looking for in a bird: I've sort've already decided I want to get a male eclectus. I've read and been told that they're wonderful companion birds and meet my needs as a pet owner. I've also been told that they're usually pretty mellow and are as affectionate as I would like them to be. It also doesn't hurt that green is my favorite color.

Questions: On to my wall of questions!

1) Is there an ideal age for a bird when buying him/her? I've heard that around 4 months is ideal but I'd like more opinions. I welcome the idea of having to tame my bird myself.

2) Is there anything considered "essential" that a bird be taught to do? Similarly to how it's essential that a cat be trained to use a litter box.
2a) Are there any recommendations you have in terms of training? Are there methods that work better than others?

3) I've heard that birds sometimes bond too closely with their humans and can become aggressive towards anyone who isn't the owner. Is that true? f so, is there a way to avoid this? I'd hate for my bird to be nasty towards family members or friends.

4) Does it matter if I clip my bird's wings or not? I adore birds and don't really want to clip my bird's wings but I'd like to know the pros/cons of clipping vs not clipping.

5) How does going on vacation work? Are there kennels for birds like there are for dogs? Are they safe?

6) While on the topic of travel, do birds travel well? Say I'm moving or going to the vet. Do I put them in a carrier or cage of some sort? Can they be trained to sit on my shoulder or generally be out of the carrier when in the car? Is that safe? (not that I'm going to be keeping my bird out in the car, mind you; I'm just wondering about the options of travel)

7) Do you have any other advice for owning a bird (specifically an eclectus) that I've failed to ask about?

I know the basics of toys/perches/diet/cage size for eclectus', so I don't really have any questions on that. But if you have any advice about that, I always welcome it!

As I said, I always thoroughly research any animal (or plant, too) before committing to buying them. I want my bird to be as happy and healthy as possible and I don't want to risk their comfort by rushing into buying one. It will be over a year before I even think about seeking a bird, but I'd like to get advice now so I can continue researching and preparing for a time when I am able to bring a bird into my life.

thanks!

Endi said:

1) Is there an ideal age for a bird when buying him/her? I've heard that around 4 months is ideal but I'd like more opinions. I welcome the idea of having to tame my bird myself.

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There are benefits to buying birds of any age, provided the bird is already weaned. Some unscrupulous folks will try to talk you into buying an unweaned baby by telling you that it will bond better to you if you wean it yourself. This is a way for poor breeders to get away with doing less work for the money and is VERY dangerous for the bird.

Both older birds and young, just weaned ones bond very well with their new owners. You'll have to decide yourself if you want a young bird or an older one. With an older bird you already know what you're getting personality-wise, and if they're old enough you won't have to deal with when they first go through puberty (which can be a nightmare with birds). With a young bird you don't have any bad habits that someone else may have instilled to deal with.

2) Is there anything considered "essential" that a bird be taught to do? Similarly to how it's essential that a cat be trained to use a litter box.
2a) Are there any recommendations you have in terms of training? Are there methods that work better than others?

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Step up is a pretty essential one. And not to be spoiled. When you first bring your bird home it will be very tempting to spend a ton of time with them, but don't spend more time than you are going to be able to maintain over the life of the bird, or you'll be setting him up for disappointment (and screaming / plucking / stress habits) when he doesn't get the time he's used to.

A lot of people swear by clicker training, which is the same exact thing as you would see with clicker training dogs. Target training is also very popular. That's where you train the bird to touch his beak to the end of a stick (like a chopstick). You can use target training to teach the bird to move from place to place, to spin in a circle, etc.

3) I've heard that birds sometimes bond too closely with their humans and can become aggressive towards anyone who isn't the owner. Is that true? f so, is there a way to avoid this? I'd hate for my bird to be nasty towards family members or friends.

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Eclectus aren't terribly known for this, but it can certainly happen to any bird who doesn't get socialized with other people. Just make sure you have friends and family who are willing and able to interact with him on a regular basis (maybe save a special treat he loves only for other people to give to him).

4) Does it matter if I clip my bird's wings or not? I adore birds and don't really want to clip my bird's wings but I'd like to know the pros/cons of clipping vs not clipping.

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This is a very personal decision. You'll find a million threads about it on the forums if you do a search for it

5) How does going on vacation work? Are there kennels for birds like there are for dogs? Are they safe?

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Many vets offices, bird stores and breeders will board for you. You can also hire someone to come into your home to watch your bird while you are away.

6) While on the topic of travel, do birds travel well? Say I'm moving or going to the vet. Do I put them in a carrier or cage of some sort? Can they be trained to sit on my shoulder or generally be out of the carrier when in the car? Is that safe? (not that I'm going to be keeping my bird out in the car, mind you; I'm just wondering about the options of travel)

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It is best to have your bird in an appropriately sized carrier when traveling. You don't want it to be too big -- basically if you have an accident, you don't want them to be able to fully extend their wings and slam into the sides, because they could break a wing. And the carrier should be buckled into the car for safety.

Welcome to the forums Endie, hope you enjoy your stay...Selestine has pretty much covered your questions, but you'll have more, we all do, even after having birds around for years.....one thing about trusting your bird(s) with strangers, whether in your house or theirs, check them out very well, I've used birdsitters who came to my house, but I think I've been luckier than most, because she lived down the street from me and had bird experience to begin with.....I was gone for periods of up to 6 months at a time.....she, actually her granddaughters & several other neighbors recovered one of my flock that flew out the front door one time.....something else, you need to have a well established understanding with your birdsitter and your vet as to what authorizations you'll OK in the event you cannot be contacted in an emergency.....

Good luck.....

Welcome to the forum! Awesome place with a lot of excellent information. You will soak it up like a sponge. Check out parrot rescues

Eclectus's have a very special diet that consists of mostly veggies and fruits. I just think that is something very important to know and thats why I didn't get an eclectus because you also have to feed it on a schedule.

Welcome! Lots of great info and experts here. I can say since getting my RCA it's never a dull moment. I work from home so he's with me all day and we have a daily routine. I look forward to waking in the morning to see him. Have fun!

Selestine went through pretty much everything but as kalypso123 has said, they require a very special diet. It should consist of mostly fresh vegetables and fruits, just make sure to replace the food when it starts to become spoiled. If you were to add in pellets along with the fresh foods there are specialized Eclectus food's--make sure it's specifically for Ekkies. They also shouldn't have additional supplements added unless it's prescribed by your vet.

3. It's really important to have him socialized to other people, especially when it comes to vet visits. I would personally choose to have people come over and interact with him first then slowly start building him up to the point where you could take him outside. Just be sure to avoid pet stores due to the varying of diseases that are nestled there.

4. Eclectus wings are really something else, I love love love the blue's. But it really just comes down to your personal choice and what you find better. I have my bird's (those that are tame) clipped because it reduces the chance of them flying into potential dangers. I'd refrain from clipping your bird's wing if he/she is a baby as it improves their confidence and enables them to learn to fly.

5/6. One of the parrot association here allows you to ask for help in bird-sitting. You get to choose who gets to watch them and you can either actually pay them or return the favor or do something in a bartering way.
I've heard of people having parrots in a dog kennel but there's travel cages specifically for birds but they are pretty expensive.

7. Just to add, I heard that Eclectus bites are more grinding. I hope you don't take this as a con but just so you don't get "surprised". Also, I think the best way to choose a bird is to have one choose you.

Since it's going to be a year I'd go out and go visit as many Eclectus or bird species as I can to make sure they are the one for you. Can't wait for you to bring home a bird and welcome to the forum!

Thanks for the warm welcome and the advice guys! And sorry for the late reply; I was working on school projects I'm gonna try to reply to each of you; idk if there's a way to tag or alert people that I've mentioned them so bare with me!

@Selestine: Your explanation of weaned vs unweaned really cleared up the age thing for me. While I should have expected that birds go through puberty, I've never actually heard about that :O Could you explain further? or instead, do you have any good articles or threads I could read about it? I'm going to go google on my own in the meantime, of course

Not spoiling them; got it! I actually never considered that but you have a great point and I will certainly keep that in mind! I'm glad Eclectus aren't too prone to over bonding; I was pretty concerned about that I'll make sure to socialize him anyway.

And thanks for the info about the vet visits and traveling. All you info has been really helpful and cleared up a lot of concerns I had c:

@weco: Thanks for the welcome and the tips about birdsitters I'm curious now about how much attention birds require from a birdsitter? I'm glad your birdsitters we able to recover that bird that flew away o.o

@copperarabian: Thank you for the welcome I'm glad this forum is here for all the questions I'll have in the future x)

@kalypso123: Yep, I'd read a lot about that I'm prepared to take that on but I can definitely see why some people wouldn't want to.

@taw5106: Aww, that sounds great! I hope my bird and I can have a routine like that c:

@EAI: I'd read about their diets but it's good to know there's eclectus-specific pellets too. Selestine mentioned that early on you shouldn't give your bird more attention than you'd normally be able to. Is there a point at which it's "too late" to socialize a bird?

I've read that eclectus feathers fray if you clip them. I think either way, I won't clip them unless I have a problem with my bird flying into stuff.

Thanks for letting me know about the parrot association. That'll be helpful in the future. And also thanks for preparing me for the bites, haha. I'm hoping to not have too much trouble with that but it's bound to happen



Thanks again everyone c:

As to recovering the lost bird, I have always trained my birds so that they knew where they lived, most birds have no idea once they get outside, because they only see home from the ground up.....almost never from the top down.....

I've usually had 50'-80' trees around my homes so whenever a new bird joined to flock, I'd hoist them 40'-50' in air in a cage & let them learn what home looked like from the air.....when the bird flew out the front door, he went to a tree across the street & the girls hoisted his cagemate up in a tree in my yard and left her there...after about an hour, Fenix flew to the cage with Jimmi in it & when the oldest daughter climbed a ladder, Fenix stepped up for her, she popped him into her shirt, climbed down & took him inside, then they lowered Jimmi in the cage and all was well again.....everybody doesn't have the same opportunities I've had to teach my birds, but all of my birds have been outside by themselves when I was home, so I'm pretty confident I can get them back.....the only unknowns I have ever been worried about was my birds being scared off by kids shooting off fireworks or loud noisy trucks or a hawk or owl plucking them out of our trees.....

Good luck when you get your bird(s).....

Someone else might be able to explain better, as none of my birds are old enough yet but..

When birds reach sexual maturity you can see a huge change in their personality. A bird who was previously the sweetest thing around can all of a sudden seem territorial / aggressive. Even if your bird decides that it is in love with YOU it may bite you when other people are in the room.

As they get older and more used to dealing with their hormones it should calm down somewhat (and good training and discipline should help, too). Think of it in terms of humans (not saying they're like humans just giving a frame of reference). Teenagers are notoriously over-emotional. They get very angry very easily, their relationships are the end-all-be-all of the world. It is because all of those emotions are so strong because they aren't used to dealing with those hormones. Once a few years have passed, things level off.

It'll be much the same for a bird. A bird who has been sexually mature for some time isn't going to be as strongly affected when breeding season comes around because they've dealt with it before. They are still going to have hormonal times and you will still want to know how to help them through it, but you're not going to be dealing with a raging teenager.

@Selestine: Thanks so much for explaining this! I decided to buy a book about Eclectus and I learned all about hormonal behavior! Thanks so much for answering all my questions; you've made me feel a lot more confident about being able to get and take care of a bird

I think you'll make a great bird owner ^_^ Make sure you keep us updated!