Another question

MysticMagic · Jul 22, 2018

Hello everyone. I know you're probably tired about hearing from me but I do have another question that I haven't been able to answer on my own. Basically, through my own research I realized that, depending on the species I get, it might be more beneficial for the bird if I got 2 instead of 1 (depending on the species I get of course) considering I'm not as lucky as you folks who work from home. Of course if I do this, they'll each have their separate cages and I'll have it arranged that they can keep in contact with each other, but not so close that one has the chance to bully the other while I'm not home.

My only concern is that if I do this, I'd really prefer to get two of the same species. Right now I'm mainly leaning towards eclectuses, which will be easy to tell if they're male or female, but in the case of conures, I wouldn't be able to tell and I don't want any accidental babies if I happened to accidentally got a male and female. What would you suggest as far as this setup goes?

Also, this is just a side note but I'm going to be volunteering with parrot rescues beforehand, especially if I get eclectuses since I know their diet can be difficult. Narrowed it down to a macaw rescue, which happens to be the only one even close to me. And it's about 30 miles one way... I'm looking forward to it regardless! :red1:

Owlet · Jul 22, 2018

if I'm being honest, eclectus aren't a great starter bird. (assuming this is your first bird) I made the mistake of getting an eclectus are my first parrot. I love him to death and wouldn't change anything but at the same time I had to learn hard and fast. I did my research prior but it wasn't enough and the real thing was a lot more difficult.

If you do decide to get an eclectus keep in mind;
- Different foods affect individual eclectus differently. If I feed my boy even a little corn he starts toe tapping / wing flapping. That's probably the hardest part of eclectus because if you make a chop, and they start toe tapping and such you'll likely have to figure out what I causing the toe tapping and eliminate it. Which when making a chop you're usually using a lot of different things so it might be hard to narrow down the toe tapping to one thing.
- Pellets are almost always a no when it comes to eclectus. Some have found success with pellets but in the end most commercial pellets have added dyes or vitamins or they are corn based. None of which are good for eclectus parrots.
- Eclectus parrots (especially males for some reason) are very prone to plucking. I rarely see an adult male eclectus that's fully feathered. If your fids do end up plucking do not beat yourself up over it just do everything you can to prevent it from getting worse.

If you have them in separate cages it is unlikely they will mate as in the wild females usually set up camp somewhere and the males will visit frequently. In the end just make it so the female has no opportunity to nest. No nesting materials or good spots to make a nest. If they do end up mating / the female lays make sure you increase calcium levels in the females diet and if an egg is laid you can shake it a bit or freeze it for a bit to make sure no baby is born. then you can replace the egg so she doesn't keep laying.

MysticMagic · Jul 22, 2018

Owlet said:
if I'm being honest, eclectus aren't a great starter bird. (assuming this is your first bird) I made the mistake of getting an eclectus are my first parrot. I love him to death and wouldn't change anything but at the same time I had to learn hard and fast. I did my research prior but it wasn't enough and the real thing was a lot more difficult.

If you do decide to get an eclectus keep in mind;
- Different foods affect individual eclectus differently. If I feed my boy even a little corn he starts toe tapping / wing flapping. That's probably the hardest part of eclectus because if you make a chop, and they start toe tapping and such you'll likely have to figure out what I causing the toe tapping and eliminate it. Which when making a chop you're usually using a lot of different things so it might be hard to narrow down the toe tapping to one thing.
- Pellets are almost always a no when it comes to eclectus. Some have found success with pellets but in the end most commercial pellets have added dyes or vitamins or they are corn based. None of which are good for eclectus parrots.
- Eclectus parrots (especially males for some reason) are very prone to plucking. I rarely see an adult male eclectus that's fully feathered. If your fids do end up plucking do not beat yourself up over it just do everything you can to prevent it from getting worse.

If you have them in separate cages it is unlikely they will mate as in the wild females usually set up camp somewhere and the males will visit frequently. In the end just make it so the female has no opportunity to nest. No nesting materials or good spots to make a nest. If they do end up mating / the female lays make sure you increase calcium levels in the females diet and if an egg is laid you can shake it a bit or freeze it for a bit to make sure no baby is born. then you can replace the egg so she doesn't keep laying.

Thanks for the response! I'm not dead set on an electus yet, and it's really only one of many birds I'm considering, but right now they are the ones I'm really wanting. Of course I'm not trying to underestimate the responsibility either, and I really appreciate the advice. I'm going to be volunteering at a macaw rescue, and while I'm hoping that I get hands-on experience with an electus or at least meet someone in person who has, it's really mostly the bigger birds. I'll be doing that for a year or two before I get the bird, that way I have supervised husbandry experience before actually making the leap in my own home where I don't have as much of a security net with their care.

Thanks again for the advice! I'm gonna try to get two birds of the same gender if I do get multiple animals, but I was worried about unknowingly getting a male and a female and having them breed by mistake. Makes me feel a bit better about that.

ChristaNL · Jul 23, 2018

Wow- you are sure doing your prep-work! :40:
Making sure you know how to handle a bird before getting one etc.
(makes me wish every parrotowner everywhere did that )

Don't forget about DNA-testing ... is is safe, reliable and fast

These days there is *no* need (or excuse) to accidentally end up with birds of the opposite sexe if you do not want to.

Oh... call me crazy... but have you considered fostering?
I found out too late, but here we have this rehoming-sytem where sometimes (like they do with kittens and puppies) the birds stay at a persons home rather than the rescue-place.
You cannot do that if you already have birds of your own (so I am out).
That way you can help a few birds on their way to find good permanent homes, you get a lot of experience along the way, and maybe your bird will come to you ...

MysticMagic · Jul 23, 2018

The reason I'm volunteering at a rescue specifically is because I'm still in college, and that leaves my schedule very busy and not as rigid as a bird needs. Don't get me wrong- I'd love to foster. It's just that I can't right now and by the time I'm ready to I'm probably going to be looking into getting my own bird(s) at that point.

I thought about DNA testing, but I figured that typically only happened after you brought the birds home. Makes sense that isn't only the case. I do know that birds with other "bird friends" tend to not want to bond with you as much, but as I'm looking for a rather independent friend anyways, I don't mind that as much so long as any aggression stays manageable... Still have a lot to learn there.

Thanks for the response!

Owlet · Jul 23, 2018

If you're getting from a breeder and they're not willing to DNA test for you (even at a bit of an extra cost) be suspicious. If you're adopting from a rescue they likely have DNA tested or were told the gender by whoever surrendered it.

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