Getting a second eclectus

[Chikoo]

MonicaMc be carefull with species your not familiar with . A lot of what we read about eclectus are very conflicting. In my experience dealing with these birds everyday & knowing their temprement so well a lot of what we read is myth.

Chikoo IMO that male looks healthy to me, if he were given such a bad diet for so many years he would not look in such good condition.

Thanks Pedro. Do you have any additional thoughts to add in terms of adding him to my flock? He's been on my mind a lot, in a good way. I wonder if his owner would let me take care of him for a week or so, just to test things out. Since the owner is moving (in about a month), I would hate to take the bird, and then realize shortly thereafter that it simply is not working, or the birds hate each other, etc., and then have to rehome him once again. So maybe if the owner is open to my seeing how he does in the house, it could be worth it, unless someone here feels like that's a terrible idea. That's basically what I'm feeling at the moment.

 

[MonicaMc]

MonicaMc be carefull with species your not familiar with . A lot of what we read about eclectus are very conflicting. In my experience dealing with these birds everyday & knowing their temprement so well a lot of what we read is myth.

Chikoo IMO that male looks healthy to me, if he were given such a bad diet for so many years he would not look in such good condition.

Pedro, this is information I've heard from eclectus owners! I'm only mentioning it since I've heard it from the owners themselves! And I do recall of a female eclectus that became aggressive towards an alexandrine parakeet when she became hormonal! I also know of a female eclectus that has gotten along *great* with a peach faced lovebird! To the point the two were feeding each other...


All I'm saying is that it can vary... and in a few species, I know that hens may not enjoy a young, immature male.. and yet in others, the males can be dangerous towards the hens.

 

[Pedro]

MonicaMc be carefull with species your not familiar with . A lot of what we read about eclectus are very conflicting. In my experience dealing with these birds everyday & knowing their temprement so well a lot of what we read is myth.

Chikoo IMO that male looks healthy to me, if he were given such a bad diet for so many years he would not look in such good condition.

Thanks Pedro. Do you have any additional thoughts to add in terms of adding him to my flock? He's been on my mind a lot, in a good way. I wonder if his owner would let me take care of him for a week or so, just to test things out. Since the owner is moving (in about a month), I would hate to take the bird, and then realize shortly thereafter that it simply is not working, or the birds hate each other, etc., and then have to rehome him once again. So maybe if the owner is open to my seeing how he does in the house, it could be worth it, unless someone here feels like that's a terrible idea. That's basically what I'm feeling at the moment.

There really isn't any guarantee to how the 2 get on. Separate cages to begin with. I have never had problems introducing 2 eclectus together breeders or pets. I just put the new bird in the same cage & let them work it out themselves. However i do watch them closely for any aggression.
You won't know how things will go by just having the male for a week, he will need to settle & that could take a while.

I always advise if your not interested in breeding don't buy a companion for you existing parrot but for yourself. If things work out with the new bird thats great but 2 eclectus can coexist with out being aggressive with each other. & seeing you haven't had the hen to long it could be a good decision all round.

Personally i wouldn't hesitate if i were in your position. But then i am bias where eclectus go. I also believe if we are well educated in parrot behavior we will know how to handle almost every problem.

 

[Chikoo]

Thank you Pedro for the advice. I would be getting the parrot for myself, not really for my female. If he provides some nice company for her, then that is great, but I'm not totally counting on that. My female seems quite happy with her human flock, so I'm not really even feeling that she needs companionship or anything.

 

[Pedro]

Another thought Chikoo is by bring the male into your home is could very well solve the hens plucking problem.

Also it doesn't really matter if you are bringing a same species or a totally different bird into your home your still going to have to have a plan B.

 

[Chikoo]

Yes, Pedro, I've had a similar feeling regarding the plucking. My plan is to acquire the bird, and the owners are not leaving for another month or so. If things go awry before they leave, I will be in relationship with them about it, as they have had other people interested in the male. If things don't work out much later on, and I do have to rehome, then I will just have to accept that, and try to find a good home for the guy. A lot of people are into keeping parrots here in Hawaii, so I feel okay about it, but hoping I won't have to do that, of course.

 

[Pedro]

Trust me you will fall so in love with him. He will be so different to your hen. Once you have him home you will give him a forever home.

I house 9 adult & 2 babies here & i love them all. Some i handle some are my breeders. They all have their own unique little characters.

 

[Chikoo]

So I brought the little guy home today!! He seems to be doing well. My female is eating on top of his cage right now...lol. He hasn't eaten much this evening, probably just adjusting to everything. He is quite vocal and exceptional at mimicking just about everything, and seems very sweet. I love him already.

Any advice on how to help him settle in? Should I not handle him much? Should I just keep him in his cage? Is it okay that his cage is in the same room with my other bird?

 

[Pedro]

CONGRATULATIONS, I knew you would.:jumping40

Just follow his lead, if he wants to venture out of the cage just let him. Ask him to step up if he is apprehensive let him be & try later. Keep a close eye on them but i am so sure it will all fit together in a day or 2.

Keep us posted.

I told you, you'd fall in love with him.

 

[mtdoramike]

No, I would handle him as much as he allows you to. It's best to start bonding right away. My Eclectus was out of his cage and on me as soon as I got him home while I was putting his cage together

 

[mtdoramike]

Also how about some more pictures of this guy.

 

[Chikoo]

Thanks everyone. Pictures coming soon!! He's not eating much yet . Maybe he just needs to adjust more.

 

[MonicaMc]

He hasn't been home for very long. If you don't see him eating by the 3rd day (watch his droppings - black droppings are bad), I'd be concerned then! Does he have the same food as he was eating in his previous home?

It's usually best to quarantine any new birds for 30-90 days (60-90 preferably) with an avian vet visit (fecal and blood work) prior to keeping said new bird in the same room as your other bird.


Either way, congrats on bringing him home! Hope he settles in quickly and starts munching away!

 

[Pedro]

Thanks everyone. Pictures coming soon!! He's not eating much yet . Maybe he just needs to adjust more.

I wouldn't worry to much about it, he will start to eat when hungry, make sure you offer a variety of foods. He may take time to recognise new foods.
I do know when i board eclectus they usually take a day or two to settle in & eat.

I don't usually quarantine birds that have been a family pet for years. The likelyhood of disease is slim but maybe keep them separated for the time being.

 

[DerSchniffles]

My SI is alot bigger than a pidgeon haha. Maybe close to the same length but they hare heavy bodied parrots so they are much wider and thicker. I also say (to people who dont know what an Eclectus is) that she is about the size of a raven or large crow. Just for the image

Congrats on your new Ekkie! Hopefully he adjusts well. My girl is still opening up and ive had her for just over 4 months. Her adjustment period took about a month for her to be okay with everything around her and then it was all about gaining trust with each other. Hopefully both ekkies get along well!

 

[Chikoo]

Thanks everyone. He eats better when I feed him, but I noticed he munched down some banana in his bowl, and some seeds. And I fed him some apple later which he seemed to really like. For dinner, he was munching on my salad, so I gave him a little portion with the dressing washed off, and he liked eating the potatoes and lettuce, and then he also ate some TOPS pellets and mung sprouts. So he did pretty good! He is definitely showing signs of appetite, and eating, so that's a big relief.

I hope he recognizes some other fruits soon and starts to eat them. His previous owner told me he liked to eat bananas and papayas, but so far no luck on papaya. Hope he will get into passionfruit. But each bird seem to have its preference. He's been used to a mostly seed diet, so I hope it won't be too hard to get him off that. I haven't given him his old food again. With my female, since the day she came home, I started giving her all kinds of fruits, and she never looked back at her old diet again.

He is settling in well. He will step up on me when I reach for him in the cage. He is very receiving of touch, I pet his head for short periods, and he likes that. He has a playtop cage, and my female has been flying on top and playing all around his cage while he is inside. She will hang on the side, or perch on the top, or play around it. Everytime I have walked in, she has been on top of his cage, while he sits quietly inside. I took it as a good sign. I have handled them both together now as well, and they seem to like each other. They will respond to one another's vocalizations, and seem to enjoy the company. Absolutely no signs of aggression, or jealousy, or any weirdness.

If anything, I've noticed that my female has opened up a bit more, is vocalizing more, and seems more playful and perky since he's joined the flock. So I take these all as good signs.

One thing I've noticed is that his feet are funny. He seems pigeon-toed or something. He does not perch the way my female does. I can see her legs when she perches on me, and her stance is strong, and straight. His legs tend to curl to the side, he seems to walk with his feet slightly on the side when he is on the floor, and when he is perched on me, his feet are on me, but it feels like he rests a lot of his belly on me too, same story when he's perched in his cage. He's not as straight as my female. I wonder if all his time in the cage has made his feet funny, and if its possible to straighten them out. Or if just all birds perch a little different. I will post pics tomorrow to illustrate what I'm talking about.

But all in all, I would say its going really well, and I have no regrets in getting a second eclectus. He seems to be a really positive addition. Oh, I gave him a shower today too, and he was flapping his wings, and wagging his tail, going crazy! He loves the water.

 

[Trina]

awesome congrats on ur new birdie

 

[Chikoo]

Thanks Trina! Here are some pics for everyone, of both the birds

Rumi is now eating fresh foods (fruits, veggies, and greens), and his poop is looking much better than when I first got him. He doesn't seem to miss eating all those seeds, but I still give him a little. He's molting a little bit right now, but you can hardly tell. He's 430g, perhaps a bit overweight. His feet are funny, as I mentioned before, some of you may be able to tell. He rests his belly when he perches, and his feet don't seem to be straight, he curves them to the side, like he is pigeon toed. I wonder if this is a problem or not, or how to correct it. But here they are.

 

[njgray21]

I wonder if he is indeed overweight if that would effect his feet and the way he perches. This is not from any experience I may have, just a thought.

 

[Chikoo]

Yeah, I'm not sure. Apparently, 430g is the average weight for a male ekkie. But he is supposedly a SI, so that seems a bit high for an SI.