High Maintenance Dietary Needs?

[Anansi]

Thanks, Chris. I think Parker has an A grade parront, himself.

 

[BruceTheQuail]

Just if you need an opinion on an eclectus against caiques, we have a pair of each (black headed caiques).

The caiques are awesome birds and huge fun, they dont need quite as much space as the eckies. They are very sweet with their whistles and snuggles and jumping and tumbling. But they eat a heap and are super messy, they drop most of their food to the bottom of the cage and wont go down to retrieve anything, even pieces of apple with one bite taken out of them. Their beaks are very sharp at the point and they bite in fun quite a bit. But the hardest thing to deal with is their screeching - they have one call for demands for food or attention which is grating beyond belief, and another for warning (I think) which nearly pops your eardrums.

Infrastructure requirements 5,
PITA factor 7,
Fun factor 9

The eckies obviously talk a lot more but are generally more ponderous, as bigger birds. They have a terribly loud scream that wears thin very quickly, but after a while they settle down with that and we usually only get it for brief periods in the morning and at dusk. They dont eat as much as the caiques, but that is because they arent as active. As mentioned above, the chop is easy to make. I sprout millet and mix it with chopped capsicum and other veggies, grated apple, and steamed sweet potato and pumpkin. It takes me about 15 minutes every 4 days or so. I should be eating what they do. Then I give them pellets in the afternoon. They are neater eaters than caiques but that isnt saying much. They need much bigger cages (we have enclosed our patio for them to roam during the day) and a good spray with a hose a few times a week in summer.

Infrastructure requirements 8,
PITA Factor 5,
Fun Factor 7