my new forever friend!

[cgsouljah]

My wife and I have had quite a struggle finding a little buddy, but in the end it paid off! I felt like I was chasing Carmon San-Diego around the world, one expert would give me a number of another, and finally i was led to a breeder in the jungles of waimanalo, where i found a small Eclectus sanctuary, a well kept secret in the Hawaiian bird community no doubt.

We sat through a vigorous line of questioning that you might expect a suspected felon be asked, and we passed the interview. Soon we left with a amazing sweet green SI eckky.

something interesting did happen when me and my wife both looked at him, the name "Oscar" came to mind, a name in which neither of us have thought about before.

Now for usual questions from a new pet(me) of an eclectus:

1: Today he went through about 15 minutes of high intensity exercise. he was running around his cage hopping, climbing, flying and swinging. IT WAS FREAKING ME OUT! he fell about 3-4 times, hitting the bottom pretty good each time...is this ok? i was terrified.

2: also he hasn't ate in about 16 hours. i did mix up some formula as some of you did mention he might regress, but hell only lick a little bit off of my finger...any advice?

thank you as always-

 

[cgsouljah]

just a add on, he is playing with some of his toys and he seems to be in "good" spirits.

 

[thekarens]

How old is he? Are you giving him the same stuff he was getting at the breeders?

PS congrats!

 

[Terry57]

Congratulations on your new family member! Oscar is a great name
I was also wondering how old he is. There are 3 things that Ekko can't resist - pomegranates, a leaf of kale, or a leaf of red swiss chard.

 

[cgsouljah]

Thanks for the quick responses! he is 2 and a half month old, and i made sure i got a few days supply of his normal food from the breeder. I was told he has been eating on his own for 2 weeks now, but i made sure to pick up some formula just incase

hes letting me hand feed him just a little bit now, a dried banana seemed to work pretty good haha. but the thing that really worrys me is his falling, hes so clumsy. should i just let him play and run around even if he will probably fall 2-3 feet off his perch?

 

[MikeyTN]

Put blankets on the floor surrounding him just in case he does fall. Is he clipped?

 

[cgsouljah]

sorry i haven't responded sooner, life has just been busy... but i have some updates on lil oscar!

yes he is clipped...but he is eating like a little piggy now, weighing between 345-360 throughout the day... he started stepping up! and he lets out awesome battle crys a couple times throughout the day. and ill tell you, after having a conure that could shriek so load my ears bled, i almost want to ENCOURAGE loud time during mid afternoon! his calls are so emotional its like hes really trying to get something across! but hes doing well and is responding well to some touch training and step up training....

quick question though...since we got him, his poop has been a little watery but still tubuler. is he alright?

 

[Anansi]

Congratulations on your progress with Oscar!

As for your question, eclectus poop does tend to be a little more watery than that of most other parrots due to the higher fruit and veggie content... assuming that they are on a proper diet of 75-85% fruits and veggies, at any rate. The fact that it is still tubular is a good sign, though.

The coloring is also important. The poop is made up of the feces, which should be green, the urates which should be white, and urine, which should be clear. I've read that certain berries and whatnot can affect the color somewhat, though.

And there shouldn't be a strong smell to it, as this would be an indication that something is wrong.

What are you currently feeding him? How old is he? And is he still falling frequently?

 

[labell]

One of my boys is a little over 5 months and is just now flying and landing with great success. They are clumsy for a while. It is unfortunate that your boy was clipped so young and before he learned how to fly and land and build up his breast muscles. You can exercise him by holding on your hand with your thumb lightly over his toes to help with balance and keep him feeling secure, slowly bring him up higher and then back down until he starts flapping his wings. This will help him build those much needed muscles.
My boy is also still taking one small comfort hand feeding as I believe if they beg they shall receive.
Offer him LOTS of soft, warm mushy foods with plenty of fruits and veggies mixed in. At this point it may seem like you are wasting some food but it is better for him to have a wide variety to choose from as this will help him accept new foods through out his life.
Congrats on your new boy!

 

[RavensGryf]

Congratulations!
Wow, 2 months seems too young to take home. I'm surprised he's weaned.. Anyway, if all seems well, good luck and have fun

 

[Anansi]

See what happens when I post half asleep? I didn't even catch the whole 2 months part! Lol! Now I'm even more curious as to what he's eating at this point. Labell makes an excellent point about offering lots of mushy foods. It's hard to imagine that he is well and truly weaned so early.

 

[Freespin]

At that age he will still be clumsy and learning how to get around properly, my boy would also fall every now and then when he would try to make a jump that was a bit to far for him! As others have said that sounds rather young to be fully weaned. Variety is good, a bit of everything so he can try new things. try different textures too, mushy foods and things finely diced are ideal at his age. You may find that while he isnt interested in raw apple for example he may enjoy it cooked and in a puree. When i had Nelson he loved a warm mash. I would cook up things like kumara, apple, pumpkin, brown rice etc and then blend it all up for him and he would eat it from a spoon. You can also use foods he loves to introduce new foods for example if you learn he likes kumara mash you can start add small amounts of another vege to it and slowly increase the quantity so it is introduced gradually. This may work for something he isnt willing to try on its own =D

Hope i have been at least a little helpful and good luck with your baby!

 

[cgsouljah]

thanks for the reply's! he is eating cooked squash, apples, berries, sprouts(his fav), kale, lettuce, bananas, super hot chillie peppers (his other fave), a small amount of organic color-free pellets, and a small amount of a nut, dried fruit mix. alot of other fruits and veggies too, just cant remember all of them. he loves everything. oh and nutribarries.

as to the two month thing, i would say hes three now, he was born on dec 4th. The falling has stopped too! except for the occasional slip and eat **** when hes running around the cage like a mad man lol! ill post some pictures on tonight if i can figure it out!

 

[Freespin]

Sounds like he is doing well! I cant wait to see pics =D

 

[drlisaort]

I am sooooooooooooo happy for you and your wife!!!! A big hug to Oscar from Oliver!

 

[MangieSun]

Congrats on your new baby! Sounds like Oscar found a great home with you guys.