4toes_1beak
New member
Hello,
I'm new to the forum and I do not own an Eclectus parrot but am preparing myself to bring one home within the next 2-3 years (maybe 4 but hopefully it will not be that long). Looking for a Solomon Eclectus.
I understand that special diets and care need to be taken into consideration as they are different from most parrots down to their difference in the colors of a male vs colors of a female.
I have been looking up breeders just to educate myself on the signs of a quality breeder vs an unscrupulous breeder. I've ordered a book by a vet that you guys have recommended on here through reading your forums (waiting for the book to arrive) and read your experiences with different personalities found among eclectus parrots even though most of them were male and I am interested in a female, and I understand females tend to be more aggressive than males which is something I don't mind. I've seen photos on what large birds can do, and am willing to accept responsibility. I use to work in an animal hospital and I use to be around horses regularly and have nearly been killed by a horse I knew quite well and mounted back on him moments later after telling him he was a very bad boy (only reason I'm not around horses anymore is for the same reason I will not get a parrot right now... financial obligation towards special veterinary attention). Aggressive animal behavior doesn't easily scare me away. Disease will.
There are a lot things I would like to know that I cannot find online (aside from wiki-how if it even has what I'm looking for) and would like some insight.
1st: What is the best way to acclimate a new eclectus to a home with 2 kids (my kids will be 7 and 8 years of age if I bring home the bird in two years) a live-in man (he sleeps in the bed with me, helps cook dinner, helps take care of the kids and dogs, loves animals as much as I do, helps clean the house and does his own laundry), and 2 large dogs. (The dogs will be almost 9 and almost 10 in 2 years so there is a chance that they might not be around in 2 years).
2nd: Do eclectus show any warning signs before they bite or are they like cockatoos where there is no visual warning sign you just feel this heightened energy all of the sudden? How do I train them not to bite? (wiki-how had a special thing on eclectus no-bite training but I would like some insider help and if there is a different approach with male vs female.)
3rd: When a female is showing hormonal behavior, what do you recommend to stop her from doing this?
4th: I read that eclectus like to eat eggs if they are well cooked. ... Could I feed the female eggs that she has laid or is that a "don't do it"? (Don't look at me that way.) Can they have cooked steak?
5th: Are they possible to potty train? I have potty trained a budgie before but... that's a budgie. Took a ton of patience. Potty training my daughter took more patience. Rabbits are the easiest to potty train.
6th: I live in the USA. So far I've only found one Eclectus breeder and while they do have a lot of positive reviews, there were two negative reviews that concerned me and the fact their aviary isn't open to the public is more concerning (am I overreacting? Please let me know.) What USA (preferably northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin area but I will make the drive cross country if need be) breeders and aviaries do you recommend? I don't want to adopt a re-homed bird. I feel like that would be for a more experienced Eclectus owner. Plus I wanna raise it from 4 months old.
7th: Will they get "too jealous" if a newborn baby arrives? I DO NOT want more kids. I have a son and a daughter. But, accidents can happen. If jealousy does happen, how do I correct this? How do I go around this?
8th: What is the most humane training method to teach an eclectus not to scream?
9th: What type of people would make the best person to will the bird to if something happens to me? Should I educate my friend that has an african grey about eclectus parrots? Should I just rely on my spouse or kids? (I love horses and every year there is an equestrian that is killed by their love of being an equestrian. There's always a risk when you deal with an animal that weighs as much as a car and has a mind of it's own.)
I want to be as educated as possible when I get this bird as they do live a long time (I'm 29 now, so by the time I get this bird they will pass away by the time I'm in my early 70's if not later).
I know each bird has their own unique personality, so considering this all the information I can get to prepare myself and my family to have this bird not only survive but thrive as well as keeping the house hold happy will help even if it is information as simple as how to train them to enjoy a shower and stealing treats from someone's hand is bad manners.
I'm new to the forum and I do not own an Eclectus parrot but am preparing myself to bring one home within the next 2-3 years (maybe 4 but hopefully it will not be that long). Looking for a Solomon Eclectus.
I understand that special diets and care need to be taken into consideration as they are different from most parrots down to their difference in the colors of a male vs colors of a female.
I have been looking up breeders just to educate myself on the signs of a quality breeder vs an unscrupulous breeder. I've ordered a book by a vet that you guys have recommended on here through reading your forums (waiting for the book to arrive) and read your experiences with different personalities found among eclectus parrots even though most of them were male and I am interested in a female, and I understand females tend to be more aggressive than males which is something I don't mind. I've seen photos on what large birds can do, and am willing to accept responsibility. I use to work in an animal hospital and I use to be around horses regularly and have nearly been killed by a horse I knew quite well and mounted back on him moments later after telling him he was a very bad boy (only reason I'm not around horses anymore is for the same reason I will not get a parrot right now... financial obligation towards special veterinary attention). Aggressive animal behavior doesn't easily scare me away. Disease will.
There are a lot things I would like to know that I cannot find online (aside from wiki-how if it even has what I'm looking for) and would like some insight.
1st: What is the best way to acclimate a new eclectus to a home with 2 kids (my kids will be 7 and 8 years of age if I bring home the bird in two years) a live-in man (he sleeps in the bed with me, helps cook dinner, helps take care of the kids and dogs, loves animals as much as I do, helps clean the house and does his own laundry), and 2 large dogs. (The dogs will be almost 9 and almost 10 in 2 years so there is a chance that they might not be around in 2 years).
2nd: Do eclectus show any warning signs before they bite or are they like cockatoos where there is no visual warning sign you just feel this heightened energy all of the sudden? How do I train them not to bite? (wiki-how had a special thing on eclectus no-bite training but I would like some insider help and if there is a different approach with male vs female.)
3rd: When a female is showing hormonal behavior, what do you recommend to stop her from doing this?
4th: I read that eclectus like to eat eggs if they are well cooked. ... Could I feed the female eggs that she has laid or is that a "don't do it"? (Don't look at me that way.) Can they have cooked steak?
5th: Are they possible to potty train? I have potty trained a budgie before but... that's a budgie. Took a ton of patience. Potty training my daughter took more patience. Rabbits are the easiest to potty train.
6th: I live in the USA. So far I've only found one Eclectus breeder and while they do have a lot of positive reviews, there were two negative reviews that concerned me and the fact their aviary isn't open to the public is more concerning (am I overreacting? Please let me know.) What USA (preferably northern Illinois / Southern Wisconsin area but I will make the drive cross country if need be) breeders and aviaries do you recommend? I don't want to adopt a re-homed bird. I feel like that would be for a more experienced Eclectus owner. Plus I wanna raise it from 4 months old.
7th: Will they get "too jealous" if a newborn baby arrives? I DO NOT want more kids. I have a son and a daughter. But, accidents can happen. If jealousy does happen, how do I correct this? How do I go around this?
8th: What is the most humane training method to teach an eclectus not to scream?
9th: What type of people would make the best person to will the bird to if something happens to me? Should I educate my friend that has an african grey about eclectus parrots? Should I just rely on my spouse or kids? (I love horses and every year there is an equestrian that is killed by their love of being an equestrian. There's always a risk when you deal with an animal that weighs as much as a car and has a mind of it's own.)
I want to be as educated as possible when I get this bird as they do live a long time (I'm 29 now, so by the time I get this bird they will pass away by the time I'm in my early 70's if not later).
I know each bird has their own unique personality, so considering this all the information I can get to prepare myself and my family to have this bird not only survive but thrive as well as keeping the house hold happy will help even if it is information as simple as how to train them to enjoy a shower and stealing treats from someone's hand is bad manners.
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