Eclectus pros and cons

[ParrotLover7]

Hi all,
I have been thinking about getting an eclectus.
I would like to know about your eclectus's personality and some eclectus pros and cons.
Many Thanks,
Aaliyah

 

[Flboy]

My friend, your thinking is getting in the way of your decisions! You and I are from the same mold!

 

[ParrotLover7]

What do you mean?
I am still researching if its the rigt parrot

 

[Anansi]

I couldn't be happier with my two ekkies, Maya and Jolly! I've found eclectus parrots to be extremely intelligent, relatively easy going and stable in temperament. I have two VERY energetic boys aged 8 (soon to turn 9) and 6, and neither bird seems to even notice them as they run from one end of the house to the other.

Jolly and Maya have very different personalities. Jolly is VERY friendly and sweet natured. He has yet to bite in anger and has never drawn blood. He loves flying and enjoys doing laps around the interior of the house. I'm his person, but he also loves my wife, sons and mother, and will go to them without hesitation.

Maya is more of a one person bird, wanting my attention to the exclusion of anyone else. She's a work in progress so far as socialization goes. She'll go to my wife, but not for very long if I am anywhere in the vicinity. She is also fully flighted, but is not comfortable flying and only does so out of necessity.

Both learn very quickly, and enjoy training sessions. Both are also really good talkers, and even manage a few things in context (well, more so Jolly on the in context part). And contrary to the reputation ekkies have as more hands off kinds of birds, they really enjoy being held and petted (so long as you pet them with the grain of their feathering rather than against it). The same was true of my first eclectus, Bixby, as well.

As for cons, there aren't all that many as far as I'm concerned. They do best on a fresh diet of veggies, fruits, sprouts and legumes, so the labor of making chop is a turn off for some... as is their dietary sensitivity. But personally, I really don't mind that at all. I researched what they need and then make a chop every 3 days that covers all of their requirements.

Also, their high intelligence means that you have to work to keep them mentally stimulated. Again, not an issue for me. But for some it might be.

Oh, and their body language is far more subtle than most other birds. So whereas an amazon will practically do an entire dance routine to warn you that you've damaged his/her calm and are at risk of being bitten, an ekkie might initially seem to strike out without warning. But this is only until you come to recognize those slight body language indicators.

All in all, though, I think eclectus parrots are amazing birds. I wouldn't ever trade my two!

 

[ParrotLover7]

Thanks for that awesome reply

 

[Flboy]

"My friend, your thinking is getting in the way of your decisions! You and I are from the same mold!"

What do you mean?
I am still researching if its the right parrot

Poking fun at ya for your questions being all over the spectrum. I do the same thing! Also, I was on my fourth cup of a two cup limit of wine!

Most likely I should have worded it differently, I was thinking along the line of an expectant parent with his first child!
You ask, plan, prep, etc. then the baby comes home and.......

 

[Reub]

My experience as a new eclectus owner -
pros:
-like anansi said, they aren't as hands off as people make them out to be... I have a female, and she loves to be pet at certain times of the day, and is always chewing my fingers, ears, nose, etc (very rough at first! but now only a gentle hold or nibble). Go for breeds like the SI, though, as supposedly they are more friendly (though that could also be another misconception).
-Very quiet (for a parrot). She does squawk and sometimes scream, but the conditions which trigger these have been very predictable and easily mitigated. her regular chatter is a soft cooing sort of honking noise, and it's adorable.

cons:
-not much of a talker, but that is probably more of a female bird thing or just her temperament rather than a species specific thing.
-food prep and the mess she makes with it

 

[ParrotLover7]

Ok. Thanks guys. Yeah i like to ask lots of quesrions just to prepare, you know, dont want anything to go wrong

 

[camo]

What others have said here is spot on. Just to add a bit more to the points.



I think the main thing about eclectus parrots is they are smart, learn well (and retain what they learn), and do have their own personalities. These I think are the major Pro's or Con's depending on your circumstances and commitment to sharing your life with an eclectus parrot.

My two are both adoptions (Gizmo and Pebbles), the major cons they had when they first arrived, I would now put down to the above 3 traits (smart, learn well, have personalities). Gizmo was a biter (although not to the point of breaking skin), I would now say Gizmo is not a biter, but has the potential to revert. This is based on the fact that his previous owner taught him that if you bite you often get what you want, and did not seem to show him better ways to communicate, he would then get extremely frustrated if he didn't get his own way and become aggressive, so given the right environment he could easily slip back into that thought pattern. Pebbles was afraid of everything and everyone, now she will go to anyone as long as it suits her. I am not sure if she was poorly treated or poorly socialised, but it took a very long time to earn her trust, and then for a long time she only trusted me, so again I think she could easily slip back if she was put into an environment where she felt scared.

Their personality means it isn't a one size fits all for training and communicating with your eclectus parrots (or at least that is not how it is with Gizmo and Pebbles). They definitely have different motivators, triggers and ways of communicating how they are feeling, so again this may be a pro or a con.

I am coming around to also realising that eclectus parrots may not be the 'hands off' birds often discussed. My two were very much against fingers touching them, but after a fair amount of working with them (mainly touching them while they eat a treat), I am starting to get real results. Pebbles I can now practically do anything including holding her upside down in my hands, although she isn't a big fan of that (I am teaching her this, in case I need to hold her for a vet visit), and Gizmo even now seems to enjoy his beak being stroked or an occasional rub of the head when it suits him (these might not sound like much, but originally Gizmo would bite any finger that even looked like it might be coming near him, and Pebbles would absolutely freak out if you put your hands over the top of her).

[FONT=&quot]So I guess what I am saying is if your committed and willing to work through any issues that develop then they are a great choice, but if your not, they can be a very bad choice.[/FONT]

 

[Uglow]

you've gotten a lot of great advice. I can't compare Uglow to any other bird cuz I've only had a budgie a million years ago. who was really awesome and I wish he was still around. But Uglow is the only bird I've had as an adult. What I can say is that the level of trust keeps building and he keeps rewarding me with his friendship, sweetness, intelligence and hilarious antics.
Just when you think your relationship has reached its peak, they'll surprise you.
The main thing you have to consider is time. How much time will you be able to spend with your bird on a daily basis? weekly basis? and can you see yourself caring for a bird for 30-40-50 years. The weight of the responsibility reveals itself when you think of it in those terms. Uglow screamed for 3 days when we first got him. I was terrified that we made a HUGE mistake and now we can't imagine our life without him. He does this thing where he mushes his beak into my cheak and holds it there. My wife and I talk about him while we're out to dinner and we whisper to each other at the movies wondering if he's ok. This is what you'll have. Uglow isn't a huge talker but he sounds like a squeeze toy when he does say something. It'll melt your heart. I've read often that you get what you put in and I'm a firm believer in that.
Like others, Ugow was very much a hands off bird too but now he puts his head down for pets. he LOVES to be tickled under his wings. he flies to my wife to get his neck pet. He's even cuddled with us on the couch.

actual cons. you'll do more laundry. I've been pooped on more times than I would like to admit. I've gone to the store with poop on my back only to realize it while in the checkout line.
your water bill will go up. Uglow showers daily. Be prepared to get stared at every single time you eat. forget about ever eating potato chips in your home. when you hang out with your friends, 90% of your stories will be about your bird. your headphones, you're gonna need a new pair, and then another new pair.....and then another new pair. Consider buying them in bulk. I live in an apartment building and in the backyard outside my kitchen window neighbors like to sunbathe during the summer. Uglow sits in that window and his favorite words are peekaboo and tickle tickle tickle and he sounds like squeeze toy. So the neighbors probably think we have a creepy baby. So that's cool.

good luck with whatever you decide to do. There's folks here with way more experience than me and there are a ton of threads covering all kinds of issues so I think you're in the right spot.

 

[BruceTheQuail]

The biggest con in my mind is the screaming. It is beyond belief at times, though ours have quietened down a lot in the last year.

 

[ParrotLover7]

Thanks. I am still reading LOTS.
Im glad i have joined this forum. All the other websites just say bad things when actually they might have mistreated their bird(s) but this is different.
Anyways, thanks