I LOVE my Ekkie! Yes they are prone to feather problems, more feather chewing than anything, that can progress to plucking (Rocco is a chewer, my vet recommended not to clip his wings because it could encourage the problem). Rocco's personality is so even keel and laid back. He is not a bird that gets into the middle of the action but he likes to be present and observe whatever is going on (from what I hear the females like to be in the middle of the action/directing it). He isn't physically needy, in fact he prefers not to be touched much at all. He likes to investigate new things. He is very vocal, all day he talks up a storm and has a ton of different whistle variations. Rocco as it turns out is a mix, if you ever come across an Ekkie with a/or more than one yellow feather that means that they are a mix to two different types. I was told he was an SI but he is larger than an SI but smaller than a Red sided, with a yellow feather - so he is probably a mix of both. I bring that up because I think Ekkies are a good sized bird. They are not so big that they will take a finger off but they are large enough where you still get the feel of having a good sized parrot.
I have only had Rocco for a few months, he is 4yrs old and I am his 3rd home. The only issue I have with him is that he is food aggressive. He is not aggressive with Rome but if it is dinner time and I put my hand in the bowel he will bite. This may come from having to defend himself a lot in his first home (was taunted by 8 young children). He is also sometimes protective of his physical space but I think that is due to his first home and hes been getting a lot better about it. Since being at my house he hasn't been chewing on his feathers. Those are the only draw backs to him, and really compared to Rome they are nothing.
As far as time goes. I get them up around 7-8am and they go outside where they are loose all day on stands. I bring them in around 5-6pm and they go to bed around 8-9pm right now. He seems to be fine with that.
Rocco does require more baths than normal. He doesn't eat his food by picking it up, he dives into it and wears it. From talking to other Ekkie owners, this seems to be a typical trait.
I think that the females are often overlooked to much. In the wild the females are the dominant ones and call the shots. The males are by nature submissive. Females can be a little more bossy and have some 'mood swings.' If you are an experienced bird handler a female would be a nice addition. They seem to have a more outgoing forward personality but need someone who can handle the 'I'm the boss' attitude when it presents itself.
As far as diet. There is soooo much controversy surrounding their diet. We ran into problems when we first got Rocco. He was wing flipping and he would only eat two or three different kinds of fruit. No matter what we tried nothing seemed to work. So he is on an eclectus specific pelleted diet that is offered freely all day and for his evening meal he gets fruit (80% pellet, 20% fruit). We also stock his foraging toys with almonds for extra calcium. Since doing that his feather flipping went away. As far as diet goes, I wouldn't always trust the internet - definitely have your vets input in your diet plans.
Good luck, hope this helped shed some light.
