I don't have any information for you... but I couldn't resist thanking you for being so cautious, so considerate, and so receptive to advice IN ADVANCE of getting a bird!
Agreed, and well said! So many people would very typically get online looking for a parrot, they would see a photo of an Eclectus and like the way the bird looks, it's size, etc. Then without doing any research at all beyond finding out what the name of the bird's species was, they would do a search for breeders or would get on Craigslist to find one that was being rehomed, and then they would just go out and get one and bring it home (most likely along with a bag of cheap parrot seed mix from Walmart). Then eventually either the bird would become sick from the improper diet or something else would be going wrong with the bird, and they would Google "bird forums" and this forum would pop up first. And after finding the Eclectus category they would quickly see a lot of talk and questions about their diets, and would put up their very first post titled "Does My Eclectus Need A Special Diet Or Something?"
So yes, thank you so much for doing your research BEFORE getting a bird, it's a huge commitment to promise 30+ years of your life to a pet, hell it's a huge commitment to promise 15+ years of your life to a dog or a cat! Unfortunately most people act before thinking, and they see something they want so they just go out and get it. And when that "thing" that they see and automatically have to have is a living creature that has no choice but to rely upon that person for their life, it needs to be taken very seriously. I actually (and unfortunately) know several people (2 I can name immediately) that have actually called me up to say they had gotten a new pet, one a pit bull puppy (such a horrible idea) and one a sun conure, and wanted me to come over and see them. In both instances the person had not ever mentioned wanting a pet at all to me, and in both instances the pets were a spur of the moment decision that they had to make on the spot because they were being rehomed and were free. The pit bull puppy was 3 months old and had been purchased by a guy who couldn't have pets in his apartment and the sun conure was found on Craigslist as a 2 year old bird that had to be rehomed ASAP because it's owner got a promotion and was moving. (Why is it that 80% of the ads I see from people that are rehoming their pets list the reason they are rehoming their beloved pet as "The only reason I'm rehoming him is because I'm moving out of state"? I mean, I see this constantly, every time I get on Craigslist, and I always say out loud "So what? So you're moving, OK, so take your dog with you!) Anyway, my point is that both of these people gave me Exactly the same answer when I first went to their homes to see their new pets, and I asked them "Don't you think you should have done some research or given this some thought before you just brought home a pet that you haven't ever even thought about having before?"...Their duplicate answers were something like "Well, I had to make a snap decision because he was free and the owner needed him gone ASAP, and the guy had a bunch of calls about him. So he would have been gone by tomorrow. And I can't really lose, I mean hopefully he's a good dog/bird and he likes me and we get along. Hopefully he doesn't destroy stuff, and I think I can make enough time for him with work and actually having a life. But even if it doesn't work out I can't lose, he was free so if I end up having to get rid of him I'll only lose money that I paid for food and toys and stuff like that, and it's not like it's hard to find someone to take him, worst case scenario is I drop him off at a shelter. Best case is I make a couple bucks selling him."
So thanks so much for being responsible, and I'm sure whatever parrot you decide to get you'll be a responsible owner that will take very good care of your bird and provide him everything he needs to live a long, healthy life. I have had pet birds for about 30 years now, since I was 6 years old, and I can't imagine not having at least one in my home. I don't know much about the Eclectus species, I've never owned one myself. I have know a few people that have owned them over the years, and they all loved them very much. They were all very loving, funny, outgoing birds that loved attention. I will say though that I think all of the people I have known that had them had purchased them as hand-raised babies from breeders rather than adopting an adult Eclectus, so I have no experience at all with that situation.
The one bit of advice I can give you that should be helpful to you is that no matter what type of bird you get, whether it be a budgie, a conure, a senegal, an eclectus, a macaw, or a cockatoo, they will all need fresh veggies and fruits, whole grain pastas and breads, nuts and seeds, in addition to their dry staple food like pellets, whether cut up separately or put into chops and frozen, then thawed and portioned out, every day for their entire lives. So the few people I knew that had an Eclectus didn't seem to do anymore work in food preparation than I did for my birds. And they all did the same thing to make it very easy on themselves, they found the chop recipes they wanted to make (they do need variety) and on either Saturday or Sunday morning they would go to the grocery store and buy everything they needed. Then they would go home and spend probably 2 hours at most chopping up and separating veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, pastas, breads, etc. Then they would just put together 2 or 3 different types of chop, huge bowls full, and would freeze it. These would be all of their bird's food for the week. Some people actually spend an entire day making massive amounts of chop and freezing them so that they're good for a month or more. I don't have the freezer space to do this, but if I did I would definitely do it this way!
I typically go and buy all of my pet's food on Sunday. I get my dog's their dry and wet dog food and their treats, I go to Petco and buy my bearded dragon's crickets, mealworms, wax worms, beardie bits if he needs them, then get any bird food that I need like pellets, seeds, treats, and then I hit the grocery store. I get my own groceries followed by all of the fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, pastas, breads, etc. that I need for both the birds and the bearded dragon. (The older my beardie gets the less insects he eats, thank God, and the more fresh veggies and fruits he eats. So I can actually split this stuff between him and the birds) I'll be the first to admit that I do things on the spot, so I typically prepare the bird's fresh food and the beardie's fresh salad every night and morning on the spot. Sometimes the birds have something easy for breakfast like oatmeal, grits, or eggs along with their pellets and a little seed, so not much work there, but the beardie needs mostly salad now every day.
So I guess the bottom line is no matter what species of bird you get, there really won't be a day where you just fill their bowl with pellets and seeds and not prepare them some other type of fresh food, typically veggies. So if an Eclectus is what you really love and want to get, don't let the need for fresh foods every day hold you back, you'll have to do this no matter what bird you get.
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