I've Got Ekkie Fever - Do I Add To My Flock?

[Violet_Diva]

Many of you may remember my journey into parronthood.
I researched various parrot species for a long time before deciding that the eclectus was the parrot for me.
I then spent nearly a further 6months looking for my dream bird from a reputable breeder.

Bella was a bit of a biter to begin with, but it didn't take too long for us to bond and trust one another.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/64083-my-first-parrot-female-vosmaeri-eclectus.html

Then I started thinking about getting a male eclectus for birdy company in the same room (obviously after an initial quarantine period). Bella had been brought up in a household with a small flock of other birds (including her sibling and a caique as well as a galah cockatoo and others). I felt she was missing out on being in bird company. I found one male eclectus up for rehoming, but he was a bit too pricey for me at the time. Then I found Dexter living quite locally.

Dexter was rather shy to begin with but soon worked out how to get treats and has turned out to be a natural when it comes to training.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/65457-my-second-parrot-male-red-sided-eclectus.html

I usually 'window shop' online at available birds. All window shopping accompanied by the obligatory "Ooohs and ahhhhhhhhs". So many beautiful species... but I always find myself saving the ekkie adds to my 'watch list'.

I recently stumbled across an advert for a young male grand eclectus that has been plucking his wings. I started to communicate with the human of said ekkie. We messaged back and forth for a while until they told me where they got him from.... the same breeder as Bella! I checked the age the seller listed the ekkie as and realised he's the same age as Bella... could the buyer be wrong? It turns out there's a good chance that he is Bellas sibling, the very boy I met when I went to collect my girl. WHATS THE CHANCE OF THAT? Finding the sibling of my bird, a bird that I've already met and have photos of? I find myself wanting to bring him home....

At the same time there has been an advert of an unrelated male Vos available very locally to me. How can I ignore him? He was bought by the current owner to pair with his female, but she wasn't interested in him. He's used to being out in an aviary and brought in during the winter. Could he transition into being an indoor birdy? Would he enjoy another male ekkie for company? I want to find out! I'm thinking the worse case scenario is that he doesn't transition and needs to be out in an aviary again... but... I already know a reputable breeder of Vosmaeri... and he would be ecstatic to have a new bloodline.

Do I get both?

Or am I being crazy?

 

[itchyfeet]

You know the species - why not?
Have you got the time/money/environmental space to dedicate to them all, dependent on the scenarios that could play out? It's a genuine passion of yours and not something you are doing to try and 'fix' another.
I'd probably only take one new one on at a time, but in this situation, how would you choose?

 

[chris-md]

Guilty I do the same thing!! I’m on birdbreeders a couple ones a day to ogle everything available. Except I daydream over the red fronted macaws and green wings, occasionally the blue and golds and the golden conures.

 

[Violet_Diva]

Well.... I just got a message through saying the unrelated male is sold....

 

[SailBoat]

Many of you may remember my journey into parronthood.
I researched various parrot species for a long time before deciding that the eclectus was the parrot for me.
I then spent nearly a further 6months looking for my dream bird from a reputable breeder.

Bella was a bit of a biter to begin with, but it didn't take too long for us to bond and trust one another.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/64083-my-first-parrot-female-vosmaeri-eclectus.html

Then I started thinking about getting a male eclectus for birdy company in the same room (obviously after an initial quarantine period). Bella had been brought up in a household with a small flock of other birds (including her sibling and a caique as well as a galah cockatoo and others). I felt she was missing out on being in bird company. I found one male eclectus up for rehoming, but he was a bit too pricey for me at the time. Then I found Dexter living quite locally.

Dexter was rather shy to begin with but soon worked out how to get treats and has turned out to be a natural when it comes to training.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/65457-my-second-parrot-male-red-sided-eclectus.html

I usually 'window shop' online at available birds. All window shopping accompanied by the obligatory "Ooohs and ahhhhhhhhs". So many beautiful species... but I always find myself saving the ekkie adds to my 'watch list'.

I recently stumbled across an advert for a young male grand eclectus that has been plucking his wings. I started to communicate with the human of said ekkie. We messaged back and forth for a while until they told me where they got him from.... the same breeder as Bella! I checked the age the seller listed the ekkie as and realised he's the same age as Bella... could the buyer be wrong? It turns out there's a good chance that he is Bellas sibling, the very boy I met when I went to collect my girl. WHATS THE CHANCE OF THAT? Finding the sibling of my bird, a bird that I've already met and have photos of? I find myself wanting to bring him home....

At the same time there has been an advert of an unrelated male Vos available very locally to me. How can I ignore him? He was bought by the current owner to pair with his female, but she wasn't interested in him. He's used to being out in an aviary and brought in during the winter. Could he transition into being an indoor birdy? Would he enjoy another male ekkie for company? I want to find out! I'm thinking the worse case scenario is that he doesn't transition and needs to be out in an aviary again... but... I already know a reputable breeder of Vosmaeri... and he would be ecstatic to have a new bloodline.

Do I get both?

Or am I being crazy?

You are being Crazy! Without assuring that you have the long term abilities to provide all the needed care and TIME you are setting yourself and your Parrots up for a Solid Hard Wall Hit, at speed!

STOP, looking at Parrots outside of those you have now! Every time you feel like looking, STOP and go be with those you have! For as little time you have into this World of Parrots, you have far more Parrots then those that have been here for years longer!

Unless you can STOP and control your 'Want,' you could easily end-up on the evening news with the Local Animal Control group in rescuing the Parrots!

Its the uncontrollable 'WANT' that is the concern!


- At present, if just one of your current flock becomes seriously ill can you afford the thousands of Pounds to provide Avian Care? Or, the around the clock care that maybe needed?

- A local emergency that requires you to leave your home within minutes (example: chemical or natural gas leak) could you move all of your current flock in less than 10 minutes?

Likely not for either?

 

[LordTriggs]

Sailboat's response in a nutshell

you have a good pair and a good thing going right now, why potentially compromise that out of addiction

 

[Jottlebot]

Yep, probably not what you really really want to hear, but I'd recommend waiting. Maybe you do have all the time, funds and organisation needed to be the human of multiple Eckies. However, I can't remember how old your current feathered family is, but I seem to remember they are quite young? I would at least wait until they hit puberty. I understand that in Eckies it can be quite an event!

 

[Violet_Diva]

You know the species - why not?
Have you got the time/money/environmental space to dedicate to them all, dependent on the scenarios that could play out? It's a genuine passion of yours and not something you are doing to try and 'fix' another.
I'd probably only take one new one on at a time, but in this situation, how would you choose?

One at a time definitely seems more sensible! But the unrelated male Vos has since sold. So only the brother of my Bella remains. He's been plucking his wings and can no longer fly. When I first met him he was rather bonded to a caique, so I wonder if he just misses birdy company. If not it could be diet related (get your food diary ready) or just because he needs different stimuli to what his current owner is providing in terms of enrichment, foraging, toys etc, humidity, bathing... the list goes on. I'd love to help him.

 

[Violet_Diva]

Guilty I do the same thing!! I’m on birdbreeders a couple ones a day to ogle everything available. Except I daydream over the red fronted macaws and green wings, occasionally the blue and golds and the golden conures.

Glad it's not just me spying on pretty birdies! :-D Usually I just say, if it's meant to be - it will be. And I was so shocked to find a) Bellas sibling and b) an unrelated Vos near to me (there's typically a ridiculous distance between me and available parrots, but vos are rather rare here in Britain), plus I get travel sick real easy, so most birdies are automatically ruled out. Anyhow, the unrelated vos is already rehomed, but I have asked the original owner to let me know if he is returned to them for any reason, as Bellas breeder would love to have him.

 

[Violet_Diva]

Many of you may remember my journey into parronthood.
I researched various parrot species for a long time before deciding that the eclectus was the parrot for me.
I then spent nearly a further 6months looking for my dream bird from a reputable breeder.

Bella was a bit of a biter to begin with, but it didn't take too long for us to bond and trust one another.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/64083-my-first-parrot-female-vosmaeri-eclectus.html

Then I started thinking about getting a male eclectus for birdy company in the same room (obviously after an initial quarantine period). Bella had been brought up in a household with a small flock of other birds (including her sibling and a caique as well as a galah cockatoo and others). I felt she was missing out on being in bird company. I found one male eclectus up for rehoming, but he was a bit too pricey for me at the time. Then I found Dexter living quite locally.

Dexter was rather shy to begin with but soon worked out how to get treats and has turned out to be a natural when it comes to training.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/65457-my-second-parrot-male-red-sided-eclectus.html

I usually 'window shop' online at available birds. All window shopping accompanied by the obligatory "Ooohs and ahhhhhhhhs". So many beautiful species... but I always find myself saving the ekkie adds to my 'watch list'.

I recently stumbled across an advert for a young male grand eclectus that has been plucking his wings. I started to communicate with the human of said ekkie. We messaged back and forth for a while until they told me where they got him from.... the same breeder as Bella! I checked the age the seller listed the ekkie as and realised he's the same age as Bella... could the buyer be wrong? It turns out there's a good chance that he is Bellas sibling, the very boy I met when I went to collect my girl. WHATS THE CHANCE OF THAT? Finding the sibling of my bird, a bird that I've already met and have photos of? I find myself wanting to bring him home....

At the same time there has been an advert of an unrelated male Vos available very locally to me. How can I ignore him? He was bought by the current owner to pair with his female, but she wasn't interested in him. He's used to being out in an aviary and brought in during the winter. Could he transition into being an indoor birdy? Would he enjoy another male ekkie for company? I want to find out! I'm thinking the worse case scenario is that he doesn't transition and needs to be out in an aviary again... but... I already know a reputable breeder of Vosmaeri... and he would be ecstatic to have a new bloodline.

Do I get both?

Or am I being crazy?

You are being Crazy! Without assuring that you have the long term abilities to provide all the needed care and TIME you are setting yourself and your Parrots up for a Solid Hard Wall Hit, at speed!

STOP, looking at Parrots outside of those you have now! Every time you feel like looking, STOP and go be with those you have! For as little time you have into this World of Parrots, you have far more Parrots then those that have been here for years longer!

Unless you can STOP and control your 'Want,' you could easily end-up on the evening news with the Local Animal Control group in rescuing the Parrots!

Its the uncontrollable 'WANT' that is the concern!


- At present, if just one of your current flock becomes seriously ill can you afford the thousands of Pounds to provide Avian Care? Or, the around the clock care that maybe needed?

- A local emergency that requires you to leave your home within minutes (example: chemical or natural gas leak) could you move all of your current flock in less than 10 minutes?

Likely not for either?

Thank-you for your lengthy reply, I appreciate you took the time to do so and I also appreciate your sentiment and concerns therein, you raised some good points.

I don't think I could ever stop looking at others seeking rehoming. Bella is the first creature I have ever bought from a breeder, all my other critters have been rescues or rehomings. I've previously had cats, rabbits, guinea-pigs, fish, gerbils, rats, stick insects, chickens - but only because other people weren't able to care for them. I've taken stray animals and spent thousands on medical treatments on the unwanted and unloved. And I don't think I could ever not do something to help an animal if I felt I had the power to do so. My 'want' is only ever based on wanting to ensure care for creatures.

I'm sorry if my original post came across as naive and flippant.

I'm a typical eccentric. I have zero social life and am only ever at work or home. So all of my time is dedicated to care of animals. My partner is unable to work due to his health, so he is always home. We have 3 indoor cats, 1 cat that comes and goes as he pleases, and a stray cat that lives in wooden house in the yard. We also have 7 pigeons outside, and the 2 parrots inside.

I am fortune enough to have a steady job which I have had for more than a decade. I worked my way up to manager and since the company changed hands earlier in the year, I now have performance based bonuses too, so as far as I am aware, financial aspects shouldn't be a problem.

It's a good point you made about evacuation. I remember reading a thread about it a while back. I have two small pet carriers ready to go in the bird room at all times. Both birds are recall trained and step up (especially if there's a treat on offer.) The most recent rescue cat can be a bit bitey and she can't be picked up, so she gets fed in a pet carrier (we call it her restaurant), so if she has to go to the vets (or be evacuated) she will go into the carrier by herself via the lure of food. I also have a stack of larger pet carriers outside the back door for the remaining cats and pigeons plus a fishermans landing net for pigeon capture if required. So in answer to your question, yes, all can be evacuated in less than 10 mins.

I'm glad you posed the questions you did, as it did prompt me to think - which is never a bad thing!

 

[Violet_Diva]

Sailboat's response in a nutshell

you have a good pair and a good thing going right now, why potentially compromise that out of addiction

I wouldn't say I have an addiction :-D I just like to help animals that I am able to. I often message people looking to sell ekkies and find out if the reason is because of something they could actually do something about. Directing them to parrotforums is sometimes helpful.
I'm not sure I understand how adding to the flock could compromise Bella and Dexter... I see lots of multiple bird people on parrotforums. Are their birds compromised? If you could be a bit more specific I might be able to reply a little better.

 

[Violet_Diva]

Yep, probably not what you really really want to hear, but I'd recommend waiting. Maybe you do have all the time, funds and organisation needed to be the human of multiple Eckies. However, I can't remember how old your current feathered family is, but I seem to remember they are quite young? I would at least wait until they hit puberty. I understand that in Eckies it can be quite an event!

Dexter is nearly 3 and Bella will be 2 next year. So yes, they are young'ns! That's a really good point about puberty. I remember reading about a certain hormonal chicken on parrotforums. The new challenges of puberty probably will create some extra strain and pressure for sure, but isn't that what being a parront is all about? I don't know if I should let 'puberty fear' be the deciding factor. It is definitely something to consider.

 

[LordTriggs]

what I mean by compromise is that there are times (not always) that when a new bird gets introduced it upsets the balance already there. Some birds will start fighting each other, others can bond to a point they begin attacking their human, though of course with Ekkies it is far lower a chance than other species but still there so the human must be prepared for the worst case scenario in which time suddenly becomes split due to parrots wanting to attack each other whenever the opportunity arises

 

[Violet_Diva]

what I mean by compromise is that there are times (not always) that when a new bird gets introduced it upsets the balance already there. Some birds will start fighting each other, others can bond to a point they begin attacking their human, though of course with Ekkies it is far lower a chance than other species but still there so the human must be prepared for the worst case scenario in which time suddenly becomes split due to parrots wanting to attack each other whenever the opportunity arises

Ah I see what you mean. If I do take on Bellas brother and they don't get along, it just means seperate playtimes. I would very much like to at least try to help him curb his plucking if I can.

 

[LordTriggs]

good to hear you are prepared in case

you say things are hard up north think how bad it is down here in the south! It's like a veritable wasteland here with only bad breeders/sellers around here charging as much as they can for the birds they have made aggressive

For the potential bird I want I'm gonna have to take a 3 hour drive over into wales

 

[Violet_Diva]

I had to go somewhere around 90 miles to get Bella (can't quite remember) but I can get travel sick on just 3 miles, so that was a fun journey! I looked for her for about 6 months. Her brother that I'm looking at getting went about exactly the same distance from the breeder as me.... just in the opposite direction, so he's around 180 miles away... It'll be a mission if I am able to get him.

 

[LordTriggs]

sounds like a fun time! (deep sarcasm)

Just make sure she stays separate from her brother in terms of the giggity, it's tricky enough having a parrot breed. Even worse with a sibling

 

[plumsmum2005]

If you have the time, the money, the space to give all your flock a good life then OK. Definitely a eyes wide open approach is required. If it will compromise your existing flock in any way then the answer should be no. Sometimes worth also thinking of things ahead, just in case they up end the cart. Good luck and look forward to hearing more of your new addition in time.

 

[Anansi]

Just seeing this. (Been a little crazy, hereabouts.) Knowing you as I do, I didn't take your post as a sign of burgeoning lunacy (or anymore so than the rest of us bird people tend to be, at any rate) or addiction. Lol! I've always been impressed with your approach to parrot keeping and found you to be a rather quick study.

My bet is that you've focused on males because you've done enough research to know that the multiple males to single female dynamic is much closer to what would be found in nature and thus, far less likely to cause flock issues. So I'm really not worried about this being an impulsive move on your part.

That said, I think it's for the best that only one is available right now. Two birds at once is not impossible, but there are far more things that can potentially go wrong. Also, Jottlebot makes an excellent point about puberty. Some ekkies lose their minds a lot more than others, and managing that in multiple bird household can be rather rough. Again, not impossible. Just potentially challenging.

If after you've considered these potential complications in depth you still feel that you want to add another bird to your flock, I'll be the first in line to congratulate you and proclaim your new flock member's extreme good fortune in landing you as a parront.

Give it a good think. I'm sure you'll ultimately make the right decision.

 

[Violet_Diva]

I did it . . . Gerry (the plucker) is here!