lilac crowned amazon vs eclectus

izzieschickies

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Oct 3, 2021
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so hypothetically, i will be living alone in a rental stand alone house in a few years and will be working full time. i have experience with all sorts of animals and have owned chickens and quails. i dont want an excessively cuddly bird and dont mind just chilling with them (plus ive been making fresh fruit and vegetables for my other pets everyday for 5 years!) im still learning and i want to know how these two specie compare, lilac crowned amazons are really rare here so ill have to wait a long time if i really want one, but if its the bird for me it will be worth the wait!
i know all about the eclectus diet and im planning on adopting an adult bird rather than a baby because i want to give a bird a new loving home rather than perpetuate commercial breeding.
i considered getting a smaller bird first but i dont really think thats fair on either bird because then theyd both only get half my attention and i havent felt a click with a small bird but when i first saw an eclectus irl i nearly ran across traffic to see it!

excited to read your responses! thanks in advance :)
 

Skarila

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Welcome!

Sadly I do not have any experience with either of the birds, but for sure there are plenty of users here who have Ekkies and they could tell you more about them!

Just keep in mind that either of these parrots need a lot of mental stimulation and to work and socialize with them, just like with any other parrots. Small or Big, they all need lots of attention. I really love your way of thinking to rescue an eclectus, that would be so noble of you!!! I'd love to interact once again with them, they look so silly with those huuuge orange smooth beaks. While they do have a very specialized diet, with them it's not just about diet, but socializing and training, good to keep that in mind :) They are very much different from fowls!

Lets hope that a few ekkie owners will give their side of the story about their lovable green (or red) mischiefs. I'm not aware if anyone has a lilac crowned amazon though..
 
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izzieschickies

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Welcome!

Sadly I do not have any experience with either of the birds, but for sure there are plenty of users here who have Ekkies and they could tell you more about them!

Just keep in mind that either of these parrots need a lot of mental stimulation and to work and socialize with them, just like with any other parrots. Small or Big, they all need lots of attention. I really love your way of thinking to rescue an eclectus, that would be so noble of you!!! I'd love to interact once again with them, they look so silly with those huuuge orange smooth beaks. While they do have a very specialized diet, with them it's not just about diet, but socializing and training, good to keep that in mind :) They are very much different from fowls!

Lets hope that a few ekkie owners will give their side of the story about their lovable green (or red) mischiefs. I'm not aware if anyone has a lilac crowned amazon though..
honestly the likelyhood of me finding a tame lilac in my state at all is very low, however if i end up adopting an eclectus and find a lilac later on i will most likely try to obtain it haha! they are so cute :) i appreciate your reply even if you dont have personal experience these forums have such a lovely group of people! so friendly
 

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Either species you mention will have this in common ( with all parrots):
They need at least 4 hours of out of cage time, every day, without fail. Fail and you wll have one pissed off parrot - you dont want that.
They need lots n lots of toys, which means things to chew and destroy, and those changed often, to prevent boredom.
THey are incredibly messy, pooping everywhere and plenty of it too, aside from being very messy eaters, flinging food across rooms onto walls and floors. Your landlord will not like this.
They bite. Even the most docile of parrots is going to bite once in awhile. Generally the bigger the parrot, the more damage they can potentially do, though some of the little conures can inflict a nasty one too. Annual mating season can mean your parrot looses their F...ing minds sometimes. My little Amazon does. Read up, a lot , on hormones on our forums here. Ekkies if I remember right, dont have a 'season' but are able to mate year round.
They live a LONG, LONG time, upto 50-60 years. Are you able to support and cherish a perpetual toddler with a can opener on its face for that long? Who has the above attributes? Think long term. Will you ever move? Will you ever have a signifficant other; some people do not get along with parrots and the life style that choice involves. Some parrots will intensely hate a new comer into your life, some may transfer their love to them and you could be the odd one out. That happens ALL THE TIME! Will you ever have children; babies, toddlers and young children and parrots rarely mix well. This section needs a lot of consideration by you.
They are very expensive, not only in purchase price. They can easily run you $100 or more per month for food and toys, and vet visits to an Avian Vet at least annually can run $3-400 or more, and care for a sick parrot can cost a lot more.
They are totally unlike domesticated fowl. They are WILD animals; most parrots are at most 1 or 2 generations from being in the wild. The only reason they can be kept in a domestic situation, in our homes is because they are so very very smart, but make no mistake. They are still a wild animal, a PREY animal, driven by instinct and self-preservation. Prey animals instinctually are fearful of lots of things, hide illness and injury until they are almost dead (the sick/hurt ones get eaten first), prefer to be in flocks of similar animals, and all sorts of other instinctual behavior.
They do not mix well with cats and dogs in the same house. Aside from cats having a bacteria that is deadly to them, both are predators and even if the parrot is caged while they are around, most parrots will be extra nervous and jumpy/ fearful when they are around. Do not take cutesy pie Youtube videos as the rule!! The only reason I have a dog is because she is an ancient, old terrier, who is deathly afraid of my Amazon, and runs (well, more like totters out) from the room when he is out. My last dog, a Jack Russels, would have continually be trying to eat any parrot. Death by domesticated cat/dog only takes a split second, literally - we see this all the time on here in our bereavement forum.
THey develop intense bonds with their favorite person, and, having the full range of emotions very similar to us, they can get jealous, angry or sad or even morose, when something happens that disrupts that bond and relationship. Long absences ( over even short ones), like vacations, business trips, medical absences and others can drive a parrot to extremes of these emotions, including biting more, or even self destruction ( look up feather plucking and its extremes). Ekkie in particular are know for developing feather plucking habbits.

Having said all this, for those of us willing to accept all these points, and alter our lives to accommodate them, parrots are the most rewarding animal companions we could ever hope for. The list of plus's they can bring to a home far, far outweigh the above perceived negatives.
 
OP
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izzieschickies

Active member
Oct 3, 2021
67
219
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  • Thread starter
  • #5
Either species you mention will have this in common ( with all parrots):
They need at least 4 hours of out of cage time, every day, without fail. Fail and you wll have one pissed off parrot - you dont want that.
They need lots n lots of toys, which means things to chew and destroy, and those changed often, to prevent boredom.
THey are incredibly messy, pooping everywhere and plenty of it too, aside from being very messy eaters, flinging food across rooms onto walls and floors. Your landlord will not like this.
They bite. Even the most docile of parrots is going to bite once in awhile. Generally the bigger the parrot, the more damage they can potentially do, though some of the little conures can inflict a nasty one too. Annual mating season can mean your parrot looses their F...ing minds sometimes. My little Amazon does. Read up, a lot , on hormones on our forums here. Ekkies if I remember right, dont have a 'season' but are able to mate year round.
They live a LONG, LONG time, upto 50-60 years. Are you able to support and cherish a perpetual toddler with a can opener on its face for that long? Who has the above attributes? Think long term. Will you ever move? Will you ever have a signifficant other; some people do not get along with parrots and the life style that choice involves. Some parrots will intensely hate a new comer into your life, some may transfer their love to them and you could be the odd one out. That happens ALL THE TIME! Will you ever have children; babies, toddlers and young children and parrots rarely mix well. This section needs a lot of consideration by you.
They are very expensive, not only in purchase price. They can easily run you $100 or more per month for food and toys, and vet visits to an Avian Vet at least annually can run $3-400 or more, and care for a sick parrot can cost a lot more.
They are totally unlike domesticated fowl. They are WILD animals; most parrots are at most 1 or 2 generations from being in the wild. The only reason they can be kept in a domestic situation, in our homes is because they are so very very smart, but make no mistake. They are still a wild animal, a PREY animal, driven by instinct and self-preservation. Prey animals instinctually are fearful of lots of things, hide illness and injury until they are almost dead (the sick/hurt ones get eaten first), prefer to be in flocks of similar animals, and all sorts of other instinctual behavior.
They do not mix well with cats and dogs in the same house. Aside from cats having a bacteria that is deadly to them, both are predators and even if the parrot is caged while they are around, most parrots will be extra nervous and jumpy/ fearful when they are around. Do not take cutesy pie Youtube videos as the rule!! The only reason I have a dog is because she is an ancient, old terrier, who is deathly afraid of my Amazon, and runs (well, more like totters out) from the room when he is out. My last dog, a Jack Russels, would have continually be trying to eat any parrot. Death by domesticated cat/dog only takes a split second, literally - we see this all the time on here in our bereavement forum.
THey develop intense bonds with their favorite person, and, having the full range of emotions very similar to us, they can get jealous, angry or sad or even morose, when something happens that disrupts that bond and relationship. Long absences ( over even short ones), like vacations, business trips, medical absences and others can drive a parrot to extremes of these emotions, including biting more, or even self destruction ( look up feather plucking and its extremes). Ekkie in particular are know for developing feather plucking habbits.

Having said all this, for those of us willing to accept all these points, and alter our lives to accommodate them, parrots are the most rewarding animal companions we could ever hope for. The list of plus's they can bring to a home far, far outweigh the above perceived negatives.
thank you for such an informative post! i do not plan to have children in the future as i simply do not desire to, similarly with domestic predators i am 99% certain that i will not be getting one because after spending 6 weeks with my mothers dog trying to get at my baby chickens and having to stress all of them out i simply cannot place myself in that situation again!.

i already own many small prey species and it worries me daily that they are hiding illness so i make sure i see them eat and do a look over for potential problems everyday.

i have no problem spending money on a creature that i have decided to care for and have been jokingly told off for feeding my animals better than i feed myself :ROFLMAO:

plus cleaning up spoilt food is an eternity better than living in the same room as seven chickens.

if i end up with an eclectus adoptee (most likely) i hope that their polyandrous social behaviour will help with meeting new people as well as socialisation as soon as the bird has settled in to their new home.

i always try to do good by my animals and would risk my life for them in a heartbeat I DO NOT TAKE THE HUGE RRESPONABILITY OF A PARROT LIGHTLY unlike so many around me who seem to get birds as babies as decor and feed a seed oly diet then throw the bird out when it reaches maturity/puberty and becomes more difficult.

i dont think i will be getting a bird in the next 3 years at least as i want it to have a very stable healthy environment.

as for the eternal toddler part, i do beleive that is the best part of children anyways:ROFLMAO:

my rabbits have destroyed countless expensive items and chewed through cords that cost more than them! i do beleive that i have become quite adept at figuring out what might go wrong because of my little bunny criminals and i am no stranger to having blood drawn by a hormonal animal!
although mammals are different to birds so i hope to spend these next few years learning something new every day and learning from the experienced keepers of these wonderful beasts such as yourself!

thanks again for the reply, any tips on hormonal behaviour and adoption/bonding/learning to read behaviour would be much appreciated as well as anything you feel ive missed!!!
 

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