Not an eclectus

[cottonwood]

I miss my eclectus, Ellard. He died a year and a half ago, and it has taken me a while to think about getting another feathered friend. I found him beautiful and entertaining...funny, smart and brave. His voice was one of my favorite sounds in the world. (The talking and singing--not necessarily the squawking!) I'm thinking that it would not be fair to another eclectus because of the inevitable comparison to the buddy that I miss so much. So if you were trying to find a feathered buddy to make you laugh, who has a sweet voice and a big personality...like an eclectus, but not an eclectus... what species would you look for? (Another factor to consider, my budget will no longer stretch to the eclectus level.) Any suggestion will be appreciated!

 

[ZephyrFly]

I'm sorry for your loss.
What kind of birds do you like besides eckie's?
Is there a size you'd prefer?
Is type of noise important?
It wont be the friend you once had, he'll be a new friend, new needs and opinions. I understand you don't want to compare a new friend to an old one but if you think you're ready for a new potentionally very different friend then all the power to you.

 

[thekarens]

Amazon or grey on the more expensive side or on the less expensive side a quaker. They are great little talkers (generally speaking.)

 

[cottonwood]

Thank you. I'm looking for smaller rather than larger. He was a red-sided so he was large, eckie-wise, and I will probably end up with a smaller bird. He had a sweet, inquisitive nature and enjoyed attention but did not demand it. Noise is not really an issue for me, but I love the child-like voice of the eckie. Ellard's laugh sounded just like my daughter. I do love to hear a bird talk, and he was very easy to understand. I think I'm going to have a hard time finding that in a species in my price range. (The cost of African Greys and many of the Amazons are out of my range.)

Ellard adjusted well to whatever was going on in the house at the time--whether it was completely quiet or utter chaos so I am also keeping that in mind. I've read that not all birds adjust as well to varying noise levels.

I've thought of quakers because I've heard they're good talkers with big personalities. I've also thought of green cheeks because I've heard they're affectionate, and I find them beautiful. When I held Ellard for the first time, I just knew he was the one so I'm hoping that I find the right one and that I just know it.

 

[EdgesofTwilight]

Another you might consider is one of the miniature macaws such as a Hahn's or Illiger's. However they would be more outgoing and demand more attention than an ekkie. They have a cartoonish/ child like voice.

 

[Kiwibird]

I am so sorry for your loss

If I were you, I might look into some of the smaller amazons. The smaller zons have a generally sweet disposition and can be very good talkers (all boils down to the individual, of course).

 

[Anansi]

I am so sorry for your loss. Do you have any pics of Ellard? We'd love to see this guy who had such a powerful impact on your life and recognize him for the wonderful bird he was.

I can identify with what you are going through. I shared a deep bond with my first bird, a cockatiel, who passed away after nearly 18 years of kidney disease. It took two years before I was able to get another bird, and all that I knew was that it couldn't be another cockatiel.

So I got my first eclectus, a male that I named Bixby. We grew extremely close in a very short span of time. Deeply bonded. But unfortunately he'd been born with PDD and passed away earlier this year just shy of 2 years old. I was devastated, and it grieves me still.

I have two ekkies now, however. One male and one female. The female, Maya, I'd gotten while Bixby was still alive and strong. The male, however, named Jolly, was offered to me by a friend and fellow member of this forum (Laura/Labell) after Bixby had passed. And I told you all this to let you know that getting another male eclectus didn't set up unfair expectations of comparisons in my mind as I'd feared might be the case. They were VERY different, and their personalities do not even lend themselves to such comparisons. And I found I was able to love one without marring my love, or memory, of the other. Know what I mean?

Ekkies are quite unique, IMO. I don't know if I could truly say there is another bird like them. And I've found that I'm very much an ekkie person. And if you find that you are as well, just keep in mind that you may not be setting up the unfair situation for the new bird that you currently fear you would.

A new bird will never replace Ellard, ekkie or otherwise. But I think you'll find that your heart has room enough to love another... ekkie or otherwise.

 

[SilverSage]

My first thought was an Indian Ringneck, but you would really need to research them; they are not like other birds. I thought of them because they are typically pretty independant (not usually the snuggle bugs that macaws and conures are, and they are not as demanding of attention as pair-bond birds), they have excellent talking potential, they are brightly colored, and relatively inexpensive. They do need regular handling though, or that independence can get out of hand and they can "go wild" which is an exaggeration but people still say it.

beware the breeder though; with IRNs the early weeks are CRUCIAL and the damage is hard to undo once done if they are not socialized well, if they are handled too forcefully, or clipped too early, force weaned, that kind of thing.

 

[junglenutcracker]

I miss my eclectus, Ellard. He died a year and a half ago, and it has taken me a while to think about getting another feathered friend. I found him beautiful and entertaining...funny, smart and brave. His voice was one of my favorite sounds in the world. (The talking and singing--not necessarily the squawking!) I'm thinking that it would not be fair to another eclectus because of the inevitable comparison to the buddy that I miss so much. So if you were trying to find a feathered buddy to make you laugh, who has a sweet voice and a big personality...like an eclectus, but not an eclectus... what species would you look for? (Another factor to consider, my budget will no longer stretch to the eclectus level.) Any suggestion will be appreciated!

I’m so sorry to hear this. Having been through the same ordeal this past February (we lost our dear Kiwi after 20 yrs) I know how you must feel. We debated a long time about getting another ekkie...but like you said a comparison would have been inevitable and IMO would have made it even more difficult. We’ve even put our name on a breeder’s list. Then one day everything changed. Our entire view on parrot ownership too. This all happened after visiting a parrot refuge. There weren’t any ekkies but we got to meet a lot of other parrots looking for a new home. There were CAGs, Zons, Toos, and yes...the Big Macs. We then set to research and read anything we could on the Macs (including the wonderful resources on this site)..and finally ended up with a beautiful female GreenWing. The Mac won our hearts with their big personalities, smarts and high level of interactivity. I’m not saying that she replaces our dear Kiwi (no other bird could ever do that..not even another ekkie) but let me tell you that we are totally head over heals with her and she makes us laugh everyday with her antics. Just last night, we were having dinner and did a few mimics with her voice...we could have swore it was Kiwi talking and chatting away in the next room...only it was MUCH louder! Who would have thought? Certainly not us 5 or 6 months ago.
Now I’m not at all saying a Mac is for you...this is only our personal decision. However, there is surely another parrot out there that will play the part and fill in the void. Have you considered the mini Macs...like Hahn’s Macaws? But, then again as mentioned in Anansi’s post, each individual has its own personality and I’m sure that if you decided to go with another eclectus there will of course be the physical similarity but the character and personality will likely be quite different. There is indeed something very appealing with these green “fur balls” with yellow beaks!
Good luck in your search. Keep us posted.

 

[cottonwood]

There is tremendous heart on this forum, and I thank each and every one of you. I appreciate your suggestions, and I'm going to do my research. Even more, I appreciate the sympathy you expressed. It does help knowing that others understand the road I've traveled. Thank you.

 

[GreatBlue320]

I am truly sorry for your loss, Cottonwood.

I completely understand what you are going through. Just like Anansi, I lost my little Taylor (a black capped conure) to PDD in March. She was just shy of her 2nd birthday. I was devastated. I still cry for her almost every day.

I've been struggling with the idea to get another bird over the past few months (as many people on the forum know). And, like you, I really don't want to get another conure because I worry that he would just remind me of Taylor.

I don't really have any good suggestions for you as far as another bird is concerned - I think the others who have responded have offered some excellent ideas. Keep researching the different species and asking questions here. I believe that eventually, your heart will let you know what to do.

Please keep us posted.