They are pet rocks

[izzieschickies]

I’ve seen some people refer to eclectus as boring, “display” birds that never move except to eat and poop!

Is this true?
Do they just sit there?
I feel like this is rooted in a lack of appropriate care and attention but I want to hear some other opinions because I really love these birds (I’m currently birdless but I daydream about eclectus lol)
One notable time I’ve seen this opinion expressed was by a YouTube channel called fivesaflock who rates parrot species, they don’t own an eclectus, but seemed quite sure in their video about parrots beginners should avoid.

Thanks in advance!

 

[saxguy64]

I always found the stereotype funny. My first ekkie was a little less active, I think because of his neglected past. He had little knowledge or interest in toys, and definitely did the ekkie stare/daydream thing. It wasn't any kind of spacing out. Really, it was about observing and studying. He studied everything, especially me. His favorite place to be was my forearm, facing me so he could always see my face. It's kind of like looking into your soul, if that makes sense. Still, when out and about, or with me, he was quite active, loved to explore, and would wander around the house (he wasn't flighted) looking for me if I wasn't in line of sight. Cutest thing ever.

Now, my current guy, Tucker, is very active and busy. He loves his toys, he's become an expert flyer, and he's on the go all the time. His actions are fast. By comparison, my YNA is the perch potato, and it's as if she moves in slow motion. Obviously like everything, it's really a matter of the individual personality, and I assume there's reason for the stereotype, but "boring" or "sedentary" is not a description I'd ever use for my ekkies. YMMV, I suppose.

 

[izzieschickies]

I always found the stereotype funny. My first ekkie was a little less active, I think because of his neglected past. He had little knowledge or interest in toys, and definitely did the ekkie stare/daydream thing. It wasn't any kind of spacing out. Really, it was about observing and studying. He studied everything, especially me. His favorite place to be was my forearm, facing me so he could always see my face. It's kind of like looking into your soul, if that makes sense. Still, when out and about, or with me, he was quite active, loved to explore, and would wander around the house (he wasn't flighted) looking for me if I wasn't in line of sight. Cutest thing ever.

Now, my current guy, Tucker, is very active and busy. He loves his toys, he's become an expert flyer, and he's on the go all the time. His actions are fast. By comparison, my YNA is the perch potato, and it's as if she moves in slow motion. Obviously like everything, it's really a matter of the individual personality, and I assume there's reason for the stereotype, but "boring" or "sedentary" is not a description I'd ever use for my ekkies. YMMV, I suppose.

Awww both your Ellie’s seem really sweet!
It all comes back to each bird being an individual haha

 

[Owlet]

I agree that eclectus arent really beginner birds solely because of their dietary needs being a little tricky. It's also better to get an older one so their hormones are already stabilized. Eclectus are notorious for having tricky hormones.
My boy likes to sit back and watch a lot of the time but he also really likes to engage. He loves training sessions.

 

[izzieschickies]

I agree that eclectus arent really beginner birds solely because of their dietary needs being a little tricky. It's also better to get an older one so their hormones are already stabilized. Eclectus are notorious for having tricky hormones.
My boy likes to sit back and watch a lot of the time but he also really likes to engage. He loves training sessions.

Absolutely agree!
If I get an ekkie it will be an older rescue not less than a year old lol I don’t think I could handle the screaming phase haha, and I’m not planning on getting a bird anytime soon because I’ve just started university and moved out with roommates!

Of the species I love, it’s always Ekkies I circle back too lol
I might get a smaller bird first with no intention of getting rid of it in exchange for an ekkie, I like a few smaller birds so it might be better to have some experience first! but only a low dust one just in case!

 

[kme3388]

I adopted an Ekkie about a year ago. I also have conures. My Ekkie isn’t as interactive trick wise in comparison. He moves significantly more slow then my conures. He really just enjoys being on my shoulder, or person. I would never consider him boring… he loves attention. He never leaves me alone, and follows me around everywhere. He just isn’t into trick training, or anything to that nature.

I hope this helps you.

 

[ravvlet]

I always found the stereotype funny. My first ekkie was a little less active, I think because of his neglected past. He had little knowledge or interest in toys, and definitely did the ekkie stare/daydream thing. It wasn't any kind of spacing out. Really, it was about observing and studying. He studied everything, especially me. His favorite place to be was my forearm, facing me so he could always see my face. It's kind of like looking into your soul, if that makes sense. Still, when out and about, or with me, he was quite active, loved to explore, and would wander around the house (he wasn't flighted) looking for me if I wasn't in line of sight. Cutest thing ever.

Now, my current guy, Tucker, is very active and busy. He loves his toys, he's become an expert flyer, and he's on the go all the time. His actions are fast. By comparison, my YNA is the perch potato, and it's as if she moves in slow motion. Obviously like everything, it's really a matter of the individual personality, and I assume there's reason for the stereotype, but "boring" or "sedentary" is not a description I'd ever use for my ekkies. YMMV, I suppose.

I don’t have an ekkie, but I thought this was cool and funny because I DO have a YNA, and she’s the opposite of a perch potato - she is CONSTANTLY getting into stuff. Thankfully she’s good about getting into only HER stuff - but she goes through toys at warp speed and loves to be out of her cage so she can explore the room. I actually went to give her breakfast this morning and her brand new toy was on the floor of her cage; completely wrecked, rope torn in half, etc. I was mildly impressed, LOL.

To the OP - I have actually heard people say Amazons are boring & perch potatoes, but I think if you read the Amazon subforum you’ll find that not to generally be the case! All birds are individuals so it will depend on the individual bird for sure.

 

[izzieschickies]

I adopted an Ekkie about a year ago. I also have conures. My Ekkie isn’t as interactive trick wise in comparison. He moves significantly more slow then my conures. He really just enjoys being on my shoulder, or person. I would never consider him boring… he loves attention. He never leaves me alone, and follows me around everywhere. He just isn’t into trick training, or anything to that nature.

I hope this helps you.

Thank you!

 

[izzieschickies]

I don’t have an ekkie, but I thought this was cool and funny because I DO have a YNA, and she’s the opposite of a perch potato - she is CONSTANTLY getting into stuff. Thankfully she’s good about getting into only HER stuff - but she goes through toys at warp speed and loves to be out of her cage so she can explore the room. I actually went to give her breakfast this morning and her brand new toy was on the floor of her cage; completely wrecked, rope torn in half, etc. I was mildly impressed, LOL.

To the OP - I have actually heard people say Amazons are boring & perch potatoes, but I think if you read the Amazon subforum you’ll find that not to generally be the case! All birds are individuals so it will depend on the individual bird for sure.

Oh she sounds incredible! Thank you for sharing!

 

[kme3388]

This is a video of a female Ekkie. If you watch some of these videos you’ll see how many issues came about when it comes to trick training an Ekkie. My Ekkie after a few minutes of trick training will try to step up on the tiny training stick. It’s a rather ridiculous sight but that’s how I know he’s just done.

Ekkie’s have a perplexing diet, and they can be picky eaters. If you feed them a seed diet they tend to get sick, and their lifespan from what I’ve read in this case will be cut short.

Ekkie’s do for whatever reason have a tendency to feather pluck in comparison to other parrots. My Ekkie also does this.

Hormones in Ekkie’s is something I’d recommend anyone considering getting an Ekkie to do a substantial amount of research on. My Ekkie try’s to mate with perches, anything soft, and in front of guests. He behaves this way daily. When he gets in this mood he can be vocal, and unstoppable. When he is hormonal he is fine with me because he is bonded with me. He isn’t friendly to other people. This is a year round thing where as most parrots are only hormonal in spring for an example.

Needless to say I do agree with the above poster that Ekkie’s aren’t a beginner parrot. I was very overwhelmed when I first got my Ekkie. I would say it more or less has to do with their health, hormones, and diet.

 

[ifnlovebirds]

LOL my ekkie is still a baby and I’m still learning about his personality, but my friends male ekkie literally acts like a dog!! He will grab onto something (like your y-shirt) and swing his head back and forth while grumbling. He also likes to chase toys but never brings them back.

 

[izzieschickies]

This is a video of a female Ekkie. If you watch some of these videos you’ll see how many issues came about when it comes to trick training an Ekkie. My Ekkie after a few minutes of trick training will try to step up on the tiny training stick. It’s a rather ridiculous sight but that’s how I know he’s just done.

Ekkie’s have a perplexing diet, and they can be picky eaters. If you feed them a seed diet they tend to get sick, and their lifespan from what I’ve read in this case will be cut short.

Ekkie’s do for whatever reason have a tendency to feather pluck in comparison to other parrots. My Ekkie also does this.

Hormones in Ekkie’s is something I’d recommend anyone considering getting an Ekkie to do a substantial amount of research on. My Ekkie try’s to mate with perches, anything soft, and in front of guests. He behaves this way daily. When he gets in this mood he can be vocal, and unstoppable. When he is hormonal he is fine with me because he is bonded with me. He isn’t friendly to other people. This is a year round thing where as most parrots are only hormonal in spring for an example.

Needless to say I do agree with the above poster that Ekkie’s aren’t a beginner parrot. I was very overwhelmed when I first got my Ekkie. I would say it more or less has to do with their health, hormones, and diet.

Hi there, thank you for your reply!

And sorry for the long read!

I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge, I have read about these issues and they really scare me!

However seeing so many ekkies trapped in dirty little cages fuels me to learn more and more until one day I can rescue just one of them and let them feel safe and warm and loved in my home

I do have experience with feeding fresh veggies every day, I’ve been doing it for over 6 years for my rabbits and Guinea pigs and my family says I feed my animals better than they feed themselves!

I plan on buying the largest cage I can find and that will fit in my house and having an outdoor aviary where they can get their vitamin D and the enrichment and mental health benefits of the outdoors.

I also plan on doing daily indoor flight training for health and safety reasons.

I have a large and close family of varied ages and I hope that will help with socialisation.

And as I have yet to find some good quality ekkie pellets in Australia I will really focus of fresh food everyday for as long as they may be with me.

I always have a veggie garden growing so they will never not have truely fresh food!

I will realistically be working full time when I get them but I’m really a home body and love bringing my animals out with me (obviously in a harness or carrier)
And I take my animals to the vet at least yearly, and due to my experience with rabbits and Guinea pigs I have become very observant of changes in behaviour in prey animals and I will take my animals to the vet on the smallest hint of illness just to be down some cash and have a completely fine animal lol.

I have also already located several exotic vets near me and have a local vet that I know treats chickens, so I know I could go there in an emergency and know that they will do whatever they can to save the animal and I have had them refuse to have my family pay when they couldn’t save my emergency pet.

Also I plan on doing a veterinary nursing course unit that focuses on bird care and health that is available to the public for a fee.

Last but not least
What advice do you have for me that will you feel is important to know?

 

[izzieschickies]

LOL my ekkie is still a baby and I’m still learning about his personality, but my friends male ekkie literally acts like a dog!! He will grab onto something (like your y-shirt) and swing his head back and forth while grumbling. He also likes to chase toys but never brings them back.

Haha lol what a precious little guy!

 

[Cottonoid]

a veterinary nursing course unit that focuses on bird care and health that is available to the public for a fee.

This is really cool! How smart for this to be offered publically!

 

[Talaya]

I’ve seen some people refer to eclectus as boring, “display” birds that never move except to eat and poop!

Is this true?
Do they just sit there?
I feel like this is rooted in a lack of appropriate care and attention but I want to hear some other opinions because I really love these birds (I’m currently birdless but I daydream about eclectus lol)
One notable time I’ve seen this opinion expressed was by a YouTube channel called fivesaflock who rates parrot species, they don’t own an eclectus, but seemed quite sure in their video about parrots beginners should avoid.

Thanks in advance!

My boy wants to know everything I’m doing. He will fly to his nearest perch and watch, then land on me and try to take it from me. Surf on my shoulder or head. He will land on a plate of food too, so we have to put him away at dinner. He is always active, flying, playing with his toys, wooden blocks, throwing things on the floor, is never still unless napping or preening. He is VERY active .. but isn’t interested in learning any ‘tricks’ .. that said I have taught him to step up, have a blanket wrap, be picked up in it, drink from a syringe and he will fly on call occasionally. Food is a HUGE motivator.
I think they are only difficult as they have a different dietary need, and are messy eaters. You can’t just feed them a pre made all seed mix like other birds. I’m always wiping the wall, his cage, and vacuuming. But the good thing is they poop when stationery, not in flight, so you can plan where to put a poop catcher.

 

[izzieschickies]

This is really cool! How smart for this to be offered publically!

Yeah! It’s an online elective and costs a couple hundred but I think it would be a really useful thing to have under my belt lol

Honestly might end up just doing a full veterinary nursing degree later on as I’ve always been into health care and animal care

 

[izzieschickies]

My boy wants to know everything I’m doing. He will fly to his nearest perch and watch, then land on me and try to take it from me. Surf on my shoulder or head. He will land on a plate of food too, so we have to put him away at dinner. He is always active, flying, playing with his toys, wooden blocks, throwing things on the floor, is never still unless napping or preening. He is VERY active .. but isn’t interested in learning any ‘tricks’ .. that said I have taught him to step up, have a blanket wrap, be picked up in it, drink from a syringe and he will fly on call occasionally. Food is a HUGE motivator.
I think they are only difficult as they have a different dietary need, and are messy eaters. You can’t just feed them a pre made all seed mix like other birds. I’m always wiping the wall, his cage, and vacuuming. But the good thing is they poop when stationery, not in flight, so you can plan where to put a poop catcher.

Very polite of them to poop stationary really haha
He sounds like a really fun friend to have! Thanks for your input

 

[kme3388]

Ekkie's aren't stupid by any means. They are great talkers at least Nico is. I would describe him like a bald eagle. He likes to sit on his stand, and observe EVERYTHING! He is incredibly persceptive of his surroundings. He will scream if he see's someone out the window.

Ekkie screams are LOUD! They don't do this as often as a conure or anything, but yes when an Ekkie screams it is very loud, and louder then a conure.

Something that can be gross is how Ekkie's regurgitate constantly. They love regurgitating their food on their favorite human. If you fall asleep it will be on your face.

I can't express enough how important it is to research hormones in Ekkie's before purchasing one. They are very hormonal parrots.

My Ekkie isn't ashamed to discriminate against everyone who isn't his favorite, or chosen human. He makes it well known that he doesn't like other people. He lunges, trys to bite, chases, and screams at pretty much everyone else. This can be very hard as you'll end up having to bring your Ekkie on vacation as no one else is going to be able to baby sit (unless you want your Ekkie to be cage bound while you are away).

Diet is very important as well. It's well known that Ekkie's do not do well in captivity. Their life expectancy in the wild is 50+ years, in captivity its 20 years. It's been assumed that diet has a lot to do with this.

Make sure you look into vets before purchasing ANY parrot as avian vets are so hard to come by. If your parrot gets ill you may be very well on your own. Which its wonderful to have a forum of parrot owners for support, and advice.