What would you want someone to know...

[Hurricane]

before getting an eclectus? Even if it is something small that might be considered silly.

I have researched them and have met a few (all females) and expressed my interest in them to a breeder that has become something of a friend. Well, this person offered one to me, and I want to know the good the bad and the ugly before I make a decision.

Thank you everyone!

 

[Bobby34231]

Not all that silly but, diet, diet, and oh yeah diet, Ekkies have very complex and highly diverse dietary needs, there are many do's and don'ts pertaining to their diet, the digestive tract of an ekkie is 3 times longer than that of other parrots, they are especially sensitive to artificially vitamin fortified foods. When fed regularly on foods that contain additives, Eclectus can develop a medical condition called hypervitaminosis, a neurological condition that can cause muscular tics that manifest in compulsive movement of the toes ("toe tapping") and twitches of the wings ("wing flipping") , a good diet also promotes greater feather health, ekkies feathers are not like other parrots they don't contain the heavy center structure called barbules that hold the feathers together firmly, you often hear that ekkies feathers are more like hair than feathers, much of an eclectus health and well being in captivity depends greatly on its caregiver understanding their dietary needs, I hope I haven't detered you from being owned by one of these magnificent birds, just wanted you to know a little of what you'd be getting into, good luck with your decision

 

[Hurricane]

I hope I haven't detered you from being owned by one of these magnificent birds, just wanted you to know a little of what you'd be getting into, good luck with your decision

You most certainly have not. I was actually just reading about their diet and writing down all of the vegetables and fruits and fresh foods that are recommended for them and how their "salads" and meals are prepared. I already prepare a lot of fresh foods for Sev, but this particular breeder was saying that they don't feed their ekkies any grain or pellets at all. They give them all fresh and prepared meals. Oh! And sprouts, they rave about sprouts, so I am looking at a sprout starter kit to buy atm.

I really do want to hear all of these things, as I think it is much more important to hear it from people that have owned them than just doing my own research and interpreting the information that I find.

 

[Bobby34231]

I'm glad your doing your research before hand, it beats pulling your hair out trying to learn as you go and knowing alot of what you were doing was wrong....lol, we have quite a few owned by ekkies here on the forum, one member you might talk to in perticular would be Aussie Ben, not that other members aren't knowledgable, but he has, and continues to do a lot of research on ekkies, he's been very helpful to others with eclectus as well, I think Oz is like 15 hours ahead of the US so he usually comes on a bit later in the evening

 

[Hurricane]

Thank you, Bobby! You are very helpful yourself! One thing that I keep on reading is that they are very quiet parrots. I wonder, is this true? The one page that I was on even went so far as to say that when people walk by her ekkie's cage they usually ask, "Is it real?" because she is so still and quiet that they think she is a fake.

 

[Quantumcat]

Yes, they are very quiet birds. I think partly because when they get upset they don't screech and flap about like other parrots, they freeze. They are also quiet in other respects too. My eclectus has never screeched or "screamed" like I have heard from other people. She chatters under certain circumstances only (vacuum, shower, certain music), and says "hello" after she flies to you or you pick her up, and makes a "come-here" whistle when she wants something (usually to be let out of the cage or she wants some of what you're eating). She's never made a single sound you might call unpleasant. This is probably something a new ekkie owner should be aware of, because their ekkie might be really upset and frightened and they think she's fine because they are used to their other parrots making a huge fuss. This might lead to extra stress-levels and a bird that starts picking/plucking with the new owner having no clue why, their ekkie seems perfectly happy.

 

[Hurricane]

That is very good to know!

Another question (I'm full of them, I hope you don't get annoyed ) will it be alright to let Sev and the ekkie interact? I mean, share a tree stand?

 

[Bobby34231]

Thats what the forums here for, asking questions and hopefully getting answers, so never worry about asking to many questions , after a period of Quarantine (at least 30 days) from each other, you'll want to introduce them slowly, I wouldn't try having them interacting right away, you might try placing their cages close to one another for awhile and see how that goes first, then slowly introduce them outside the cage by bringing one of the birds close to the other but no physical contact, if all goes well then you can try on the same play area, but be very close by just in case there is a conflict, until your absolutly possitive that they can co-exsist I wouldn't be more than a few steps away, even if you get past the stage of being able to trust them together I'd be careful about leaving them unsupervised for any period of time, hope that helps

 

[Hurricane]

That does help, Bobby! Sev is never out of the cage without me right there anyway. I had just never heard of different types of birds interacting until I started to research on the internet. I watched a video where one family had a room dedicated to their birds and that room was decked out with get a grip nets and all kinds of hanging gyms and java trees. There were birds ranging in size from budgies to macaws, and it kind of shocked me and made me wonder.:33:

I'm so curious as to what kind of personalities they have. I know that amazons are notorious for being little... ahem... turkey buzzards.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Woohoo! Another possible ekkie guardian!

lol, we have quite a few owned by ekkies here on the forum, one member you might talk to in perticular would be Aussie Ben, not that other members aren't knowledgable, but he has, and continues to do a lot of research on ekkies, he's been very helpful to others with eclectus as well, I think Oz is like 15 hours ahead of the US so he usually comes on a bit later in the evening

OMG you think i'm knowledgeable!?? I am gonna print this page out and laminate it.

One thing that I keep on reading is that they are very quiet parrots. I wonder, is this true?

It is true that they are considered to be one of the quieter species. However there are exceptions. Not sure if it is something I have encouraged, or something he has picked up from the wild cockatoos outside, but BOY does my ekkie have a set of lungs on him! Sometimes it gets pretty bad, but i still love him lol, I am working on reducing it though. If you ever have the opportunity to hear audio of eclectus in the wild, its not like they aren't capable of making noise, they have an ear-piercing screech, but from my knowledge it is rarely heard in companion birds. I walked past some wild cocky's this morning though, and they would still win in screaming match lol. At the end of the day, all birds will make noise, it just comes down to the individual as to how much. (edit)just as I sent this, a flock of cocky's just arrived for their afternoon screaming session, this is sure to set him off lol

Yes, diet is Soooooooooo important with ekkies. I have been owned by an ekkie for 3 1/2 years and I still learn new dietary facts everyday. I offer a mix of mashed sweet potato,brown rice, veggies, and fresh fruit twice a day. I also give about half to one tea spoon of small parrot seed mix (minus sunflower) and a small serve of pellets everyday day (although he usually doesn't touch the pellets)

Ekkies absolutely love to be around people. Mine is always shy at first, but after he is comfortable, he wants to be where everyone is (sometimes 'everyone' doesn't approve ). This can be a little annoying when your bird has all its flight feathers lol, but its nice to know he enjoys humans. He will often screech if he feels left out.

My ekkie is not a biter. I have had a few nipping problems as he has matured, but he has never bitten me out of pure aggression.

They are not very cuddly birds. In fact I try to avoid any petting other than head strokes, otherwise he gets a little....'turned on' - for lack of a better term. This is true for all parrots, but especially for ekkies.

They also prefer to be stroked rather than scratched as they have a unique feather structure (as Bobby mentioned) and don't like to have their hair/feathers ruffled.

Hope some of this helps

 

[Quantumcat]

They are not very cuddly birds. In fact I try to avoid any petting other than head strokes, otherwise he gets a little....'turned on' - for lack of a better term. This is true for all parrots, but especially for ekkies.

They also prefer to be stroked rather than scratched as they have a unique feather structure (as Bobby mentioned) and don't like to have their hair/feathers ruffled.

Oh yeah, that's something that definitely needs to be brought up! You see photos of birds cuddling up on the owner's laps, tipping their heads forward to beg for a scratch, that sort of thing, but that doesn't happen with eclectuses. For the first few weeks we had Scarlett, she'd bite us immediately if we so much as put a finger near her. Then she started to just "warn" us by opening her beak at us and growling, then she would try and slide away from hands that were patting her, and now, six months later, she will put up with being patted most of the time and only occasionally try and move away. She definitely doesn't enjoy it. The patting is only for the human's enjoyment.

I think I read somewhere that this is because eclectus pairs don't groom each other as other parrot species do. They don't have an innate enjoyment of being touched by someone else. If any eclectus does enjoy it, it's because they learned to, rather than it being instinctual.

Probably eclectuses also won't nibble on your hair or ears like other parrots do. Other parrots would be thinking they are grooming their mate. Scarlett never has (except at the beginning, she would say she wanted some of your food by biting your ear really hard. But that wasn't grooming!).

 

[AndrewH]

I would consider trade-offs, if I were you. I think this is part of the message people have been giving, so far. What I mean is, what do you want from the parrot and how much time do you want to invest?

As the experts have told you, the eckie isn't an affectionate bird. This is can be good or bad, depending on what you want.

Many people get cockatoos because they are so loving and genuinely want affection from their flock members. This is also why so many are sold or given to rescues. When they don't get the attention they crave, they become difficult to live with (understatement)!

Macaws seem to me to be middle of the road. They love affection, but can also enjoy some time to themselves, just hanging out in the living room.

 

[etse20]

I totally agree with the choice being a trade-off. I'd like to think of an Eclectus being more like a cat. He sits around in the corner and observe. He'll let us know when he wants attention. He's playful at times too, but he's perfectly fine just sitting there on his own and doing his own thing. My cockatiel on the other hand is a real little puppy, just following us around the apartment. Need to be so careful not to step on him.

And yes, we live in an apartment in downtown Chicago. My next door neighbour doesn't hear any bird sound at all. That's how quiet they are. My cockatiel makes more noise than the eclectus. And yes, I've had a few people ask if Willie is real.

 

[Hurricane]

I'm not looking for a bird to cuddle with all day long. My initial interest in ekkies was sparked while I was researching different types of parrots in more of a general fashion and started to read more about how good they can be at talking, how quiet and reserved they are, and they are of course gorgeous. I also wanted minimal dust.

There is no rush for me to add another parrot to the family as Sev is still so new, but I was offered the choice of either a male or a female baby by a friend who knows that I am the type to learn as much as I can and do the best possible for my pets. So, I did just that. I wanted to hear from people with experience and knowledge of these beautiful birds before I made a decision.

I sat up all night reading about ekkies and talking to my breeder friend about them on the phone and asking him questions, and I think that I am going to do it. Now the question is, do I want to hand feed and wean him/her myself or not....

 

[Hurricane]

Looks like I'll be getting a male SI Eclectus mid December!

That gives me tons of time to prepare!

 

[AndrewH]

Congrats! Not to rain on the parade, but I was wondering if the eckie experts could dispel or confirm the claim that male eckies are more likely than females to pluck?

 

[Hurricane]

Andrew, I have actually always heard the exact opposite, but I honestly believe that it varies from bird to bird. Although I hardly count myself as an expert.

 

[AndrewH]

Andrew, I have actually always heard the exact opposite, but I honestly believe that it varies from bird to bird. Although I hardly count myself as an expert.

It's probably one of those unfounded wive's tales.

 

[Bobby34231]

I think theres still a lot to learn concerning keeping Eclectus in captivity, and thats why forums such as this are so invaluable, no matter how long you've worked with or been around birds you'll learn new things here every day, thanks guys and gals

 

[Aussie Ben]

Congrats! Not to rain on the parade, but I was wondering if the eckie experts could dispel or confirm the claim that male eckies are more likely than females to pluck?

Interesting question, I have no idea. The books I have read say that eclectus are particularly prone to plucking, but fail to say whether male or female are more at risk. From what I have seen (And I am purely going on forums, websites and images here) it usually seems to be the males that are the pluckers. My male eclectus developed a little habit of nibbling his secondary coverts and his leg feathers. It seems to have stopped at that point and the vet isn't too concerned, however I am always worried it could develop further. I try and provide him with as much activity as I can so he doesn't get bored.