Ekkies in apartments?

[aman2130]

Hello everyone,

I've narrowed my next bird down to an African Grey or Solomon Island Eclectus. I live in an apartment however and am get different responses from Ekkie owners regarding an Ekkies suitability in an apartment. My walls are fairly thin, as I can sometimes hear my neighbors arguing. I will only be living in an apartment for about 6-7 months.

I will probably have both breeds in the future, but for now, I am torn between the two and wanted to verify that I wasn't making a bad decision by getting an Ekkie now that I'm in an apartment for the interim.

Thank you!

 

[MyAussieFriends]

I think when it comes to this kind of situation, it really depends on the individual bird rather than the species. I know that some people have gotten away with having sun conjures, and others who have had complaints with cockatiels. Some individuals are going to be louder than others.

If I were you I would do two things.

A) I would hold off on getting the bird unti you are out of the apartment

B)Meet some older eclectus and greys at a local rescue. All baby birds have the potential to be loud and the potential to quiet - its a gamble. An older bird (older could be 1-3 years old) has a developed personality. You will know right away whetherthey are loud or not.

 

[birdle]

if you can hear your neighbors argue an ekkie scream would rattle their walls. even once might get you in trouble, maybe invest in some stuff to soundproof the walls windows and doors. or wait

 

[bicmeister]

some ekkies are loud and some aren't but all will be loud at some point in time, whether its a one time contact call or screaming or playing.
i have an ekkie in a duplex and everything is fine for me. for other people on this forum, it's different so i would just say be warned!

 

[aman2130]

Thank you both for your advise and insight. One thing I'd like to mention is I went to the local bird shop last week, wanting to experience these birds in real life. I met an eclectus, but it was a female (she was 2 y/o). The bird shop raised her and socialized her very well. One of the workers introduced her to me and had her step up on my hand. I'm surprised she stepped up so quickly. She was calm, pleasant and very sweet.

I told my boyfriend that I met her and not a boy Ekkie. He told me to call and ask how much she was, I did, and she was $1500. The next day, the boyfriend surprised me with $1500, as an early Christmas present ( ) and told me to go pick up the girl instead since it had already been socialized and had a personality trait of being "chill." But this entire time, I've wanted a boy Ekkie.

I suppose my boyfriends feelings are somewhat like Allysa's. I think for this individual bird, it would probably work. It is hard for me to take a risk with an Ekkie boy I am not familiar with. The store owner says she is very quiet.

It is a hard decision to make!!

 

[camelotshadow]

Wow. I love the red n blue females & she sounds docile which is unusual for a female.
Good luck with your decision

 

[blackivory]

Eclectus are extremely loud when they want to be! They don't make a lot of noise but when they do

I have two in a normal Australian neighbourhood and I can hear them sounding off from the front yard. Thankfully we're in a fantastic area, so their calls aren't an issue. We put up with all the neighbourhood kids screaming and playing every afternoon!

 

[Lo_]

Hmm, I don't have much experience with Eclectus but there was one in the pet store when I visited the other day (a female) and I didn't even notice her until she starting screaming. Man oh man what a scream she had. It sounds like the one you met/could possibly get is very well behaved (right now) and could be a great addition
I would maybe talk to your neighbors. Ask them how they feel about a bird living next door for the next 6-7 months and let them know of anything you are able to offer (such as ear plugs ) if it would bother them.
Hope I helped a little

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Just because she is calm in the store doesn't mean that she will be calm at your home. Everything will change for her and you have to understand that can mean personality changes for her. She is also young still. Around 2-3 years old is when she will start going through hormonal changes and just growing up in general. That is when they can start being loud and add a little more "pizzazz" to your day.

 

[aman2130]

I agree Alyssa, I've been thinking about how vocal she would be during transitions. Thanks Lauren & Chels that is good to know!

 

[rockybird]

My friend has a male eclectus. The few times I have seen him, he has been quiet. But a couple times, he has let out an extremely loud noise. I didnt know something could be so loud! I have a caique and nanday conure who can be loud, but nothing like this bird. Can you hold off until you get out of the apt? BTW that is very sweet of you bf!

 

[JosienBB]

My friend has a male eclectus. The few times I have seen him, he has been quiet. But a couple times, he has let out an extremely loud noise. I didnt know something could be so loud! I have a caique and nanday conure who can be loud, but nothing like this bird. Can you hold off until you get out of the apt? BTW that is very sweet of you bf!

I second this! Met an ekkie who was so quiet, then suddenly a heart-stopping SQUAWK! Nearly jumped out of my skin!

 

[Milo]

No way would I have an eclectus in an apartment again. We've been living with Rosco in an apartment since last august and I've had some VERY understanding neighbors. He can rattle the windows and I can hear him almost a block down the street when he really kicks up a fuss.

 

[jmfleish]

Wow! $1500 for an Ekkie...that's highway robbery! I would look into finding a good breeder and going that route if you want a baby for starters.

Everything everyone is saying about Ekkies being loud is true. When they aren't happy with something they will sound off and they will not stop until whatever it is that upset them is solved and it is not a happy sound or a quiet sound. I have two, siblings, who used to live in separate cages and OMG! The noise they made on a daily basis was enough to make you crazy. I finally started housing them in the same cage together and they are as happy as clams together and much more quiet! The noise level in my house has dropped by 90% and my ears have stopped bleeding. This coming from someone who also shares her house with five Rose Breasted Cockatoos and a whiny Ducorps' Cockatoo with a screaming issue!

 

[Sadieladie1994]

Dang, do I have a broken Ekkie? I am in an apartment. My ekkie girl is quiet. Rarely ever a yell. She does talk a lot though but that is not unusual for people to do in an apartment. My macaw could out do her any day but he is not a yeller either. He does give an occasional alert yell but the dogs bark for that as well. This doesn't even happen every day. Oh, and the Scarlet talks all the time.

Now they do get a bit nosier when I am on the phone...Ben wants to talk to them and Holiday does the phone calling beeps. Should the phone ring Holiday also answers the phone.

They have found the quickest way to get my attention is to WHISPER to me as I always answer a whisper.

 

[jmfleish]

Dang, do I have a broken Ekkie? I am in an apartment. My ekkie girl is quiet. Rarely ever a yell. She does talk a lot though but that is not unusual for people to do in an apartment. My macaw could out do her any day but he is not a yeller either. He does give an occasional alert yell but the dogs bark for that as well. This doesn't even happen every day. Oh, and the Scarlet talks all the time.

Now they do get a bit nosier when I am on the phone...Ben wants to talk to them and Holiday does the phone calling beeps. Should the phone ring Holiday also answers the phone.

They have found the quickest way to get my attention is to WHISPER to me as I always answer a whisper.

You make me laugh! I wish mine were broken but honestly, now that my two are housed together, they're very quiet most of the time but they can still get loud every now and then, especially if you separate them. When I only had Cooper, he was pretty quiet most of the time. So, maybe it seems to be more of an issue when you have more than one!

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Reza was never loud. All he used to do was his cute noises and being a copy cat. He is about to turn 2 and lately he has been loud. I had a pumpkin carving party and a few neighbors showed up. Once they came into my house and saw Reza they basically said, I knew you had parrots!! He is that loud.

 

[Verivus]

Ellie was a very quiet bird in general, but maybe 1-2 times a week or if it got too noisy she would let out a scream that could probably be heard a block away. It was extremely LOUD. It really comes down to the individual bird and your neighbors, and you won't really know until the bird has been in your home for a couple months.

 

[sierraecho89]

Lu isn't very loud (yet), but if you can hear your neighbors arguing, they'll be able to hear her even if she's not particularly noisy. She makes a squawking noise that gets bigger depending on how long I'm taking to get her breakfast ready, but even her quieter sounds could be heard through thin walls. Just something to consider. I'd hold off, too.

 

[step_on_up]

We have an Eclectus and she is typically very quiet. She does, however, make a loud high pitched BEEP similar...okay nearly identical...to a smoke detector out of batteries...which is where we think she learned the sound !

Currently, we are training her to use 3 clicks , to get our attention, which are much quieter. If you can hear your neighbors, they can probably hear an Eclectus or an African grey. Maybe, wait until you are in a place that noise isn't an issue? Good luck either way!