Thinking about taking in a rehome... Need advice :)

[Milo]

Eclectus screaming will blow IRN screaming out of the water. If you share walls with anyone they will know that she is there, I can hear Rosco down the block from inside our house. We had him in an apartment for about a year and we were very, very fortunate that we had understanding neighbors. There's no way I would recommend having one in an apartment and if I did it all over again I would have waited so I didn't have that stress hanging over my head.

 

[frogfoot]

Thanks for the tip... I am taking a gamble by believing what the current owner says about her... that this particular individual bird is a very quiet soul. He says she doesn't talk or whistle, and makes an "mmm" noise about once a week lol.

But if, like someone mentioned, she does turn out to be noisy, then I am lucky that my apartment is pretty large and I don't share walls with anyone. It's a corner unit so that helps a little. I know it's not ideal, but my neighbors, landlord, and roommate all know I am getting a bird, so my fingers are crossed that we'll be able to make it. I only need to be in this apartment for one more year!

 

[Chihuahua]

Don't count on it... Orion was a rehome and the owner outright did not believe me when I told him he was biting me sometimes when I tried to have him step up. Behavior changes in a new home!

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Thanks for the tip... I am taking a gamble by believing what the current owner says about her... that this particular individual bird is a very quiet soul. He says she doesn't talk or whistle, and makes an "mmm" noise about once a week lol.

But if, like someone mentioned, she does turn out to be noisy, then I am lucky that my apartment is pretty large and I don't share walls with anyone. It's a corner unit so that helps a little. I know it's not ideal, but my neighbors, landlord, and roommate all know I am getting a bird, so my fingers are crossed that we'll be able to make it. I only need to be in this apartment for one more year!

That mmmm noise maybe worries me a bit. Reza never made that sound and started it up one day. He was very quiet and only sat on his perch. I knew something was wrong. I emailed his breeder and thankfully she guided me through that. Definitely have a vet check as priority. She may not necessarily be sick, but not feeling as well as she could be.

Hope everything works out!

 

[frogfoot]

Hm that's not a normal sound? Yes definitely on the vet check. Do you mind if I ask what was wrong with Reza? I guess the disadvantage of bringing in a rehome is that you don't have the breeder as a resource!

And don't worry if she comes home with me, she's not leaving! If her noise does turn out to be a problem then we'll just have to cross that bridge together!

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Hm that's not a normal sound? Yes definitely on the vet check. Do you mind if I ask what was wrong with Reza? I guess the disadvantage of bringing in a rehome is that you don't have the breeder as a resource!

And don't worry if she comes home with me, she's not leaving! If her noise does turn out to be a problem then we'll just have to cross that bridge together!

That sound coupled with no other sounds and not playing or anything is when it concerned me with Reza. He will make it once or twice while getting settled for the night but that is done with beak grinding and is rare. After emailing the breeder she knew it was most likely his molt. Now this isn't every molt but it was a bigger molt for his age. He was still eating and his poop was normal, but I could tell he was off. Thankfully the breeder was right and he was back to his usual self the next day. If he wasn't we would've been going to the vet!

Any of the well known eclectus breeders shouldn't have any issue with answering simple questions you have. I have found most pet stores in my area aren't very knowledgeable on eclectus so be careful where you get your info from. Sometimes vets can even give conflicting information.

After the vet visit, the best thing you can do is let her lead the way. They love to watch and will definitely let you know they are ready for contact. I'd love to have a female but I don't think we or my neighbors could handle the noise from two!

 

[Milo]

Personally I wouldn't trust information from pet stores at all. Breeders can be old school as well, I found myself defending my decision to take in Wyatt to the vet when he was ill. Please make sure that you find information that is up to date, and if you are searching online, try multiple reputable sites and see if the information you're finding is consistent.

 

[frogfoot]

I GOT HER!!!!!!! I brought her home last night, after an incredible ordeal. After all that driving, that guy disappeared. Wasn't answering his phone, didn't look like anyone was home. My friend and I knocked everywhere and yelled his name and even inquired the neighbors about his whereabouts. Finally, just as we were about to call the whole thing a bust, he called. Apparently he was asleep the whole time.... LOL

But I'm so glad he woke up in time. He was very sweet. And Ruby!! She is a doll! I am completely smitten. He had 4 dogs and 1 cockatiel. I could tell that he cared about her a lot and was going to miss her.

I was planning on just putting a deposit on her and coming back for her in two weeks. But after seeing her conditions, I couldn't leave. Here's a short list of things that concerned me:
1. her main diet was a brandless fortified parrot seed mix from Walmart
2. she had a mountain of poop as big as she was in her cage under her perch
3. the owner was smoking a cigarette in the room while we spoke (his tiel walked right over his ashtray!)
4. he had her cage door open, unattended while he was sleeping, with 4 dogs around
5. he told me she likes beer

I couldn't let her stay there another day!! She is sitting on my wrist right now as I type. So far, she has been everything he said: super sweet with that soft eclectus beak and super quiet. She loves to give and receive kisses. This is how tame she is: at our first meeting, she let us, total strangers, extend both her wings with total calmness. While we were there, one of the dogs knocked over a table decoration, which crashed loudly behind her and it didn't even faze her. She has nerves of steel.

Some things that have stood out to me (because I haven't had big birds before):

1. her beak grinding noise is much louder than a parrotlets!
2. her feet are incredibly strong. If she doesn't want to let go of you... ouch.
3. So slow moving! Parrotlets are so fast. Ruby is more calculating and methodical. But still manages to be a bit clumsy...she almost sidestepped off of a new perch we put her on.
4. and so heavy!!! I'm not used to such a heavy bird!!! Lol!

I have heard her make a barely audible "farting" noise, that sounds similar to my friend's quaker's complaining noise. Also, when I bent over to quickly once while she was on my shoulder, she squawked in protest. So she's not mute. But overall almost totally silent (so far!).

Here's what I want to ask you about. I guess I'm in a listy move this morning lol.

1. Last night, when we put her to sleep she leaned forward on her perch, spread her wings a little, and panted. Was she just stressed because it wasn't her normal cage and she didn't want to be in there? She would close her wings forcibly, making a sound, almost like a wing-slap from a pigeon. Is this normal posturing for an unhappy eclectus?

2. She is standing normally now, but last night she was horizontal, like almost laying down in my hands like a baby bird. Is she relaxed or nervous? The photo kind of shows her horizontal posture.

3. She grinds her beak a lot! That means she feels content and happy right?

4. I fed her some roudybush pellets this morning, which she was vaguely interested in. I think she is holding out for her seeds.

5. Her poops are wet and enormous!!! What does a normal healthy ekkie dropping look like? I'm used to tiny little dry specks of parrotlet poo.

6. Sometimes I see her holding her beak a little open. She's not panting or anything, and she looks relaxed, but her beak is just a little bit open sometimes.

7. She is picky about when she will step up. She doesn't bite, rather hangs on for dear life when I need to put her down somewhere (I'd love to have her on my arm or shoulder all day, but I can't ). Any tips/tricks here? I want to respect her wishes but at the same time sometimes I need to put her down. She is so sweet and gentle, but her nails are sharp and her feet are very strong! Haha.

She hasn't been to the vet yet. From what I can tell, she is incredibly healthy and well-adjusted despite having lived in unsuitable conditions for awhile... her eyes are clear, no discharge or caking around nostrils or vent, no stress bars on feathers, no plucking, and her breastbone is palpable but not sharp. She is curious and seems totally at ease, preening and ruffling her feathers and calmly letting us know when she wants to be picked up. I think I would like to wait until I'm back in Fort Worth to bring her to the vet that she will be normally seeing.

I love her so much already. She's utterly magnificent. I'm about to run out to the grocery store to do some shopping for her. I can't believe my luck that our worlds have crossed paths. I hope we have many many years to share with each other. Thinking about it almost brings me to tears.

Things I love about her:
1. The way she studies my face so carefully.
2. Everything about her is so slow and dinosaur-like. She commands a sort of ancient respect.
3. She plays tug of war like a dog lol
4. The quiet, gentle manner in which she manages to always get her way.
5. Her breath smells like chocolate chip cookies.
6. She really is the loveliest creature I have ever seen in my life.

 

[Milo]

She was probably very stressed, but as long as the panting isn't continuing just keep an eye on her until the vet check. PLEASE do full disease testing on this bird (PBFD and psittacosis specifically) and have a full blood chemistry panel and a CBC. Could you post a pic of her poop? If there are feces (formed), urates, and urine then they're most likely good. If she isn't eating the pellets, you will probably have to offer her seed until you can get her converted to a good diet. Birds will starve themselves because they don't recognize items as food. Take it slowly. The nice thing is that eclectus are generally good eaters even if they haven't been exposed to a lot of foods. Try some pomegranate, celery, or apple with her. Kiwi was a favorite of Wyatt's.

Laying down concerns me, that is not a normal posture for a bird. Although the picture that you posted is very similar to how Rosco stands when I'm walking with him on my hand and he's excited to be walking around.

The wing motion you describe may just be her settling in, but if it's repeated you might be seeing wing flipping. That is a behavior that's often attributed to food allergies but can also appear when they're stressed. The exact cause is unknown but it is thought to be neurologic. Some eclectus will have occasional wing flipping/toe tapping episodes that resolve on their own.

You will find that people frown upon giving eclectus any sort of pellet... I am not one of those people. I do prefer Goldn Obles for pellets because they do not contain dyes, artificial colors, and they do not have added vitamins (it is thought that eclectus have issues with fortified foods), and also there are no peanuts or corn in them. It's more difficult to get ahold of them now because I have to order from goldenfeast directly or find them on Amazon, but Rosco loves them and we have had great success.

Living with an eclectus is very different than living with other parrots. They really do think more than other birds, and what you're interpreting as being picky may just be that she isn't responding quickly. Sometimes with Rosco I have to offer my hand for a good minute while he considers it before stepping up. They really do like to sit back and watch rather than dive in like most other species.

 

[KimKim]

Wow, congrats! I'm so glad you got her out of there. She is beautiful despite where she came from.

 

[Glacier313]

I don't have much advice about her, I have no Eclectus.

But what I do want to point out is how surprising it is that your female rescued Eclectus is named Ruby! One of our most important members, BirdieMarie, had a female rescued Eclectus named Ruby who recently passed! I hope Ruby is up their,watching out for your Ruby.

Anyways, I am excited to see how everything turns out! Ruby seems like a sweetheart!

 

[Laura729]

Congratulations! She is beautiful! Ekkies are so stunning, aren't they?? I love your description of her being "slow and dinosaur like"! I know exactly what you mean. They are definitely "thinkers" as others have described. They can also be silly and goofy at times, too.
Try finding something she loves (plain/natural nuts or even a sunflower seed for now) to give her when she steps down or up. My Charlie would like to be held or with me all the time too and used to hang onto me with his big dinosaur feet when I'd put him to bed in his cage at night, but now he knows he will get his half an almond when he steps down/off, so he's much better about it these days.
I agree that you may have to slowly ween her off of her poor diet. Start offering some fresh or cooked veggies or fresh fruit with her seeds and figure out what she likes. You may be able to mix in some sprouts with her seeds as well. Warm mashes and sprouts, as well as fruit smoothies with some fresh spinach "snuck" into the blend worked well in converting my Charlie's diet.
I was reading that her previous owner mentioned the "HM" sound. I'm wondering if it's a sound I've heard lots of Ekkies make. It sometimes sounds like a question ("hmm??") Or even an "ohh." Haha, hard to describe, but it's a cute little sound, almost like they are making an observation. I'll try and find or get a video of this and maybe someone else can describe it better than I can!
Let us know how the vet visit goes. I can't wait to hear more about Ruby!

 

[sunnysmom]

Congratulations! I'm so glad you got her. (Is he keeping the tiel? Poor thing, if he/she is living in a smoky house.) She is beautiful.

 

[all4stvoyager]

YAY!!!

I am so excited for you! It sounds like she's doing everything the perfectly normal ekkie would do. Slower, observation, etc.

You are doing a great job watching her body language. Over time you will learn what each movement, look, sound means for her.

You are on the road that will be an amazing journey and relationship. YAY!!!

 

[frogfoot]

Just a little update on Ruby!!! Thanks for all your sweet messages. I haven't been on here for awhile cuz I've been so busy!!

I feel like a lovestruck newlywed with her. She is so perfect for me! She's on my shoulder grinding her beak right now. I have so far been successful in switching her diet! She loves roudybush pellets, which I figure are better than seeds anyway!! I've been covering her pellets with fruit and veggies to force her to explore a little. So far, she has taken bites of strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, apple, and mango. She doesn't like veggies! I hope to eventually convert her to eating mostly live foods like sprouts. But I'm not too worried, I'm sure she'll come around with time. It's only been a week!

So far, no toe-tapping or wing flipping. Knock on wood! No eggs so far.

I have figured out that when you drink water, she mimics perfectly the gulping sound. It's so funny and quiet, the first time she did it I did a double take because I couldn't figure out if I swallowed or if she did. Then she did it again, and I burst out laughing!! It's funny because she's totally silent otherwise... and that's the one sound she decided was worthy to mimic... hahaha.

OH AND SHE'S POTTY TRAINED. Did I hit the jackpot or what! I can't tell if I can take credit for this or not, but I noticed that she always poops when I put her in her cage. So every hour or so, I'll take her to her cage, where she'll squat and poop, and I'll say "GOOD GIRL!" and pick her back up. So far, she's only pooped on me once. Such a good bird. <3

 

[Dartman]

My first parrot when I was a kid, Ralph, learned I didn't like to be pooped on and would complain and cut up till I held him somewhere OK like a trash can or his house, then he'd go. Of course if I ignored the warnings all bets were off and as long as he wasn't on me he'd go when he felt like it wherever he was.

 

[all4stvoyager]

Sounds like you are both having a great time. I am so happy for you! For veggies...I have a hard time getting either of mine to eat any either. I usually do most of min in a chopper/food processor so they cannot easily pick out just what they want. Usually I can get them to eat peppers of any king (hot or bell) without too much of a problem. Also sweet potato goes over well with a lot of birds. A lot can be done with it as far as texture, etc. Since ekkies do require fresh veggies/fruit, sometimes they will get bored with some things, just like people do...so changing up the colors, shapes, sizes, etc, can help. I also make birdie bread. All of that being said, there's a lot of stuff yoiu can continue to try

Keep up the great work!

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm glad things are going so well!

 

[SueA555]

Wonderful news!

 

[Aubrey]

Great update!