New Eclectus owner?

[Pfunky1]

Hello to everyone!
First off, I don't own a parrot right now. My family and I have been in serious discussions about owning a parrot as an addition to our family though. I have been doing research on medium sized parrots, and we have come down to either an alexandrine parakeet or an Eclectus.
First a bit of background. I am not a parrot amateur, I had a cockatiel when I was growing up that gave me 16 years of joy. She was a snuggle bunny that wanted nothing more than to hang out with us and be pet on our chests while watching TV. She was more family than pet lol. She was caged only when no one was home, and had full flighted freedom 99 percent of the time when someone was. It's been almost 15 years since she passed, but I still can't get that special bond with a bird out of my head.
Fast forward to now.. I have 2 amazing boys, a wife, and a stable home, and I really want another bird. I have always wanted a bigger bird who is still not a "one person" bird with socialization, and I'm down to 3 choices. An Eclectus, a green cheeked conure, or an alexandrine parakeet.
From my research, I know that I may have been spoiled with my cockatiel on the cuddles front, and that's OK. I don't "need" a super cuddly bird, but one that is more even keeled to family life and accept everyone for their designated duties as layed out by the bird lol.
From what I've read, that is the Eclectus. I just want to make sure that I get the right bird for my family, and make his/her life a good one. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[expressmailtome]

Bump.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum! I don't have ekkie experience but I'm sure others will answer soon.

 

[Aggie]

Im a new eckie owner. Have had my little guy now for almost 3 months. He's just delightful.

While I'm his chosen person he spends time between all of us. He comes and sees me first then will check in on my husband and then the dog. He is equally friendly with visitors (if they are bird people). He plays a lot but loves a cuddle mid morning, arvo and bedtime. These are short especially if there are things to see, do and play with. I'm a shiftworker so he will nap with me happily.

Every day he changes a little. He's a moody funny bugger but if you understand birds it won't bother you. He is also very easy to read. He's so gentle and inquisitive and does things just to make you laugh. He plays with everything I give him. And watches me like a hawk. He gets into a very silly crazy mood every day at some point. It's like there's too much energy in that little body. He flys around like a lunatic flapping his wings giving off some loud screams but settles quickly. When in that mood we let him go but watch him closely. These are the times hes likely to hurt himself the most.

He started talking at 5 weeks at home. Eats everything like part vulture, part dinosaur. I make up mini containers of chop mix and freeze them. Then cut fresh veggies and make him fruit sticks. And he gets treats. He knows and under stands the word 'no' which he will listen to most of the time if I catch him early.

We have been on 3 road trips, one camping trip and daily walks out in his harness. I find him easier than the dog lol He is very happy as long as he is with you and can have safe time out on a long journey.

He showers daily and can get grumpy if he doesn't get one. Compared to other parrots I've had hes very quiet in the screeching part. He's toilet trained to some degree and by far the cleanest parrot I've had if you set him up to be. Ie he doesn't project hes poo and you can contain mess to some degree with right equipment. If sharing a meal time he lets me wipe hes beak so it doesnt end up on the furnirure. He goes outside in his outdoor cage most days which makes a good time to give messy foods. It's also his travel cage.

I have been told that I may be pulling my hair out when he reaches maturity but I guess I will deal with when it happens.

Our focus is for him to have a happy and healthy life that is safe. He gets lots of stimulation, interaction, socialisation and independence to be a bird. When we are out we leave the radio on, rotate toys and lock him in his cage for safety. My other parrots where never locked in. When home he is always out but supervised. He has a big strong beak that can demolish most things and he is very very curious with everything.

Is there anything I've missed or you want to know?

 

[WendyN]

Just want to welcome you to the forum!

 

[WendyN]

Bump

 

[birdnerd]

IM considering one too... im worried jumping from a rainbow lorikeet to an eclectus...if im experienced enough for it.

 

[Milo]

Ekkies in general are very different from other parrots. They really think things through before doing them. Sometimes it means holding your hand up for an extra 20 seconds before they decide to step up, and sometimes it means they look at that treat extra hard before taking it. They really aren't cuddly birds, their feather texture is different from other parrots (mostly on their head but some all over) and they don't spend a lot of time allopreening in the wild (preening each other) and so I think that has a lot to do with their reluctance to accept pets or scratches from people. That said, you really want to be careful because they can become VERY "into" their humans if you know what I mean. Be very careful about touching under the wings and over their back, I have to be very watchful of Rosco getting into an overly amorous mood and have to distract him.

They also have a super piercing alarm screech. If there's something around that they don't like it can peel the wallpaper from the walls and rattle your ear drums like no other. They can also be very marvelous talkers, Rosco is constantly learning new phrases and surprising me.

They are wonderful parrots to live with, but they can take some time to adjust to because their mannerisms and body language is very different from other species. If you're looking for a more gregarious bird that will also accept some scritches I would consider the green cheek.

 

[janicedyh]

Well said Milo. Lets not leave out how different the Ekkie diet is as well. I am constantly searching for his fruits. Even though I have given in and do give him about 4 or 5 pellets a day (I cut them up and place them under cups for him to turn over and play with). Also, Ekkies are prone to plucking and once they start its really difficult to stop it. Even though they aren't cuddly birds they certainly want their human close by.

 

[birdnerd]

All so much to consider.....

 

[Milo]

Well said Milo. Lets not leave out how different the Ekkie diet is as well. I am constantly searching for his fruits. Even though I have given in and do give him about 4 or 5 pellets a day (I cut them up and place them under cups for him to turn over and play with). Also, Ekkies are prone to plucking and once they start its really difficult to stop it. Even though they aren't cuddly birds they certainly want their human close by.

I find the diet to be a controversial subject. Rosco eats primarily Harrison's pellets and I haven't seen any sort of issues with them. I think that people keeping eclectus get waaay too hung up on this debate. Rosco will barber seasonally, he snips off his feathers in the winter and then lets them grow out for the summer. My vet feels like it may be a climate issue (not enough humidity in the winter). Plucking or barbering is a difficult issue to tackle once it starts in any parrot, there is a physiological response that they get from it that helps reinforce it as a behavior for them.

 

[janicedyh]

It took me a while to decide to give Dobey pellets. I'm not going to be one to criticize someone who feeds differently that I do. Having a plucker makes me paranoid of every decision make with him. Health being the main factor...whatever works is the main goal.

 

[Mococo]

My experience is with a female. I've had my ekkie for a year and she's wonderful but very dominant. It took me a couple of months to start to understand her body language and that she really did mean "yes" or "nope". She's easy to train and says over 30 phrases.

On the cuddly factor: Much of a parrot is an erogenous zone. Mine would be happy to have her back stroked for hours, but then she's 'in the mood' and becomes a holy terror. On the other hand, she's totally cool with hanging out on a shoulder or not being touched at all. DH is her favorite, and they cuddle. I'm only allowed to touch her beak.

Diet is tricky, since Coco's need to be restricted so she's not always laying eggs. She's pretty quiet, and lets me sleep in until about 10am. She'll talk or honk, but rarely screams. We pretty much can't have her on the floor for more than a few moments because she tries to make a nest and is very aggressive - this is pretty typical for the females. In the forests they spend 10+ months of the year in their nests hollowed into the trunks. If you want your bird to be out more often you may be better off with a male.

She's sweet and clever, and loves listening to music and watching the neighborhood out the window. She's also just happy to have me sit next to her cage and read. Coco can entertain herself for hours and pretty much just insists on food, water, and company. I work from home so it's perfect that way. I love having her around.

 

[galah!]

if you don't need super cuddly, Alexandrines are great, they have an adorable voice and are content to sit on your shoulder while do chores around the house, Eclectus are lovely birds too but have a very loud call (my aunt has a breeding pair) which i can't bare, they are also known to be a bit lazy and need a lot of chopped up fruit and veg (every day) compared to some others. but if you can deal with some screaming and preparing freshly made meals for your feathered friend every day then go for it!

 

[Shinobi]

I had an Alexandrine named Marlin and currently have a male and female Eclectus. Marlin was one of the best birds I ever had. He was highly sociable and enjoyed a pat and scratch. In fact he wasn't anything like what an Alexandrine was supposed to be. He would fly to all of the family and ask "what are you doing?"

 

[Floyd]

We just saw our new female Ekkie take a piece of cauliflower from her fresh food bowl across her cage to her water bowl, dropped the cauliflower into the water, picked it back and carried it back across the cage to eat it in her fresh bowl! She's just 7 months old and with us about 2 months. She seems to be losing some feathers on her head and back - looks a little bit mangy but I can see new pin feathers popping up in these areas. Is this typical? She has bonded, as hoped, with my husband and comes to him when called. Mumbling rather than talking along with infrequent screeches when surprised. I want to touch her head but she's definitely not into it.
Her name is Furiosa - Fury for short.

 

[Milo]

We just saw our new female Ekkie take a piece of cauliflower from her fresh food bowl across her cage to her water bowl, dropped the cauliflower into the water, picked it back and carried it back across the cage to eat it in her fresh bowl! She's just 7 months old and with us about 2 months. She seems to be losing some feathers on her head and back - looks a little bit mangy but I can see new pin feathers popping up in these areas. Is this typical? She has bonded, as hoped, with my husband and comes to him when called. Mumbling rather than talking along with infrequent screeches when surprised. I want to touch her head but she's definitely not into it.
Her name is Furiosa - Fury for short.

That can be typical for a first molt. Keep a careful eye on her and encourage bathing to help with those pin feathers!

 

[Domothebudgie]

My next door neighbor has a female electus and she is beautiful. But she does seem to pluck a little and screams, which we can hear from our house(which is fine with us since it's still not as loud as our cockatoo, but it is a bit more piercing). But like Milo said, she is very hormonal and often mistakes our neighbor as a mate. But her noise is not constant and just when someone walks into her room or she wants something unlike some other birds. And I'm not sure of that is just her or whether other electus also tend to be like that.

 

[janicedyh]

Dobey usually will let out an ear piercing screech if someone he does not know comes toward him. He generally does not use that screech unless he is anxious. HE has a loud flock call but its no where near as loud