OMG!! I met an Ekkie ...

[Birdiemarie]

Yikes! Sure sounds like it isn't easy to read Eclectus behaviour. Do they still have her and is she adapting nicely to their household?

Again it depends on the particular ekkie. I think they are easy to read.

 

[Saemma]

Guess I'm a bit confused. Was it the store that told you she was an Aru? They have no records on her? Whatever sub-species she turns out to be she is still an ekkie female which means she MAY become a handful when she becomes hormonal or she may not. Her sweet personality MAY then change to being maybe not so sweet or she can turn completely into a bird you have to be very careful how you interact with. If that's the case she may turn back into her sweet self when the worst of the hormones subside or she may change permanently. There is no way of knowing until it happens, not unlike many other bird species. Before hormones set in Ruby used to be able to be held safely by anyone at any time, even young children. Now I am the only one except other bird people who can hold her. She has not changed at all towards me and is as sweet as ever.

Yes. It was the petshop that told me those are the only 2 types that they sell. They just weren't able to confirm today which one. Marie you mention that Ruby only permits YOU to handle her. Was she socialized alot at an early age?

 

[Saemma]

Again it depends on the particular ekkie. I think they are easy to read.

I wish you could come over and translate her body language to me.

 

[Jadie]

AWE Saemma, shes gorgeous You got lots of thinking/deciding to do missy lol!! I was at the Nature in Lasalle today...(no Ekkies there though) poo!

 

[akijoy]

Yikes! Sure sounds like it isn't easy to read Eclectus behaviour. Do they still have her and is she adapting nicely to their household?

Yes, they still have her. They are not able to handle her much. She gets plenty of out time of her cage, but they use a stick to pick her up because of the biting. I don't think it's what they had hoped for, but are making the best of the situation and giving her a good life.

The part I don't understand is how she bites without any warning at all. I have never encountered that before with any other parrot. Usually they give off some kind of signal....like pin their eyes or puff up or strut or something. But the bite just came out of the blue, that I didn't know what hit me.

But again, not to say that all female ekkies are like this. But it did make an impression on me.

 

[Saemma]

Oy!! This is more complex than it was to decide to bring Emma into my life. I really appreciate everyone's valuable input. Thanks so much.

I think I'm feeling very saturated and .. will sleep on it. Perhaps a good night's rest will give good counsel.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Yes. It was the petshop that told me those are the only 2 types that they sell. They just weren't able to confirm today which one. Marie you mention that Ruby only permits YOU to handle her. Was she socialized alot at an early age?

I got Ruby when she was almost 2 yrs old from a family who had her from a baby. She was very well socialized when I got her and I continued the pattern. She went all over with me and everyone touched and held her. I would have to hold my hand (for support) under the arms of the small children who wanted to hold her because she was heavy for them to keep their arms up. Ruby had no apprehension of anyone and I showed them how to touch and respect her. Even adults who never touched a bird in their life, let alone such a big Vos, held and touched her. I always respected her so was especially careful to put a time limit on her socialization so as not to wear her out since she was so accommodating. Hormones changed that when it came to socializing. She didn't want it anymore. Now she can be wooed slowly by another bird person into being held and touched but she wants nothing to do with anyone else. Me, I can still do anything to her. She's still my sweetheart.

 

[akijoy]

Again it depends on the particular ekkie. I think they are easy to read.

That's because you're the ekkie whisperer, Marie!

 

[Bokkapooh]

Does she have blue plumage or purple? How old is she? Ive been around several clutches of babies, so perhaps I can help

Vos female have a red head like a typical female but it then blends into purple plumage. While red sided females and grand female have BLUE plumage... Red sided hens and SIE hens have the blue eye rings. Im not sure about grands.. but sie and red sided look awefully alike, but sie are definetly smaller.

And the thing about VOS females is they have TONS of yellow on their tail. Males too.

LandofVos is a great site to check out if you already havent.

And since several of the subspecies, except the vos, are VERY much alike, they are often hybrid

She could be a hybrid too.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Did you see the pics and videos on this thread Mercedes? They're great and will give you a good look at her pretty feathers.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Vos(look at the breast coloring and tail):

http://www.eclectusville.com/OlderEkkies/eclectus.jpg

SIE(notice blue plumage(the flash makes it seem brighter blue than what it should be) and blue eye ring)

Solomon Island Eclectus

Red sided (blue eye ring) But there size itself is bigger than sie, but these two in the female species are hard to tell apart:

http://www.eclectusparrot.com/crosb150.jpg

The grand has a smaller red head and a LOT more blue on their shoulder than the other blue bodied subspecies we see in captivity

Google Image Result for http://www.parrots.com/2eclec2.jpg

Id say if you were told you have a Aru red sided species, good chances you do. But it could also be Sie or Grand. Or hybrid.

 

[Birdiemarie]

To me she looks way too big to be an SI but I may be wrong.

 

[Bokkapooh]

To me she looks way too big to be an SI but I may be wrong.

Its hard to tell with the video or pics. I would have to say go by weight.

But Sies can look big when they are on small equipment. But this could be a Red sided? Or Grand.. although I didnt see much blue or any on her "shoulders" of her wings.. so Red sided would be more likely or Sie.

 

[Birdiemarie]

You could be right. I find Ekkies are so hard to characterize. The more I study them they all start looking the same. Maybe it's my old eyes.

 

[TITANIS]

But Sies can look big when they are on small equipment. But this could be a Red sided? Or Grand.. although I didnt see much blue or any on her "shoulders" of her wings.. so Red sided would be more likely or Sie.

I believe the most commonly available subspecies in Canada are the SI, RS and VOS. I'm not too certain about Grand Eclectus and how common they might be in Canada. Same with the other subspecies. There might be breeders who have them but they're probably harder to find. It's been a while since I last looked into Eclectus availability.

 

[BamaBirdMom]

I was told by a breeder in the US that the Aru Red Sided is not nearly as available as the Polychloros. Her chest is consistent with the coloring of a RS, not Vos. Also she would have yellow on her tail even at this age if she were a Vos. She looks almost like Roxy's twin...(there are still photos of Roxy in my albums). I'm not sure why the eye ring isn't that prominent yet...I can see a slight one in the photos, but it may be due to her age. The size that you describe, Saemma, sounds just like the size of a RS. Remy weighs the same as Lola, but feels lighter, and measures longer. Most SI's would be more Emma's size, and look more compact than this girl.
I had to say that watching the videos brought back memories of Roxy in that she seemed so very calm, and then without warning, she would strike. Sometimes with a growl, sometimes not. Ekkies are hard to read until you get to know the individual bird. They don't have the same kind of feathers, so fluffing isn't as prominent, and the eyes don't exactly pin the same way. Roxy would act as if she were in a trance, slightly swaying sometimes before she decided to bite. What scared me so much about her is that she would fly to me and do the things that any bird would do if they wanted to bond. She would land on my arm and take treats from my hand; she might take a treat or two, then zero in on my finger instead. I tried to earn her trust by allowing her to explore me with her beak. She would gently nibble my arm, and then wham, grab it and twist and tear at it. The only thing she would do consistently is fly to me to go nite nite. But...she was not a morning bird. If I woke her before she was ready to come out, she would come out of her cage ready for battle. And all of this at FOUR MONTHS old.
I have never had problems reading my other birds like that.

 

[Saemma]

After much reflection and discussing this as a "couple", we have decided not to introduce the baby ekkie to our flock. I truly don't feel that I know enough about this species.. to feel comfortable to take on that challenge. It was super exciting to meet her but I also cannot disregard some of the "reality check" threads I have read from other female Eclectus owners. My thought process.. is .. would I be able to "handle the worst case scenario?". At this point in time, I would have to say a firm no.

 

[GG.]

 

[Saemma]

I must add that another part that weighs very heavily on my mind .. is how this would affect my existing flock. For those who have seen my videos of Emma and Sachi....it is not by "coincidence" that they are the way they appear in pictures and video. We've put ALOT of time and effort in our care with them. There are merely 24 hours in a day and I don't have unlimited amounts of time either. No matter how you dice it.. adding a 3rd parrot would take away existing time from Emma and Sachi too.

 

[Birdiemarie]

I must add that another part that weighs very heavily on my mind .. is how this would affect my existing flock. For those who have seen my videos of Emma and Sachi....it is not by "coincidence" that they are the way they appear in pictures and video. We've put ALOT of time and effort in our care with them. There are merely 24 hours in a day and I don't have unlimited amounts of time either. No matter how you dice it.. adding a 3rd parrot would take away existing time from Emma and Sachi too.

This is what makes a very good bird parront. Weighing all sides and taking seriously the present home dynamics and how adding another fid will effect that. You can always rethink it in the future. I applaud you.