• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Solomon island vs red sided eclectus?

somebody

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
12/20/15
Messages
4
which subspecies is:
better at talking?
more fun/playful?
prettier?
hardier?
will get along better with my sun conure?
 

Tinta

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Joined
10/25/10
Messages
3,099
Location
WA, USA
The male of either subspecies is going to be better at talking than the female of either subspecies, I believe.
I would imagine they are pretty similar in temperament (owners with firsthand knowledge of different subspecies of ekkie please correct if wrong) and hardiness.
Beauty is really subjective so you'd need to figure that out on your own. Personally, out of the four birds you're talking about I find the female SIE most beautiful because I prefer female ekkies and love the blue eyerings.
Also, I don't think it would matter which you think might get along with your sun conure more as they definitely shouldn't be allowed to "play" together or anything.
 
Last edited:

aooratrix

Macawaholic
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/6/13
Messages
6,049
Real Name
Matthew
A Solomon's should be smaller than a RS ekkie. Some report that Solomon's have the mildest temperament, but I'm not an ekkie owner and have limited experience with them. Also, generalizations about parrot species are just that, generalizations. All individuals are different, and the baby you bring home will grow into somebody else over the years. I'd read some of the stickies on this avenue and search both species on this avenue to see what owners have to say. If you are able to visit and see the babies, I'd let one pick you. Those are often the best relationships. If that's not possible, do your research, look at lots of pics and choose the species that makes your heart go pitter-patter. Good luck!
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
I've had three male SIEs over the years and they've all been absolutely sweeter than sweet and in love with anyone who would give them love. I've met a few RS boys and they seem lovely but I've never spent a huge amount of time with them. The only real difference I could see between the two on my limited knowledge of the RS boys is their size to be honest with you. The RS is bigger than the SIE. Other than that, it has been said that the SIE can be more prone to picking but I've also heard that there are more SIEs available, so it could just be a numbers thing. With a Sun, you might want to consider going with the SIE just because he would be closer to the Sun's size but I'd still think an SIE is a bit big to be trusted alone around a Sun unless you were absolutely sure they got along well. My Cooper SIE was in love with my Patagonian Conure, Petey. Petey didn't really care for him though!:)
 

somebody

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
12/20/15
Messages
4
@jmfleish yeah SI's seem to have cool personalities. My only concerns are:
The feather picking
Haven't seen either in person yet, but I personally prefer the size of the RS, since I've always wanted a "big bird." (Like CAG sized)
Kinda trivial but I've heard SI boys don't have as colorful beaks as other subspecies.
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
@jmfleish yeah SI's seem to have cool personalities. My only concerns are:
The feather picking
Haven't seen either in person yet, but I personally prefer the size of the RS, since I've always wanted a "big bird." (Like CAG sized)
Kinda trivial but I've heard SI boys don't have as colorful beaks as other subspecies.
Well, the SIE's are the size of greys for sure...greys can vary in size too though. Both of my boys (I lost one four years ago to E. Coli) are easily 450 to 500 grams. So, they aren't exactly small!:) The RS boys are just bigger. I'd have to look to see what the average size is for the RS but the ones I've met are definitely bigger than my SIE boys, you can see it visually, so I'd say maybe 100 to 150 grams bigger. That would put them bigger than most greys. They were just as sweet as my SIE boys. Personally, I like the color of my SIE boys better but it's personal choice. My SIE boys are more of a bright coloring in beak and in feather. I find the RS boys to be on the deeper, darker coloring side...still very pretty of course!:) Here are some pics of my boys.

DSC01489.jpg DSC03451.JPG DSC03452.JPG DSC03453.JPG DSC04009.jpg DSC04010.jpg DSC06713 - Copy.JPG DSC06715 - Copy.JPG

Like I said, brighter and lighter than the RS boys...they are almost electric. Both of my guys pick but I'm not as careful as I should be with their diet. They do get pellets. These guys are the sweetest and most laid back birds I have ever met in my life! They like everyone and there is not a mean bone in their body. They love people and love attention. The only downfall is they can be very, very loud, especially when separated. They share a cage and are generally very well behaved and quiet as long as they are not separated from one another. Honestly, I can't say enough wonderful things about them. Incredibly gentle. One other thing though...Eclectus are one of the few species of parrots that do not mate for life and do not have specific time of year where they breed. They breed year round. Because of this, they tend to be hormonal year round. This tends to cause a small problem with the males...they like to find sexual gratification with anything constantly! Lots of times this might be with your hand or your arm or your shoulder!:) LOL!
 

somebody

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
12/20/15
Messages
4
Well, the SIE's are the size of greys for sure...greys can vary in size too though. Both of my boys (I lost one four years ago to E. Coli) are easily 450 to 500 grams. So, they aren't exactly small!:) The RS boys are just bigger. I'd have to look to see what the average size is for the RS but the ones I've met are definitely bigger than my SIE boys, you can see it visually, so I'd say maybe 100 to 150 grams bigger. That would put them bigger than most greys. They were just as sweet as my SIE boys. Personally, I like the color of my SIE boys better but it's personal choice. My SIE boys are more of a bright coloring in beak and in feather. I find the RS boys to be on the deeper, darker coloring side...still very pretty of course!:) Here are some pics of my boys.

View attachment 214994 View attachment 214995 View attachment 214996 View attachment 214997 View attachment 214998 View attachment 214999 View attachment 215000 View attachment 215001

Like I said, brighter and lighter than the RS boys...they are almost electric. Both of my guys pick but I'm not as careful as I should be with their diet. They do get pellets. These guys are the sweetest and most laid back birds I have ever met in my life! They like everyone and there is not a mean bone in their body. They love people and love attention. The only downfall is they can be very, very loud, especially when separated. They share a cage and are generally very well behaved and quiet as long as they are not separated from one another. Honestly, I can't say enough wonderful things about them. Incredibly gentle. One other thing though...Eclectus are one of the few species of parrots that do not mate for life and do not have specific time of year where they breed. They breed year round. Because of this, they tend to be hormonal year round. This tends to cause a small problem with the males...they like to find sexual gratification with anything constantly! Lots of times this might be with your hand or your arm or your shoulder!:) LOL!
Wow. SIs seem like cool birds. Thanks for that useful post. At least they're not as prone to picking as vosmaeris. But I guess as long as my ekkie is happy and healthy picking shouldn't be a problem. I have one more question, which is if you know you should be more careful about your birds' diet, why aren't you?
 

jmfleish

Cruising the avenue
Vendor
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
10/19/09
Messages
13,324
Location
Madison, WI
Real Name
Jen
Wow. SIs seem like cool birds. Thanks for that useful post. At least they're not as prone to picking as vosmaeris. But I guess as long as my ekkie is happy and healthy picking shouldn't be a problem. I have one more question, which is if you know you should be more careful about your birds' diet, why aren't you?
I pretty much think Ekkies in general are pretty cool to be honest with you! A really great breeder that you might want to get in touch with who can answer any question you have on them is David Skidmore. If you google his name and Eclectus, his web site should come up for you. He's in Indiana. The Vos boys are really cool too. I think picking is just an issue you have to look out for. Just like greys and Cockatoos, it's something that these birds are more prone to and each bird is an individual.

As to the question of why am I not more careful with my Ekkie's diet, I've always had problems trying to get the right diet for them and I think along the way I just kind of gave up. When I lost Taco four or so years ago, Cooper, my oldest, was diagnosed with a huge mass in his lower abdomen. We tried to remove it but it was too vascular to take out or to even get a good biopsy on, so I never even learned what it was. Cooper has always been a bit of a picker but after the surgery, he was nearly bald, probably because of the medications he was on. After we got him off the meds, he grew a lot of his feathers back, but not all. Wylee, his younger brother came to me slightly picked, several months after I lost Taco, who was also Cooper's biological brother. I've tried everything with them and have never found a way to stop the picking and I think I finally just gave up. I have a large flock of 17 medium sized birds and 7 Linnies, and they all eat the same thing predominantly. So, out of ease, that's what we've come down to, along with fresh raw veggies and limited fruit. If I thought not giving them pellets would help, I'd probably stop the pellets but in the past, it just doesn't seem to have mattered. I think it's more of a habit now than anything else. I also have a nudist Cockatoo and a grey who picks in varied places. Sometimes trying to figure out the picking can just drive you crazy.
 

Renee's Birds

Meeting neighbors
Joined
4/27/19
Messages
27
Location
Florida
Real Name
Renee Mills
I pretty much think Ekkies in general are pretty cool to be honest with you! A really great breeder that you might want to get in touch with who can answer any question you have on them is David Skidmore. If you google his name and Eclectus, his web site should come up for you. He's in Indiana. The Vos boys are really cool too. I think picking is just an issue you have to look out for. Just like greys and Cockatoos, it's something that these birds are more prone to and each bird is an individual.

As to the question of why am I not more careful with my Ekkie's diet, I've always had problems trying to get the right diet for them and I think along the way I just kind of gave up. When I lost Taco four or so years ago, Cooper, my oldest, was diagnosed with a huge mass in his lower abdomen. We tried to remove it but it was too vascular to take out or to even get a good biopsy on, so I never even learned what it was. Cooper has always been a bit of a picker but after the surgery, he was nearly bald, probably because of the medications he was on. After we got him off the meds, he grew a lot of his feathers back, but not all. Wylee, his younger brother came to me slightly picked, several months after I lost Taco, who was also Cooper's biological brother. I've tried everything with them and have never found a way to stop the picking and I think I finally just gave up. I have a large flock of 17 medium sized birds and 7 Linnies, and they all eat the same thing predominantly. So, out of ease, that's what we've come down to, along with fresh raw veggies and limited fruit. If I thought not giving them pellets would help, I'd probably stop the pellets but in the past, it just doesn't seem to have mattered. I think it's more of a habit now than anything else. I also have a nudist Cockatoo and a grey who picks in varied places. Sometimes trying to figure out the picking can just drive you crazy.
Once they start picking it's extremely difficult to get them to stop no matter how healthy their diet is. It's like a human who bites their nails. I have a 15 month Arueclectus from New Guinea. He's a very sweet & gentle boy, he learned potty training in 1 day. Very smart. Training is all about being consistent. Birds are animals & are food driven. Find their favorite nut & they will learn what you want to teach them.

Best Regards,

RM
 
Top