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Eclectus cage setup
- Thread starter reffek94
- Start date
Ekkies need plenty of wood to keep their beaks from overgrowing. In the wild they use them to hollow out big holes in trees for nests where the female remains until the babies can fly while the male brings her food all the time. He regurgitates to her both food and water!
Since ekkie diet is mainly fresh fruit, think about wall splatter clean up, as well as floor area. You can't vacuum or sweep up chewed fruit pieces! Berries are their favorite, but stain everything too.
they love to forage and roam around. They have VERY large beaks for their body size and can do some real damage to woodwork and furniture. I HAD to make an aviary room where they can be out of their cages without me eyeballing them every second. I never shut cage doors now (except when Lucy is hormonal - she's a total terror). Get a live tree or two of you can. They love hiding in the branches. Ekkies don't flap their wings and fly/run away when startled or frightend: They FREEZE in place! So having "cover" for them is important as large open places are intimidating to them.
they love bathing. Get a large pan type or they'll try to wedge themselves in a small bowl!
Since ekkie diet is mainly fresh fruit, think about wall splatter clean up, as well as floor area. You can't vacuum or sweep up chewed fruit pieces! Berries are their favorite, but stain everything too.
they love to forage and roam around. They have VERY large beaks for their body size and can do some real damage to woodwork and furniture. I HAD to make an aviary room where they can be out of their cages without me eyeballing them every second. I never shut cage doors now (except when Lucy is hormonal - she's a total terror). Get a live tree or two of you can. They love hiding in the branches. Ekkies don't flap their wings and fly/run away when startled or frightend: They FREEZE in place! So having "cover" for them is important as large open places are intimidating to them.
they love bathing. Get a large pan type or they'll try to wedge themselves in a small bowl!
Monaco
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Lol!!! Their play area didn't start out this way. It just kind of evolved to fit their needs and protect my house from demolition! We all have to start somewhere.Don't be intimidated by @EkkieLu 's bird room! It's an avitopia in there. I've considered tar and monaco's feathers so I could move in and blend in. A Gilley suit!
(Maybe my best idea yet.)
I have 12 blueberry and raspberry bushes in my yard. Inside I have a 7' non-weeping willow that they just adore, as well as several palm trees. My ekkies aren't really into flowers, but yours may be!. Mine love the berries. That's why I planted a ton of bushes for them. I also have a cherry, peach, and Apple tree.
try Willis farms online. They ship wonderful plants, bushes, and trees!
try Willis farms online. They ship wonderful plants, bushes, and trees!
I have to tell you that my Sergei is the sweetest most gentle Bird of any species or sex I've ever encountered. He's coming up for 29 and he has never so much as nipped or even scratched anyone! When youngsters come over they all want to see the birds of course! But it's Sergei they get to pet and hold for the photos. He would ride around on my shoulder 24/7 if I let him. Every few minutes he gives me a kiss too! He gets along with everybirdie and everybody!
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Just be sure to feed your baby an ekkie diet NOT a pellet and seed diet!!! Sergei was fed a typical parrot diet when I first got him and he looked like this-
It's taken several years and bushels of fruit to get him this far-
It's taken several years and bushels of fruit to get him this far-
Poor little man! Sergei looks so sweet! Yes I know not to put him on a pellet and seed diet! Do you sprout seeds? What's your routine for that? How many times a day do you feed them? I've been doing research and reading so many books and things. Some people have said they feed twice a day and others 3 times. I feel like 3 times would be better.. I cant imagine them only going out for food twice in the wild! I'll have to check out Willis farms online. When the weather warms up, my husband is going to build me an out door aviary 
I'm very excited about that. We have a big screened in back porch too that we have a few perches around and I'm going to add a bunch more and toys too! I've been trying to convince my husband to let me forever now because my other birds love being out there when the weather is nice and there is just not enough foot space for them with the perches we have in there haha heres my cockatoo on one of her plain ol boring perches!
I'm very excited about that. We have a big screened in back porch too that we have a few perches around and I'm going to add a bunch more and toys too! I've been trying to convince my husband to let me forever now because my other birds love being out there when the weather is nice and there is just not enough foot space for them with the perches we have in there haha heres my cockatoo on one of her plain ol boring perches!Attachments
And here is the cage. It's an a&e cage 36x28x72. It has stuff I have put in it but it isnt the official set up.. I'm still waiting on more stuff from amazon! And I have plenty of things in mind to buy from a few different stores! I have some hanging skewers and baskets to stuff fruits and veggies in and more foraging toys on the way. I also need more perches!
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fashionfobie
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@EkkieLu Sergie cracks me up! Look at that lovely birdbath and he is in his water dish splashing around Such a gorgeous little green penguin
I love the room Tricia!
I hope to adopt an ekkie someday, heck maybe even a little flock of them. I can't yet because I rent my house. My landlord is a real champion, and loves all my birds and chickens! I don't want to stretch my luck though with a bird that chews through walls. Once I buy a house I will get ready for an ekkies.
At the sanctuary I went to there were so many ekkies. So many have similar diet and feather issues that also left them naked. It takes so much work to get these guys back on their feet. I am so pleased that this forum can help give Ekkies a better start at life.
Give them a space to fly and they will! This photo was taken at the sanctuary. They have a large aviary.
Such a gorgeous little green penguin I love the room Tricia!
I hope to adopt an ekkie someday, heck maybe even a little flock of them. I can't yet because I rent my house. My landlord is a real champion, and loves all my birds and chickens! I don't want to stretch my luck though with a bird that chews through walls
. Once I buy a house I will get ready for an ekkies. At the sanctuary I went to there were so many ekkies. So many have similar diet and feather issues that also left them naked. It takes so much work to get these guys back on their feet. I am so pleased that this forum can help give Ekkies a better start at life.
Give them a space to fly and they will!
This photo was taken at the sanctuary. They have a large aviary.
Wow! I love the ekkies!!! Their fruity filled diet is so important to their health and feathering. I'm so glad folks are being made aware just how different they really are!!!@EkkieLu Sergie cracks me up! Look at that lovely birdbath and he is in his water dish splashing around
I love the room Tricia!
I hope to adopt an ekkie someday, heck maybe even a little flock of them. I can't yet because I rent my house. My landlord is a real champion, and loves all my birds and chickens! I don't want to stretch my luck though with a bird that chews through walls
At the sanctuary I went to there were so many ekkies. So many have similar diet and feather issues that also left them naked. It takes so much work to get these guys back on their feet. I am so pleased that this forum can help give Ekkies a better start at life.
Give them a space to fly and they will!
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I do 3 meals a day plus a bed snack I hand feed them before lights out. I get regular bouts of fruit flies. Sounds terrible I know but all you have to do is miss one little fleck of fruit stuck someplace and they're back. So no matter how diligent you are about cleaning up after every meal, because of the large quantities of fruit being served chances are this will happen. A bucket of plain old HOT water is best for ekkie meal clean up. Last summer a fly got into their play room and Lucy was screaming her head off! Took me most of the day to figure out what was upsetting her so much. She had never seen one before and was terrified!Poor little man! Sergei looks so sweet! Yes I know not to put him on a pellet and seed diet! Do you sprout seeds? What's your routine for that? How many times a day do you feed them? I've been doing research and reading so many books and things. Some people have said they feed twice a day and others 3 times. I feel like 3 times would be better.. I cant imagine them only going out for food twice in the wild! I'll have to check out Willis farms online. When the weather warms up, my husband is going to build me an out door aviary
During the summer I take their cages outside at least once a month and power wash them. But in the freezing Michigan winter months I can't do that. So it's hot water every day!
New pictures today! Do you guys think, because of the colors of his tail feathers, somewhere in his family tree 2 different subspecies were bred? Some of the research I've done talked about color mutations due to breeding two subspecies. Like the color mutations of different macaws when they're bred together
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Monaco
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What is his subspecies? It's possible, I guess. Monaco is also a little mystery with her yellow tail tips, red bib, and no eye ring. We think grand X Vos.
He is a Solomon island
Changed it up a little.. got a few things delivered today! Still have a bunch more to go. I have more natural wood perches on the way and plenty more toys haha I would love to go outside and get some fresh branches and twigs but I'm worried I'll pick up something they shouldnt have!
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Monaco
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Very smart use of the ropes on the play stand! I've been looking for ways to do something like this for Monaco. Vet wrap on those wooden dowels works well for her too. You don't have to toss them yet.
I've been thinking about putting one of those circular rope swings on the top middle spot of the play stand but I feel like it will be too much and get in his way 
so maybe I'll just hang one on the screened in porch... or should I move that boing out of the cage and hang the swing in there.. hmmm hahaha so many options..
Do you use the vet wrap on perches inside their cage too? Does she chew on it at all? Vet wrap is something I actually just recently found so I've never used it for any of my birds but I have some on the way from amazon already!
so maybe I'll just hang one on the screened in porch... or should I move that boing out of the cage and hang the swing in there.. hmmm hahaha so many options..Do you use the vet wrap on perches inside their cage too? Does she chew on it at all? Vet wrap is something I actually just recently found so I've never used it for any of my birds but I have some on the way from amazon already!
