First Eclectus Parrot

[Kmck323]

Good Morning..after some thought I have decided to get my first eclectus parrot by middle to end of February. Its been hand fed/tamed/spoiled and will also be flight harness trained. This will be only my second parrot after having a small Green Cheek Conure...she unfortunately passed away November of last year...she was the best and we fell in love with her. I am new to parrot ownership as a whole so I am grateful to have found all of you for experience and expertise. I really wanted a CAG but after some research on the dust dander they produce I decided against it as I have a hubby with moderate asthma/allergies. Ive been reading up on the Eclectus diet and have been studying. I was hoping to hear from all of you what your experience is having one, what to expect, training tips, experience with afmily bonding. I have two girls ages 9 and 7 who were very involved with our conure so we are exoecting them to be just as involved with our newest addition. I am very nervous due to its size although I know its considered only a medium sized bird... will need a new cage as well and Im hoping to get a friend of ours to build an outdoor aviary in time. Looking forward to hearing from all of you!

 

[Olliebirb]

I have never owned an eclectus but they are definitely in my top 5 birds that I want! Please show us pictures!!

 

[Aves]

@Miss Annamarie @Monaco

 

[camelotshadow]

All I know
Pretty big bird a slight bigger than a Gray
Males are easier going temperament & they need a specialized diet.

I'd not give up on a GCC. You had one & they can be alot of fun for the family with no specialized diet & not as dangerous a beak.

Good Luck

 

[Monaco]

I have been feeling like a failure more and more. I can't recommend a female. They just aren't like any other parrot. Typical methods are backfiring and compounding issues here. I may be the worst person to ask right now, but I can say males are not as difficult to live with. Just the the truth of the situation here for the past few months.

 

[Sula]

Hi, I am really happy for you, it sounds great that your bird is already flight harness trained etc. We tried to train our Ekkie as well but he hates it so much and he’s super stubborn so we just gave up. We raised him since he was 1 month old that was quite a bit of work so it’s better that your bird doesn’t need to be handfed anymore. From my perspective Ekkies are super intelligent. Junior (our Ekkie) loves to be trained. He starts to talk now (he’s 10 month old) but he just picks up some words. It doesn’t help to repeat a word again and again, he’s decides himself what he wants to learn. When you have a family make sure that everyone spends some time with him and gives him treats, that way you ensure that he doesn’t focus only on one person. Normally ekkies don’t like to be petted and when they are scared or annoyed that they can bite really hard, our vet said he could break a finger of a child so be careful when your children handle the bird. If your Ekkie bites you it’s good just to scold him and ignore him for a while, he will very well understand that he did something bad (your face expression, voice etc.) since you already did your research you know everything about the nutrition. Alongside fruits and vegetables we feed Roudybush pellets and Tops all natural , I have read that they are okay for Ekkies as long as they don’t eat too much. But everyone has a different opinion on feeding pellets. According to our vet sunlight (immune system) and showers are important as well. Junior loves to chew soft wood and is really active in general (he reminds us sometimes of Caiques). He is quite quiet what is good because we live in an apartment, he only screams when he’s extremely happy or unhappy (needs to go bed). Otherwise he is talking a lot (moderate volume) (closet talker).
Puh, okay that’s all I know right now, I hope it’s a bit helpful (and sorry for my English, it’s not my mother tongue). If you have any questions let me know