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.@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.
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?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.
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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!
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.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?
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.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.