Eclectus Owners!

[ConEkatoolet]

I am curious, how many eclectus owners do we have on here? H
ow old is your ekkie?
Subspecies?
How long have you had him/her?
Do they have any behavioral issues? How do you deal with it?
Have they had behavioral issues in the past and how did you overcome it?

[sidech]

Hello !

Jazz is a 2 1/2 red sided male Eclectus. I got him when he was 4 months old. He doesn't have any particular behavioral issues. He is a healthy and talkative young bird. Pretty calm. Cuddly like most Ekkies. You really have to encourage independence with these birds.

Ask if you have any other questions.

[ConEkatoolet]

I only ask these questions because I have heard of so few ekkies (especially males) with behavioral issues. But the pair I am getting this month (already have down payments placed, woo!) are both going to be my high maintenance birds. They are currently emotional pluckers after losing their mates (the female lost hers a few weeks ago, the male his 4 months ago) and the male is not hand tamed. I am familiar with the behavior of parrotlets, cockatoos, and conures when they aren't hand tamed, but not ekkies. Eclectus' are so chill and I am not entirely sure how wicked the boy will be, lol.

This is a challenge that I am very excited about, but I am sure will be heavily criticized about. Eclectus' actually do not mate for life in the wild. The female also can take up to many males at once (I saw a documentary who showed one with 7!), so it's not abnormal for them to form new bonds. And it's not like I am going to be just throwing them in the same cage together. Introducing any 2 birds can go from being super easy and instant to months. Same thing with breeding. So I am preparing for the worst and the best, but hoping for the best

[oregngrl1]

Hi. I have a male Ekkie, 6 years old I found on Craigslist last late November, 2012. He has not been handled much it is obvious. He was a snapping turtle when we brought him home but now steps up easily and is the cutest bird. I do not see him being a cuddly buddy. He does not like to be touched, he will grab your finger instantly but he does no bite me, simply holds on.

I just love this bird. I have a Yellow Naped Amazon that is a challenge to own, he is very demanding and extremely moody but a wonderful talker and likes humans much more than other birds.

Jack, my Solomon Island Eclectus very badly wants to be with another parrot. He leaves his cage and wants to climb up and join the Amazon on the Amazon's cage. The Amazon weighs 100 gms more than the Eclectus and is aggressive (both birds are males) and this would not work out so we do not let this happen.

Lately we have considered getting a companion bird for Jack. We considered a female Ekkie but were told in the wild the males hang out together. I really don't want another lone bird in a cage by itself, I would like to have Jack and his new friend together. There is no way to tell if they would bond or even tolerate eachother. So far no one has been able to give me any advice based on their experience. Would appreciate some input. I am not a bird collector but I would like to see Jack get his heart's content which is another bird for a friend. As far as I know he was a lone bird for six years before he came to us.

[ConEkatoolet]

If you find a young female, I was told by people with lots of ekkie experience that it would work out. I have not heard of 2 males living together in captivity before, so I am not sure how that would work out...

But getting a younger female they are more likely to bond, just don't ever introduce a nestbox unless you want babies! Female ekkies are born mothers and will happily lay eggs like crazy if you let them. Also, if you get a younger female, you are more likely to avoid her getting aggressive towards Jack. Btw, the male Vossie I am getting on Tuesday is currently named Jack, but I am changing his name to NV The female who will be here shortly after is going to be Lust Compared to other species of parrot, ekkies are more likely to bond with new mates. There is a documentary clip I saw on Youtube where one female had 7 males feeding her! Hussy :-p

You actually answered something I was curious about. NV is not hand tamed and I have been wondering on how to go about things with him. Ive worked with large birds before who were not hand tamed, but at least liked the shoulder, so I knew where to go from. I suppose I can bribe him with grapes, lol.

[oregngrl1]

Jack is a stomach with wings, will eat anything and it was food that enabled me to get him to step up and be friendly. He is a copycat talker, learned from Shamus a telephone ring and alot of other things my Yellow Nape says and learns really quickly and he is VERY smart. Ekkies do have their own odor so bathing is important. Jack will not bath on his own normally BUT if I run the vacuum cleaner he immediately takes a bath in his water every single time. go figure !! It is wierd and someone suggested he may relate that to a rain shower.

Jack has the cutest voice ever, sounds like a little girl, it is adorable. He is also the messiest bird ever and a huge chewer so toys are important but his beak is not as strong as an Amazon so I do not get the thick pine or big wood toys for him. I buy balsa wood from Michaels craft store, acrylic toys he can attack and other toys that are more friendly to his species.

Jack has not been clipped but he does not fly. I dont think he ever learned how. He can glide down from his cage a bit or fly a very short distance but otherwise he travels by foot. He runs like a roadrunner LOL. In fact everything he does is at warp speed. He likes to be in his cage most of the time even though the door is open and he can sit on top. He likes to look out the window and yesterday he imitated a local wild bird sound we have never heard him do.

I can have him sit on my arm for a good long while without shaking or feeling scared now but its not his favorite place. Forget the shoulder, he will chew on your face, not being mean, just doesnt understand not to. I did not like him grabbing my lip or my ear or my eyelashes.

I have only him 4 months so there is no way to tell if he will become tamer in the future but it is a good start and I am hopeful. Getting him a companion may eliminate him as an arm buddy for me but my main concern is for him to have a happy life. He has been rehomed at least 4 times in 6 yrs and its no wonder he doesnt trust humans. Someone, namely me, needs to put this right and make his captivity the best place in can be. He is so determined to go visit another bird I just feel I need to domsomething about this but it could be an expensive disaster. Well, I love these Ekkies and I guess one more is no huge thing.

[cml]

If you find a young female, I was told by people with lots of ekkie experience that it would work out. I have not heard of 2 males living together in captivity before, so I am not sure how that would work out...

I think there's a forum member witht two male ekkies; marsha.

[ConEkatoolet]

4 months is nothing!! Keep working with him!! Seriously, once he becomes more comfortable he will be MORE than happy to have you as a companion. And it sounds like he was trying to groom your face, which while unpleasant, is a good sign

I vote you give him at least another 6 months of training before you decide to get him a companion bird. From the sounds of it he has already made a lot of progress, so don't stop now!!

[Hayden1987]

Eclectus are very sweet birds... i havent had one but have looked after many many ekkies from breeding pairs to small colonies to hand raised pets. Males are alot more gentle than females and can easily be bullied so if you are going to introduce a male and a female amke sure there are extra food and water bowls and that the cage/aviary is big enough for the male to get away if necessary. I have seen q female just have a spat with her partner to the point of having him cowered in the corner all because she was eating first and they were together for 10+ years! But dont be deterredby this just be extra vigilant!

[feathermum]

hey, guess i'm late to this thred but was looking for eckie one! just joined this forum, and Eckies are my 1st. fav. speacies : ) i will be bringing mine home in a couple wks. she is a S.I. & a lil' over 2 yrs old. she was droped off @ my work by her owner b/c she didn't like the sound she makes. whatever to me..I LOVE HER! she is great w/ me & ok w/ my kids & husband. i am keeping her @ work for a bit so that i can get her DM cage... I can't even imagin droping off a parrot b/c of the sounds they make. they'r PARROTS..that's what they do. anyway she is very smart & i am learning more about her evryday!! she already knows her new name & says it..soooo smart! i hope to get more eckies as time goes on...esp. since they don't bond like other parrots..any others??