Ekkies?

[RainbowRose]

Hello all!

I posted a few days ago about a goffin's cockatoo I was thinking of adopting from a shelter. Well, number one he got adopted to a family that was able to visit him faster than me (I live 8 hours away from the shelter). Also, after reading some of the advice and websites given to me by members of this board, I figured that the dust and the noise were too much.

Not really for me, but for my mother. My mother lives with me and although I take care of the bills and stuff, I let her have a say in what comes into the house. We agreed that we could handle a bird, however my mother suffers from terrible asthma and allergies, and I think the excess noise of a cockatoo would be too much. I hope he has found a loving forever home though!

My next option is an Eclectus, preferably a male, that I would purchase from a breeder. I've looked online and I've read that although they have VERY specific dietary needs, the don't create dust and they tend to talk and mimic more than scream. I would be very willing to meet the dietary needs of an Eclectus.


Is it true about the noise? I live in a four bedroom duplex with very thick walls, and my neighbor is only there on weekends. I know the Eclectus has a loud screech, but from your experience is it an all the time screech? Or a once in a blue moon screech? Do they scream nonstop in the morning?

A family member of mine had a female with a serious aggression problem, but I heard that they pick up emotional cues from people, so that could be a reason since his owner is almost always in a bad mood or a negative mood. Anyway, once again give me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

[liz]

It is good to have you in the forum.

The birds in shelters are safe and well cared for. I went on line to find Myrtle. She needed me.

I live with and care for my mother and aunt who are both invalids. My mother still pulls: "I'm the mother your the kid" on me even though I am 61.

Mom made me promise not to get another pet but that was the day after I got Myrtle. I was okay for about 3 weeks. One morning Myrtle started baby talking while Rambo was visiting Mom. It kind of hit the fan until she met Myrtle and fell in love with the sweet girl.

I ramble on. Good luck on your search.

[sidech]

Eclectus are very loud when they decide to scream... Not suitable for appartments at all, unless very thick walls.

Fortunately, most don't scream that often. Mine will scream on and off for about 1 hour in the morning. Now that i know that, he stays in another room for that period of time so we don't have to listen to that dreadful noise.

The rest of the time, he chatters away, practicing speech or saying his favorite words and sentences. I would say he is talking or making soft noises at least 3-4 hours a day. If you vaccuum or make noise yourself, he will join in, just like most parrots.

[drif]

My ekie screams when I leave her line of sight after being in the same room with her for awhile. It's normally just once in that case. She will also scream if I am in another room talking to someone or watching the tv and she can hear me.

I live in a first floor apartment in an old house with two units above me. I have asked my neighbors many times if the birds bother them and they tell me that they cannot even hear them and didn't know I had them. If all the doors are closed I can hear her outside in my garage but it is barely noticable. If the front door is open then I can hear her, once again not too loud when I'm on my neighbor's porch across the street. Their screams are LOUD but you get used to it over time (I can no longer feel my bones shake when she screams in the same room as me.)

In general she is very apathetic about what is going on around her as long as she feels part of the group, whatever the group is. If she feels ignored then she will definately let the world know.

They have specific diet considerations but this also get's easy once you find the right combinations of food available around you. I normally feed mine part of whatever I am eating (make sure you know the restrictions) and supplement it with a mix of a few 'premixed' treats from Agway. They have two great treat mixes for the eclectus needs, one is a dried fruit mix for 4.99/lb and the second is a mix of flower buds/anise stars for 3.99/lb. I normally buy about the same amount of each and mix them together. Between the mixes, table scraps, tons of peppers, oatmeal and breads I have never had an issue with health and my vet seems to think she is doing fine.

Another thing I did was go to my local florist and explain that I have parrots. I asked them to call me if they have 'throw aways' of the flowers that are ok for parrots. I happen to live in a college town and thier scraps usually go to the university bio labs but they have called me a few times. If you do this make sure that they give you the ones that were not treated with preservative.

[sidech]

Most important to feed are fresh vegetables, sprouts and fruits. Commercial mixes should be avoid or a very small percentage of what they eat. Some canary seeds and a bit of nuts also. Table scraps and bread... I would not give my Ekkie, unless a very very occasional treat.

[drif]

By table scraps I mean sprouted beans, cooked veggies and rice. I normally make extra for them. Bread is about 1-2 times a month and normally the 12 grain organic. When I'm home I normally eat all vegetarian food and that is what they get. I probably should have been more specific than table scraps.

One question. I drink aloe-vera juice on a daily basis. Has anyone ever added this to the water? I know aloe is on the 'ok to feed' list but what about the juice?