Thinking of getting an eclectus parrot

[birdlover47]

Hi guys

My name is Ashleigh and I'm 15 years old and an absolute bird lover. I had a galah a about 4 years ago. His name was Ban-Jo and he was the cutest little boy you'd ever met. When ever you passed his cage he would whistle for you, even my dog ruby didn't mind him. But he became very sick one day and dad and I not knowing an avian vet at the time had to go to our local one, eventually Ban-jo had to be put down because he could barely breath, he wouldn't have made it to the avian vet by then and it would have been to late.
I still miss him very much but years have passed now and I'm ready to get another bird.

About 2 years ago I started researching lots of birds, I started off with galahs and cockatoos but they just made me sad, and I was worried that the cockatoo would become attention deprived while I'm at school.
I then looked at conures and macaws but their noise level would irritate my neighbors and I knew that it just wouldn't work.

A year ago I came across the eclectus parrot. I've researched so much about this parrot that if I try and research more, I'm just looking at the same websites because I can't find any new ones!
I know of their strict dieting requirements and I have spoken to many breeders. While I'm at school, I would have many foraging toys and other toys, with the radio on and my Gran is usually home as well. 
I know that this is a very long and hard commitment as a bird is like a child but with the help from, Dad and My Gran I think I'll be able to look after this gorgeous feathered friend

Also I probably won't be getting one for about 6 months to a year as I will need to save up for the cage, get toys and prepare myself but I thought I would ask and talk about it and get information from owners first

Any information, advice and experiences would be much appreciated. 

Thanks for your time!

Ashleigh.

[Greybeard]

Hi Ashleigh,

Welcome to the forum. I owned a pair of eckies for seven years. They are the best birds ever! You will need a cage at least 1m x 1m (bigger if you can manage it). They eat fruit and veggies and fresh is best - use frozen (thawed) if stuck.

Have the cage positioned in a room where the bird will always be able to see and hear people so that it knows that it is part of the flock. Mine were in the dining area and always ate with us, a bit of veggies, pasta etc. This was also a place where people always walked past so they were constantly getting a "Hi Jady/Rubby".

They were not interested in bird toys however they loved food games. I would hide food in crunched up bits of paper/cardboard and let them find it. Any toy that had food hidden in it or made the bird puzzle out how to get the treat was really enjoyed. They would spend a lot of time out of the cage and enjoyed just hanging around. I used to leave them in one room, go to another room and call them and they would fly or sometimes walk to find me. Also they LOVE water. Jady would shower with me every morning and looked atreat when he would spread his wings out to wash all over They rarely chewed anything so that was good.

Plan to let them out of the cage at regular times that can be easily maintained, eg 6-7am and then 6-8pm every day. This way they get plenty of family time on a perch, playing hide and seek as well as learning to occuping itself during the day. If you let him out a lot and then reduce that time the bird will fret and feather plucking is pretty well guarenteed. Once started it is a hard habbit to break.

All the best

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[astrotom87]

I'm very sorry to hear about your Galah. They really are sweet friendly little things.

I haven't owned an eccy, but I spent 10 years working every day in our towns general store, and it was the play ground for the owners two eccys 24/7, so I've had quite a lot to do with them.

They are very loving birds, can be cheeky too, but one thing I noticed is that you were worried about the sound of other birds. The eccy's I've known have been VERY loud when they want to be. Much much louder than any of me or my friends conures.

If noise is an issue, but you still want a friendly loving bird, Green Cheeked Conures might be the go. They are generally pretty quiet (I lived in an appartment with mine without it being an issue, though he did love to scream in the shower with me) and are very affectionate. They don't have anything near the talking ability of the eccy's though.

Whatever you choose, I wish you luck :-)

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