Hello!!

[reneed]

Hello

My name's Renee and i'm from Melbourne. My partner and i currently have a cockateil named Peppe and we are going to put a deposit on a Eclectus tonight. I'm very excited, but don't know much about these birds!! Hoping to learn more from you guys!! lol

[vankarhi]

hello Renee, welcome to our board and i am the proud owner of a female eclectus. Her name is skye. i have had her since she was 4/5 months old and she is 2 and half years old now. she is the best talker I have ever owned, she talks in context too. she rings like the phone (the whole neighbourhood can hear her lol) and she holds a conversation on the phone all by herself including the pauses so the person (she thinks she is talking to ) can talk. Very funny. They are not hard to look after, but must have fresh food and veges daily and can eat seed too.

Are you getting a boy or girl??

Just ask the questions and we will try to answer them.

[reneed]

Hello!!

So Glad to fing someone who knows a thing or two about them!!
The breeder has both males and females available.

What are the pros and cons of either sex? We are really undecided. We like the appearance of the females better, although overal we would prefer a better overal pet, so appearance really doesn't come into it.

Do you this it get along with or cockatiel?

[vankarhi]

i would not house the ekkie with your 'tiel..........they should be in separate cages. While babies the females are usually lovely pets...........but they can become very aggressive when hormonal........my skye did, but she has settled into her hormones now and is my lovely girl. They are not usually cuddle bugs but do love to be with their family. Skye loves to travel in the car too and has made many trips away with us.

i don't own a male yet but my friend does and I looked after him for nearly 3 weeks.........he was a lovely gentle bird (only 8 months old at the time). They do need to have their fresh fruit and veges and do not give pellets. these birds can be suseptable to a few problems if not enough vitamins or too many vitamins. I know this sounds all too difficult. but really it isn't. when I first bought Skye home i nearly fainted when i saw what sort of things she should be eating and the things that might go wrong with her................she has had toe tap twice but on both times the episodes where very short lived and in her case i think it was a lack of calcium because when she ate some cuttlefish bones, a cooked chicken leg bone and half a boiled egg with the shell on it (she got this for a couple of days) she was fine within 12 - 24 hours.

They are lovely pets and excellent talkers. I have heard some people having trouble with their males and others having problems with their females. The hormones are suffered by most birds anyway...........just the ekkie girls have a reputation of being very nasty and aggressive during this time. I am curious to see how skye is this year if she is hormonal at the same time or if it is even as bad as it was last year.

Do some research about them...............they really are very intelligent birds apparently rivilling the african greys in talkability and intelligence..........and i believe it too.......I have taught my girl some tricks too and she can talk in context at times also and she is very very clear with her words.

[Jane]

Welcome Renee I'm looking forward to seeing the pics of your new baby when you get him/her home!

[reneed]

Thanks for the info Vankarhi, and hi Jane

We went to the breeder last night. it was amazing to see so many hand reared babies and eggs hatching. We handled the older ekki's and i feel in love with the males. I was a bit scared of the females actually. He had two older females and both were a little frantic when handled. The males were both placid and exteremly interested in us. And soooo i feel in love ;D

We put a deposit on abeautiful little boy. He was born on the 7.12.07 so he won't be ready for agessssss. i'll just have to try and be patient

Now just gotta think of a name for the gorgeous little guy!!

[Jane]

How exciting

[vankarhi]

very good I don't know why the girls would be frantic at such a young age.........Skye wasn't but maybe it is just because they did not know you. these birds do recognise people and can be a bit wary of people they do not know. i found skye would be very wary .......not bite...........but unless that person was used to handling birds I would not let her go to them unless Skye actually wanted to and then under my strict supervision.

Good luck and congratulations on your big green boy........can't wait for pics ;D

[silvercloud]

Hi and welcome Renee. How exciting, an ecky boy. Will the breeder let you visit him so that you can start getting to know each other? That way when you bring him home he's with people he already knows.

[reneed]

Yep. The breeder encourages you to go around as often as possible to play with him. I wish it wasn't such a long drive!! We'll make a couple of trips up for a play when we can.