eclectus going to nest?

[sypher]

Hi,

I have recently bought a pair of eccys that the owner has said they have bred before. I made them a box, and the female went in the second day. She is in the box all day except in the morning and afternoon. The male is in the box with her at night. (do eccys normally roost together at night in the box??)

He is looking in the box throughout the day, and looks to be showing signs of the hen getting ready to lay. He makes screeching noises at times, and there is food on the boxes ledge at the entrance hole.

I tried to look into the box today while they were both out, but she charged at me and puffed up a bit and went in.

My question is, Does it sound like they are going to nest? I have only had them home a week, I dont really believe it, but the signs seem to be there. I feed them a variety of fruit and veges and they love chilli. I thought that the food they are getting, they might not be used to and this may have set them off.

Thanks Shaun

[vankarhi]

Well it sounds like you birds are very comfortable at your place especially as you have only had them 1 week. Luckily they are a pair and so they have already bonded......so it is just the "housekeeping" and "residence" they need to adjust to (and is sounds like that has happened very quickly.

One thing I will warn you........be aware your female more than likely will attack you. I mean attack not bite. I have read quite a few breeders say they have been attacked and have been told by some breeders of them wearing hard hats etc when going into the aviary and nest box of the ekkies. Knowing this and also knowing that my handraised beautiful pet female eclectus who once would share herself around to anyone willing to take her........but since turning 2 years of age has now become at times an aggressive "monster" who on 4 occassions now has attacked me at times lunging, wings flapping, screaming, and biting (biting to do damage too, not just nipping). My husband finally built me an aviary and it was finished early this year (Skye is now 4 years old ......... my husband is slow and I am patient ) I bought Skye a husband from Gunadah and I named him Gunny. They were together a couple of months and layed a clutch of 3 infertile eggs. But then a few weeks later they layed another clutch of 2 eggs and have now got a lovely big and healthy baby who is now 20 days old. Skye attacked me on the Monday before her baby hatched and the baby hatched on the Friday.

Try to make your nest box so you can enter it without the birds having access to biting you. My aviary is divided in the middle by wire and I have the pair of alexandrines (who are on 4 eggs now too) in one half and the eclectus nest box opens up from the back into this half of the aviary. The alex's do not worry about me so I can check on the baby ekkie without fear of reprisal from a blue and red savage ball of feathers. But I had the dilema of not being able to access the ekkies side of the aviary to clean it or feed them, so my husband risked life and limb ;D and put a wooden door on the entrance to the nest box that I can open and shut from the outside of the aviary and that means now that I can enter the aviary with safety of not being attacked by Skye. I don't need to worry about Gunny as he is not aggressive at all. He does get worried and concerned, but has never shown any aggression to us......even when Skye got stuck on the snake wire yesterday (luckily I was home) and we had to help her get her nails free ....... Gunny was concerned ... very worried but never made an attempt to attack us. Neither did Skye actually but Stephen wore welding gloves just in case (I made him).

Both Gunny and Skye sleep in the nest box too.......I don't know which one sits on the baby but they both sleep in the box at night with the bub.

here you can see Gunny (dad) checking me out from the entrance of the nest box.


here is Gunny and Skye checking out the new nest box when it was first put in. You can see the metal panel my husband put in to help divide the aviaries and to help instal the nest box so it had something solid to attach to. The back opening of the nest box is in the metal panel. I have to open 2 doors......first a metal door (to prevent birds chewing their way into each others aviaries) then I open the wooden rear door to the nest box. I made my husband put the nest box in this way so I could access the babies without fear of attack and I made him put the metal door over the wooden one also.


Oh and Gunny screams almost all day..........I don't think it is a breeding thing but maybe it is........I think he likes his own voice. lol

Good luck with your birds and keep us posted.

There are a few threads of late about ekkies as I have posted about the "hatching" of Gunski (Gunny and Skye's baby) and I posted about the food they get (as well as my other birds) and Meandem has posted about the handraising and growing of her baby ekkie Chuckles. Gunski and Chuckles are approximatley the same age with Gunski being a few days older. Also there are threads about brooders too ..... care of me and Meandem too.

[sypher]

Thanks for your very informative reply Tracey. I was hoping you would reply, as I have been watching your posts about Gunski.

The aviary I have them in is just a holding aviary which is suspended, and I only put the box in for roosting while I build their aviary flight. It is hard to check the box, as I have to put my arm in the aviary. When I put boxes in the flights, I will have the box in the walkway so I can check things without going into the flight.

I will definatley keep you posted. If I can get a chance to check the box!

[vankarhi]

Yes if you have a walkway that is even better as you can have the rear entrance to the nestbox or the entire nest box in the walkway.

I have made sure when my husband built the aviary and the nest boxes that he did it with my safety and the birds also in mind. ;D The only thing he needs to do now......is to build a safety doorway.......one day. ;D so many other things to do now. ;D

Oh by the way.........I am by no means an expert either ;D Just someone with a little ekkie experience and someone who has done a lot of "reading" on the net or books and was a member of "land of vos" where they talk purely eclectus and nothing else.

[sypher]

Thanks Tracey, do you know what sex Gunski is yet?

Shaun

[vankarhi]

Check out my post in Gunski and Chuckles ;D ........ lets just say some might be "green" with envy. ;D

[sypher]

LOL,I will check it out, are you going to keep him??

[vankarhi]

mmmmm well I have a huge smile on my face, but I am too scared to commit myself yet. ;D

[Jane]

Oh you have to keep him, he's your first hatched

[vankarhi]

Jane.......providing all goes well with him (I am a bit worried at the moment) ....... I am almost positive I am keeping him.

[sypher]

The female doesnt look to be to happy at the moment. She gets fluffed up when I see her out of her nest, and she has started to pluck a line of feathers from her chest. You can only see it when she is fluffed up. Do you think there is something wrong, or it is part of breeding. As far as I am aware, she has never plucked before. I doubt it was there when I bought her, but she wasnt fluffed up.

She is in a holding aviary at the moment that measures about 2m x 900mm 1.2m high. They will go into their avairy hopefully next week. Should I take the box away from them?

Shaun

[vankarhi]

Shaun, Skye never plucked until she got a mate and we put the nest box in. I was worried, but the only time we could see it was when i hose them (they love their showers) and then she would be dripping wet and I could see where she plucked.

I have been told this is normal for female eclectus when they are breeding. I notice that Gunny has few feathers missing near one of his legs.....I am guessing he is doing it or Skye is to feather her nest. There are green and blue/red feathers in the nest box.

If you are planning on putting them into a bigger cage then i would not have put the nest box in until that aviary is ready........just me, but like I said I am definetly no expert.

But seeing as you have the nest box in there already I would probably just move them as quickly as possible and hopefully not disturb anything that is happening. You said you are planning on moving them next week anyway.

[sypher]

Just a update on the eccys, the hen is sittingon eggs. I have photos of the aviaries and birds I will post them up as soon as I get back from the local airport. I am getting a pair of moustache parrots.

[meandem]

Aug 21, 2008 18:36:48 GMT 10 sypher said:

Just a update on the eccys, the hen is sittingon eggs. I have photos of the aviaries and birds I will post them up as soon as I get back from the local airport. I am getting a pair of moustache parrots.

Yay, more babies on the way...........woohoo............

My moustache hen is like a pig dog - when she bites, she holds on and doesn't let go.

[Jane]

How exciting things are at you place Shaun ;D

[vankarhi]

woohoo more ekkie babies maybe ;D

moustache girl biting like a pig dog pmslol ....... must be related to Skye then hey lol