SOLOMON ISLE ECLECTUS PARROT. 1 - 2 TWEET PARROTS, SOLOMON ISLE ECLECTUS PARROT, PARROTS, BREEDER OF ECLECTUS PARROT, ECLECTUS PARROT, SWEET HAND FED HAND RAISED BABY PET ECLECTUS PARROT, SOLOMON ISLE FOR SALE. ECLECTUSPARROT
1 - 2 TWEET PARROTS

Eclectus Parrot Characteristics

Talking

Loudness

Size

Personality

Good With Children

Excellant

Quiet, great for apartment and town homes

Medium

Even and mild..

Usually

First, you are enraptured by the incredibly brilliant coloring, often noted by first-time viewers as unreal and unbelievable. As you begin to interact with them on personal basis, you are charmed by their responsiveness to your words. And after this, the love affair with Eclectus parrot begins. Cheryl of Arizona spoke glowingly about her red-sided Eclectus, "He's great. He plays games. He says so many words. He travels with us in our motor home when we take trips. He loves new toys more than new foods. He does shadow boxing, and he is so much fun to watch. I am so happy with him. He is almost 2 years old now. He plays on his own, and he also loves to be with us."

Many people now enjoy delightful relationships with gentle female Eclectus parrot that reign as feathered queens in the homes of their proud owners. These lovely scarlet ladies bestow kisses on their human companions and tell them, "I love you!" with enthusiasm as they snuggle under their owners' chins or arms.

CHARACTERISTICS

So, what is the personality of an eclectus parrot like? Actually, it depends on the age of the bird. It depends on how the bird was handled and raised. It depends on you knowledge of birds in general and eclectus parrot in particular.

If an eclectus parrot has experienced gentle care and handling during hand rearing, it will probably become a gentle, sweet-natured bird. Eclectus parrot are definitely interested in interacting with their owners and with other people as well. They are quite curious and responsive to words and tone, watching their owners and listening intently. Most adult companion Eclectus enjoys being with their humans and yet is not demanding about their time or attention.

Only food seems to change their focus. Eclectus parrot enjoy food immensely and will attend to their meals with true dedication. In fact, younger birds can become quite aggravated if you put off their breakfast too long. Sometimes, they are so anxious for their food that they emit low growls of annoyance while waiting.

NOISE

Eclectus parrot are considered to be among the quietest of the parrots. Avian veterinarian Marti Garcia of California described her young red-sided Eclectus male: "He is one of the quietest birds around. He is quieter than my cockatiel. He makes little burbling noises to himself and practices talking."

People often ask me if Eclectus are screamers. My answer is that they are not screamers unless you teach them to be. If you ignore their routine morning feeding and create a noisy, frantic household environment, the bird will scream in protest. If you turn up the television volume, or have loud music playing, you can expect your Eclectus to attempt to match the noise level as he or she tries to participate or complain. Most prefer a serene environment. Eclectus often say "Shut up!" or "Be quiet!" to other screaming pet birds. In an unusual situation, and Eclectus will utter a warning call.

MESSINESS

Most of the Eclectus parrot I know don't make big messes but, because they eat a lot, expect some debris. Most Eclectus do not like soft, squishy foods and avoid them. If they are given deep narrow food dishes, they may toss out a lot of their food while searching for preferred items. The best solution is to provide a wide bowl for soft foods that is a minimum of 6 inches wide. They can readily see what is available and eat choice tidbits, returning later to consume whatever if left. Unlike dogs and cats, birds eat their food bit by bit during the entire day. Young Eclectus especially need food available all day, because they are still growing well into their second year.

CLEANLINESS

Eclectus prefer to be clean and bathe daily. They do not like messy beaks, so they wipe them on the perch, the cage bars or the edges of the food dish. Then they polish the sides of their beaks by rubbing them along the perch. They groom their beaks and keep them the correct size by chewing on soft wooden toys or on soft wooden perches, such as fir 2-by 2 lumber. Companion Eclectus often share daily or weekend showers with their owners. Most enjoy the water tremendously, letting out little squeals of pleasure as they fan their open wings. In winter, dry them off afterward by blotting their damp feathers with a soft towel. They can then be carefully dried further with a blow drier turned on a low heat setting for a short period of time. Their body and wing feathers provide their insulation and temperature control, so do not leave a bird wet.

TALKING ABILITY

Many Eclectus parrot talk, but not every one will, just as not all African greys talk. The Eclectus parrot voice tone and quality is generally quite clear and distinct, not garbled. Youngsters may say a few words by 6 months of age, but in my experience, most Eclectus do not talk really well until after they are 1 year old. They continue to learn new words and often appear to use words in a meaningful way. Karen of Connecticut, owner of a vosmaeri male Eclectus, came home from work on day feeling ill. Her husband let the birds out of their cages, and she went straight to bed. He missed her. He landed on the bed, walked up to her, and asked, "Are you tired?"

FOOD REQUIREMENTS

Eclectus parrot enjoy a large dish of vegetables, fruits and sprouted seeds, with side dishes of dry seeds and pellets. Provide a variety of foods on a daily basis. Start in the morning (Eclectus like their food provided regularly at the same time) with washed, rinsed, chopped (1/2-inch cubes) fresh vegetables and fruits, including sprouted sunflower and other sprouted seeds. Generally, 1 cup of such soft foods will suffice for one bird.

In the afternoon, this fresh food bowl should be removed and replaced with a bowl containing ½ cup of mixed seeds and 1 tablespoon of natural color pellets. By feeding this amount, you can be more certain that the bird will not eat only its favorite seeds. There are special custom eclectus parrot seed mixes that are ideal.

Companion eclectus want to share breakfast of dinner with you. It is quite all right to give them cooked foods (minus sauces, preservatives or spices). Offer foods that you have not nibbled on so that you avoid giving your bird gram-negative bacteria. They can eat scrambled eggs, small pieces of cheese, well-cooked chicken or fish, pastas, brown rice, cooked potatoes and other vegetables. Avoid any liquors, coffees, sweets (including chocolate) and avocados.

Feeding fruits and vegetables does not mean adding a slice of carrot to apple onto a dish of seeds or pellets once every other day. It means proving a daily variety. Use a special chopping board just for the bird's food. By using the same chopping board that you use for raw meats, you can transmit deadly salmonella or other germs from raw chicken or meat onto the bird's food.

Placing each day's allotment in a sealed plastic bag and storing it in the freezer can do preparing the daily portions ahead of time. Then defrost portions in warm water, and place in the soft food dish along with chopped, fresh items such as green apple, celery, whole green beans, broccoli chunks, grapes of papaya pieces. Clean food and water dishes daily to keep the bacteria under control. A second set of bowls makes this process easier.

CAGING

Due to the high activity level and natural health of eclectus, you should purchase the largest cage you can afford. The major dimension of concern is width and depth, not height. A preferred size would be a cage at least 3 by 3 by 4 feet. A minimum cage size would be 3 by 2 by 2 feet for a single Eclectus. It is never advisable to keep an eclectus parrot in a 2 by 2 foot cage, because that is too small to allow for movement or the additional of toys or swings. Often, people who want an Eclectus do not understand that the bird needs space. Placing an Eclectus is a cage that is overly small creates a situation that can lead to extreme pacing, feather chewing, and such problems as anger and depression.

The cage should have three food dishes, one fir soft foods, one for dry foods and one for water.

Something the perches that come with the cage are not sufficient. For instance, the lovely manzanita perches are generally much too smooth for the lightly gripping toes of an Eclectus, especially one the trimmed toenails. Manzanita perches need to be roughed up so they are not too smooth. Additional perches of softer wood such as fir or cactus fiber allow the bird to maintain its beak condition. In addition to wood perches, Eclectus enjoy springy tubes of metal covered with woven cloth fiber. They also love swings.

As with all equipment, cages should be routinely maintained. When new, you should rub your hands over all surfaces of the cage to see whether or not there are sharp areas or bars that could present problems to leg bands or moveable pieces that could trap a toe, or cup openings that the bird could enter and then be unable to exit. Explore the cage for potential hazards. Remove the cage tray liners daily, scrape and wash perches and cage bars weekly. Dirty perches and cage bars provide habitats for bacteria. Toys should also be washed routinely.

PLAYTIME

Eclectus love new toys. They enjoy exploring different shapes and textures. Hanging most toys alone one wall keeps the interior space of the cage open for the bird's movement. Rotate toys on a weekly basis so that the bird does not become bored with any one toy. Stick with toys that are of a size the bird can manage with its beak and feet, and do not provide small toys more appropriate for cockatiels or toys so large that only a large macaw or cockatoo could grasp them with its beak.

The other concern with toys is that if they are purchased from a pet store or bird mark and they are not in factory packaging they should be disinfected before you give them to your Eclectus. Otherwise, dangerous airborne and hand-transmitted diseases can be transferred from the toys to your bird.

Some Eclectus owner also provide play areas away from the cage. These can be play towers or playgyms or stands that include a different set of toys. Some to these may be small, hand-held toys that the bird will manipulate. People who work at home and want their bird in the office area will place a play area or another cage there for the bird. People who routinely take their bird to work with them have another cage set u for the bird, and they bring along a portion of the daily diet. All birds being transported should be placed in to a travel carrier for the trip and not carried on hands or shoulders outdoors, because that places the bird at great risk.

WHEN GOOD BIRDS ACT BADLY

In spite of the basic good temperament of Eclectus parrot, there are situations that can lead to unhappiness for the bird and the owner. Rough or insensitive handling of young birds during hand rearing can result in distrustful and biting behavior stages where they are fearful and aggressive. New bird owners may not understand how to deal with this behavior. Patience and gentleness are very important at this point. Major problems can arise if the bird is subjected to abuse, neglect or an overly controlling owner who expects the bird to meet preconceived expectations.

HEALTH ISSUES

A properly raised, well-fed and active eclectus parrot is a healthy bird with the potential for a long life. However, there are serious concerns that should be considered regarding the good health of your bird. First and foremost is the prevention of disease. Keeping the cage clean, the food dishes clean and the food clean reduces the number of gram-negative bacteria in the bird's digestive tract. Developing a relationship with avian veterinarian prepares for health problems before they arise.

Viral diseases pose a great threat to our birds too. Prevention of viral disease is generally accomplished by preventing your bird from coming into contact with birds of unknown health status. This is extremely important.

All Eclectus under that age of 15 months are considered very susceptible to avian polyomavirus. Birds that are commonly known to carry this virus are budgerigars and lovebirds. Therefore, do not place a young eclectus parrot in an environment where any contact with these species is possible, including the breathing of airborne dust particles or dander. Additional, polyomavirus particles can be transmitted via hands, hair or clothing. Because of this, I believe that Eclectus should not be purchased from a bird mart or place where all sorts of birds from unknown sources are brought together.

BUYING UNWEANED CHICKS

Never purchase an unweaned Eclectus parrot. Eclectus parrot are probably one of the most difficult baby parrots to hand-fed and wean. They take a great deal longer during feeding sessions. When they reach the age where they start to fly, they refuse their formula to a great extent until they reach their desired flight weight. Inexperienced people often think they are weaned at this point, but they are not.

Also, baby Eclectus parrot are very clear about who their "mother" is and will often refuse to be fed by a stranger. I have seen birds that same from such backgrounds, often stunted, with twisted spines, healed-over broken bones in the legs and wings, and discolored feathers. These birds will probably never recover from the damage that occurred during their early months.

Other baby Eclectus is not so lucky and does not survive the experience. They can contact severe bacterial or viral diseases, because the inexperienced person did not understand the need for adequate brooder heat and the correct amount of formula being fed at the right temperature. Hand-rearing a few cockatiels is not sufficient experience to prepare one for hand-rearing and weaning an Eclectus parrot. Buyers need to be responsible and purchase a fully weaned Eclectus that is ready to be a companion. Bonding with the baby doesn't apply in this case, because Eclectus actually bond more readily with their human companions when they are well past weaning, i. e., and 6 – 7 months old.

Laurella Desborough

SOLOMON ISLE ECLECTUS PARROT. 1 - 2 TWEET PARROTS, SOLOMON ISLE ECLECTUS PARROT, PARROTS, BREEDER OF ECLECTUS PARROT, ECLECTUS PARROT, SWEET HAND FED HAND RAISED BABY PET ECLECTUS PARROT, SOLOMON ISLE FOR SALE. ECLECTUSPARROT