eclectus parrots

THE ECLECTUS

by Bill Kiesselbach

Simon PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Dimorphic coloration is the most striking characteristic of the Eclectus. The males are a striking green with bright red under the wings, while the females are basically red. Feather texture is another unique characteristic. The feathers on the head, neck, breast and belly have a hair-like quality while the wing and upper body feathers are solid with interlocking segments. Healthy, clean feathers are brilliant and shiny reflecting light. Eclectus parrots need a full bath at least once a week, preferably more often. Merely misting the bird is not sufficient. Eclectus need and enjoy getting quite wet, all the way to the skin. So that their feathers get dark. Beaks in a mature Eclectus are smooth in texture and colored differently in females (black) and males (orange). Beaks that have ridges or rough edges frequently are an indicator of health problems. Eclectus beaks are very soft compared to those of other parrots. An Eclectus cannot even open a nutshell--their beaks have evolved to cut through fruit skins, to snip off flower buds, crush berries or remove seed hulls.

WEANING

Eclectus parrots are much more difficult to wean than most other parrots. They take much longer to feed and need the correct formula consistency and temperature. When they begin to fledge and in order to lower their bodyweight, they may refuse to be fed altogether for a while. Many caregivers may mistake this behavior for an indication that the bird is weaned. That is very rarely the case and a fledging Eclectus baby should be continued to be hand fed. Incorrect feeding and weaning the bird too early may lead to life threatening malnutrition problems.

DIET

The most important part of keeping an Eclectus healthy and happy is the proper diet. It is very, very important to provide appropriately balanced soft foods on a daily basis--not just once or twice a week. Fresh foods rich in beta carotene such as green peppers, sweet potatoes, carrots and leafy greens (dandelion leaves, kale, etc.). This does NOT include salads of any kind, which does not mean they are unhealthy; salads just don't contribute the nutrients they require. Fruits must also be included, chopped into small, inch-squares such as green apples, papaya, pears, melons. To this basic diet, you can add spears of broccoli buds, "wheels" of corn on the cob, red bell peppers and sprouted seeds. Also feed well cooked eggs once a week, cooked pasta, small portions of well cooked chicken or fish. Avoid vitamin supplements unless the avian vet specifically determines a need for them. A bird on a well balanced diet does not require vitamin supplements. There are also commercially produced pellets especially formulated for Eclectus parrots. As a general rule, these pellets should not make up more than one quarter of the daily diet. An incorrect or insufficient diet will manifest itself in the feather discoloration and the appearance of the beak. The feathers become dull, off color and ragged. This does not happen right away but after the molt, when the new feathers come in. The bird may become lethargic and loose interest in its surroundings. A proper diet for an Eclectus is absolutely vital for its emotional and physical well being.

ECLECTUS AS COMPANION BIRDS

When raised and treated correctly, Eclectus are sweet, gentle, and quiet with excellent voice qualities. They are not chewers like cockatoos, (although they need a pine, fruit wood or fir perch on which to groom their beaks and keep them trimmed...) Eclectus are extremely social creatures who enjoy interacting with their caregivers, visitors and strangers. If properly socialized they identify with their human flock, enjoy shared mealtimes, snuggle on the couch and love being stroked. Please note that they do not like to be "scritched" like birds with normal feathers. Always stroke an Eclectus gently WITH the direction of the feather growth. They do not like and are afraid if heavy handed handling and aggressive approaches. Please note that we owe them, like any other psittacine, unconditional love, respect, understanding and patience. We have to remember that they are essentially wild birds whose choice it will be to give us their trust, a trust that must be earned. Without their trust in us, there cannot be a relationship. The future and quality of the relationship is entirely up to us.

HOUSING

A good sized cage is a MUST. The dimensions should AT LEAST be 3 feet wide, 2 feet deep and 3 feet high. Larger in this case is better. Their perches ideally are fruitwood, fir or pine perches and since they do not grasp their perches as tightly as Greys and Amazons and since their feet are smaller, the perfect diameter of a perch is 1 inch.
There should be 3 bowls in the cage: a water bowl, a dry food bowl and a larger bowl for soft food. The bowl for the softer food should be near the bird's favorite perch and NOT on the floor. These birds instinctively don't like to go to the bottom of the cage to feed--in the wild they feed in the top of trees, where they are safer from predators.
When introducing an Eclectus to a new cage, the bird will automatically try and go as high as possible and will rather not eat than climb to the bottom. The new cage should also always be positioned with the back to a wall, giving the bird an added feeling of security. Basically Eclectus parrots enjoy being where the action is, where they can be in visual touch with the family.

TOYS

Eclectus parrots enjoy swings and toys that hang from the top of the cage. There should be different kinds of toys which are rotated within a reasonable period of time. They like both, wood that they can destroy and plastic parts that are indestructible... don't put too many toys into the cage at one time, it will limit the bird's movement.

INTERACTING

The most important component in interacting with an Eclectus is talking to the bird. Talk to him before you open the cage, ask him to do what you want him to do. Being quiet mimics the action of a predator and will frighten or at least intimidate him. Babies are clumsy and it takes them some time to step up on your hand or come up on your arm, very often using their beak as a "crutch" to help steady themselves.
A word of caution about play gyms on top of the cage. While gyms in other areas of the house are a great idea and give the bird an opportunity to share the living space with its family, gyms on the top of the cage are not a good idea for young birds. It can easily happen that a bird who perches higher than the head of its caregiver becomes very territorial and will resist coming down or stepping up.

Beyond that, a young bird should not be out of the cage for extended periods of time since that is where his food supply is located. In order to grow strongly and develop well, the young Eclectus needs to eat frequently. Furthermore, the baby should get at least 11 hours of sleep at night, which means that he has to go to bed at 9:00 PM. A sleep deprived bird is a sick and unhappy bird. It is also not a good idea to condition the bird to anything different than the freedoms he will enjoy for the remainder of his life. In other words, even if you are home all day, it is not a good idea to get the bird used to constant attention--he also needs private time for playing, preening and napping. If he gets used to be out of the cage a lot, he'll expect that later, as well.

TALKING ABILITY

Eclectus parrots are able to mimic the human voice very well. If the birds have been raised intelligently, in other words, if they have been given a good selection of toys at an early age, they can use words and sentences in ways to communicate with their care givers. Although sometimes young Eclectus will "sing" in the morning to express their well being, they usually won't start talking until at least 1 year of age. The best way to encourage them to talk is to speak to them, using their name often.

In summary, Eclectus, like all parrots are extremely intelligent. They are children that never grow up. To have an Eclectus as a companion bird can be extremely rewarding and requires a very serious commitment. Start with gathering as much information, as possible and preparing yourself. Everything is up to you!