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Adopting an Eclectus parrot is a huge commitment, for various reasons. You may think that you want one of these fantastic birds already, but have you seriously thought things through? Read the following information to determine whether you are truly ready for this huge commitment or not. 

The first thing that one must consider is the life span of the Eclectus parrot. These gorgeous birds live to be between the ages of thirty and fifty years old. That is a very long time, and you must be prepared to care for your bird for that length of time. If you are already older, you must have someone lined up to take over the care of the bird once you’ve passed away. This is vitally important. You don’t want your Eclectus parrot abandoned should you die before he does. Like marriage, this could be a lifelong commitment on your part.

You must also consider your own living situation. Will you possibly be moving during your bird’s life? If so, will your bird be able to go with you to a new rental home or apartment? Are you prepared to pay pet deposits? How much space do you have available for a bird in your home? Eclectus parrots do require a great deal of space. They need room for their cage, but they also need a little room to fly around inside of the home.

Furthermore, is the space that you have suitable? Are you able to keep the windows in the home closed, in order to prevent your Eclectus parrot from flying away – or from keeping his natural predators (such as cats) from entering the home?

Consider the amount of time that you have available as well. Eclectus parrots require time outside of their cage daily. This is not only essential for proper exercise, but also for their overall well-being, as well as socialization. These are very social birds, and they do require time and attention from you. Since the bird will be out of his cage each day, are you prepared to potty train him, so that he doesn’t ruin an entire house full of furniture and carpet?

Also note that Eclectus parrots are seldom loyal to just one family member. Instead, they truly become a part of the family, and show interest in all members of the household – and they expect care and attention from all members as well. Is your entire family on-board with adopting and caring for an Eclectus parrot?

Finally, consider the natural behavior of the Eclectus parrot. While the Eclectus is the quietest species, this doesn’t mean that he is dead silent. Furthermore, he will learn to talk, and he will want to talk often. Are you ready for the constant natural sounds that he will make? What about your other family members and neighbors who live close by?

Naturally, you must also consider the lifelong expense of these birds. He will need toys, food, a cage, and veterinarian care. The expenses can really add up fast – especially if he gets sick. Can you afford these expenses?

If you have considered all of these factors, and you still feel like you are ready to adopt an Eclectus parrot, you are ready to start searching for a breeder – and ultimately, the perfect Eclectus parrot for you.

Once you’ve made the decision to adopt an Eclectus parrot, you need to find a breeder (or parrot rescue shelter where the personalities of all the iparrots are well known). You could purchase your Eclectus parrot at a pet store, but this is generally not advised. The healthiest and happiest birds come from private, experienced breeders. Here is a list of questions you should ask breeders. 

Do you breed your pairs year-round? If a breeder breeds their females back to back, this doesn’t produce the healthiest of chicks. Consider another breeder, as this one has little regard for the health of these beautiful birds.

How many years have you been breeding Eclectus parrots? Obviously, the more experience the breeder has, the better off you and the baby are.

Do you breed more than one species? The best breeders typically only breed one species, although there are a few good breeders that breed subspecies of Eclectus parrots as well. This gives you more choices when you select your chick.

Do you wean your chicks before you send them home with their new owners? This is an important question, and most good breeders will not allow babies to leave them until they are fully weaned.

Are your chicks hand fed? The chicks that are hand fed, or hand reared, make the best pets, because they are highly socialized.

Do you only sell the chicks that were bred and hatched at your aviary, or do you broker babies? You don’t generally want to work with someone who brokers these birds. You want your chick to come from the place where it was born and bred. This is referred to as a closed aviary.

Are your chicks hatched in an incubator, or in the nest? Typically, the best chicks are hatched in the nest, with their mother. Bonding is very important.

How long do your chicks remain with their parents after they have hatched? Ideally, they will spend ten days to two weeks with their parents before they are taken away for hand feeding. If you can find a breeder that leaves the chicks with their parents for three weeks, this is even better.

Will I be able to see the parent birds when I select my chick? Seeing the parents is always a good idea. If the breeder breeds and hatches their chicks at the same location, and they aren’t brokers, this shouldn’t be a problem.

How much time is spent with your chicks each day? You want a chick that has spent a great deal of time with humans each day. This will give you a more social chick.

You may have additional questions that you want to ask as well. Make a list of questions, and ask them on the phone, and follow up with a visit in person to inspect the aviary. Choosing the right breeder is the first step to adopting the right Eclectus parrot.

If you ask Eclectus parrot owners if their birds are more special than other species, almost all of them will tell you that the Eclectus parrot is the most special bird in the world. In fact, this is the most popular choice of aviary pet in the entire world, and it isn’t any wonder.

First, these are incredibly beautiful birds, but this is not necessarily what sets them apart. They are, however, the most vibrantly colored of all parrots. But these birds are also highly social. They really like humans, and become true companions, while most other species never actually ‘warm up’ to human contact. Eclectus parrots, however, are really tuned into our moods and feelings, once they know and trust us. They actually develop a bond with their humans.

The Eclectus parrot has amazing talking abilities. In fact, it is believed that they have the clearest speech patterns, and that they are capable of learning the most varied vocabulary of all other talking birds. These birds say words, phrases, sing, and even make sound effects. These birds have been known to imitate running water, microwaves, doorbells, telephones, sneezing sounds, and even to sing opera. They can even laugh. This unique talking ability of the Eclectus parrot seems to give them more personality than other species. Furthermore, the males have masculine voices, and the females have feminine voices.

Eclectus parrots are also highly intelligent. They can easily be trained to follow commands, and they can even be potty trained, so to speak. The limitations as to what they can be trained to do or say is dependant on what their owners teach them, and how often they work with them.

The Eclectus parrot is considered to be one of the neatest parrots, and in spite of his talking abilities, one of the least noisy birds. These birds don’t toss their food about like others do. There won’t be a lot of squawking and screaming with an Eclectus parrot, unless he isn’t handled enough and he develops behavioral problems.

The Eclectus parrots don’t produce feather dust, which is a welcome relief to bird lovers who have allergies. These birds have an oil gland, instead of a dust gland, and you might consider them to be hypoallergenic birds. Eclectus parrots are really very interested in their humans, and will watch their movements closely. They want to know what you are doing.

If you asked an Eclectus owner what they loved the most about their bird, they would probably ask you what there was to not love. The fact is that this is the most loveable, docile bird that one can have. They become the most loyal of pets, and before long, you could consider your Eclectus parrot to be your best friend in the whole world.

Among the parrot species, there is a specific breed known as the Eclectus parrot. The Eclectus parrot is one of the most popular breeds of captive birds, for numerous reasons. First, they are the quietest of birds, but ironically, the best talkers.

The Eclectus parrots are beautifully colored, and they have glossy plumage that resembles silk. When compared to other breeds of parrots, the Eclectus parrot has a very stocky appearance, and he stands about fifteen inches tall. The tail is short and squared, while the wings are long and rounded.

Sexing Eclectus parrots is quite easy. First, if they can already talk, the males have masculine voices, and the females have feminine voices. You can also sex them by their colors. The male is usually green on the top, with wings of a different shade of green. He generally has red patches on his breast, and under his wings. His tail feathers are typically black with yellowish tips.

The female Eclectus parrot, on the other hand, has a red head, and red breast, and the back and wing feathers are usually a darker shade of red. Her belly ranges in colors, from blue to purple, and her tail is tipped with a definite orange color.

Eclectus parrots not only have the most pleasant sounding voices, but they are also very strong fliers, and do well on long flights. This is why many Eclectus parrot owners have their wings clipped after the bird learns to fly. These gorgeous creatures are usually very quiet and serene, but they do have two calls. They may screech three times when they are in flight. They also have what has been described as a flute like mewl when feeding as well. But other than this, you won’t be bothered with constant squawking and screeching from the Eclectus parrot.

In spite of their beauty and gentility, in Papua New Guinea, the Eclectus parrot is usually thought of as a pest, because there are large numbers of them, and they eat the fruit off of trees. For this reason, they are sadly often killed in this area, and their feathers are worn by native tribesmen. In other areas of the world, however, these beautiful birds are considered to be beloved pets, because they are highly social birds.

The Eclectus parrots can be found in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Australia, and in the Lesser Sundas. Today, this remarkable bird has spread into approximately ten different subspecies. In these subspecies, the females still look like the original Eclectus parrots, but the males have more varied colors and marketing. The differences between the subspecies are indicated by their size and colors. The different subspecies include the E.R Aruensis, E.R Biaki, E.R Polychloros, E.R Solomonensis, E.R Vosmaeri, and E.R Roratus.

Eclectus birds are very unique, and highly desired. If you’ve had such a bird for sometime, you might consider breeding. But before you jump right into the breeding game, there are numerous things that you must know.

First and foremost, breeding is very serious business. It is important that you are breeding these Eclectus parrots because you are passionate about them. Breeding just for the money, or unplanned breeding, is never a good thing. Most breeders have been Eclectus owners for numerous years, and typically have several birds.

Ideally, over time, a female and male will actually show an interest in each other. When this happens, you have a pair. Note that if there is no real interest in each other, they won’t mate. They will simply ignore each other, or at best tolerate each others existence. Once you are sure that you want to breed your pair, you must provide them with a nesting box. These boxes are available in pet stores, or from online sources. These boxes should hang inside the aviary or cage.

For the best results, the pair should be given privacy. Noise and movement around them may distract them from the business of mating. Give them as much privacy as possible, including privacy from other birds in the aviary. Otherwise, you will likely have unfertilized eggs.

When the hen lays the eggs in the nest, she will essentially kick the male out of the nesting box, and not allow him back in until the eggs have hatched. She will spend the next 28 days sitting on her eggs, but she may not actually start sitting until the day after the eggs have been laid.

Note that nothing is needed from you during this time, other than the proper environment for mating and egg sitting. It is important that the room stay as calm and quiet as possible. You don’t want your hen to be startled and trample the eggs. The real work doesn’t begin for you until after the chicks have hatched. Even then, their mother will tend to them for the first ten days to three weeks.

The longer you leave the chicks with their mother – up to three weeks – the healthier and happier they will be. However, it is important that you know your pair well. First, the male won’t be able to feed the female fast enough for her to feed her babies. It’s a fulltime job. The male will supply the female with as much food as he can, but he will not feed the babies. The female may not know how to feed her babies if she was never fed by her own mother. Make sure the chicks are getting food, and if not, start hand feeding them right away.

By the time they are three weeks old, however, you must remove them from the nest, and separate them from their mother. At this point, they will be hand fed. This gives them the human socialization that they require, and makes them highly desirable creatures. It is important that you handle them as much as possible each day, without hurting them.