Eclectus parrot - General Information

The Eclectus parrot has grown in its popularity as a companion parrot. Many parrot owners are drawn to them due to their astounding colors and their ability to talk. Many Eclectus owners claim that their Eclectus speaking ability is equal to that of an African Greys.

If an Eclectus parrot is well socialized, they will go to anyone and make great family pets. There have been Eclectus Parrots placed in homes of families with children and each family member is able to have their own special bond with the bird. They are very affectionate and intelligent parrots, with nice mellow personalities. Their laid back personality is sometimes mis-construed as “boring” when the Eclectus is young and first brought home. That certainly does change as their “little” personalities develop as they mature. Females are violet-blue and red, the males green with red and turquoise under the wings.

The Eclectus Parrot require a diet rich with fresh fruits and vegetables. This need is attributed to the fact that the Eclectus has a longer intestinal tract than your “average parrot”. It has also been proven that the fresh food you provide that is high in vitamin A is much more important than feeding them pellets. For that reason Eclectus need plenty of sweet potatoes, dark green leafy vegetables and almonds in their diet. As a matter of fact, their beaks are not designed for cracking nuts, they are designed to peel fruit. You should always avoid feeding an Eclectus colored pellets.

A very well behaved Eclectus, prefers talking to squawking, in fact many of them are absolutely excellent talkers, learning whole sentences and speaking in different voices at a fairly young age. It is highly recommended that while you are away from your home that you provide your Eclectus with the company of the television or radio.  If their area is too quiet, they will learn to make their own noise.  You need to be sure to equip them with the ability to learn acceptable vocalization.

The general rule is that any time a parrot is added to your home that you purchase the biggest cage you can afford and has the appropriate bar spacing. With the Eclectus parrot a large cage I important but because they are not hugely destructive, the strength of the bars is typically not an issue. Despite the fact that the Eclectus is not a strong chewer, they do enjoy pulling apart their toys. It is recommended to provide them with an array of soft wood and plenty of other toys that they can “fiddle” with including bells, swings and toys they can hang from.

When choosing between purchasing a play top ore a dome top cage it is strongly recommended to go with the dome top cape. The dome top cage provides much more room inside the cage that that of the play top. The dome top provides more room to “spread their wings” and have fun while they are in their cage for “cage time”. A play top on the cage is not a good idea due to the fact that the Eclectus is predisposed to become quite territorial and should not be allowed to spend long periods of time playing on their cages. When it comes to maintaining your birds pet potential we recommend providing a separate play stand that is away from the cage to enhance their out of cage experience. We personally have play stands located in most areas of our home which enables us to keep a bird or two with us as we go throughout our daily routines. The Eclectus is easily trained to “stay where you put them” and will quite happy hanging out on a play stand that is equipped with lots of stuff for them to do.

The life span of an Eclectus parrot used to be the young age of 6 years old. The advances that have been made through out the past several year ha help us to learn the importance of their diet needs. If you are feeding your Eclectus parrot the proper diet, they do have the potential to live as long as an African Grey.

• Eclectus Parrots live from 40 to 50 years. They are about 14" long.
• Female parrots have red and purple feathers with black beaks
• Males are green with orange beaks.
• Usually the female of the species is more aggressive than males.
• The female may become quite moody during breeding season after they have mature at about 4 years of age.
  
• Eclectus Parrots come from Australia, New Guinea and the South Pacific.
• Minimum cage size is 32"W x 32"L x 48"H
• Eclectus Parrots are sensitive to smoke and strong odors.
• Provide perches of different widths, diameters and textures to help keep a Eclectus Parrot's feet healthy.