Kirsten Badham is a parrot lover and Eclectus specialist. She has spent over a decade keeping, breeding and working with companion Eclectus. She is the Author of 'The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots', which is currently the largest and most comprehensive Eclectus book to date. She has written articles for the Australian Bird Keeper, Parrots Magazine and the Parrots Society of Australia. She continues working to further the understanding of the Eclectus Parrot.
I have received many calls over the years from people whose parrot died suddenly and for no apparent reason, leaving the owners baffled and distraught. After questioning them about the symptoms and the events leading up to the parrot’s death, it’s often clear that the most likely cause of death was heavy metal poisoning (HMP). Sadly, many people don’t know or understand the very real dangers that heavy metal poisoning (or heavy metal toxicity) poses to parrots.
HMP occurs when a parrot ingests a particle of heavy metal. Once ingested it begins to poison the parrot, affecting the kidneys, blood cells, intestines and nervous system. This makes the parrot very ill and can cause rapid death. Continue reading “Heavy metal poisoning in parrots”
Meet Parrot Haven’s latest baby boy ‘Jasper’, baby of gorgeous Cletus and Peggy Sue.
ABOUT US
All our babies are raised in a loving family environment, spoon fed and they spend hours socialising and playing with us. We raise only babies born here at Parrot Haven (we are a closed aviary, we do not take in other breeders eclectus babies and raise as our own) and all of our breeding birds have been chosen for their gorgeous natures and temperaments that they pass onto their babies.
Our website and blog is filled with a great deal of information about these magnificent parrots so please take the time to read through my articles as becoming a parrot owner is a lifelong commitment and we only sell to the very best homes.
We have our own forum dedicated to Eclectus lovers and we welcome new members, its a great place to meet other Parrot Haven baby owners, chat about what its like to own an Eclectus Parrot and see our Testimonial Page on our website to hear our success stories.
We offer full follow up service for our babies
Feel confident in buying an eclectus from the Top Eclectus Parrot Breeder in Australia.
Today we would like to share with you some photos of the very gorgeous and very spoilt Jellybean. Jelly is of course a Parrot Haven Eclectus and has his human slaves wrapped around his gorgeous wings.
Jellybean cheering on the local baseball team - check out the Pack-O-Bird Jelly is sitting on, a must for any parrot slave.
He has his own massive outdoor flight, endless supply of toys, treats and even his own webcam set up 24 hours a day so you can watch all his antics. Jellybean is a Cletus and Peggy-Sue baby and just like all Cletus kids he is full of confidence, very outgoing and a serious little snuggle bug !
Sharing fresh native branches with his brother Rocky
King Jellybean in his gorgeous outdoor flight
Here at Parrot Haven we pride ourselves on raising the most confident, healthy and happy companion Eclectus possible.
We have been breeding Eclectus for over a decade and have carefully chosen our eccy pairs for their personality and temperament which is passed on to their babies. We take great pride and care in matching each of our babies with their perfect owners getting to know our clients before we choose their perfect feathered kid.
Romping through the flowers
Take a look at our forum to see more photos of our Parrot Haven babies and learn what it is like to share your lives with these amazing parrots.
Well its time to share with you some of the gorgeous photos we have of our babies in there new homes. We have literally thousands of pictures of our kids posted by their devoted and proud owners on our forum but here is a little bit of an insight into what its like to be owned by a Parrot Haven Eclectus !
Meet gorgeous Tilly who is absolutely adored by her Mum Amanda and her Dad Josh.
Josh with sweet Tilly. A perfect example of a Parrot Haven Eclectus baby
More snuggle time with MummaSnuggle time with Mumma Amanda
Here at Parrot Haven we pride ourselves on raising the most confident, healthy and happy companion Eclectus possible. We have been breeding Eclectus for over a decade and have carefully chosen our eccy pairs for their personality and temperament which is passed on to their babies. We take great pride and care in matching each of our babies with their perfect owners getting to know our clients before we choose their perfect feathered kid.
Take a look at our forum to see more photos of our Parrot Haven babies and learn what it is like to share your lives with these amazing parrots.
When choosing a baby Eckie, it is imperative to ask about the health and diet of the parent birds.
The following is a small excerpt from our book: The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots. This chapter explains the importance of choosing a top quality breeder and the questions to ask when buying your companion Eclectus.
What diet are the parent birds fed?
Parent birds must be fed a top quality diet. The health of the parent birds directly influences the health of their babies. Feeding Eckies a diet lacking in calcium, protein, vitamins and minerals, will produce weak babies prone to illness.
Ensure that you purchase your baby from a breeder who feeds their breeding Eckies a variety of fruit, vegetables, proteins and legumes. Request a photo of their daily diet and photos of the parent birds. Their condition will help you gauge whether they are in good condition and excellent health. Look for shiny plumage, bright eyes, shiny black beaks on the hens, and bright orange beaks on the males.
Welcome to Parrot Haven, specialist breeders of gorgeous hand raised Eclectus Parrots.
Parrot Haven Baby Update
Our baby girl Zina, soon to leave Parrot Haven to her wonderful new home.
Its time for our gorgeous Zina to leave Parrot Haven. As hard as it is for us to say goodbye, we know that she is going to a wonderful loving family and is going to adore her new boyfriend ‘Homer’ in no time !
Thank you to Adrian for adopting our beautiful girl, she really is a snuggly little baby !
At Parrot Haven, all our babies are raised in a loving family environment, spoon fed and spend hours socialising and playing with us.
We pride ourselves in raising healthy, confident and top quality Eclectus Parrots who are hand raised specifically to become a lifelong member of your family.
We have our own forum dedicated to everything eclectus with a special focus on Parrot Haven Kids, we update photos of your babies regularly and are in contact with our clients on almost a daily basis, helping when needed, sharing the successes of our birds in their new homes and chatting about our gorgeous parrots.
Our website and blog is filled with all the information you need to know about these magnificent parrots so please take the time to read through my articles as becoming a parrot owner is a lifelong commitment and we only sell to the very best homes.
All babies sold are been born here at Parrot Haven, we know the personalities of each of our babies parents, this is very important when purchasing a companion parrot. We are a closed aviary and we do not take in outside eclectus and raise them as our own.
If you are interested in become a Parrot Haven baby owner, please email me to organise a time to chat over the phone. I match all my kids with the perfect homes as every one of my kids is different and care needs to be taken so both our parrots and clients are 100% happy with their new baby.
Join our forum to meet other Parrot Haven baby owners, chat to them about what its like to own an Eclectus Parrot and see our Testimonial Page on our website to hear our success stories.
Feel confident in buying an eclectus from the Top Eclectus Parrot breeder in Australia. See our testimonials and join our forum to meet many happy Parrot Haven clients.
Heavy Metal Poisoning is a silent killer, over the years I have received many calls from people whose parrot has mysteriously passed away leaving the owner (and sometimes even the vet) baffled. Upon questioning the owner about their parrots symptoms, I have discovered that their baby actually died from heavy metal poisoning.
One owner had recently purchased a new toy for their parrot, believing that the toys sold at pet stores are safe, they didn’t give it a second thought when hanging it in their parrots cage. That night their beloved male eccy passed away shocking and devastating the owners when they went to get him out of his cage in morning.
Usually what happens is our ever inquisitive parrots investigated their new toy, chewing and exploring them only to accidentally ingest a small particle of heavy metal. It only takes the smallest flake of metal to cause serious issues with our birds and unless medical advice is sought immediately, the consequences can be devastating.
Sadly, so many people have no idea that the toys they hang in their parrots cage have the potential to poison them fatally. Bells, metal housings surrounding some toys, metal parts, chains and even cage latches can all be made from heavy metal and when chewed can kill our parrots in a matter of hours.
Be wary of rope toys, the rope can be chewed by our kids exposing the metal underneath and this can rust or oxidise if exposed to the elements. The particles from this can make their way onto the rope or be chewed directly off the metal potentially leading to heavy metal poisoning.
The following metals are the killers:
Brass
Zinc
Copper
Lead
Aluminum
Rust from oxidised metals
Heavy Metal Poisoning must always be taken very seriously. It only takes the smallest amount of metal to poison your parrot, symptoms may occur quickly and if left untreated, death is assured.
The main symptoms of Heavy Metal Poisoning or H.M.P are:
Abnormal Droppings – bright green or blood colour
Lethargy
Shallow respiration – their tail will bob up and down with each breath
Regurgitation
Weakness
Falling of perch
Dizziness, unable to stand up, can’t walk, stand or fly
Diarrhoea
Sudden feather picking, irritated behaviour
Fluffing up their feathers to retain body heat.
Head tilting abnormally
Increased thirst
Increased defecating
If your bird starts exhibiting any of the above symptoms, you need to get it to a vet as quickly as possible. It’s not worth waiting to “see how everything goes” as many birds die needlessly because their owners were hesitant to take their baby to the vet.
Playing it safe
We can help keep our kids heavy metal free by adding the following chelating agents to their diet:
Cilantro (fresh)
Coriander (fresh)
Chinese Parsley (fresh)
Brazil nuts
Pumpkin seeds or Pipitas – helps remove zinc and magnesium
Sunflower seeds – not too many
Adding these foods on a regular basis can help flush out any toxins that may have built up in our kids systems and it also helps to keep their liver and kidneys in tip top shape.
Prevention is the key, as caring parrot slaves we need to religiously check our birds environment and our own home for any signs of dangerous metals that may harm our precious kids. Heavy metal poisoning kills yet is so easily preventable, be pro active, double check everything and in doing so you are saving yourself from the potential loss of your precious parrot.
We were saddened to discover that Godfrey – the lost Eclectus Parrot we thought was found a few days ago was not Godfrey at all. The owners got the little male Eccy back only to discover that it was not their gorgeous Godfrey – so we are still looking out for him. The poor little guy was lost on January 5th in the Caulfield, Melbourne area possibly heading toward Caulfield North, Malvern or may be around Caulfield Park. If you find him, please contact us at 0477550345 – he is loved very much and his owners are worried sick about him. Thank you all for your help!
Blue is finally ready to fly the coop, moving into her new home very soon where she will finally meet her boyfriend, another gorgeous Parrot Haven baby who is absolutely going to adore his new girlfriend.
Gorgeous ‘Blue’ snuggling into mummy
A perfect healthy Eclectus Hen
Were all going to miss our Blue here at Parrot Haven but she is going to the most wonderful of homes and she is going to make Mango one very happy little man !
