Tag: Eclectus

Introducing a second Eclectus parrot

Posted on by Kirsten Badham

The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots

Introducing a second Eclectus parrot to the family

Eclectus are incredibly addictive. As a self-confessed Eckie-a-holic I know all too well the power these gorgeous birds can have over you. It’s almost impossible to stop at one Eckie. Take me for example. What started out as a pair of pet Eclectus parrots has now grown to 25 green and red-feathered kids, not to mention all the babies born here at Parrot Haven. Many of my clients can attest to this as they inevitably succumb to the Eckie addiction.

Will they still love me?

This is always the first question I’m asked when people consider adding a second Eckie to their family. It’s a valid concern as many other species of parrots pair bond strongly sometimes to the point of excluding their beloved owner. This certainly doesn’t apply to Eckies. The bond you share with your feathered friend is special and unique. This will continue to develop and flourish over the years even if you do add a second Eckie to your family. Like every good relationship you need to invest time and love into it. However the bond that you share doesn’t need to change, it will just evolve to incorporate two gorgeous kids.

Double the trouble and twice the fun

Many of our clients are proud parents of two Eckies and our Parrot Chatter forum is filled with stories about how owning a pair really is twice the fun. Naturally, it takes time for the two parrots to get to know each other. There is often a settling in process, but being flock birds, we’ve found Eckies will take the introduction of a new companion in their stride. Eckies love companionship and you’ll have peace-of-mind knowing they have a friend to keep them company when you aren’t home.
It’s in their genes
In the wild, Eclectus are social birds. They live in small flocks consisting of siblings and extended family. Eckies stay within the family group until he or she reaches sexual maturity, only leaving to find his or her mate. This natural flocking instinct helps owners in a captive setting for Eckies naturally desire companionship. Because of this, they will more readily adapt to a multi-parrot environment. However, before you rush out and buy your second Eckie, there are a great many things to take into consideration.

The bond you share with your first Eckie is vital

The last thing you want to do is bring home a second Eckie before you have properly bonded with your first. Even though Eclectus parrots adapt well to a companion, you are likely to run into difficulties from time-to-time. This will only be exacerbated if you haven’t formed a solid bond with your first parrot. Over the years, several of our clients were so besotted with their feathered friend that they wanted to buy a second kid almost immediately. This concerned me because their first Eckie had just settled in. They were still getting to know each other and bonding was in its early stages. Adding a second Eckie too early will only delay the bonding process. You shouldn’t rush into adding a second Eckie into your family until you have bonded with your first. We advise our clients to wait 6-8 months before they consider buying their second Eckie. This enables them to bond with their first Eckie and learn their personality. Understanding your first Eckie’s personality will assist you when it comes time to choose your second kid.

This is a small excerpt from our book: The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots. This chapter provides step by step instructions on how to introduce a second Eclectus. Our technique has been used by many Eclectus owners and it works!

Eclectus Parrot Book

Download on the iBookstore

Included in this chapter

* Will they still love me
* Twice the mess?
* Double trouble and twice the fun
* It’s in their genes
* The bond you share with your first Eckie is vital
* Finding the perfect match
* Buying an unrelated pair
* Pairing two Eckies from different breeders
* Younger Eclectus
* Mature Eclectus
* Taking on an Eckie with an abusive past
* Finding a companion for a disabled Eckie
* Choosing the gender
* Introducing a different species
* Size difference
* Vocalization
* Cage setup
* Perches, toys, food bowls
* Cage placement
* First introductions
* Preventing the green eyed monster
* Slow introductions
* Out of cage time for your new kid
* Out of cage time together
* For those in a multi parent home
* Single parents
* Misplaced aggression
* Toe biting and eye fascination
* Let your kids set the pace
* It will happen

 

Bringing your new Eckie home

Posted on by Kirsten Badham

Bringing your new Eckie home

The long awaited day is finally drawing near. Soon it will be time to bring your new Eckie home. Our clients tell us they feel both elated and nervous. Some have waited a very long time for their new addition and are almost bursting with excitement and anticipation. Whether you are purchasing a baby or adopting an older Eckie, you want to make a good first impression and ensure you start your relationship off on the right foot.

Saying goodbye to everything they know

The most important thing to remember when you bring your Eckie home is that they may be very scared. They have left the comfort of their home and many are meeting their new family for the very first time. Some Eckies are lucky enough to live close to their new human flock, while others must travel great distances. Either way, it’s new, it’s scary, their carer or old family is nowhere to be found, their siblings are gone and they are all alone.

They have no way to communicate effectively and no one understands what they are saying. Some Eckies come from breeders or owners who understand their body language and know exactly what they want. They can communicate easily and know their every need will be met. They lived an idyllic life filled with love, friendship and routine. Now it is gone and they don’t know how to cope. They are pining for their family, breeder and siblings and are don’t understand why life has changed. I liken this transition to a young child being left alone in a foreign country. They don’t know anyone, their parents are gone and they can’t speak the language. The child would be terrified and our feathered kids are no different.

First impressions count

This may sound clichéd, but it’s true. First impressions are lasting and you want your Eckie to know that you’re someone they can trust. This is why it is so important to follow a few simple rules to help pave the way for a fantastic relationship.

The first week is going to be the hardest for both owner and Eckie. The owner wants nothing more than to snuggle their new kid and shower them with love, toys and all the goodies they have bought. The Eckie is overwhelmed by the change—their world has been turned upside down and they have no idea what to do, where they are or who to trust.

It is up to us as loving parents to put our own desires aside and do all we can to show our kids that we can be trusted and their forever home is going to be filled with love and happiness. To assist with this, we can prepare our family and friends for the new arrival so everyone understands what they must do during the settling-in period.

This is a short excerpt from our book: The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots. This chapter explains how to settle your Eckie into their new home. This is a critical time for both Eckie and owner. Follow our technique and you will be setting yourself up for success.

Included in this chapter:

  • Keeping the children happy
  • Selecting a primary carer
  • Local pick-up
  • Travel cages
  • Preparing your Eckie’s travel cage
  • Eckie Eve
  • The big day
  • Airport pickup
  • Using your Eckies name
  • The drive home
  • Home at last
  • Why won’t they eat?
  • Feathered extroverts
  • Kick back and relax
  • This is what we advise our clients to do
  • Don’t create a rod for your back
  • The all important routine
  • Tough nuts to crack
  • Please show your Eckie the respect they deserve
  • Your hard work will be rewarded

Eclectus Parrot Book

View on the iBookstore

Eclectus Parrot Book – New Release

Posted on by Kirsten Badham

Eclectus Parrot Book

The Ultimate Guide to Eclectus Parrots is currently the largest and most comprehensive companion Eclectus non-fiction iBook. Kirsten Badham is  a parrot lover and Eclectus specialist. She has spent over a decade breeding and working with companion Eclectus.

The iBook provides detailed information and teaches owners how to confidently care for their parrot.  Whether you are buying your first Eclectus, or have owned one for many years, there is always something new to learn. Filled with real life examples and amusing anecdotes, it gives insight into life through your parrot’s eyes.

Download on the iBookstore

388 pages in length, 245 full color photos, 40 Illustrations and 14 HD quality videos

Chapters included in this book:

Continue reading “Eclectus Parrot Book – New Release”

Why the relationship between breeder and “aviary bird” matters

Posted on by Jason Badham

One of the things that really impressed me about Kirsten before coming to Australia was how involved she was with her breeding birds. As an Eclectus owner myself, I was always curious about what the parents of my Eckie hen was like. What kind of personality did they have? Were they quiet, curious or playful?

Unfortunately in the avicultural industry, it is a common belief that a breeder must not interact very much with their breeding parrots. “Feed them and leave them” was the phrase that I heard a lot. For other parrot species that may indeed be the case, however for Eclectus parrots Kirsten has proved otherwise.

Being a parrot lover, taking such a hands-off stance was something that Kirst could not do. Having raised her very first Eclectus pair (Red and Sprout), she was heavily involved in their everyday lives. They grew up in her home and she included them in many of her daily activities like cooking, cleaning and taking care of her son. To this day, Red still loves to be included when Kirst is preparing a meal – helping chop up fresh vegetables (taking small ‘tasting bites’) and talking extensively while we both work in the kitchen.

As she grew her Eckie flock, the routine stayed the same. Once they all had a large outdoor aviary to share she would spend a lot of time with them watching their personalities grow and seeing friendships and couples form. This became invaluable as they started breeding.

Having such a strong bond with her breeding Eclectus enabled Kirsten to know what personality traits her babies would develop

This insight helped Kirst to pair a baby with a client in a way that few other breeders have. During her interview process, Kirsten would try and understand what a potential client was like and what kind of baby they needed. If the individual was approved for one of her babies, then she could pair them up. Sometimes this process required the client to wait as much as a year before they could have a baby, but the results were worth it.

Our testimonials page is full of clients who have been matched perfectly with a baby Eclectus – because of the time Kirsten spent with her breeding kids.

This interaction has not inhibited their breeding. Red – one of our best breeders – often hatched and raised 3 babies at a time. All of her babies and in fact all of our babies raised here at Parrot Haven have always been extremely healthy with very strong personalities.

Kirsten has always believed that if her parrots were happy, then they would breed happy babies–and that has proved true every time

We have recently taken some video footage of us in our communal aviary which shows the kind of relationship that we have with our kids. Not only do they enjoy our interaction with them but sometimes it is difficult for us to leave as they simply will cling onto us and not want us to leave the flight!

Aviary Time from Parrot Haven on Vimeo.

Having this kind of bond with our parrots is absolutely heartwarming and we wouldn’t trade that for anything. Now that our kids are retired we’re able to enjoy a perfectly healthy ‘pet’ relationship with them because they have always been treated as members of our flock. This has helped their transition from breeding to pet happen seamlessly.

If you are looking to buy an Eclectus parrot – please do as much research as you can about any potential breeders you wish to purchase from. Not all breeders are the same and in our experience, many breeders can be downright deceitful. It is important to ask any potential breeder the kind of questions that will help you ascertain whether or not they are worth their salt as an aviculturist. If you have any hesitation about a breeder, then move on until you find the right one. When you do find a reputable breeder then spread the word. Once enough people start demanding better standards in the industry then the industry can make a change for the better!

From Breeding to Companion – Red’s Story

Posted on by Jason Badham

At the beginning of this year, Kirsten made the decision to give our breeding parrots a break from breeding. Some of our kids had been breeding for over a decade and while they’ve enjoyed some breaks throughout the years we felt that a longer term hiatus was needed.

Even before I became involved in the breeding side of Kirsten’s work, I was always amazed at the relationship she had with all of her breeding parrots. One of the things that fascinated me about her breeding technique was that it was ‘unconventional’ in the sense that she would interact with her breeding pairs. Because of this interaction, she knew each and every one of their unique personality traits. This in turn gave her the ability to match the personalities of their parrot babies with her approved clients.

Red was always one of our best breeders. She would consistently hatch and raise three Eclectus babies when she bred. After about 3-4 weeks she would tell Kirsten “I wanna come in for a shower”. This ‘call’ was Red’s way of telling Kirst that she was ready for her babies to be picked up and for Kirst to take over the rest.

Every time we pulled babies from her nest box, Red would always watch us while Sprout – ever so curious – couldn’t resist the urge to hop onto our shoulder and watch what we were doing close-up. Once we gently placed her babies into their mini carrier, we always showed Red that her babies were okay – and we always made it a point to thank her. We respect the work and effort that all of our breeding kids put forth.

We’ve never treated our breeding parrots like machines and we honestly believe that they can understand this.

When we pulled all of the nest boxes, the majority of the hens adjusted to this change quite easily. We stocked their flight with plenty of toys and fresh parrot-safe branches and they have been getting along quite happily.

Eclectus hen enjoys a snack of popcornRed on the other hand showed a great deal of interest in where ‘Mum & Dad’ lived and soon began lifting her foot up and looking up at the house when we would visit with the kids. We brought her a travel carrier which she stepped into quite happily and we brought her inside with us. Ever since then she has been an amazing pet. She helps Kirsten cook meals, prepare the fruit and veg that we feed the kids every day and she quite happily perches next to us when we work inside. She showers regularly with us and her vocabulary has grown amazingly!

So what makes all of this newsworthy? Red has been breeding for over 10 years. Typically when a breeding bird is retired, if they are sold as a companion parrot, the transition from ‘work’ to ‘play’ can be quite difficult for birds to adjust to. If the breeder has spent little time with their breeding parrots then suddenly being put into a situation where they are surrounded by people can be extremely difficult for them to handle.

Eclectus parrot henKirsten has tried very hard over the years to balance her breeding technique with an insight into what the parrots experience. Being empathic is a good way to live not just when it comes to human relationships. While her method may be non-traditional from a breeding standpoint, the results speak for themselves. We both have the most amazing companion parrot in part due to the way Kirsten has raised and cared for her all these years.

Red is just one story, but each of our kids has their own equally unique story. Our hope is that over time other breeders who share this same level of care for their birds will also enjoy the success we have.

New Site Design Launched

Posted on by Jason Badham

We’ve been hard at work recently upgrading and improving the quality of our website. While our site has been active since early 2010, the content has been offered by Kirsten for years.

We’re thrilled to see the success of our site as we continue to provide information and advice to people who contact us from all over the world. We have made many enhancements and have greatly expanded the amount of content in our continuing effort to  assist people who are eager to learn as much about these beautiful parrots as possible.

There is still work to do, we are currently working to improve our Parrot Chatter forum and we’ll be re-launching that soon as well, so stay tuned! In the meantime, have a look at the new design and let us know if you feel there are ways we can improve.

Lost Parrot – Looking for an Eckie hen named Sohni [UPDATE – FOUND!]

Posted on by Jason Badham

We are asking for your help to locate a lost Eclectus hen. Her name is Sohni (pronounced like ‘Sony’) and she took flight on Saturday evening 27, July. Her approximate location is at Plahn Street in Frenchville Rockhampton.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

[UPDATE: We are thrilled to announce that she was found this evening! She was found in a neighbour’s garage and stepped up to her rescuers with ease. She was returned to her mum and now everyone is doing really well! We want to thank the helpful neighbours to found and returned little Sohni and we wish Yvette and her family a very happy week!]

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Eclectus Parrots – How Do You Source Reliable Information?

Posted on by Jason Badham

Over the years, we have helped hundreds of people with their questions on Eclectus Parrots. Everything ranging from Eclectus diets and behaviour to hormones and emergency care. Having bred Eclectus for over 11 years now, Kirsten has a unique perspective that  has proven invaluable to not only Parrot Haven clients, but for people  all over the world.

The internet is rife with “info” about Eclectus Parrots-and some of it is even true. Don’t always believe what you read. That is sound advice especially in the copy+paste internet age where bad advice can spread like a wildfire. Information repeated has the tendency to become fact when it shouldn’t. Accurate information is extremely important especially when the difference can mean life or death for your precious bird.

If you can’t get an impression of the person providing advice on their own website, chances are there is a reason for that. Be careful. People experienced in a breed of parrot are easily identifiable

Where to go for advice?
The responsibility for gleaning sound advice rests on your shoulders. Do your homework. Before taking anyone’s word for it-find out who they are. There are a lot of websites on Eclectus Parrots but sadly many of them plagiarise information in the attempt to sound like an authority when they are really nothing more than hobbyists who are ill-equipped to provide sound follow-up advice. There is nothing wrong with being a parrot lover and wanting to help, but often when people have to make someone else’s work look like their own, information becomes distorted. Suddenly advice on where to place your new Eckie’s cage goes from ‘a quiet area of the house’ (which is sound advice) to ‘a busy area of the house’ (which is not sound advice).

If you can’t get an impression of the person providing advice on their own website, chances are there is a reason for that. Be careful. People experienced in a breed of parrot are easily identifiable. Take a quick tour of any breeder’s website and get a feel for who they are. If you have trouble doing that then you should probably move on.

What makes good advice?
When Kirsten is approached by a parrot lover in need of help, she not only provides advice, but she explains the reasoning behind the advice. This is extremely beneficial for two reasons. First, it helps people understand the difference between the alternatives – why one method is better than the other. Secondly, it helps make advice memorable. People remember information that they understand.

When people have questions about why their Eclectus is behaving differently, Kirsten is able to explain the various phases of development that all Eclectus parrots have. She is able to do this because she has bred them for over 11 years and keeps companion Eclectus as well.

Help spread good information
For as efficient as the internet is for spreading misleading advice, it can be a wonderful tool for delivering good information too. Back when we setup our first website, our goal was just that – to help dispel so many of the myths about Eclectus parrots and educate people on the best ways to care for them. We have been elated to have helped several people reunite with their lost parrots through our blog. The Parrot Chatter forum that we setup two years ago has also been a fun way for us to keep in contact with our wonderful clients and other parrot lovers we’ve had the honour to meet.

We are working hard to help get the right information out there. The best way to help is to arm yourself with the right advice and repeat it. Information that is repeated has a habit of becoming fact and when it’s the right information then everyone wins – especially our Eckies!

Heavy metal poisoning in parrots

Posted on by Kirsten Badham

Heavy Metal Poisoning

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”