Eclectus comes from the word eclectic because of the colouration of the male & female The females are mostly red with a black beak & males mostly green with a candy corn beak. Until the mid 1960’s it was thought the male & female Eclectus Parrots were 2 different species parrots.
Eclectus require a great deal of room, therefore need the largest possible cage you can afford. Their wing span is very big so horizontal in size is also important. A macaw size cage is a preferable size for the Eclectus. A play stand can be optional but most Eclectus owners find it is a must have for them.
Eclectus are very energetic & like to keep themselves busy. They need daily exercise & plenty of toys. The Eclectus is not a needy bird however they do need a large variety of toys, games & things to do to relieve boredom. Among your Eclectus favourite toys you should also consider things like wood chew & preening toys to prevent them over preening, foraging toys, toddler interactive toys & a toy box as most thoroughly enjoy rummaging through one.
Eclectus are highly intelligent with a strong social nature. Because of this they require high physical & emotional security from their owner as well as a balanced diet, routines & daily play. A good supply of toys & social interactions will prevent boredom & behaviours. Emotional interaction will keep the Eclectus stimulated & play will keep them busy.
Diet for the Eclectus is important. Although they’re generally considered a hardy bird, they can develop health issues as well as behavioural issues due to an incorrect diet. An all pellet diet can have devastating long term effects on some Eclectus. If pellets are to be used they should only be Eclectus specific pellets & be 100% natural, organic. Eclectus Parrots require at least an 80% natural soft food diet, 20% everything else including seed & pellet. Sprouting covers a lot of vitamins your bird will require. A diet slightly higher than other parrot species in vitamin A & beta carotene is essential. These can be found carrots, pumpkin & seeds as well as many other veggies.
Bathing should be encouraged daily. Since the Eclectus usually likes to soak themselves thoroughly, it is recommended they’re bathed early in the morning so they have the day to dry themselves off properly. They do take a long time to dry & early bathes can prevent them getting cold.
The Eclectus noise level can vary. Some people say they're noisy while others say they're a quiet bird. Generally they are a quiet bird but there is no guarantee you will acquire a quiet one.They are a parrot so they do like to scream for fun. Their intelligence & talking ability rivals the African Grey. They can learn words & phrases fast & are able to put them into context. The Eclectus usually prefer to talk rather than scream & if they're confronted with a noisy household, are known to fly away from that noise & into a quieter area or room in the house.
The Eclectus often come across to people as a lethargic boring or aloof bird. They appear to behave like this when they’re nervous or frightened in unfamiliar surroundings. As they adjust they do come out of their shell & become more themselves. When this happens you will be pleasantly surprised by what they can do, what they’re willing to do.
People often presume their Eclectus is never frightened because they have never seen them
suddenly take off with fright. The Eclectus is not known for the "flight or Fight". Instead they do the “Eclectus freeze”. When frightened they become completely motionless.
Eclectus should have 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night. They’re not known to become
grumpy over lack of sleep. Although 10-12 hours of sleep is recommended, in the wild parrots don't sleep a solid 10-12 hours. Their sleep is very broken & they will make up for this by napping through parts of the day. It is no different for captive birds.
The Eclectus can easily be trained without using food as a reward.
Good behaviour should be immediately rewarded with positive praises or extra play time or cuddles. Persisting in doing this, the bird will learn quickly the reasons for the praise & respond well.
Water tap water can contain many chemicals in it which can cause health problems in parrots & burn. Some tap water can also be distasteful to parrots & they may refuse to drink causing dehydration. Rainwater, bottled or filtered water are recommended & the drinking water should be kept clean. Distilled water should not be used as normal drinking water. Distilled water has all the good minerals your Eclectus needs removed out.
Bowls stainless steel food & drink bowls are a better choice than plastic. Over time e-coli is able to embed itself into plastic, no matter how often you scrub your bowls. Nothing can remove e-coli once it’s embedded into plastic. E-coli cannot embed itself into stainless steel, though you still need to keep stainless steel bowl clean & fresh to keep e-coli away. If you use plastic bowls they should be scrubbed daily & replaced every few months.
Eclectus require wide food bowls because they like to beak through their food to pick something out. If your bowl isn't wide enough they will simply throw the pieces of food onto the floor to get them out of the way & they will go down to the floor later to find the food they have thrown out.
They need their water checked regularly as they enjoy dunking their food into it, causing the water to spoil quickly.
Beak & nail Care can be done by offering a variety of branches, different sizes & textures. If the natural branches are the correct size they will file down your birds nails. Non textured perches such as the dowels that come with cages should be removed. If your bird only ever uses these their feet will become sore & sensitive. Allowing your bird to have textured & different shaped branches will keep his feet healthy. Natural perches are also required for your bird to groom & file his beak.
Never use sand paper for the floor of a cage or sand paper rolls or perches. Ingesting in the sand & the glue used to make the sand stick can be very hazardous to your bird. Having your bird walk over sand perches can also cause painful feet & sores on their feet.
Exercise is a must for all Eclectus. A healthy Eclectus should be full of energy & on the move. They’re monkeys! So give them a gym & room to move, plenty of toys. An Eclectus that has not been offered these things at a young age will most likely become a perch potato & not know what to do with them. Introducing them to all these things at an early age makes a difference.
