Should I get a Electus, B&G Macaw or TAG?

[huntress]

I have to CAG's and a house full of boisterous dogs if that says anything - Oh and a Cockatoo! I chose the TAG because they seem to be less sensitive than my CAGs but I want a B&G too so it was a hard choice. Lotta difference in the size and space needed for the B&G to consider - and the toys get WAYyyyy pricier and demolished much quicker,LOL!!

[Vankarhi]

Ok I have not read the other replies so I am just going to be honest with my own experience with Eclectus. I own a beautiful RS girl and she is going on 4 years of age now. She was the best pet ever and I have owned a few birds. Talking........she is the best and my info says they are rivaling the african greys for intelligence and talkablity. Skye can talk extemely well and in context at times too. She has a very clear and loud voice and actually sounds human at times.

The only trouble is once she matured at around 2 years of age she became a terrible hormonal terror. She actually turned from extremly sweet and trustworthy to attacking me on 2 occassions and biting 2 of my kids very badly (one on the neck leaving a very bad bruise and bite mark and this was on a 15 year old and the other was my then 3 or 4 year old boy who got his finger bitten very badly and it bled. Now she is going into an aviary and we are looking for a boyfriend for her. She still loves to be talked to and loves to watch what we are doing but no one is game to handle her anymore as she just bites without warning. All my other birds at least pin or fluff up or show some sign or something..........Skye just changes from sweet to horror in an instant.

I would recommend you get a male as I have heard they are more inclined to not have these hormonal problems..........but I do have a friend who has a male ekkie who is now about 16 months old and probably starting to become hormonal and she is now having some issues with him.......but she also has the added problem of her relationship breaking up and they are still trying to work it out .........so the bird is in the middle and he is feeling it. I am sure though he will come through fine in the end as long as she handles it well.

Good luck with your choice of bird and I hope it all works out well for you.

I also realise that not all ekkies turn out like this, but I was also very well aware this might happen. I did try everything to try to avoid this from happening but in the end sometimes "genetics" take over and it is in the nature for the female ekkies to be bossy as their society is a matriarchial one .......... the females are the boss. I have also read that the SI ekkies tend to be more "calmer" (for want of a better word) than the RS. Hope this has helped but I am sure many others will give their advise and experience too.

[Matt]

Thanks for your honesty. I do love the Ekkies but maybe they are not the right bird for me at this time. Maybe when I finish college I will have more time to prepare their special food and work with them. I won't rule them out yet. I am interested in talking to more owners that have males.

[Nazir's]

I have a male and have added my input previously. My male is the sweetest thing ever. I've often heard that the females can become little terrors during maturity.

[sunnyshine]

I also have a male and have not experienced any of the common problems I hear of with other species, and he was my first and only experience with parrots when I got him. He is very sweet and has never had any health or aggression issues. I don't consider him difficult to care for, I do everything pretty much the same with him as I do with my Sun Conure. As long as you have the time to commit to an Ekkie, it can be an extremely rewarding relationship.

[Nazir's]

Again, I just would like to add... Many of them are sensitive to pellets, artificial flavor and coloring. An Eclectus does require a special diet with much attention to be paid to it. I feel that every bird should be provided with the recommended Eclectus diet; however, many other species will get by without it. If considering an Eclectus, I would advise looking up; toe tapping, wing flapping, plucking, and diets. LandofVos.com is a very good place to research and learn more about the Eclectus. They really just need a diet that consist mostly of fresh greens, veggies, grains, beans, and fruits. I do provide all natural pellets to my Eclectus but they are not provided to supplement any meal, as he's provided with natural and fresh foods/meals daily. I provide the pellets more as a snack just in case he wants to nibble.

Being owned by a male Eclectus has been very rewarding to me, thus far.

[Matt]

Everytime I almost rule the Ekkies out, I hear something wonderful about them and makes me think I just need to consider them for quite awhile. If I could only have 3 birds at once! I really feel like I would like a Male SI Ekkie but I am so torn. I love the TAG's as well.

[Nazir's]

Just take your time and research a little more. Let the answers come to you a little. Visit some of them and eventually you'll find one that will pick you. At that point you'll know, that's the one for you.

Good luck!

[sunnyshine]

Plus, who wouldn't love this face???