female Eckies?

[debbielabella]

I've heard they are tougher, territorial because they are the nest protectors, bond to one person, more aggressive, is that always the case or is it a matter of training? The one I'm thinking of is very young.

Are they aggressive with other birds?

most of all.. are they cuddly when young like the males?

thanks guys for your help.

[swanwillow]

Hmmm, Quana my Ekkie and Lacey my U2 are out together constantly. Their cages are close enough together (now) that they can go from cage to cage, eat/play/drink do whatever in/on/around the cages as they please.

That said-they have a 100 gram weight difference. Lacey weighs that much more than Quana. And guess who keeps who on their toes? Its not Lacey! Quana lets Lacey do what she wants, but Lacey has to keep a 8" distance from Quana. They'll wander into the same cages at the same times-hang out on the top of the same cage at the same time, but if Lacey pushes that, Quana makes that Ekki 'grwwww' sound and lunges. Lacey hasn't hit that area for a long, long time. There hasn't been an actual hit of any sort though either.

Now.. I had a lory for a while. Long while. And with the Lory's outgoing, in your face attitude, Quana actually LET HER come up, groom eachother, etc. etc.

I think it'll be up to the individual bird, in all honesty.


Now with people-Quana's a rescue. I'm just now, after 3 years of owning her, allowed to touch her head. She's not snuggly at all. She's more of a 'I'll sit on your arm/shoulder, but thats... it.' Maybe if raised by me from weaning it would have been different. She also doesn't let men touch her willingly, and most women. Whenever people come over to visit, they say 'awww' and thats when I say 'careful!' cause she is cage aggressive to anyone other than me, she HAS laced everyone in my family wide open, and is a general grump.

[debbielabella]

I'm suprised she was OK with the Lory! I thought for sure a Lori and an Eckie would have big time issues! No matter how many examples I hear supporting their individuality, I keep trying to generalize. Someday I'll get it!

The people aggression is a little tougher! You've done a good job with her as a rescue, I should be able to socialize an Eckie girl well enough starting with a baby. Thanks for the info, sometimes I guess I worry too much!

The breeder lives very close by. She's willing to let me help handfeed daily and when I feel comfortable enough I can take her home. I've always wanted to learn how to handfeed and this is a unique opportunity to really bond that I don't want to pass up. I fed her for the first time today, she's only 6 weeks! Tomorrow I'll take pictures.

[loyallyroyal]

Im soo jealous!!!
All the breeders I talked to were willing to send the baby home but not show me how to feed it. Sounds like you found a good breeder!

[debbielabella]

she was very down to earth. She had a harlequin macaw that she rescued that couldn't be handled at all when she got it and he was very devoted to her. She's not a big breeder, I found her on Kijiji. Very straightforward, practical and knowledgeable.

It wasn't hard to handfeed her. The breeder went really slow, let me ask lots of questions and then had me do it. She was bobbing her head up and down and squawking at me to go faster. I can see why people get hooked. I am really lucky. The baby knew what to do, she's been out of the nestbox for 4 weeks.

[sodakat]

I personally LOVE the redheads and am getting rather tired of hearing that they are so much more difficult than the males. Eclectus are colony birds and therefore quite social, regardless if they are male or female. People talk about the females becoming territorial over their nest boxes, but they seldom mention that the male guards the entire area when the female is on eggs/feeding chicks, so they too have their moments.

My Rosie allows me to open her nest box, pick up her chicks, and cuddle them. She may beak my hand lightly or push it away, but is not hateful. Today I stood holding one of their 3 week old babies and she flew onto my shoulder, then climbed down my arm to take a good look at the baby. As I put it back into the nest box she hopped in with it, then reached her beak up for a rub. She and I have a great bond, but she also enjoys being held by other people. Not so much right now as her mission is mom of course.

In my never to be humble opinion, there are few birds as colorful and smart as a female eclectus. It sounds like this little gal has picked you. Keep in mind that she might not wean until she is more than five months old, so be sure you are up to a couple feedings a day long, long, long after she is eating big girl food.

Kathy

[swanwillow]

*ahems* I'll get off the soap box quickly.
Handfeeding, while being an enjoyable experience, isn't all its cracked up to be. When a bird fledges-they leave the nest. And usually the area. its ingrained into them by nature so that they have less of a chance of inbreeding in a direct line of the parents. Blah blah, there. Said it, done!

I LOVE my redhead too! I wouldn't trade her for the world.

[debbielabella]

Originally Posted by sodakat

My Rosie allows me to open her nest box, pick up her chicks, and cuddle them. She may beak my hand lightly or push it away, but is not hateful. Today I stood holding one of their 3 week old babies and she flew onto my shoulder, then climbed down my arm to take a good look at the baby. As I put it back into the nest box she hopped in with it, then reached her beak up for a rub. She and I have a great bond, but she also enjoys being held by other people. Not so much right now as her mission is mom of course.

Kathy, Rosie sounds very special. The breeder that has my baby, the parents are same way. She hand fed them since very young and she can touch the babies in the nest box.

Sadly, like amazons, the male hot 3, the female eckies may be a little more challenging, and the people most up to realizing their true potential are the ones that do the research and opt for the female zons or the male eckies, and the people who can't handle them, and don't know what their getting into, buy them, wonder what happened to them when they grow up and are unmanageable and they start the rehoming cycle. People also tend to speak up about terrible experiences with birds, post when they are at the end of their rope, people who have good experience are quieter. I'm an IT BA and I only hear about people's problems, you never hear everything is going great!

I think I'm really going to enjoy my girl and am looking forward to many years with her.

I think a female Eckie who already had problems would be over my head, but I'm starting from a baby, as long as I don't screw up she should be fine

[sodakat]

Originally Posted by swanwillow

When a bird fledges-they leave the nest. And usually the area. its ingrained into them by nature so that they have less of a chance of inbreeding in a direct line of the parents.

This is EXACTLY why I wonder why breeders allow buyers to finish off the hand-feeding process themselves.

[debbielabella]

I think that's a plus since I don't want her to overbond to me. A little independence is a good thing.