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Your Eclectus parrot may be able to talk, but he most likely won’t be able to indicate whether or not he feels well. Therefore, you need to know the signs of a healthy bird, so that you can recognize the signs of a bird that isn’t feeling well.

A healthy Eclectus parrot is active, sociable, and alert. If your Eclectus parrot does not appear to be able to focus, or his eyes appear half closed, he probably isn’t feeling well. If he becomes aggressive to touch, he may be in pain. If he seems listless, this also indicates a problem, and you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

A healthy Eclectus parrot has a dry nose and big bright eyes. If your parrot develops a moist or runny nose, he probably needs the care of a veterinarian. His eyes should be big and bright, but not watery or runny.

A healthy Eclectus parrot eats and drinks well. Pay attention to your Eclectus parrot. He should have a very healthy appetite. It is wise to remember that an Eclectus parrot is prone to becoming overweight, simply because he enjoys eating. Therefore, if he isn’t eating, there is a problem.

A healthy Eclectus parrot has a clean and dry vent. The vent is located under the tail feathers. This area should be both clean and dry, and if it isn’t, this may be an indication of diarrhea, or another serious problem, and you need to consult a veterinarian.

A healthy Eclectus parrot grooms himself, and has smooth feathers. Overall, your parrot should have a smooth appearance. Grooming is very important to these birds, and if your Eclectus parrot appears to be disheveled, this is an indication of a problem. You may also notice that he is feather plucking, meaning that he is pulling his own feathers out. Even if the parrot is grooming himself, his feathers may not have a healthy look to them, and again, you should consult with a veterinarian.

A healthy Eclectus parrot has legs, feet, and a beak that are in good physical shape. You should check daily for dry and cracked feet, legs, and beaks. Also, make sure that you clip your bird’s nails regularly, as this makes life much easier for him and for you.

You should note that most health problems that an Eclectus parrot develops stems from a diet that isn’t sufficient. Often, a change in the diet to include all of the nutrients and minerals that the bird needs is all that is needed to correct the health problem.

This does not mean, however, that you shouldn’t take your Eclectus parrot to the veterinarian, for a proper diagnosis. If you fail to do this, you could be cutting the life of your beloved feathered friend short. Again, know what the signs of a healthy bird are, so that you can easily and quickly notice if there is a potential health problem.

If you are planning to adopt an Eclectus parrot, you need to have an avian veterinarian lined up before you do so. An avian veterinarian is a veterinarian trained and experienced at caring for birds. Some avian vets specialize in certain birds, and others will care for all breeds.

Unfortunately, a veterinarian can refer to himself as an avian veterinarian, but that doesn’t mean that he is a certified avian veterinarian. Certification can only be obtained through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Just four years ago, in 2004, there were only 102 certified avian veterinarians around the world. Certification requires six years of a large amount of avian practice, as well as a series of examinations.

This doesn’t mean that a non-certified veterinarian cannot care for your Eclectus parrot. You should, however, seek out a veterinarian who is in the process of becoming certified, if at all possible. Since there are so few veterinarians worldwide who have accomplished certification, instead, you should seek out a veterinarian who is a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians. This organization has more than 3000 members worldwide, and these are veterinarians who are working towards certification. You can contact the AAV to get a listing of the members in your area. You can also ask your breeder for recommendations.

Once you have a list of veterinarians to choose from, you should set up a consultation appointment with each one. Most will charge you their regular office visit rate for this visit, but finding the right veterinarian makes the cost well worth the expense. You should ask these veterinarians the following questions:

How much experience do you have with Eclectus parrots?
How much avian experience do you have overall?
Do you have any birds as pets yourself?
How much do your services cost?
What are your regular hours? Do you have after hour emergency care?
How often do you recommend that I bring my bird in for a check up?
Are you a member of the AAV? Where did you receive your training?
Do you make house calls?

With the answers to these questions from each veterinarian that you contact, you should easily be able to make a choice. Write the questions down for each veterinarian, and write down his or her answers so that you can compare them later.

Just because one veterinarian stood out among the others in the initial consultation, you need to pay close attention during the first visit your Eclectus parrot has with the chosen vet. Do you approve of the way that he handles the bird? Does he show genuine interest and concern? Is he rushed? Are the atmosphere and/or the veterinarian causing the bird stress? The chances are that if you liked the veterinarian during the initial consultation, he will do fine with your new bird just make sure that you have a veterinarian lined up for your birds care.

Just as you must know the signs of a healthy Eclectus parrot, you must also know what to look for that may signify illness. You also need to know when a situation warrants care from a trained veterinarian. Here are some common signs of illness in Eclectus parrots.

Diarrhea

If your Eclectus parrot is suffering from diarrhea, there could be numerous causes. The first thing to do is to stop all fruits. The second thing to do is to ensure that your bird is getting enough water, so that he doesn’t become dehydrated. Next, figure out the cause. It could be as simple as a recent change in his diet, or as serious as a parasite problem. You should consult your veterinarian.

Feather Plucking

Feather plucking means that the bird is literally plucking his own feathers out of his body. This is most often caused by boredom, but could also be caused by a problem with his diet, or an actual illness. This is often remedied by paying more attention to the bird, providing him with new toys, giving him more room to move around, and things of this nature. If the behavior doesn’t stop, consult a veterinarian.

Polyoma Virus

The Polyoma Virus is deadly for Eclectus parrots. It is wise to have your bird vaccinated as early as possible against this fatal disease. Signs of Polyoma Virus include loss of appetite, weight loss, and lethargy; however one of the worst signs is sudden death. This means that your bird could die from this dreadful disease before he shows any other symptoms.

Psittacine Beak and Feather

This can be a serious disease if it is not treated as soon as possible. Symptoms of PBF include strange feather colors, loss of feathers, and deformities of the beak. See your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Other serious signs of illness

Indications of parrot sickness include sitting on the floor of the aviary, plucked feathers, soiled feathers, feathers in disarray, swollen beak, coughing, wheezing, runny stools, discolored stool, hobbling on one foot, discharge from the eyes, runny nose, red eyes, swollen eyes, and lack of appetite.

When in doubt, go to the veterinarian.

Don’t take chances with your precious Eclectus parrots life. Some illness can literally take your birds life in the amount of time it takes you to decide to make an appointment with your veterinarian. When things don’t look right, immediately make that appointment. Let the veterinarian know what is going on, so he can determine whether the bird should be brought right into the office or if it can wait.

Health Issue
Symptoms or Causes
Suggested Action

If you love your new Eclectus parrot, you will definitely want to clip his wings. Ideally, his wings will be clipped by the breeder, before he goes home with you, but only after he has been flying daily for at least a month. Without learning how to fly well, his development will be hindered.

With that said, make sure that the breeder clips his wings before he goes home with you. If possible, ask to be present when this is done, so you can see it done. Don’t assume, however, that this is something that you will do yourself the first several times it needs it. Instead, make sure you are present when it is done each time, and that the person doing it is instructing you as to how it should be done.

Finally, before you take on the task of wing clipping solo, do it with someone who is experienced with wing clipping standing next to you, just to be sure that you do now in fact know what you are doing, and you aren’t going to make any mistakes. Note that if your bird’s wings are not clipped, he will be able to get to those hard for you to reach places in your home, and you also have the potential for losing your bird, in the event that he manages to get outside.

An Eclectus parrot needs his wings clipped about once every six months. New feathers will continue to grow, and those feathers will reach the point where he is able to fly high again. It is vital that you never clip just one wing. This puts the bird off balance. It is also vital that you not cut the wings too short, or in the wrong shape, as this also affects his balance. When a bird is unbalanced, this typically ends with injury to the bird, when he tries to fly.

In terms of flight feathers, your Eclectus parrot has a primary set of flight feathers and a secondary set of flight feathers. Regardless of trimming, your bird will be able to fly he just won’t be able to go very high or very far before he needs to land. If those primary feathers are cut too short, he won’t be able to control his landing, and he will hit the floor hard. Therefore, those primaries must be cut short enough to keep him from going to high, but not so short that he can’t control his landing. At the same time, you don’t want to leave too much feather either. Again, this enables him to fly higher, for longer distances.

You may think that you don’t need to clip your Eclectus parrots wings, because he will never be in danger of getting out of the house. What you may not realize, however, is that there are many dangers inside your home for an unclipped bird. He can fly into ceiling fans, open toilets, uncovered pots, windows, and mirrors.

A regular pet groomer generally is not qualified to clip wings. If you can’t do it yourself, ask your breeder to recommend someone. If nothing else, ask the breeder if you can pay them to do it for you when it needs to be done. If you do learn how to clip your Eclectus parrots wings yourself, make sure that you have the proper tools for the job. You need sharp scissors with blunt ends, and these scissors should never be used for any other task.

About every six months, you will need to clip your Eclectus parrots nails. This is important for your health and his, and for the health of your furnishings. Those nails can get very sharp and very dangerous.

This really is something that you can do yourself. Just make sure that you are prepared with the right tools. You need Kwik Stop, in case the nail bleeds. You also need a good thick towel, and a good pair of cat nail clippers. Do not attempt to clip your bird’s nails without having Kwik Stop, or some other styptic powder. Even just cutting into the quick of the nail, and causing that nail to bleed, can easily and quickly lead to your Eclectus parrot bleeding to death.

You will be nervous the first few time that you do this, and your Eclectus parrot will pick up on that. You are about to find a good use for that thick towel. You need to wrap the bird in the towel in a way that leave his head exposed, but his wings held against his body. Also make sure that there is enough material to prevent him from biting your hand as you clip his nails.

It is important that you understand that just as you don’t feel pain when your nails are clipped, this task doesn’t hurt your Eclectus parrot either unless you cut too far, and hit the quick. If you’ve ever cut your nail too short, you know how painful this can be. You want to make sure that the bird cannot move as you clip. Understand that he is nervous and that he doesn’t like this but know that you aren’t hurting him. This should help you relax a bit.

The only part of the nail that you need to clip is the sharp point on the end. Again, you don’t want to cause your bird pain by cutting down into the quick, and this is easily avoided by just cutting off the sharp tip of the nail.

While you are clipping your Eclectus parrots nails, make sure that you are talking calmly to him. He knows the sound of your voice well, and this will comfort and calm him, making your job easier.

Make sure that you work as fast as you can, while being safe. Don’t get in such a hurry that you hurt the bird. If you are a bit slow in the beginning, don’t worry. As time moves on, and you become more experienced at nail clipping, you will be able to do it very quickly, causing the Eclectus parrot less stress and anxiety. Get those nails clipped, and let him go.

Once you are finished clipping your Eclectus parrots nails, you can expect him to pout a bit. He may not want much to do with you for a while. Give him time to sooth his ruffled feathers and it won’t be long before he is perched on your shoulder once again with nicely trimmed nails.