Adopting an Eclectus parrot is a huge commitment, for various reasons. You may think that you want one of these fantastic birds already, but have you seriously thought things through? Read the following information to determine whether you are truly ready for this huge commitment or not.

The first thing that one must consider is the life span of the Eclectus parrot. These gorgeous birds live to be between the ages of thirty and fifty years old. That is a very long time, and you must be prepared to care for your bird for that length of time. If you are already older, you must have someone lined up to take over the care of the bird once you’ve passed away. This is vitally important. You don’t want your Eclectus parrot abandoned should you die before he does. Like marriage, this could be a lifelong commitment on your part.

You must also consider your own living situation. Will you possibly be moving during your bird’s life? If so, will your bird be able to go with you to a new rental home or apartment? Are you prepared to pay pet deposits? How much space do you have available for a bird in your home? Eclectus parrots do require a great deal of space. They need room for their cage, but they also need a little room to fly around inside of the home.

Furthermore, is the space that you have suitable? Are you able to keep the windows in the home closed, in order to prevent your Eclectus parrot from flying away or from keeping his natural predators (such as cats) from entering the home?

Consider the amount of time that you have available as well. Eclectus parrots require time outside of their cage daily. This is not only essential for proper exercise, but also for their overall well-being, as well as socialization. These are very social birds, and they do require time and attention from you. Since the bird will be out of his cage each day, are you prepared to potty train him, so that he doesn’t ruin an entire house full of furniture and carpet?

Also note that Eclectus parrots are seldom loyal to just one family member. Instead, they truly become a part of the family, and show interest in all members of the household and they expect care and attention from all members as well. Is your entire family on-board with adopting and caring for an Eclectus parrot?

Finally, consider the natural behavior of the Eclectus parrot. While the Eclectus is the quietest species, this doesn’t mean that he is dead silent. Furthermore, he will learn to talk, and he will want to talk often. Are you ready for the constant natural sounds that he will make? What about your other family members and neighbors who live close by?

Naturally, you must also consider the lifelong expense of these birds. He will need toys, food, a cage, and veterinarian care. The expenses can really add up fast especially if he gets sick. Can you afford these expenses?

If you have considered all of these factors, and you still feel like you are ready to adopt an Eclectus parrot, you are ready to start searching for a breeder and ultimately, the perfect Eclectus parrot for you.

Once you’ve made the decision to adopt an Eclectus parrot, you need to find a breeder (or parrot rescue shelter where the personalities of all the iparrots are well known). You could purchase your Eclectus parrot at a pet store, but this is generally not advised. The healthiest and happiest birds come from private, experienced breeders. Here is a list of questions you should ask breeders.

Do you breed your pairs year-round? If a breeder breeds their females back to back, this doesn’t produce the healthiest of chicks. Consider another breeder, as this one has little regard for the health of these beautiful birds.

How many years have you been breeding Eclectus parrots? Obviously, the more experience the breeder has, the better off you and the baby are.

Do you breed more than one species? The best breeders typically only breed one species, although there are a few good breeders that breed subspecies of Eclectus parrots as well. This gives you more choices when you select your chick.

Do you wean your chicks before you send them home with their new owners? This is an important question, and most good breeders will not allow babies to leave them until they are fully weaned.

Are your chicks hand fed? The chicks that are hand fed, or hand reared, make the best pets, because they are highly socialized.

Do you only sell the chicks that were bred and hatched at your aviary, or do you broker babies? You don’t generally want to work with someone who brokers these birds. You want your chick to come from the place where it was born and bred. This is referred to as a closed aviary.

Are your chicks hatched in an incubator, or in the nest? Typically, the best chicks are hatched in the nest, with their mother. Bonding is very important.

How long do your chicks remain with their parents after they have hatched? Ideally, they will spend ten days to two weeks with their parents before they are taken away for hand feeding. If you can find a breeder that leaves the chicks with their parents for three weeks, this is even better.

Will I be able to see the parent birds when I select my chick? Seeing the parents is always a good idea. If the breeder breeds and hatches their chicks at the same location, and they aren’t brokers, this shouldn’t be a problem.

How much time is spent with your chicks each day? You want a chick that has spent a great deal of time with humans each day. This will give you a more social chick.

You may have additional questions that you want to ask as well. Make a list of questions, and ask them on the phone, and follow up with a visit in person to inspect the aviary. Choosing the right breeder is the first step to adopting the right Eclectus parrot.

If you ask Eclectus parrot owners if their birds are more special than other species, almost all of them will tell you that the Eclectus parrot is the most special bird in the world. In fact, this is the most popular choice of aviary pet in the entire world, and it isn’t any wonder.

First, these are incredibly beautiful birds, but this is not necessarily what sets them apart. They are, however, the most vibrantly colored of all parrots. But these birds are also highly social. They really like humans, and become true companions, while most other species never actually ‘warm up’ to human contact. Eclectus parrots, however, are really tuned into our moods and feelings, once they know and trust us. They actually develop a bond with their humans.

The Eclectus parrot has amazing talking abilities. In fact, it is believed that they have the clearest speech patterns, and that they are capable of learning the most varied vocabulary of all other talking birds. These birds say words, phrases, sing, and even make sound effects. These birds have been known to imitate running water, microwaves, doorbells, telephones, sneezing sounds, and even to sing opera. They can even laugh. This unique talking ability of the Eclectus parrot seems to give them more personality than other species. Furthermore, the males have masculine voices, and the females have feminine voices.

Eclectus parrots are also highly intelligent. They can easily be trained to follow commands, and they can even be potty trained, so to speak. The limitations as to what they can be trained to do or say is dependant on what their owners teach them, and how often they work with them.

The Eclectus parrot is considered to be one of the neatest parrots, and in spite of his talking abilities, one of the least noisy birds. These birds don’t toss their food about like others do. There won’t be a lot of squawking and screaming with an Eclectus parrot, unless he isn’t handled enough and he develops behavioral problems.

The Eclectus parrots don’t produce feather dust, which is a welcome relief to bird lovers who have allergies. These birds have an oil gland, instead of a dust gland, and you might consider them to be hypoallergenic birds. Eclectus parrots are really very interested in their humans, and will watch their movements closely. They want to know what you are doing.

If you asked an Eclectus owner what they loved the most about their bird, they would probably ask you what there was to not love. The fact is that this is the most loveable, docile bird that one can have. They become the most loyal of pets, and before long, you could consider your Eclectus parrot to be your best friend in the whole world.

Among the parrot species, there is a specific breed known as the Eclectus parrot. The Eclectus parrot is one of the most popular breeds of captive birds, for numerous reasons. First, they are the quietest of birds, but ironically, the best talkers.

The Eclectus parrots are beautifully colored, and they have glossy plumage that resembles silk. When compared to other breeds of parrots, the Eclectus parrot has a very stocky appearance, and he stands about fifteen inches tall. The tail is short and squared, while the wings are long and rounded.

Sexing Eclectus parrots is quite easy. First, if they can already talk, the males have masculine voices, and the females have feminine voices. You can also sex them by their colors. The male is usually green on the top, with wings of a different shade of green. He generally has red patches on his breast, and under his wings. His tail feathers are typically black with yellowish tips.

The female Eclectus parrot, on the other hand, has a red head, and red breast, and the back and wing feathers are usually a darker shade of red. Her belly ranges in colors, from blue to purple, and her tail is tipped with a definite orange color.

Eclectus parrots not only have the most pleasant sounding voices, but they are also very strong fliers, and do well on long flights. This is why many Eclectus parrot owners have their wings clipped after the bird learns to fly. These gorgeous creatures are usually very quiet and serene, but they do have two calls. They may screech three times when they are in flight. They also have what has been described as a flute like mewl when feeding as well. But other than this, you won’t be bothered with constant squawking and screeching from the Eclectus parrot.

In spite of their beauty and gentility, in Papua New Guinea, the Eclectus parrot is usually thought of as a pest, because there are large numbers of them, and they eat the fruit off of trees. For this reason, they are sadly often killed in this area, and their feathers are worn by native tribesmen. In other areas of the world, however, these beautiful birds are considered to be beloved pets, because they are highly social birds.

The Eclectus parrots can be found in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Australia, and in the Lesser Sundas. Today, this remarkable bird has spread into approximately ten different subspecies. In these subspecies, the females still look like the original Eclectus parrots, but the males have more varied colors and marketing. The differences between the subspecies are indicated by their size and colors. The different subspecies include the E.R Aruensis, E.R Biaki, E.R Polychloros, E.R Solomonensis, E.R Vosmaeri, and E.R Roratus.

Eclectus birds are very unique, and highly desired. If you’ve had such a bird for sometime, you might consider breeding. But before you jump right into the breeding game, there are numerous things that you must know.

First and foremost, breeding is very serious business. It is important that you are breeding these Eclectus parrots because you are passionate about them. Breeding just for the money, or unplanned breeding, is never a good thing. Most breeders have been Eclectus owners for numerous years, and typically have several birds.

Ideally, over time, a female and male will actually show an interest in each other. When this happens, you have a pair. Note that if there is no real interest in each other, they won’t mate. They will simply ignore each other, or at best tolerate each others existence. Once you are sure that you want to breed your pair, you must provide them with a nesting box. These boxes are available in pet stores, or from online sources. These boxes should hang inside the aviary or cage.

For the best results, the pair should be given privacy. Noise and movement around them may distract them from the business of mating. Give them as much privacy as possible, including privacy from other birds in the aviary. Otherwise, you will likely have unfertilized eggs.

When the hen lays the eggs in the nest, she will essentially kick the male out of the nesting box, and not allow him back in until the eggs have hatched. She will spend the next 28 days sitting on her eggs, but she may not actually start sitting until the day after the eggs have been laid.

Note that nothing is needed from you during this time, other than the proper environment for mating and egg sitting. It is important that the room stay as calm and quiet as possible. You don’t want your hen to be startled and trample the eggs. The real work doesn’t begin for you until after the chicks have hatched. Even then, their mother will tend to them for the first ten days to three weeks.

The longer you leave the chicks with their mother up to three weeks the healthier and happier they will be. However, it is important that you know your pair well. First, the male won’t be able to feed the female fast enough for her to feed her babies. It’s a fulltime job. The male will supply the female with as much food as he can, but he will not feed the babies. The female may not know how to feed her babies if she was never fed by her own mother. Make sure the chicks are getting food, and if not, start hand feeding them right away.

By the time they are three weeks old, however, you must remove them from the nest, and separate them from their mother. At this point, they will be hand fed. This gives them the human socialization that they require, and makes them highly desirable creatures. It is important that you handle them as much as possible each day, without hurting them.

The Eclectus parrot is one of the most popular types of birds to have. Because these beautiful birds live for such a long time, the decision to adopt one is often well thought out, with the understanding that this is essentially a life long commitment. However, there is one thing that few people stop to consider children. Is an Eclectus parrot living in the same house with children a good idea?

There will always be people who are on the opposite side of the fence from others, and this topic is no exception. With that said, however, there are some things that you should consider if you have children for the overall safety of your children, and the Eclectus parrot that you plan to adopt.

For example, Eclectus parrots don’t fare well in noisy, unpredictable environments, and young children naturally create noisy, unpredictable environments. In this case, the children are just being children and the bird is just being a bird. It’s nobody’s fault, but neither the child nor the parrot will understand this.

Furthermore, little hands are not always gentle, and this could not only startle the Eclectus parrot, it could also injure him. All of this combined could cause the parrot to feel threatened every time the child enters the same room that he is in, and he may exhibit aggressive behavior towards the child, which of course opens up the potential for injury to the child.

For these reasons, if you have young children, or you still plan to have children at some point, you might want to put off getting an Eclectus parrot until the child is about ten or eleven years old. At this age, they are better able to understand the preferences of the Eclectus parrot, and better able to accommodate him. What you must realize is that a child can be reasoned with, once they reach a certain age, but the bird is still an animal, no matter how affectionate he is. You will never be able to explain the situation to the bird.

Otherwise, children should be an important part of the Eclectus parrots life. They should be taught how to care for the bird, and how to handle him appropriately. It is important that they realize how important it is to talk to the parrot, and also that they understand how much loud, unexpected noises disturb this special bird.

If the child is more tolerant of the Eclectus parrot and considerate of his needs, you will be amazed at how tolerant the bird is of the child as well. The two will get along famously, and because these creatures live so long, there is a chance that the child will eventually become the responsible adult in this birds life.

When you look at an Eclectus parrot, you won’t have to wonder whether you are looking at a male or female. You see, Eclectus parrots are sexually dimorphic, meaning that you can tell the difference between the sexes by their coloring. Among the Eclectus parrot, the females tend to be the most colorful, although the males have the most varied markings, which change by subspecies.

The female Eclectus parrot has a red head and breast. Her wings feathers are also red, but are usually a darker shade. The nape of her neck, and her belly, may be purple or blue in color, and her tail is almost always edged with a brilliant orange color. Female Eclectus parrots have black beaks, and their eyes are usually yellow, with a blue ring.

The male Eclectus parrots main color is green. He will have a varying shade of green on his wing coverts, with red patches on his breast. He will also have red coloring under his wings. The male’s tail feathers are usually black with yellow edges. The male beak is not black like the females. Instead, it is a yellow color, with a varying shade of yellow on the tip. His lower mandible is black, and he has orange eyes.

In spite of having similar base coloring, from one Eclectus parrot to another, each bird has a unique look. If you own more than one bird, you will easily be able to tell them apart from each other.

As mentioned, different subspecies have slightly different coloring. For example, the smaller subspecies of male Eclectus parrots have more red than the larger subspecies. The males may also have different markings, from one subspecies to another, but all male beaks resemble the colors found in candied corn.

As observed, if you know the different colorings of these beautiful birds, you won’t have any trouble distinguishing between the sexes. While the females are more colorful, some people prefer the green coloring of the male, over the red coloring of the females.

Before you decide that you like the female coloring better than the males, however, you will be wise to consider common personality traits between the two sexes. Overall, females are dominant over males, and this also means that they have the potential to be more aggressive than the males. While all Eclectus parrots are fairly calm and serene, if you are seeking the calmest possible bird, you will most likely want to go with a male, instead of the more aggressive female. Then again, you may want one of each, just for the color variances.

Eclectus parrots are remarkable birds. In fact, these are the most popular captive birds in existence. As a new owner of an Eclectus parrot, you probably have lots of questions. Luckily, because these birds are so popular, you won’t have any trouble finding other owners.

For most pets, you would contact a national or local organization to connect with other owners. However, there has only been one such organization formed for Eclectus parrots, and this organization actually serves Eclectus parrot breeders. It is called the Eclectus Parrot Group, and it was formed in 2000. Just because the group was established for breeders, this doesn’t mean that you can’t obtain loads of information from the group site, located at http://www.eclectusgroup.org/, or that you can’t connect with breeders, who are also essentially owners.

For that matter, you can talk to the breeder that you’ve worked with to obtain your Eclectus parrot as well. They will be an invaluable source of information, and of course they can put you in touch with other people who have purchased birds through them.
Online forums have also proven to be an invaluable resource for Eclectus parrot owners. Your first visit should be to the Parrot Forum, at http://www.parrotforums.com. Here, the forum is divided by species, making it very easy to connect specifically with Eclectus parrot owners. Overall, the Parrot Forums has over 1800 members.

Your next stop should be the Eclectus Parrots Forum, at http://eclectusparrots.proboards79.com/. This forum isn’t as big as the last, in terms of members, but it is a friendly board, with a close knit group. You can learn a great deal here, and make new friends who share your interest along the way.

The Bird Board is also a good choice, at http://www.birdboard.com/forum/eclectus/. This forum is much like Parrot Forums, where the board is divided into different species, and there is a specific forum for Eclectus parrot owners. This is probably one of the most active boards, and it seems that there is always someone online reading the posts and making new ones.

You might want to consider starting a private Eclectus parrot club in your area as well, if there isn’t one. Talk to your breeder to find out if there are enough owners in the area to make this worth the effort. Start contacting owners, and get other owners to help you organize the club. Club expenses can easily be covered by membership contributions or dues.

By connecting with other eclectic parrot owners, you will learn a great deal about your own bird. You can quickly and easily get answers to your important questions without calling the veterinarian in the middle of the night. Of course, the added value of lifelong friendships with people who share your passion for beautiful Eclectus parrots is just another reason to start getting in touch.

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Uchegbu_Ikenna]Uchegbu Ikenna

Many of people desire to adopt parrot because of its uniqueness. They are very brilliant and entertaining. What surprises people most are how these birds can talk? Because of these unique qualities they have, it attracts a lot of attention from people. Parrot adoption today is enormous. One can adopt parrot whether he/she is rich or poor.

Many people choose parrot adoption simply because they need companion while other wants to take care of it and be entertained while doing so. there are many organizations that will give you information’s on Parrot adoption .These organizations will tell you the advantages and disadvantages in adopting parrots just as it is in the case of child adoption.

One of the disadvantages will be the cost of taking care of a parrot. This is why the organization do not play with their job to make sure that the processes of parrot adoption is completed before the adopter will take it home. However, after checking on the person that is seeking to adopt and the home in which the parrot will live the organization will know how ready they are in taking care of the parrot, before the parrot will be handed over to them. Before one can decide on adopting a parrot, he has to research well to know how easy or difficult the process can be.

Anybody that has made up his mind to adopt parrot must prove beyond reasonable doubt to be qualify for it. At times the prospective parrot adopters are required to under go some serious training before they could adopt. Most of these training are very important to help the adopters know how to take care of them and the best food that suits parrot most.

It important to note that the parrot adoption organization can only approve the parrot adoption if they know that the people asking after the parrot can truly take care of it. If they find out that you are not suitable for adopting their parrot, they will more likely make it a formal contract that will have to be signed in other to ensure the protection of their parrot.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Uchegbu_Ikenna http://EzineArticles.com/?Parrot-Adoption&id=1019208

Just as the Eclectus parrot is a breed of parrots as a whole, there are numerous different breeds of the Eclectus parrot, known as subspecies. These subspecies are identified by their colors, marking, and their size. There are currently ten different subspecies of the Eclectus parrot.

These subspecies include the Eclectus Roratus Roratus, the Eclectus Roratus Vasmaeri, the Eclectus Roratus Westermani, the Eclectus Roratus Cornelia, the Eclectus Roratus Riedeli, the Eclectus Roratus polychloros, the Eclectus Roratus Biak, the Eclectus Roratus Aruensis, the Eclectus Roratus Macgillivrayi, and the Eclectus Roratus Solomonensis.

Each of these subspecies come from different geographic locations. For example, the Eclectus Roratus Roratus, known as the Grand Eclectus, comes from Southern Moluccas. The Eclectus Roratus Vosmaeri comes from both northern and central Moluccas. The Eclectus Roratus Westermani comes from breeders, and is basically a sample specimen. You can think of him as a mixed breed.

When the subspecies are written or spoken, instead of spelling or saying Eclectic Roratus, the general reference is just E.R. Therefore, the E.R. Cornelia comes from Sumba and Lesser Sumba Islands. The E.R Riedeli comes from Tanimbar Island. The E.R Polychloros, known as the Red-Sided Eclectus, comes from New Guinea and Indonesia. The E.R Biak got his name because he came from the Biak Islands. The E.R. Aruensis comes from the Aru Islands. The E.R. Macgillivrayi comes from the Cape York Peninsula in Australia, and the E.R. Solomonensis comes from Admiralty Island, Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands.

Again, the coloring plays a big role, not only in the different subspecies, but also in telling the difference between males and females. Experts agree that the Eclectus parrot species, as a whole, is the most color dimorphic bird in the entire world. As base colors, all female Eclectus parrots are a bright red, while the males are green. It is the difference in the color patterns, and color variations in the wings that set the subspecies apart. Size also comes into play, although none of the subspecies will be bigger than fifteen inches, or smaller than twelve inches. Other than these differences, everything else is generally the same.

When you start searching for a breeder, be sure to ask which subspecies of Eclectus parrots they breed. If they can’t give you an answer, move on to a different breeder. Also, as soon as you know what subspecies they have, read up on that particular subspecies to learn more about them. Generally, only breeders refer to their Eclectus parrots by their various subspecies. Those who simply love these birds, but do not breed them, refer to them simply as Eclectus, Eclectus parrots, or parrots.