June Anderson writes: I have a 17 week old Eclectus female who has always been a real lover until recently. I also have a 15 year old son that our Eclectus, Kiki has always liked.But now, when my son puts his hand in Kiki’s cage, she lunges at him and tries to bite him She … Read more
Below is a listing of various safe plants that will rid your home or office of not only carbon dioxide but also 1 or more of 3 other toxins. Benzene: found in gasoline, inks, oils, paints, plastics, rubber, dyes, detergents and pharmaceuticals.Plants that will rid this toxin are: African daisy bamboo plant corn plant chrysanthemum … Read more
“I never heard of Eclectus.” was my response when the parrot breeder suggested the species. I was looking for a small to medium sized bird who was fun, friendly, pretty, and adaptable. We spend three months of the year on the road in a motor home and over the years have reduced our doggy population … Read more
The area in which I live is not “heavily” into aviculture. In fact, some breeds of parrots that are common elsewhere are difficult to find, and I don’t know of any large commercial aviaries in the vicinity. Yet, in the past 5 years I know of 8 breeders that have been stricken by disease in … Read more
Each of us should try to make it as difficult and time consuming as possible for someone who is unfamiliar with our aviary to accomplish his dirty deed. Many times the professional methods are not necessarily the best. Use of cheap but effective equipment and even sometimes misuse of an item’s intended use can be … Read more
In early May, Gizzy developed the toe-tapping and clutching syndrome that is so often seen in Eclectus parrots. This was the second time he had shown these symptoms; a year ago he had developed them too. He also began scratching with his beak the back of his feet, to the point of excoriating them, leaving … Read more
If people enjoy playing with their pet birds, they should potty train their pet bird. It is more fun for everyone. The pet bird gets to spend more time in one on one interaction, and their owners gets to spend less time doing laundry. I have been keeping pet birds for nearly 30 years, and … Read more
Two years ago, I sold Stitches to a very caring gentleman who can no longer care for him. Stitches has been barbering his tail feathers, and his owner does not feel he has the time or ability to treat him as I had suggested. So I brought Stitches home to care for him. Stitches is … Read more
Several recent inquiries have alerted me to the fact that many Eclectus owners are unaware of signs of sickness in their birds. Most knew that birds’ instincts make them experts at hiding signs of sickness and that it may be difficult to detect symptoms. In the wild, if a bird shows signs of sickness, that … Read more
Being able to do your own cultures and or gram stains can be essential tools to help you determine if and what problems might be brewing in your aviary. This is especially important in the avian nursery. A sick baby needs help immediately, and being able to quickly and inexpensively do cultures for the major … Read more