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The males of the
species are bright green, having bright candy-corn-coloured upper
mandibles and black lower mandibles, and blue or red tail and wing
feathers; while the females have red heads and blue to purple breasts,
with black beaks. There
are many subspecies, 4 of which are commonly available in the U.S. To
see a set of photos of the various subspecies, go to www.eclectusparrot.com.
Eclectus
parrots are one of the more popular birds kept in captivity, as either
parent or hand reared. Unlike many other species of parrot they are
relatively easy to breed yet difficult to hand feed. A properly handled and
well-socialized Eclectus will remain a companion for the whole
family to enjoy its entire life, unlike other
species of parrots that imprint on a
hand-feeder and do not transfer well later to another caretaker. An
Eclectus is totally different from other types of parrots in this
respect. The frustration of hand rearing an eclectus parrot should be
avoided by allowing the professional breeder to hand-feed the bird
until it is between the ages of 5-8 months when it is fully weaned
(depending on the subspecie). There is much less risk that you will
lose a baby that you try to hand-feed yourself nor will you
have problems with socialization if you receive an Eclectus that
receives excellent care from a reputable breeder.
For Eclectus in captivity, it is also advisable to provide vegetables
high in beta-carotene, such as lightly cooked sweet potato, fresh broccoli clumps,
and fresh corn on the cob. Fresh greens such as endive or commercial
dandelion are a very important in providing calcium and
other nutrients. Eclectus are hardy birds that have no species-specific
health problems. They thrive on exercise, natural foods, and pure
water. They need a wide variety of nutritious foods rather than vitamin
and mineral supplements.
Eclectus parrots are
generally classified among the top three parrots for talking ability.
Rivaling the African Grey and the talking Amazon parrots in clarity of
speech and scope of vocabulary, they not only repeat many words and phrases but some
learn entire songs.
The Eclectus Parrots
unusual quiet and calm demeanor is different from other parrots as
well. What would put other parrots into a tail spin of action to escape
does not even bring the Eclectus Parrot to its feet. The Eclectus
Parrot does best in a home that is organized and calm. However, they
can withstand quite a bit of noise and not react to it, which makes
them a very handy pet.
We found that the best way to train your Eclectus
Parrot, is to uses methods to gain your Parrots trust as a first step
in building a strong bond between you and your Eclectus. Once that
initial bond has been built it's much easier to implement more training.
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