THE NATURAL CHOICE: ''Patience and the Handfed Male Eclectus''

Abstract

Among all the psittacine species
we have handfed and sold down
through the years, none is as gratifying to
correctly raise and wean as the male
eclectus. Ce1tainlywe promote them as a
"Cadillac" of the full-sized pet parrots-considering
their unsurpassed beauty,
their quiet, observant habits, their friendliness
to strangers, and their world-class
talking abilities.
Notice I said correctly raised and
weaned!
For truly this sensitive hookbill genus
is a challenge to any handfeeder. To
produce the optimum pet one must employ
extra time, understanding, and
above all patience. To make a mistake or
two with a male (or female) eclectus
(unlike with many roly-poly or boisterous
parrot species) is to risk creating a
grudging battleground between bird
and keeper. In some cases, one may as
well pass the parrot on to another handfeeder
in an attempt to begin anew its
socialization.
Our intent is not to sound ominous;
we only emphasize that this is by nature
an advanced pet species and not one to
be lightly considered or rushed home
with an enthusiastic new owner who
has minimal syringe experience!
First a bit of background. Feathered
Friends of Santa Fe has since its founding
specialized-in male eclectus as pets.
"Beamer", owner Darlene Vigil's 12-
year-old male Red-sided Eclectus, is a

well-known fixture in the shop and
around the state. Beamer is an awesome
pet. Raised on healthy people food, he is
huge. He talks up a storm but never
screams. He ignores other parrots, goes
to anyone's hand, will not bite, poops
away from humans--even was cast as an
extra in a western movie with Madeline
Kahn when the second day on the set he
began repeating, "Action, roll 'em!"
To have Beamer around is to sell
eclectus pets, some years two to one
over greys, amazons or cockatoos. We
prefer Red-sided, slightly calmer in a subjective
poll, but also sell Vosmari and the
occasional Soloman.
Our recommendation to customers
to buy a male (despite loving red ourselves!)
stems from the professional position
that grown up imprinted male
eclectus are definitely easier to pair for
breeding with a baby female than the
other way around. In this day and age
we encourage new parrot owners not to
perfunctorily rule out later purchase of a
mate for their pet. A well-bonded eclectus
pair is an excellent choice to breed in
a spare room in the house!
Furthermore, female eclectus pets
more often squawk loudly and tend to
bond more tightly to a single owner,
sometimes to the aggressive exclusion
of other birds or humans. (Not to antagonize
red eclectus owners, I admit
having raised females that were such
gentle loving talkers that I was sad at

heart to see them sold from the shop!)
So what is it that makes these furry
looking green psittacines unique to
handfeed and raise? For starters, they
definitely have an ATTITUDE. Even a
recently pulled three-week-old baby
still without pinfeathers will guard its
nursery tub with near savage determination
if approached unwarily or is startled.
The young pink critter will strike
out and bite with pain-causing strength.
"Reptilian" is the term I use to describe
these chicks which lie coiled like
springs beneath the towel in their tub.
We believe this behavior relates directly
to instinctive memories of life
amongst predators in the wild. Accordingly,
we do not encourage rushing
young eclectus babies into glass aquariums
or lighted surroundings for fear of
quelling such normal behavior. Nevertheless,
I have breeder friends who absolutely
refuse to raise eclectus parrots
because of the nasty bites and the attitude
of the youngsters!
Patience, we counsel. One has to
earn the trust of this species. Hum or
whistle the same way each time you enter
the nursery. Place a gentle hand on
the outside of the tub towel at the back
of the baby and talk him out of the darkness.
Above all, do not jam the syringe in
his face to feed: it resembles a snake,
right? So does your finger.
Secondly, eclectus parrots have not
the strongly pronounced bobbing feeding
motion of other psittacines. Getting
a proper load of formula down the gullet
of even a willing chick is a bit like
feeding a slug! This takes more time, especially
for less-experienced feeders. If
the pet's neck is turned or not angled
correctly, or if the baby is less hungry
than normal, a significant amount of formula
could be "gargled" in the mouth
prior to swallowing. A timid male baby
may pull back from what it perceives as
uncomfortable or over-assertive feeding
to leave a formula mess upon you
and its feathers. Warm washcloths and
paper towels are a necessity. Take care
to guard against aspiration of food into
the lungs.
We try to feed quick little squirts with
the syringe in a rhythm the bird will tolerate--
never more than he can comfortably
swallow. Each eclectus seems to be
a bit different; letting the parrot indicate
its own feeding pace can pay off in a
positive behavior as the bird matures.
"I have encountered eclectus babies
who did exhibit a bobbing feeding motion
when they were extremely hungry," Darlene Vigil explained. "But this

was normally only one or two bobs,
then stop. I have learned to feed in a
one, two, three succession of squirts.
When our male feeds the female, he
bobs to bring up food, then gives it to
her without a motion."
She added that eclectus are "completely
different to feed than most other
parrot species. They are the most difficult
if you do not know what you are doing."

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