My first Ekkie

[jeffc]

Hi all,

I'm considering buying my first Ekkie over the net so I will not have the opportunity to see it before I pay for it. One thing that is concerning me, possible for no reason, is the fact that the bird is molting now. Is this normal at this time of year?

Any other advise on purchasing a bird online would also be appreciated...

Thanks in advance

[allan72]

welcome jeffc .I have a male ekkie which is just starting his moult.How old is the ekkie you are going to buy?

[jeffc]

Thanks for the welcome alan72

It is 5 months old but unfortunatly I missed out, it was sold yesterday.

I'll just have to keep looking. How do you find the male allan? I've heard they make better pets...

[terrimac]

Hi jeffc-
I bought my ecky from a breeder in SA - the best bet is to phone your proposed breeder and talk with them. If you are happy with them and the way they treat their birds, and they are ok to send you pics of the bird (as most will do) then you can go from there. A good breeder will be just as concerned about their bird going to a good home as you are about getting a good bird! You can also arrange to get a vetcheck prior to sale, just to be sure.

Oh, and I have a female, who is absolutley gorgeous, and literally runs our house. Re the male/female thing - all the info from vets and bird experts I've read is that both make excellent pets - mostly, 'personality' differences that happen wit are related more to the individuals as opposed to sex - much like people, really!

One other thing if you are in the process of buying your baby - you probably already know this, but in most states you need a licence to have an Ecky - you get these from the relevant wildlife govt department.

Good luck!

[jeffc]

Thanks for the advice terrimac. I need all the help I can get here, this is all new to me...

[terrimac]

No worries and happy to help - they really make excellent companions. For more info, a really good book to get is "A Guide to Eclectus Parrots" by Dr Rob Marshall and Ian Ward (make sure its the revised edition). It has pretty much everything you need to know when starting out, and the best part is that its authors are Australian. It has a wide variety of info on sub-species, diet, health, behaviour, housing etc, but is very easy to read and digest - its really worth getting hold of one.

Another suggestion is to find an avian vet in your area - (you'll need to do this when you get your bird anyway) - they will have advice, and will often have contact info for breeders as well. Others may disagree, but my personal view is that its better to get your bird from an reputable breeder, as (from my experience) pet shops are sometimes a hit and miss affair, and even the better ones are unlikely to know much about the bird's history and background - (although are likely to charge top price!!).

[jeffc]

Gus is here, finally.
He is 13 weeks old & came from a breeder in Alstonville NSW.
Apart fom getting lost on the flight between Sydney & Williamtown for 4 hours he has arrived here safely & seems to be settling in fine.

[kim]

congrats he's beautiful!! He'll get really scruffy looking from now on until he's 2 yrs old LOL Good luck with him. Do you know the sub species? He looks like either a vos or RS?

[terrimac]

He's very, very cute - and bright eyed! I'm sure he'll be running the house soon enough (if he hasn't started already!). Congratulations (Dad!)!

[jeffc]

Thanks Kim & Terrimac

He's Red Sided Kim & you're not wrong Terrimac, he has made it quiet clear from day one that he's the boss...lol

[hamish]

Hey Jeffc, im really interested in buying an electus roratus polychloros (red sided) and i was wondering if you could give me the contact information of the breeder ou found. either that or information on how you foumd the breeder. if you could it would be greatly appreciated thanx.