George (Stokes) Davies - Red Sided Eclectus - Born Nov 11, 2005 ----      (narrated by Mum)

 
George's 
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This is "George" - a male Red Sided Eclectus.  He's stunning, isn't he?

And he's got a great personality.  Sweet, personable, and loving.  And talk?  Oh, boy... does he ever talk!

I used to think that "ekkies" were sedentary birds - prone to sitting around and being little "perch potatoes".  

Not this little guy.  

He's not quite as caffeinated as our macaw, but he's far from a slouch.  He's a skilled flier (he's full feathered and we have no plans to clip or trim him) and enjoys cruising around our lounge room.  When he's in his cage, he bounces around and loves to swing from his "boing" and the 2 swings hanging from the cage top.  I haven't noticed him chewing on any of the wood toys yet, but that may be just because I haven't given him any that he particularly likes yet.

I'm learning a lot about this type of parrot - a species I previously knew nothing about.  

We've had our "ups and downs", but George and I are working things out (with a lot of support from some very experienced bird-loving friends).

The type of eclectus that George is comes from New Guinea.  Knowing something about the natural conditions there is important because the closer George's home is to his native jungle rainforest the better it will be for him.  Humidity is important, and because New Guinea is close to the equator (as is Laka's ancestral home, Brazil), I know that providing enough sleep time (in a dark and quiet spot) will be important.  We're thinking that a "bed cage" may be a good idea for him, perhaps we'll have him share Laka's bedroom. 

Ekkies have very special dietary requirements.  They do eat seed, and some seed is OK for them, but their main diet is fruit and veggies.  They actually require more of that than other parrots do, and ekkie owners have to be careful about fatty foods (like certain kinds of nuts). 

Like all parrots, George just loves a computer keyboard.  As I've been working on this webpage, he and I have been having an "argument" about who gets to play with it.   I'm afraid this is one argument that he's going to lose...