Life with Eclectus

Fortune smiled on us the day that we brought home our first Two breeding pairs of the magical Eclectus parrot. Not only were we blessed by having such beautiful intelligent parrots around us seven days a week, but also the prospect of being able to breed more of the same at Parrot Haven Aviary.

Time marched on and many more Eclectus breeding pairs or young potential breeders found their way in to our breeding flights.

Progressing down the safety walkways between the Eclectus parrots is always interesting and time consuming, mainly because Lyn or I stop and talk to each and every one of them.

Conversation is never ending, we are always greeted with "HELLO," "WHAT ARE YOU DOING," "WORKING," "HELLO GARRY" "STEP UP" "JECKLE" and the list goes on. Many times I have sung out to Lyn thinking that she was calling me, but instead it was one of the Eclectus.

The voice of the Eclectus is indescribable clear, so much that they are considered to be the second best talker parrot available.

ZENA

The little Eclectus that I want to reminisce about is Zena a beautiful baby hen that we hand reared for a client as a companion. Zena was with us for six months, which is usually.

The owner could not pick Zena up any earlier and of course with my continual handling and educating of her we both bonded. Zena started her life at Parrot Haven Aviary on the seventeenth day of July 2000, weighing just 29.8 grams and as bald as a badger. Feeding Zena was like feeding a limp rag doll (all baby Eclectus are like this) all she wanted to do was sleep or flop down making feed times interesting.

As the days progressed Zen's' weight bounded ahead, by the twelfth day her weight was up to 81 grams and the curly dark down started to appear. Eclectus are not a pretty sight at this time and up until the feathers develop they appear to have tight ringlets all over their body.

We recognized that Zena was going to be a hen when pin feathers appeared around her ears and on the bend of her wings about twenty three days of age.

Lyn and I work with our Eclectus babies every day, but for some reason Zena was always special to us. The way that she wanted to cuddle up to us at feeding time, or when we were educating her in the basics of stepping up and down and trying to teach her to talk. Don’t get me wrong we love all our babies the same but Zena had stolen my heart big time, so much that I was hoping that the new owners would ring up and cancel their order for her. This never happened.

Many joyful hours are spent with our babies every day, but I probably spent more time with Zena than the others. I always found my self being mystically drawn towards her weaning cage whenever she called out or flew from her perch to the front of the cage. The bond between us had started, I can always back away from a young parrot so that a strong bond does not happen, but with Zena I had no hope, she had won me.

One hundred and three days after Zena came in to the world of Parrot Haven Aviary at precisely 6.35 PM Zena spoke her first words, they were "Hello Zena." Lyn and I looked at each other in amazement and disbelief but she said it a gain more or less to say to us "See I have been listening to what you were trying to teach me."

At night time Zena would snuggle up to Lyn or me when we were laying down on the lounge. Not content just in sitting, she would lay on our chest with her head under our chin and go to sleep.

The dreaded day came when Zena's new mum arrived to pick her up. With a little coaxing Zena went to her but continually wanted to return to me, after a while Zena became comfortable around her new mum.

This is a natural reaction and should be expected when you first pick up your new genuine hand reared companion parrot from the breeder.

Time was no longer on our side, the cage was produced and Zena was placed inside the cage to be transported to her new home. Believe me as they proceeded down our driveway both Lyn and I broke down and wept. As I have been compiling my article about Zena, memories come flooding back and my eyes are once more filled with tears as one would from the loss of a child, except that this time my child was an Eclectus hen called Zena.

In my closing comments hen Eclectus make just as good a companion as the cock does, it all depends on how they were had reared and the love bestowed upon them while doing it.

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