04/11/2024
Hi everyone! We don't have much construction update today, we're waiting to go over renovation with the contractor now that the demo has finished.
We do however have a female Eclectus that is in need of a new home. We've known Sophie the Eclectus for a while and she's very sweet but Eclectus are a bit more advanced so we'd ideally like a family that has experience to provide a good home for her. Her owner has written a good amount about her that you can read below.
If you are interested in potentially providing a home for Sophie please follow these steps:
1. Send us a pm that includes your name and contact info
2. Include in that message details about yourself and why you would make a good fit for Sophie!
(We pass messages that seem legitimate to the owner so they have to pick who to contact based on these messages)
Here's more about Sophie from her owner:
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Looking to rehome our 8-year-old female Eclectus Parrot, Sophie. We've had her for 6 years--she was originally rescued from an elderly couple when she was 2--but have recently made some lifestyle changes (housing situation, work, family dynamics) that keep us from giving the care Sophie deserves. She comes with her cage, food, and toys. We also have her tabletop java tree stand available for purchase.
Sophie is a character, and we love her for it! She does talk, but is shy around everyone, and only really talks when she thinks no one is listening (she enjoyed our old bathroom because of the acoustics). Though she will say "hello" and whistle if you show her a treat. If a new person visits the home--or, if she hasn't seen you in a while--she'll pin and give you a heartfelt "hell-O-ooo". She loves whoever feeds her most but is comfortable around both men and women (we try and socialize her as much as possible and reward her with treats when she goes to new people). She doesn't like it when people rush up to her, and that can be a problem when socializing her with little kids that are excited to see her.
She is not an overly cuddly bird in a traditional sense, but loves to hang out with you, either on her perch/cage, on your hand, or on your shoulder. You'll know she's settling in when she rouses and fluffs her feathers. And when she's really settled in, she'll grind her beak (equivalent to a cat purring). If you're holding her on your hand, she likes being held close to your face so you can give her kisses on her beak. This is also one of the only times she'll let you pet her head, though usually for no longer than 5 seconds. While she does love being around people, there are times where she wants here personal space, usually when she's already on a perch or cage. She'll either flat-out refuse your hand, or if you haven't been respecting her boundaries, she'll move her head back and to the side and open her beak like a little dinosaur.
Though her previous owner clipped her feathers, we keep her flighted, and would prefer to find a new owner that would do the same. She currently has free range of the house, so to parrot-proof our spaces we've potty trained her to fly and use the bathroom on designated perches. While she is flighted, she is not free flighted nor is she recall trained, so if to take her outside we use either a harness or a backpack. Note that if you are hiking with her, she'd prefer pooping on a branch than your shoulder, so if you find her wanting to be on a branch, that means she needs to use the bathroom. As it pertains to hiking, she also hates strollers and bikes, and she'll get very anxious if one gets too close. In those situations, best to hold the leash of her harness close and reassure her that it's okay.
Sophie has two volumes: quiet and loud. There is no in between. 99% of the time she is very quiet, talking to herself, whistling, etc. But there's the 1% where she lets out an abrupt two note "AHHH AHHH". This is her contact call, which she uses when she wants the attention of other people (people are her flock, and when her flock is apart from her--and she wants to be close--she squawks). She does it when you're in another room and she wants to be with you, or if she sees people outside the window. It's best to not respond immediately to the call, or else she'll know to do that anytime she wants something. Give it a minute or two before responding, or don't respond at all if it's just a single squawk. If you don't like sudden loud noises, Sophie might not be the bird for you (also, you should definitely reconsider adopting a parrot at all).
She is very food motivated, to the point she is overweight (last vet visit had her at 490g, when she should be between 440g and 460g). When she gets too heavy, she develops pressure sores on her feet, which can be avoid by keeping her weight down and giving her a variety of textured perches to rest her feet. To the last point of her being flighted, if she hears you getting food from the kitchen and she is out, she might fly to you, so make sure you take that into account if you're cooking something on the stovetop or the oven. She gets a diet of vegetable chop and pellets. For chop we use the bird tricks seasonal system, though there are other recipes out there that are Eclectus-specific. If you're considering adopting, absolutely research Eclectus diets as they do have a much longer and more efficient digestive track than most parrots, which contributes to her weight. She loves legumes, which are good for her over most anything else, so whatever system you use for chop, make sure it has beans.
For enrichment, she loves shredding semi-hard things: cardboard, yucca and other soft woods, squash (i.e., pumpkins and zucchini, especially for the seeds, which you should make sure she doesn't eat too much because seeds are very fatty), and crisp apples. She'll play with woven chew toys but likes those less. She doesn't really use other toys. We have used foraging systems in the past to give her dry food, though they were lost in a previous move. Would recommend repurchasing a foraging wheel with openings that make it harder for her to get pellets.
She enjoys baths. We'll shower with her and hold her up to the showerhead, and if she got her way she'd be there for hours. To dry off we keep a cage/suction cup perch in the shower for her. She will also take baths in the water bowl in her cage. Note that in both cases she can become heightened, where she is more animated/aggressive and can be prone to bite. In those cases, we leave her alone and check in as needed.
Over the last 1.5 years she has taken to plucking and we're having a hard time getting her to stop. She doesn't have any bare patches in her plumage, though she does pluck the coverts off her belly, under her wings, and on her rump, exposing the down feathers. We currently have her on Zopram, a once-a-month shot administered by the vet, that we started in February and usually takes a few months to see results. In the past we have used Gabapentin administered orally, and it worked for Sophie initially, but you need to be on top of administering it as prescribed, or the results just aren't there. Biggest things to get her to stop plucking will be providing enrichment activities and staving off hormonal behavior.
Female ekkies are notoriously aggressive nesters, and Sophie is no exception. She loves carboard boxes because they're like a nesting cavity for her, and she will start exhibiting breeding behavior which includes more aggressive plucking, being very territorial to the point where she bites, and laying eggs. It can be really cute to see her "playing" in a box, but this should be really be avoided.
While we are rehoming Sophie, we love her, and want her to go to a good home. If you don't feel you can give her the time and attention she needs, please don't reply to this post.
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