FAQ

I have read that female Eclectus are not good companion parrots becuase they get mean when sexually mature, is this true? Absolutely UNTRUE, this is a myth! I would like to offer this article from Land of Vos Website as a reference:
THE VICIOUS REDHEAD MYTH
The most unfortunate and unfair eclectus myth is that the female is unsuitable as a companion bird. This persistent untruth is not only a disservice to the birds, but to those who love her exquisite beauty as well. I wonder how many bird lovers have been awestruck at first sight of the brilliantly colored eclectus redhead, described by Linda MacDougall as a kaleidoscope of colors. How many parrot enthusiasts have decided that they simply must share their life with one of these exquisite beauties, only to hear that they are NOT pet quality? Many times I have been told by lovestruck owners of the beautiful eclectus female about how thankful they are that they listened to their instinct instead of believing the warnings that these birds were not capable of a pleasant disposition. Many simply deduced that if the male is such a great pet, and no one argues that point, then the female of the same species could not be that different. As Mary Latterman expressed, "I too heard the awful myths about eclectus, and especially about the females. I am so thankful that I didn't let the stories prevent me from getting Gurley. She is a true loving companion and friend."

Even though the female is the dominant of the two within their own pair bond, that does not preclude a relationship with a member of the human flock. The following comments are representative of eclectus lovers who share their lives with the often-maligned but well-loved redhead.

Arlene Brice shares, "Try and tell the patients who have been visited by my Tilly that she is not the sweetest bird they have ever met! Tilly has been a therapy pet for over a year. She has been to nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. She has been cuddled, hugged, and handled by many. She has brought out responses from patients who had never before shown any interest in anything. Not once has Tilly ever bitten, squirmed, or even squawked when handled. I have had many different species of pets, wild & domestic, but never have I been as enthralled, in love, or impressed with an animal as I am with my Tilly."

According to Jaudon Vance, "When I first learned of eclectus, I too read about the negativity associated with females, so I chose to buy a male. I fell so much in love with him, that I decided to breed Solomon Island eclectus and keep the first female that I raised to see for myself if the rumors were true. Besides, I could not sell females as pets if they really were unsuitable for that purpose. The articles were wrong if my birds are any indication. My first female baby is now approaching three years of age and has never once bitten me. She is my angel."

Lynn Oliver says of her Vosmaeri pair, "My Tulip (3-1/2 years) is so sweet, I let her go onto the hands of very young children (supervised, of course)! She's quite cuddly and very, very trustworthy. My Male, Mojo, on the other hand is a one-person bird and will gladly bite anyone besides ME. Go figure!"

"Aurora, my three year old Vos follows everyone around the house looking for company, a hug, or just a perch to ride around on," says musician, Diane Arnemann. If we don't take her with us when we shower, she will push open the bathroom door if it's left ajar and invite herself into the shower. She talks and sings and does tricks. When my band comes to my basement to rehearse, we can hear her singing away upstairs and sometimes I let her come down and join in. She is delightful. She loves to greet friends who come to the house and loves to go to them and look them over."

Jennifer Moore relates, "Babe is a bird I can let on my shoulder without any worry. She has never bitten my face. She is a real caretaker of a bird. She preens my face, hair and fingers, though she doesn't want me to reciprocate. She alerts me to any "intruders" long before I hear them myself. In rough play, she doesn't bite me, even accidentally, though she'll bite the heck out of the wiffle ball and bang it against the cage."

Luna Blue, a Solomon Island girl met her family literally during a 'blue moon'. Her lucky owner, Mary Kay Neumann, says, "This little bird is the light of my life, and my husband's too. Neither of us can believe how lucky we are to have been picked by her to come into our lives, and we feel blessed to be her family. I would have never believed I would be capable of happily waiting on her, shopping and cooking for her, and cutting our wonderful ocean vacation short because I missed her so much. This little bird has cuddled on my chest every night for the past year. Yes, she has had her moments of crabbiness, and has bitten me a couple times, although mostly from my ignorance and not paying attention to what she was trying to tell me. She is unbelievably sweet, and gentle. The little girls down the street can barely let a few days pass without coming to visit Luna."

"Our Ruby is a prolific breeder and very protective of her babies", says Michelle Mondshein. "Yet, she will let me look at the babies any time. She loves to give kisses to me and to her mate, Hogan. She doesn't talk much, but greets me every morning with 'hello!' I think that Ruby is seven years old and she has always been a breeder She has not been handled much and is still quite skittish if she thinks that I am approaching her to pick her up, but she has never bitten me."

Judy Cochrane says of her female eclectus, Emma, "She is so SWEET. First the person that she loved abandoned her. Then she sat in a loud pet shop for weeks probably waiting for her person and feeling lost. Then she came home with me to the animal farm. After all she has been through, she has never bitten me. She will sometimes will take my finger with her beak and move it away from her. That's a very clear message that she isn't in the mood to be handled at that time. After all the difficulty of her early life, Emma is still a sweetheart. What a little trouper!"

In spite of the numerous inaccurate labels applied early on to the endearing eclectus, as the birds become better known, they slowly but surely are shattering the misconceptions that we previously believed to be accurate.

Who could resist such beautiful and elegant creatures that so willingly accept us as their human flockmates? Until one has been locked in the intense, adoring gaze of a friend of the eclectus variety, well let's just say that they never really have been loved!