Both the Vosmaeri and Solomon Island subspecies have their fans. Some people do not feel comfortable with a big parrot but love the colors of the Eclectus so a Solomon Island is their cup of tea. The Solomon Islands have a shorter tail and neck which gives them a more "compact" appearance. They are approximately one third smaller than the Vosmaeri Eclectus, the largest sub-species available in the U.S. There is only one larger sub-species called the Macgillivray, native to Australia. To my knowledge there are only a couple pairs in this country and I have never seen one.

The most commonly heard evaluation of the Solomon Island is that they are sweeter. I never have owned a Solomon Island Eclectus so I cannot evaluate this idea by experience, but I tend to think that personality may depend more on early socialization than on the sub-species. And now to the Vozzies--that's MY cup of tea! I'm a pushover for beautiful birds and Eclectus are in my opinion the most beautiful parrot in the world. I love the extra color on the Vosmaeri female Eclectus--that wide band of daisy yellow on the end of the female's tail is really striking! But, the Solomon Island females have a beautiful little ring of blue feathers around their eyes which looks like bright blue mascara! Also, I tend to like the large size of the Vosmaeri which in my opinion is a more elegant look, whereas the little Solomon Islands have more of a "cute" look. It is said that the Solomon Islands and Red-Sideds have more of a rounded head and the Vosmaeri have a flatter look on the head, but this is a subtle characteristic.

The most debatable difference is talking ability. Many owners feel that the Vosmaeris talk a little more and I do not disagree. But, again this may be an individual characteristic more dependent on how much speech training the bird has been given than on the sub-species. Perhaps this idea started because of the bigger size of the Vosmaeri, the idea being "the bigger the brain the smarter." I often see my Vozzies "plan" things, like how to get a toy from the floor, up a ladder, to the top of their tree perch! I can tell you from experience Vosmaeris are wonderfully entertaining. They invent games and play on ropes and swings for hours. They enjoy toys and especially enjoy having their owners play silly games with them, such as peek-a-boo!

One of the greatest claims to fame of the Eclectus parrot is EATING! No one has ever accused Eclectus of being finicky eaters. In fact, were it not for their penchant for fruits and veggies, and their love of any and all fibrous foods, I think they would have the obesity problems that other big eaters like Amazons sometimes have. Of course, if we fed them a high-fat diet, I'm sure that they could become overweight but most of the owners of Eclectus that I know are very conscientious about feeding the proper diet.

I have found that my Eclectus will eat almost anything but they also have definite favorite foods. Their all-time favorite is POMEGRANATE. This seedy fruit is loaded with nutrients and is considered to be an anti-viral food. I only wish that they could have them year-round but unfortunately, they are seasonal. They also love SEEDED GRAPES. There was a time when I believed that grape seeds may be a no-no, in spite of the fact that my birds always dug into the grape and ate the seeds first if there were any. Then came grape seed extract in health food stores, at an exorbitantly high price I might add, much research has proven it to be one of the most powerful anti-oxidants available. So maybe my guys knew what they were doing all the time when they searched out those little seeds! Another seasonal food which Eclectus really love is FRESH FIGS. Too bad their season is so short. Off season, we can reconstitute dried figs which is the next best thing, but many are treated with chemicals and all are very sweet so it should not be offered more than once or twice a week IF you can find untreated ones. Other favorite fruits are papaya, mango, guava, apple, cherries, nectarines and cactus pears.

As for veggies, my guys love CORN, CORN & more CORN! Any way I prepare it or raw, it's sought after daily! One of the ways they prefer it is "plumped", that is, dried shelled corn soaked overnight and then cooked until it swells up to triple in size and very moist inside. My Eclectus breeders always feed this to their babies in the nest. Fresh ENGLISH PEAS are relished by my guys too. I see them scraping bits of the inner pod to eat after they have devoured all the fat green peas. If your supermarket carries a strange looking round and light brown root-looking food called SUN CHOKES, slice that into your Eclectus' dish and stand back! They may run over you getting to this food too. Other favorite veggies are celery, pole beans, sweet potatoes, all sorts of beans, and ALL hot peppers.

Other favorites of my Eclectus are hard-boiled eggs, shell included, chicken legs (they especially like the gristle and the marrow inside the bone), brown rice, shredded wheat and bran squares, and all fresh nuts, especially unshelled almonds and pine nuts.

Joseph M. Forshaw's PARROTS OF THE WORLD says:

"Eclectus Parrots feed on fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, leaf buds, blossoms and nectar procured in the treetops. They have been seen in causarinas eating new leaf shoots. Gut contents from specimens collected in the eastern Solomons comprised soft, mainly fig-like, fruit; and from other birds collected, fruit pulp and many small fruit stones."

This information certainly is in keeping with the favorite foods of my birds. They relish all sorts of fruits including figs, and they love nuts. They act as though they've found a treasure when they find seeds in grapes, and they eat all kinds of berries. They love Hibiscus blossoms and although I've never fed them leaf buds, shoots, or nectar, I'm sure they would like those too if I could provide them!

Sometimes a bird that is slow to wean has a bacterial or fungal problem. In order to help you determine if a baby is ill, here are some of the signs of illness: inactivity, eyes closed most of the time, feathers fluffed most of the time, droopy wings, low posture on perch, falling off perch, lessening of vocalizations, noticeable and noisy breathing, frequent sneezing, nasal discharge, tail bobbing, soiled or pasted vent, and vomiting.

After four or five months of age, a baby does not need formula any longer. Once you stop giving them this very nutrient-dense food, their appetite for other foods may improve to the point that they will eat better on their own. However, a baby should never go to bed hungry. If it hasn't eaten enough food during the day to fill itself, even formula at bedtime is better than nothing.

One of the best weaning foods is my recipe for beans, corn, brown rice and sweet potato. All of my Eclectus eat this mix every day and the young birds especially love it. It is a complete protein food and very nutritious. It's my best weaning food.