First, if he doesn't eat much, which may not sound serious in other birds, I would be concerned since I've never seen an Eclectus that didn't eat a LOT throughout the day. If you know that your bird was eating pellets before, even though my birds seem to do better on a diet of fresh foods, I certainly would make sure to offer him whatever he was eating before you got him. If you don't know what brand, size, flavor, etc. pellets he was eating before, try to find out and get them for him. Loss of appetite can be a major sign of illness.

Second, he might sit low on his perch. That posture indicates that he may be too weak to maintain erect posture. A healthy Eclectus looks very elegant with alert and upright posture, but sitting low, almost horizontally, on the perch is a sign of illness.

Third, if he makes no noise to speak of and appears frightened all the time, it also could be a sign of illness. All of my Eclectus vocalize quite a bit daily, even if it is just bird sounds and not talking. A sick bird could act scared because in the wild, they would be preyed upon. I recently sold a young Eclectus to a couple who own a tiny yorkie and when we spoke later, I hardly recognized the description as that of the bird I had raised. He was very guarded, did not talk, hardly played and didn't socialize as he had before. As soon as he was moved to a different floor from the dog, he seemed to relax.

Fourth, it is uncharacteristic of Eclectus to dislike bathing. I suppose that if an older bird never was given the opportunity to bathe, he might be a little set in his ways and dislike it because it is new to him. Or, perhaps if a bird is accustomed to bathing in a different way, he might refuse a new kind of bath. But this too could be a sign of an unwell bird.

And fifth, a description of untidy feathers could possibly be that of a bird who is just about to molt, but along with other symptoms, it too may be a sign of illness. There are some pretty bad diseases that this could be a symptom of, especially if there are feathers that are malformed.

I certainly would have a good avian vet take a look at a new bird that appears to be unwell. If you have other birds, you need to be sure that their health is not being compromised by exposure to a contagious disease. Even if he already has passed a good health check, I think you should keep a new bird quarantined from your other birds for several months.

When I first became "hooked on hookbills", few people had ever heard of Eclectus parrots and hardly anyone had ever seen one. It was generally thought that African Greys were the best talkers, and that Amazons were next in talking ability. The Yellow Nape Amazon was considered the best of these, followed by the Blue Front Amazon and others. Of course it is strictly an individual trait among the birds of any species as to whether or not they talk.

Even though Eclectus parrots have become much more popular, there still are many people who don't realize what wonderful talkers they are. I believe that they rival the Grey in talking ability and in clarity of tone. Among those who have Eclectus, they generally are thought to be in the top three in talking ability.

I often have babies who are saying HI and HELLO by the time they are weaned because I talk to them all the time that I'm feeding and playing with them. I have adult Eclectus who use many words, phrases and songs, AND quite often use language appropriately. All of my adults say "Wanna go out" but only when they want to move from one place to another. Another trait that Eclectus share with Greys is the ability to mimic interesting sounds. My Eclectus can mimic doorbells, dripping water, the "uh oh" sound of an incoming ICQ message, the microwave beeping, alarm clocks and many more.

Some of the things they say are:

Some of the things they say are:

• Hi, Hello, Hey you!
• What'cha doing?
• Pretty bird.
• Want some?
• Is that good?
• Ummmmmmmmm!
• That's good!
• I love you.
• MOMMY!
• Bill?
• Come here!
• What's happening?
• Who said that?
• What? What?
• I'm a dirty bird.
• Peek-a-boo!
• All the names of birds and people in my family.

When I hear a series of sounds repeated a few times, I sometimes have to record it and play it back to be able to tell what they are trying to say. I don't know why it's easier to figure out when hearing it on tape, but that really does work for me when they are learning a phrase but don't quite have it right yet. Once you know what she's trying to say, you can repeat it more often to help her along. Also, when I hear one of my babies saying something similar to a word, like "I", mirroring the word as HI and repeating it several times helps them to learn it faster. EH-OH can easily become HEL-LO if you repeat it frequently when the bird is attentive.

My first Eclectus, Kiwi, sings YOU AIN'T NOTHING BUT A HOUND DOG all the way through, many verses of OLD McDONALD HAD A FARM, the Mickey Mouse song, and several others. Then there are his many one liners. He will learn one or two lines of songs that he likes and never will learn the rest or act remotely interested if I try to teach it to him. The bottom line in speech or singing with most birds is that they learn what they like! I never have found speech tapes or records or any of the re-play gadgets to be of any help in teaching a bird to talk. Repeating a word or phrase at a time when the bird is receptive seems to be the way they learn best.

First let me say in response to your statement "As much as I hate to admit it, my male is feather picking" that we should NOT feel guilty and blame ourselves. Although this is a stressful situation for us to deal with, it usually is NOT the result of our negligence nor our lack of care.

The most important question is: Does he mutilate his feathers as a result of psychological causes, or does he act in what appears to be a psychologically maladaptive manner because of an underlying physical problem? Stress, which can be caused by many different things, is very often the cause rather than a physical problem.

Some birds pick only on their leg feathers and sometimes this starts as a result of a leg band irritating the skin or making the feathers sore by rubbing them against the direction in which they grow. In case Mojo does have sore or itchy skin on his legs, the first treatment of choice is to spray a solution of aloe and pure water on his legs. Just the fact that the feathers are damp for a good while several times a day will slow down his picking somewhat. If his legs are itchy, aloe spray could solve the problem altogether. I recently found a new product in the health food stores which makes mixing of your own aloe spray unnecessary. It is an eight-ounce spray bottle called "George's Pure Aloe Spray Mister" and it costs just less than five dollars. George's is one of the most respected names in aloe products. If you cannot find it, I'll send you directions for mixing your own. Spray the bird's legs several times a day until the skin is soaked. If he should start picking on the feathers of his chest, wings, or back, follow the same spraying protocol in these areas too.

You inquired about the Aloe Detox. This is a 200:1 concentrate of aloe with some very good herbs used to detoxify the liver and blood. Some vets DO use Aloe Detox along with antibiotics, especially in the case of severely ill birds or undiagnosed illnesses. If a bird has consumed a new food or a substance such as chemical vitamins, minerals, or spirulina and is having an allergic reaction to it, the Aloe Detox will certainly clear it from his body faster. I think it is a good idea to keep this product on hand at all times in case of illness. The echinacea herb that you mentioned is another frequently-used herb in parrot illness but you need the guidance of someone knowledgeable and experienced in its use. Echinacea never should be used daily on a long-term basis but a drop a day for a week as you suggested is an acceptable treatment. I'm currently researching another alternative treatment for feather picking called Pycnogenol, an over the counter plant-derived substance taken from grapeseeds and from pine bark. You can read some success stories involving the use of this natural plant derivative in Bonnie Munro Doane's excellent book, MY PARROT, MY FRIEND. Pycnogenol is available in most health food stores.

Regarding your question about the lack of bathing being a possible cause, I certainly think you are on the right track here. Lack of humidity and itchy dry skin probably account for more feather problems than we realize. It would be good to keep him in an area with the highest humidity possible, and even a humidifier running in dry areas and during Winter time indoors would be helpful.

A good soaking drench in the shower every few days, with misting in between showers, is a good way to keep the skin and feathers hydrated. The only times you should not give these soaking baths are when the bird is ill, when it is extremely cold, and when the bird doesn't have time to dry before bedtime. I never give soaking baths to my birds after three or four o'clock in the afternoon and when they take late rain showers, I watch to be sure they are dry before nightfall.