1st Time Eckie Owner - Need Advice

[RobEckie]

I'm not sure what subspecies he is, I will ask my breeder. We are from Australia (Melbourne) so I would assume he might be an aussie?
Will let you know once I found out.

 

[RobEckie]

Hi, he is a Eclectus Rotarus Polychloros which is the red sided subspecies. This species is found in New Guinea (near Australia).

 

[kc_y0]

Great pictures, he is ADORABLE!

 

[CRYROLFE]

He is soooo cute!!! Ours is about the same age but he still has a lot of black on his beak. Maybe since they are different subspecies.
Be careful if he is in a big cage since our breeder says they are very clumsy and can hurt themselves falling. Put the perches low.

Here is a WONDERFUL link for training....it has really helped me w/ my birds....
It's a step-by-step guide....
How to Tame & Train Parrot - Step by Step Taming Guide

 

[RobEckie]

Hi Everyone,
Well 8 days later and there has been some slight progress but also a heap more questions! Who would've thought our lil boy would pose so many questions...

1. He seems to be more comfortable with us although he still is too scared to take food from our hand. We put the millet through the cage and he might try and do a quick grab but then walks away
2. He does this strange thing after a feed where he'll sit on his perch and he looks like he's cleaning his mouth? It makes a strange clicking sound like he is eating a seed or something, however he is definitely not eating. Do eckies clean their mouth after food?
3. The past couple of days he is squawking quite a bit. We used to enjoy when he squawked back at us when we talk to him, now though he is going squawking all the time. Is this normal? Most of the time he squawks when he hears noise or us talking.

Fun and games! Thanks for the feedback to date guys.

 

[Aims]

I would say his squawking is maybe a shout for food our boy was like that when we first got him, especially after he had weaned he still wanted a sneaky night time feed (Hand rear mix). He is now 17 months old and tries to squawk for my attention but it's usually tea time when I am cooking so I am still wondering if he is just wanting some of my food. LOL..

 

[kc_y0]

Do you mean to say it kind of sounds like a grinding sound? If so, totally normal. It usually means he is tired or content.
As for the squawking I remember my girl going through this phase. The best thing to do is to ignore it as much as you can, don't react in any way so that he doesn't see the squawking as a positive thing. Its hard to do, but ignoring it is the best way. If he doesn't stop, leave the room and don't come back until he's quiet again.

 

[Thingamagigs]

lol Nervous birdy parents Its so adorable.

You made a booboo when you were encouraging him to squawk If he squawks and gets a response, he will learn that squawking is the way he gets your attention. When you talked and he squawked initially and you thought it was cute and probably talked some more or got excited... you were unknowingly reinforcing the behaviour.

I wouldn't have put an eckie bub straight into his cage either , I would have left him in a smaller cage/large carrier for a little while. So he felt more secure and so he is easier to manage. I found you have to be so very slow with them.
I noticed when handrearing them, they are very clumsy flighty birds. I had never had a bird fly into a wall when fledging... the eclectus did though LMAO many times :/

Anyhoo... this is a bird you will need to have extreme amounts of patience with. Its also a bird that takes a long time to unlearn a bad behaviour. You are going to have to be very careful with this screaming business, do not pay him any attention when he does it. When he is quiet reward him. Make it dead obvious, when he is quiet you enter the room and talk softly... if he screams you turn on your heel silently and leave. If he makes a very small pleasant noise, reward that also. If he escalates, immediately leave.

It should be written all over eclectus information sites in my opinion! Of the birds I have handreared, they were the easiest to accidentally encourage screaming with. And the hardest to train out of it.

Once you get past all this though, it seems you will have pretty much one of the best birds around... eclectus owners seem to be very happy with theirs. The moment the one I was handrearing flew into the wall for the third time I knew they werent the bird for me LOL Well at least, I never handreared another. Though I have been thinking about getting one now that I am older, wiser and far more patient

 

[RobEckie]

Thanks for the responses all.
Yes he makes a grinding sound, like he's grinding the inside of his beak or teeth (if he had any) lol. Glad to hear that this is normal He only really does it after a feed.
And yes, we are nervous new eclectus parents haha. We thought the squawking was just a thing he was doing yesterday but it continued into today. We caught onto the fact that we may have encouraged this so we will definitely be taking your advice and trying to ignore him.
He was much quieter tonight with only slight cute noises and we were making it known that we enjoyed those more slighter sounds
One more thing guys, do eccies clean themselves? He appears to sort of nibble around his body and under his wings like he's grooming himself. We are concerned he might have fleas! Even though we don't own any other animals and don't even think birds can get fleas. It might be just ANOTHER overreaction.. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

[kc_y0]

Birds can get mites, but you would probably be able to see them. I doubt this is it though, he would be constantly scratching if so, sounds like he is just preening himself

 

[RobEckie]

Hi All,
Well 2 weeks have gone by now and we have made some slow progress. He now will accept food from our hand through the cage and we have also started putting our hand inside the cage and he will accept it from our hand!!
My wife has started trying to get him to step up (or putting her hand near his feet). However, he doesn't like this very much and bites her numerous times while moving away. My wife has owned a Galah when she was growing up so she is more experienced with this sort of stuff than I am. We are thinking that she will continually try on a daily basis getting him comfortable with her hand right near him, however he does really get quite aggressive at the moment. Should we continually push this issue or should we back off and take a much slower approach?
Since these "training" activities, he does seem much more aggressive and loud. He is squawking much louder (almost all the time when my wife is preparing food) and he even is more aggressive whilst eating. If I, for instance, go near him when he's eating he will act like he is going to bite me while im outside the cage.
Definitely need some advice

 

[tony]

Get some cardboard and block off a hallway. Just sit in the hallway with your bird. Talk softly. Wear an old sweat shirt. He may want to climb on you. Move slowly. He has to learn to trust you.

 

[Pedro]

No wonder why your having so much trouble with this poor bird. At this rate he is never going to settle.

I will copy & paste some info for you to read.

In the wild, we can imagine newly fledged birds out exploring their territory where they must quickly acquire competent physical skills. Taking off, flapping, soaring and landing all are activities that take considerable practice. We imagine the youngsters being encouraged and monitored by watchful senior flock members. If lost, the young fledglings must be quickly found and reunited with the flock or they would surely perish.

Our young domestically raised counterparts are also genetically programmed to FLY. Surely their every urge is to fly, fly, fly and to practice flying. Instead, we clip their wings. Precisely when their wild counterparts are exploring vast tracts of natural habitat, cages confine our domestic chicks. Additionally, many young birds move to new homes during this stage. Suddenly the familiar is gone and all is new people (their flock), territory, perches, food bowls, toys, house. Stress results.

* Fledgling and Transition Stress

Inherent then, in this developmental stage is considerable stress. New territory, confinement regardless of athletic impulses, and fear of becoming "lost in the woods" or left behind by fellow flock members all contribute to anxiety. Fledglings must process huge amounts of data regarding the new territory and the artificial domestic environment.

Experience convinces us that at this time it is best to continue hand weaning birds with hot, wet foods. Nutritious food from caretakers' hands at least twice a day dispels a lot of stress and reinforces trust. Further, Abundance Weaning will reinforce to the young birds the consistency, dependability and benevolence of their new caretakers. Young birds abundantly weaned in their new homes quickly realize that, while all else may be different and new, at least the food supply is consistent. Of course, Abundance Weaning also addresses the considerable nutritional needs of growing young fledglings.

Additionally, many fledglings' eating skills actually regress during transition: fledglings that were eating so well at the breeder's or pet store are now whining, crying, begging and soliciting in the new home. Regression results from insecurity during transition and is most efficiently reversed by abundant weaning practices.

All related solutions to stress during fledging and transition are based upon the establishment of loving routines. We recommend consistent practise of the following activities:

1) Bond Deeply. We instruct new caretakers to bond deeply with the fledgling. We initiate positive bonding through eye contact which is important and highly recommended because mother birds spend a lot of time eye to eye with their young chicks. We consider quiet time, hugging and talking very important as well as time spent sharing foods. Playing with young birds on a horizontal surface such as a bed, sofa, kitchen counter or floor can encourage interaction and bonding. We allot extra time to young fledglings because they soon enough get increasingly independent. Even then, the extra time given need not be unrealistically excessive because young birds must also accustom themselves to time alone spent in the cage eating and playing with toys.

2) Alleviate Anxiety. Transition stress often manifests itself with lost in the woods-type calls which are incessant, loud, inconsolable. Caregivers frequently confuse these as calls for food, but lost in the woods calling continues regardless of satiety. Abundance Weaning ensures us that chicks' calls are not food-related. We provide comfort (see 1, above) during this time but also recognize calling as a natural part of the growing up for young birds. Eventually, the calling ceases. We lessen its intensity by holding, comforting, or playing with our fledglings.

We do not allow fledglings to practice negative behaviors such as crying, pacing, or nipping. We suggest and reinforce alternate behaviors. Most disagreeable behaviors during this developmental period result from insecurity and anxiety while comfort, diversion and play effectively reduce anxiety. Insecurity lessens as the bond between human and companion deepens.

3) Encourage Exercise. Vigorous athletic activity helps reduce the manifestations of stress in young fledglings. We encourage enthusiastic wing flapping, especially for birds recently clipped. Development of athletic stamina provides not only a viable outlet for the young birds' naturally high energy level, it also cooperates with a good diet to produce a robust, broad-chested and healthy bird.

4) Provide Quiet Time, Naps and Adequate Sleep. As important as exercise, adequate quiet time, naps and sleep ensure that activity does not turn into hyperactivity. Fledglings need twelve hours of sleep per day, plus a nap, and two or three times per day when they can relax in peaceful surroundings. Many cranky young parrots are merely too tired.

5) Teach Manners and Lessons. Although immature, fledglings are not too young to learn basic manners. Fledglings who understand "up," "down," "good bird" and "I'll be back in a minute" begin life-long good habits. We alleviate a lot of stress for young parrots when we clearly instruct them. Because fledglings delight in comprehension and in pleasing, this is a very fertile time for early training.

Thus, we see the fledging stage as a developmental stage unique in a parrot's life: a brief but important time when caregivers can establish chicks' good habits. During fledging we lay important foundations of trust, athletic abilities, manners, security and eating habits. We capitalize on this time of bonding to develop a deep-seated familiarity with the fledgling. Soon enough the next developmental stage, Avian Adolescence, presents more pointed challenges for parrots and caretakers.

 

[Pedro]

My suggestions would be to put a small perch attached to the inside of the door, target him to the perch before you open the door. once on the perch open door & see if he will step up when asked. If he does reward him with heaps of praise, they love it. Take him away from his cage to some neutral place. Follow his lead don't make him do what he doesn't want. You can also play tickle toes with him. These birds respond to drama the sillyer you are the better they like it.

Don't ever deprive a baby bird from food. He must have access to food & water in his cage at all times. Eclectus love a huge variety of foods & a young bird will eat almost all day. Seems you can never fill them up.

index check out the diet in this link. I use it as a guide to what i feed my eclectus. Hope it helps.

 

[Chikoo]

Pedro, how do you play tickle toes with a parrot? Just tickle their feet?

 

[RobEckie]

Hi Pedro,
Thanks for your response. So what you are saying is to stop trying to get our eclectus to step up if he is constantly biting us on the hand and trying to get away? Should we take a step back until he stops doing this?
We just thought that seeing as though he is feeding from our hand (albeit grab food out of our hand and take a step back whilst he eats it) the only natural progression is to try and touch him or put our hand right near his feet to commence the "step up learning process".
We do not react when he bites, even though the bites are getting quite painful but he doesn't seem to take the hint that its not affecting us.
Cheers!

 

[oregngrl1]

I just acquired a 6 y/o Male SI Eclectus that the guy who owned prior to me was afraid to take him out of his cage. That made the bird very territorial. I am not afraid to get bit so after day 2 I just put my hand in there and nudged his chest and let him know that his threats had no meaning to me. If you are really terrified of this you can sometimes make a fist and it's harder for them to get a good latch onto that than your index finger, thought harder for them to step up. Being timid, in my opinon, makes the bird feel insecure. This took about 20 secs. Yes, he did bite me once and yes, it hurt, but that was the end of the challenge. It is over now and we move on. I can reach in anytime now and he steps up. If your bird was hand fed he knows step up. He just needs to know that you are in charge and you are not intimidated by him. The biting only hurts for a little bit. Go for it, don't even begin to act like you are scared. Don't pull your hand back because he wins. I know you can do this, I did. Believe me, that feeling when he gets on your hand for the first time is absolutely thrilling. Also, I did not see this mentioned but I bought a cheaper smaller cage and put it in a 3rd bedroom so that he can have 12 hours of quiet, interrupted sleep all by himself without the TV blaring, lights on and people talking. Birds are birds, if you ever owned chickens which I did they like to go roost when it starts to get dark in a quiet dark place. You can sometimes find a good cage on Craig's List and disinfect it, it doesn't need to be HUGE. Also, I don't put food in there, just water so that when he wakes up in the morning he is ready to have a good breakfast.

 

[erictheviking]

I bought a Sun last two days and find it more hyper compare to my eckie which is about the same age ( between 7 to 8 weeks )...hope it's normal for my eckie...

 

[oregngrl1]

I have a Congo African Grey and this ekkie is alot more gentle than my baby Grey I got at 12 wks old. That could change later but he is 6 yrs old and I dont have to go through the hormonal thing with the Ekkie that I will face with my Congo. The Sun Conures I have seen are busy and noisy.

 

[noblemacaw]

When I brought my baby Solomon Island Eclectus Joaquin home he was extremely frightened, held no confidence and was the parrot that experienced the worst adjustment into my home after weaning. Needless to say I almost took him back to the breeder but with the advise of my vet she talked me into giving him a chance. I also seeked out the Eclectus people to help me learn how to work with Joaquin.

I wrote this story in 2004 for a 101 level writing class when I first went back to school. To be honest my writing skills have come a long way since I wrote this but I think this story can help you understand what I went through when Joaquin first came home. I hope my story helps out.

Noblemacaw

Joaquin’s Stressful Adjustment​

Over the years the Eclectus parrot is became more popular in the pet market. Their beauty along with their gentle mellow temperament makes them excellent companions for humans. However, the Eclectus parrot is unlike the parrots normally found in captivity. A hand fed baby, raised by humans instead of the parent birds, normally imprints to humans, thus they develop trust and the desire to be around humans. Eclectus babies are different than the regular hand fed baby parrot. They tend to be very aggressive, lunging at the human parent during hand feeding. This is because they need to defend themselves and have a strong desire to hide in dark places. Experienced Eclectus breeders understand the temperament of the baby neonate Eclectus and with patience and consistency bring the baby through this rough period. There are two types of weaned baby Eclectus parrot personalities. The mellow well adjusted and the aggressive frightened baby. My experience has been with both baby personalities.
Joaquin, a Solomon Island Eclectus male parrot, was weaned and ready to bring home at four and half months. Visits were conducted every other weekend from the time he was eight weeks old, so my family and I were not strangers to him when we took him home. After being in my house for several days the baby Eclectus started to become very aggressive. Qui-Gon, my first Solomon Island Eclectus male parrot, was never aggressive or frightened to live in my home. He was a sweet baby who never lunged or bit. However, Joaquin became aggressive very quickly, biting down on any hands that came near him. My hands were so sore from the bites they ached. Upon observing his behavior it was noticed that the baby parrot was very frightened of everything around him. He was unable to interact with us because of his fear. It seemed that, once in our home, Joaquin took an instant dislike to us. Even after I was the person solely caring for him, he did not act secure. My heart was breaking seeing Joaquin so miserable.
The experience with Qui-Gon did not prepare me in any way with knowledge of how to handle Joaquin. Qui-Gon was such a good baby that there was no work required on my part to bond strongly with him. He seemed naturally well socialized to humans and liked anyone who interacted with him. He desired to be with humans. Joaquin was nothing like this. He bit hard when I had to handle him and he ran from me at the first opportunity. Soon I realized I would need to help Joaquin learn to trust and gain confidence.
Joaquin’s breeder is a well-known experienced breeder. It was a mystery why Joaquin’s personality as a baby was so aggressive. Learning on the Internet with the information of other Eclectus owners, I found that even if the upbringing were of high standards, some Eclectus babies would still need further work by their new owners to bring them though the aggressive period. Without this realization Joaquin’s future for pet quality would be comprised. There was no choice for me but to teach Joaquin the skills he required living in a world with humans.
It began with gaining his trust. When handling Joaquin, moving slowly and praising him when he did step up on command was very important. Even if he bit me during the act of stepping up onto my hand, I praised him for it. Eclectus also responded well to “intensive love therapy.” This was accomplished by wrapping him up in his soft Pooh baby blanket, setting him on my chest so he could see my face while talking softly to him. Joaquin responded very well to my singing. It seemed to calm him helping him to relax with me. These sessions were done at least twice a day. Even though Joaquin was weaned and was eating on his own, hand feeding him warm wet hand rearing formula was important. This assured he ended his day with a full crop of warm nutritious food, making him feel more secure in the surroundings and establishing a better bond between us. Using my fingertips, I also hand fed him several times during the day, offering warm wet fresh chunky foods he normally got in his cage. Even though Joaquin could bite me very hard, he was ever so gentle when he ate from my fingers. He never bit me when I hand fed him. Because of the two types of hand feeding, Joaquin’s weight became more stable. He even started to gain weight.
Even with “intensive love therapy” and extra hand feedings, Joaquin still exhibited behavior of aggression and fright. The only comfort was his appetite was normal and robust. Joaquin loved to eat and did not stress in this area. This non-improvement in our relationship began to affect me negativity. The depression I experienced while dealing with this problem was beginning to win. The depression would cause me to cry because of how miserable I felt dealing with Joaquin’s problems. Joaquin had been living in our home for three weeks and there was no improvement in his aggressive behavior, except for hand feedings. Feeling like a failure with Joaquin’s adjustment and care, I was ready to return him to the breeders. Finally the well baby bird check up appointment arrived and he was brought in to see an extremely capable Avian Veterinarian in the area.
Dr. Tammy Jenkins took one look at me and knew there was a problem. My whole body image spoke of defeat, exhaustion, depression and despair. Before she examined him, we spent 45 minutes talking about the problems I was having with Joaquin. Dr. Jenkins is the type of veterinarian that has no problems telling you what you are doing wrong but she also will share with you what you are doing right. Her no-nonsense attitude can come across as harsh to some individuals but her knowledge and experience is most valuable. She told me “Rebecca, you are so good with parrots that I know you can bring this baby around. If you return him to the breeders, his next home might not have someone in it that can handle parrots as well as you. This would compromise his future.” Her words made me reflect and think about what I really wanted to do with Joaquin. Suddenly returning him back to the breeders was no longer an option, no matter the outcome. It was my mission to make this work. It was my mission to teach him not to be so afraid. It was my mission to gain his trust and hopefully his love.
For three days after the well baby bird check up, my interactions with him was very limited. All that was done was service Joaquin’s basic needs. Clean the cage, put food in his dishes, hand feed him with the syringe, shower him, just enough effort to make sure he still lived. No longer was he wrapped up in his Pooh blanket and cuddled, the singing stopped and no conversation took place. Pushing my presence upon him no longer took place. My heart could no longer take his constant rejection. Some physical changes also were deployed. He no longer was given the sweet and colorful Pretty Bird Eclectus blend pellets. Because my sister watched TV until one o’clock in the morning, a roosting cage was provided for him to sleep in a non-used bedroom. It was quiet and dark thus providing Joaquin with undisturbed rest.
About two days later Joaquin’s attitude changed so drastically. The baby Eclectus no longer bit me. He started displaying behavior of wanting my company. When the cage was approached, instead of running to the back he would run to the door. His excitement was so new it amazed me. Still keeping it slow, I did not push his desire to interact with me. His trust in me grew so very quickly that there is no answer to what turned the bird’s behavior around. After trust was established, the steps of socialization were started. These were small steps accomplished by taking him on errands. Joaquin accompanied me to the bank, Target store, video rental store, post office, and any errand that was quick. After he felt comfortable with riding in the car and going on these little jaunts, the time spent in public was increased. Joaquin’s confidence grew enough for him to spend all day at the Renaissance Fair in his harness. That is correct; Joaquin could be trained to wear a harness with a leash. As time went by our bond grew stronger. One day it became apparent to me I never told Joaquin that I loved him. After realizing this, guilt and shame filled me. When he accepted me, I learned to accept him even though he will never be remotely like my first Eclectus Qui-Gon. Not only do I love him but I have also learned to like him. This is important for any relationship to succeed. With consistency and patience, Joaquin grew into well-adjusted, socialized loving parrot companion. Because of his gentle nature and incredible empathic abilities, it is my desire to qualify Joaquin to participate for pet theory for people. His current talents would help the sick and infirmed; in some small way, heal physically and emotionally.