Activities for an Obsessive Parrot

[Nolgi]

We’ve had our parrot for a year now and he is obsessed with us to the point where he is not happy unless he’s physically with us. It’s sad to see, and it’s become a strain on our ability to function well and enjoy our time with him. It doesn’t matter if he’s out for 8 hours a day, the moment he’s put back in his cage for a rest, for food, for whatever reason, he immediately going back to “begging” to come out. He frequently calls while we’re not in the room, not what I’d call a full on “scream”, but not a happy noise. It’s exhausting and frustrating, and it’s started to make us dislike having him out. Its a horrific situation during hormone season, where he’s either sitting in his cage all day shrieking when he sees us, or *constantly* trying to mate with us and getting angry when he reject him.
The point is that he needs a life outside of us. Attachment issues aside, we think more enrichment can do nothing but help at this point. He has toys but that’s just not cutting it. We’re planning a small outdoor aviary for him that sits right outside of an unused side door (about 4’ length, 4 1/2’ width, height to be determined) and we’ve bought a bamboo plant to be grown in a pot so we can harvest some for him to play in and chew later on. I’d like to identify the trees around and hopefully heat sterilize some safe branches for him to tear into. I’d like to know your ideas, both for enrichment activities he can do alone and other ways to remedy the attachment issues. Just to be clear, my goal is NOT a parrot that I can just leave in his cage all day, I know that is neither healthy or feasible. I want a happier, healthier relationship for all of us.

 

[kme3388]

By the profile photo it looks like you are having issues with an Ekkie correct? I just want to make sure before I start commenting.

 

[Botsari]

A parrot for your parrot is the classic solution, or rather one it bonds with. They are social animals that evolved to spend most of the day with others, and humans can only provide part of that. It's one extra bird, but more satisfying for both, so something less that 1 birds worth of extra worry. But it requires patience allowing a new equilibrium to develope.

 

[mish22]

We’ve had our parrot for a year now and he is obsessed with us to the point where he is not happy unless he’s physically with us. It’s sad to see, and it’s become a strain on our ability to function well and enjoy our time with him. It doesn’t matter if he’s out for 8 hours a day, the moment he’s put back in his cage for a rest, for food, for whatever reason, he immediately going back to “begging” to come out. He frequently calls while we’re not in the room, not what I’d call a full on “scream”, but not a happy noise. It’s exhausting and frustrating, and it’s started to make us dislike having him out. Its a horrific situation during hormone season, where he’s either sitting in his cage all day shrieking when he sees us, or *constantly* trying to mate with us and getting angry when he reject him.
The point is that he needs a life outside of us. Attachment issues aside, we think more enrichment can do nothing but help at this point. He has toys but that’s just not cutting it. We’re planning a small outdoor aviary for him that sits right outside of an unused side door (about 4’ length, 4 1/2’ width, height to be determined) and we’ve bought a bamboo plant to be grown in a pot so we can harvest some for him to play in and chew later on. I’d like to identify the trees around and hopefully heat sterilize some safe branches for him to tear into. I’d like to know your ideas, both for enrichment activities he can do alone and other ways to remedy the attachment issues. Just to be clear, my goal is NOT a parrot that I can just leave in his cage all day, I know that is neither healthy or feasible. I want a happier, healthier relationship for all of us.

Hi do you have any other birds ? I would get another small bird for him to interact with or just to take his mind off you guys . My eckie elmo calls if no one is in the room . there is a budgie out there but , I dont know if he cars or not . Make sure there is very little sugar in his diet . They are tree top feeders in the wild so they dont have ripe fruit . sugar can make them very hormonal . and the best food is harrison's corse everything is in there if he is a picky eater ., but still give him his vegies and chop up some apple in it . It is true if you do not CHOP UP there vegies they dont want them .. lol... i want to get another one and a cockatoo later on .. good luck

 

[Talaya]

This is a difficult one, as every bird is different, yet he sounds quite similar to my boy. We’ve had since 12 weeks old.
As long as I sit where he can see me, I just ignore the begging. He stops and then carries on playing with his toys. I do have large indoor cage with a rope swing, a climbing Rope, a boing, a cardboard shredder, two foot rattles And a bell. Most enjoy a larger cage but Ekkies are one of the ones that do better with a larger cage. Your 4 foot area sounds great, but make sure he can see you.
I was once concerned like you and spoke to an Ekkie breeder and they advised me against getting another as he is so bonded to us. (I was quite happy to get one off this breeder).
is your Ekkie still quite young, like under 5 ?
I grow black maul willow to cut a make into ’toys’. A whip wrapped into a twisted ball shape, camellias for the flowers and a plain pittosporum. Any budleia we find goes in as perches, leaves and flowers.
we have got round the going out part, by feeding him his breakfast or lunch at the time we go out. As long as his head is in a bowl scoffing when we leave, he is fine.. But if we leave whilst he is alert on us that’s when yells and stresses for a bit. We leave the radio or TV on for him.
His Food is approximatly 3/4 veg and 1/4 fruit (that’s the sugar) only gets his fruit in his evening feed, only fed in his cage..and he NEVER comes out after his evening feed. He knows this as his routine and never fusses about it now.
2 teaspoons of NO sunflower or nuts parrot seed every couple of days. sometimes he gets a half a millet spray on a piece of newspaper when we go out, as his scoffing food.
Nuts and sunflower seeds are given as a reward.
TOPS organic pellets-a tablespoon a month. As Harrison’s organic have added supplements he reacts to.
my boy tries to mate with me, usually after a high energy price of food, often a carbohydrate, like birdie bread or a piece of cracker..So watch his food intake carefully. (Sugar is a carb)
he gets about 10 hours of quiet, dark a night.
Of course we still get yells, screams and high ear piercing whistles but only about once a week or so.
remeber when You have the new area set up, introduce him slowly, be with him, show him around and don’t just leave him in there. let him watch you put and play with with his favourite toys in there and let him follow you in when he is ready. Then you can feed him In there etc and So on.
Hope this info helps you with your boy settle into a nice more peaceful routine. Xx

 

[Nolgi]

Oh boy this is a lot to reply to, I’ll do my best. Yes, he is an eclectus. He just turned 4.
It’s completely out of the question to get another parrot. Even a smaller one right now. We do have budgies, but even after a year of living with them he hates their guts and relishes any chance to go out of his way to chase them off. He has some jealousy issues even with the non-bird animals in the house.
As of the food issue, he is on Harrison’s pellets and fresh fruit/veggies but I wasn’t actually aware he shouldn’t have high sugar fruits so I’ll incorporate that immediately. He doesn’t get ANY nuts or grains besides a few oats as of now, because it has an obvious effect on his hormones unfortunately. I will absolutely get on finding him a bigger cage for the inside as well, because it seems like that’s going to make a difference. I’ll look into more plants that we could make toys out of as well. I won’t lie, I’m really at a loss right now and with some health issues I’m having atm I don’t know if there‘s any chance of him working out for us but I love him and he’s a once in a lifetime chance for us so I don’t want to give up yet.

 

[Talaya]

Oh boy this is a lot to reply to, I’ll do my best. Yes, he is an eclectus. He just turned 4.
It’s completely out of the question to get another parrot. Even a smaller one right now. We do have budgies, but even after a year of living with them he hates their guts and relishes any chance to go out of his way to chase them off. He has some jealousy issues even with the non-bird animals in the house.
As of the food issue, he is on Harrison’s pellets and fresh fruit/veggies but I wasn’t actually aware he shouldn’t have high sugar fruits so I’ll incorporate that immediately. He doesn’t get ANY nuts or grains besides a few oats as of now, because it has an obvious effect on his hormones unfortunately. I will absolutely get on finding him a bigger cage for the inside as well, because it seems like that’s going to make a difference. I’ll look into more plants that we could make toys out of as well. I won’t lie, I’m really at a loss right now and with some health issues I’m having atm I don’t know if there‘s any chance of him working out for us but I love him and he’s a once in a lifetime chance for us so I don’t want to give up yet.

It sounds like you’re doing the right things and it’s great you came here for everyone’s help. Youve had him a Year, so I think he is still testing you a bit too. Eclectus seem intune with their human caretakers and if youre feeling a bit stressed or under pressure it will probably reflect out in his behaviour by acting a bit stressed himself. Keep breathing and talk with A gentle tone & he Should respond with a more relaxed attitude to you. When Solo wants to mate, all I do is stand up or move. which puts him off balance and flies away sometimes he growls in displeasure, I do not say anything to him In case he can hear my tone Which could Give him the incentive to scream a response.
Today i nodded off in the chair and woke to find Solo just sitting on his perch near me having a fluffy nap too. So he follows my feelings/actions. I expect if you cut the fruit down to just a couple of pieces in the evening and they were berries or low sugar fruits (figs, passion fruit, peaches) things will improve.Oh yes and I’m sure you know, but don’t stroke his back or really below the neck his neck as he will see that as a mating signal from you. So will also get his hormones going. Mikey and Mia’s calming seed mix seems to work well too, it really only needs a tiny pinch over breakfast, or about half a teaspoon. A packet lasts me a year.
This is Solos cage bell, he loves anything jingle or rattle, beating It up one day and being sweet the next. It could encourage your boy to start to play, you could tap it & jingle it to start him off and you can put pine nuts in it. Or getting a wicker straw ball and roll it from one hand to the other.. Xx best of luck xx
www.parrotsrus.net/store/Awesome-Acrylic-Jingle-Barrel-by-Epic-Bird-Toys-p571966088
Www.mikeyandmia.co.uk/products/calming-seed-mix-for-parrots?_pos=1&_sid=4646d6c88&_ss=r&variant=46676293943529

 

[kme3388]

I’m so sorry to hear about your Ekkie, and that you are having health issues. Parrots can be overwhelming. Especially when you have a lot going on, and they need attention. I don’t get a break from my Ekkie. Most people are intimidated by larger parrots so a babysitter is out of the question (yes, there are people on this forum that have larger parrots, and would have no issues watching Nico my Ekkie). He has distributed nasty bites to people he doesn’t want to interact with. My Ekkie is a one person parrot, and he isn’t especially fond of men. He doesn’t try to hind the fact that he doesn’t like someone. He doesn’t allow most people to clean his cage. He can be protective of his cage (nest). So again, I am always the one cleaning up after him as he doesn’t allow others to do it. He will lunge at someone, and look scary to test boundaries. Once someone pulls back he just got what he wanted, and he will continue to try to be a big bad scary Ekkie to that person. If you look at him & laugh when he lunges he tends to not challenge the situation. He also try’s to mate with me consistently. It appears to be a common thing with male Ekkie’s. He also regurgitates the finest almonds & pine nuts for me. He’s 100% a provider. I adopted him, and his diet wasn’t ideal. I have been working on this for years. He will become vocal & flip his bowls if I offer food he doesn’t like. That or he’ll shove all of the food in his water bowl just for fun. Nico is a sweetheart to me. He would spend all day of my shoulders if he could. He follows me around everywhere. There isn’t anything this parrot wouldn’t do for me. He is my soulmate we have some challenges but I couldn’t imagine my life without him.

You are among a lot of people that have Ekkie’s that have became hormonal! I completely 100% without a doubt understand how frustrating it can be.


I’m glad you are trying to make things work, and aren’t giving up.