Day 3!!!

[EclectusRoratus]

hello there! Today is the second day with my new Eclectus. He's an eclectus roratus from the solomon Islands. His name is Gannicus. Today when I got home from work he acknowledged my presence with a big "WOOOO" So i went over to him, and he was sitting on top of his cage and I bribed him to step up with a treat. hahaha. But now he is just hanging out on my shoulder & rubs his beak on my cheek! I am so glad he is starting to feel comfortable.

I have a few questions!

1. how many toys should be in his cage? I have read 10-12 and someone told me 20! I was pretty shocked. He only came with three toys. He doesn't play with them much but I'm thinking it may be because he is settling in still and/or because the toys look pretty old and he may be bored of them.

2. He keeps just grinding his beak! He moves it non stop and it makes this odd sound. Any ideas?

Thanks for looking.

ohh and im not sure how to upload a picture on here!?

 

[Bird_Mom_to_Coby_the_GW]

For all parrots it's important to have a number of toys. You don't want to pack his cage with toys but you do want to have a number of toys for him to play with. You should also have toys to rotate out. If he isn't playing with the toys that you got with him, he probably is bored with those toys. You should maybe get him a few new toys and take out the toys that you got with him. After a couple of weeks get a few new toys again and pull out the older toys. After you get a good toy base then add a new toy from time to time and rotate different combinations of the toys that you still have. :0) Make sure that you include chewing toys. Ones that you know that he will destroy but that's just the price of having a parrot. Hookbeak's love to chew on things.

 

[khaiqha]

I wouldn't recommend having too many toys in the cage. First, the more toys in an area, the more likely they are to get pooped on. Secondly, it's less interesting for a bird to have many toys than to have a few toys that are rotated.

 

[EclectusRoratus]

Thank yall so much.

 

[moni.k]

1. Nalani has about 20 different toys. Some wood, others cocunut, plastic, and a lot of shreddable toys (since that was she enjoys the most). She has at least 4 toys in her cage at all times. Every other day I like to switch out toys and move things around including perches to make her environment fresh and exciting. Once a week I get eucalyptus trees (berries, leaves included) and zip tie them to the cage. I will add paper cups with some dried fruits so she can forage through them. This is a great way to keep him occupied without breaking the bank . Just make sure you rinse the branches before putting them in the cage. Eucalyptus are not poisonous to parrots and can be a holistic treat.

Here's a link for more information:
eucalyptus

2. Grinding their beak is a way for them to groom it. When he is all fluffed up and grinding his beak together it is actually a sign that he is relaxed and comfortable. When he grinds his beak on the perch or any object, he is just cleaning his beak from all the food stuck on there.

Here's a link on some body language behaviors
Body Language

Just note, that this is a real brief rundown on their body language. Each bird is different and display different signs. So don't use that list as a golden rule, but mainly as guidance. Eventually you will learn your birds personal body language and signs.

Congratulations on your new ekkie boy. Hope you post pictures of him soon, and keep us updated!!

 

[moni.k]

Oh, yes don't clutter the cage either. I never put more than 6 toys, and with the eucalyptus she only has 2 toys. Try to find a balance of perches and toys so that he can navigate through them and feel comfortable instead of overwhelmed.

 

[weco]

On the posting pics, if you scroll down & look at the quick reply box, the second icon from the right will let you install a pic. It's best to insert a blank line in your message (under previous text) then click on the icon, it will open another window & you can use the browse button to find the pic on your system or if the pic is posted somewhere on the internet, it allows you to enter that address.

I don't know what the pic limit is for one message, but you can just keep adding successive messages with pics to a particular thread.

As far as toys, I generally go by if the toys hamper a bird getting around in its cage or prevent the bird from easily playing with a particular toy, then I either rearrange the toys or remove some.

The usually accepted rule of thumb is that a bird should be free to fully extend its wings in any direction without touching a cage wall. Some countries are also adapting minimum cage size requirements that are a bit larger than the above, but have not heard of any laws specifying minimum cage size requirements here in the US.

You're right, 20 toys in a cage does sound like too many.....none of my birds have more than five in their cages, though there are others available outside the cages.....

Beak grinding is usually a sign of contentment. Though I've never owned one, ekkies' body language & eyes can tell you what their mood is.

Since you do not know this bird yet, always be wary of turning your head into the bird while it is on your shoulder.....if it gets startled, you might be in for a nasty bite or even serious damage to an eye.....I talk from experience on the danger, but got away with no eye damage.

 

[EclectusRoratus]

I am very careful when he is on me. He has bit me before when I first started to ask him to step up but he has never bit me hard. He gives warning bites. Today when I went to get him to step up, he gently grabbed my finger and pulled it toward him so he could get up. It was soooo cute!! And he also let me pet his back. He is settling in very well. & I am getting very excited.

I have so many questions and love feedback so I appreciate all the help. Tonight while he was grinding his beak together, I looked it up. It was about 8pm and online it says this can be a sign of a sleepy bird, so I put him in his cage and covered it up. I know he's supposed to get 12 hours of sleep so I think he was tired. But I noticed while he was grinding his beak, IT SMELLED SOOOOO BAD!!! Any idea what this could be from? I thought it was him in general but I sniffed his body and it wasn't, it was his mouth area. YUCK. If you know anything about this please let me know. I have been trying to look it up but I can't find much about the stench.

Ps when I click on the image Icon it asks me for the images URL.. It doesn't let me browse pictures on my computer I can't seem to figure it out!!! grrrrr.

 

[kc_y0]

Hello!

The grinding of the beak is definitely normal, and typically means sleepy or contentment. The smelly beak or breath is not normal though. If I was you I would try and get him to the vet as soon as you can to have him checked over, bad breath can be a sign of a bacterial infection. Don't panic as they are easy to treat, but its definitely worth getting checked out because if left untreated he can become very ill. My bird had stinky breath when she got unwell. Even if he seems well, its important to get him checked out by an avian vet because he is new to the home. Good luck!