Drastic change in personality

[emmi]

Hello!

My wonderful avian vet says that my one and a half-year-old Electus, Hoku, has some mental health issues due to falling.

When he was young his wings were clipped too short and he has never learned to fly. For the first year of his life he didn't seem too distressed about this and was very loving and curious. However, within the past 6 months he has started to fall any time I pick him up. He has demolished any remaining flight feathers, both body and tail. He now associates me with his falling and I can't go within 15 feet of him without him puffing up and trying to attack me. I tried the vet's advice of keeping him in a plastic tub until his flight feathers grow back in, but he was even more miserable. I don't know what to do to get him back to health. I don't pressure him to step up and I don't try to pet him. I'm afraid he is going to become completely alienated from normal bird behavior. Any suggestion?

Thank you so very much!

Emmi

 

[HeatherG]

Hello!

My wonderful avian vet says that my one and a half-year-old Electus, Hoku, has some mental health issues due to falling.

When he was young his wings were clipped too short and he has never learned to fly. For the first year of his life he didn't seem too distressed about this and was very loving and curious. However, within the past 6 months he has started to fall any time I pick him up. He has demolished any remaining flight feathers, both body and tail. He now associates me with his falling and I can't go within 15 feet of him without him puffing up and trying to attack me. I tried the vet's advice of keeping him in a plastic tub until his flight feathers grow back in, but he was even more miserable. I don't know what to do to get him back to health. I don't pressure him to step up and I don't try to pet him. I'm afraid he is going to become completely alienated from normal bird behavior. Any suggestion?

Thank you so very much!

I guess I would start over just by feeding him treats from your hand and talking to him. So you re establish that he likes you and you bring him yummy treats with no chance of falling.

maybe you could sit on the floor next to his cage and let him climb out onto you.
Then you could only handle him while sitting on the floor or on a bed so he doesn’t have far to fall if he gets scared and flops?

 

[HeatherG]

I’m wondering how your eclectus is doing. If you have not already, I would suggest moving his perches down in his cage so he doesn’t have much distance to fall. Then when things get better you can raise them up again.

I did this with my very old Quaker parakeet when her broken leg was casted and then when her arthritis was very bad and she was clumsy in her last few years. Because she still wanted to perch off the ground and I wanted to give her that feeling even if there wasn’t much distance from perch to ground.

 

[ehopie]

I’m wondering how your eclectus is doing. If you have not already, I would suggest moving his perches down in his cage so he doesn’t have much distance to fall. Then when things get better you can raise them up again.

I did this with my very old Quaker parakeet when her broken leg was casted and then when her arthritis was very bad and she was clumsy in her last few years. Because she still wanted to perch off the ground and I wanted to give her that feeling even if there wasn’t much distance from perch to ground.

HeatherG: Thank you so much for responding to my post! I completely forgot until last night that I posted this. He's the same. If he sees me coming he falls and runs under the couch. I will try lowering his perches, that is a great idea, thank you! I have a wonderful bird trainer coming to visit as well so hopefully we can get it figured out.

 

[HeatherG]

I really hope this works out. It’s so sad when you are completely stuck with a bird that you love.