Echo is plucking and I don’t know what to do

[Jferrand526]

Echo is a yellow sided green cheeck conure that I got from a friend of mine who was moving away. He is very violent and aggressive and will only step up onto my finger if I gently use a stick to step him up first. He will not whatsoever step onto my finger he will however come charging with his head down and beak open and then bite. His last owner had said that he was plucking before but all of his feathers grew back in and then he came to me, he was with me for maybe two months then started plucking again. He is on a hookbill supreme mix from Omars Exotic Birds and he has fresh fruits and sometimes some cooked rice every day. I made him some foraging toys and bought him some too and I put toys in his cage that he seemed more interested in. The avian vet had said he’s completely healthy, he is due back for an appointment next week although I just feel as if I have let him down.

He gets about six to eight hours out of the cage and I do spend some individual time with him in the living room doing his favorite thing which is watching tv but I just don’t know if I did something wrong towards him that he doesn’t like me or that he dislikes someone else in the family and isn’t comfortable with them. He seems to have stopped plucking for now because there haven’t been any feathers at the bottom of the cage but I just wish that I could comfort him the way I do with the others. He has been muttering bad words to particular people though but when he’s around me he’s quiet except for the kiss noises he makes towards me.

 

[itzjbean]

Hey there, sorry to hear Echo isn't doing so great.

You say he is very violent and aggressive, which sounds like to me he may have lost trust for most/if not all humans at some point, may have a certain reaction to some people as you have probably witnessed, possibly he has been exposed to verbal or physical abuse in the past, and a reset is needed with human interaction and great care taken with him to help him heal and learn to trust again.

He will need some special time one-on-one with all humans living in the house and lots of patience. if he's plucking it can be a sign of many things, including stress. The vet will be able to give you suggestions as how to make him stop.

Consider lowering the amount of rice and fruits he gets and instead offering vegetables, they are lower in energy and therefor may help his energy be more manageable.

Tips for Bonding and Building Trust - always an excellent read!

 

[LordTriggs]

he may just have a funny way of showing his love to people, like those cats you hear about who cuddle with their teeth

As for the plucking it could maybe be a hormonal thing as tis the season (gosh I'm like a broken record haha!) Could possibly lower protein/sugars in his diet to alleviate some pent up energy and quite possibly try the hump duck as patented by either ChrisMD or Violet (I forget which)

 

[Jferrand526]

I tried giving him some veggies and he takes the dish and knock it over if there isn’t grapes in his dish or rice. He will cuddle me when we do have one on one time but as for everyone else, he just hates everyone else. He will step up without the stick for me on occasion but only when he wants to and I make sure its on his terms. I’ve been spending more individual time with him lately and he seems to be coming around but if he tries to spend time with anyone else without me there he attacks.

The avian vet last time we spoke said it could be hormones too.

 

[LordTriggs]

with the others around I'm thinking could it be the defensive biting? You know like when they bite a mate to make them leave perceived danger? All you can really do is continue working with him to get him happy and cuddly around you then slowly work on his socialization. I'm sure there's a happy cheek in there somewhere

 

[Jferrand526]

I have no clue if it is defensive biting but it might be. Although when i am holding him he will definitely try to bite anyone that comes near me.