Hi Everyone We Are New and of course have questions lol

[OcTavia]

Hello I am new to the forum and was reading quite a few of the posts before I decided to go ahead and sign up. I brought my baby girl Solomon Island Eclectus "Octavia" -Tavia for short, home about about a month and a half ago. Her hatch date was 5/22 of this year. Making her about 4 1/2 months old. Ever since she's been about five weeks old I was going up to visit her probably about 2 to 3 times a week until I was able to bring her home. We have been doing well with bonding and building a trusting bond. She is such a cuddlier and at night she gets a couple hours just to herself to lay under my chin on my chest and fall asleep. She is very easy going about me petting her, absolutely loves her head being scratched and I am able to lift her wings up and pet her there as well as her feet. I have not been bite besides her occasional exploring/ mouthing and a little jiggly of the hand lets her know instantly that it is too hard. I have a few questions just to make sure that I am doing everything correctly and make sure she is the happiest that she possibly can be. So I'll just get right into it and if anyone has the time to respond back I would greatly appreciate it.


-the blue around her eyes has not fully came in and seems quite dark. Is this normal with her age? (4 1/2mo)
-I have been feeding her a variety of veggies/fruits but she just seems to pick at them for the most and still enjoys her pellets and seeds most. Is this normal and okay for her health at this age? We are still working on finding her favorites amongst the fruits/veggies.
I have tried: kidney beans, pears, oranges, corn on the cob, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, vegetable pasta, quinoa, plain Cheerios, red and green pepper, brown rice, air popped popcorn, almonds, pecans, cashews, banana, watermelon, etc. i usually serve fresh but sometimes if frozen it is defrosted in warm water before.
-she hasn't really been using her feet yet to hold nuts or eat. But will occasionally for a toy. Is this normal?
-Shes still quite clumsy stepping up with a softer grip. Almost like she doesn't know exactly how to maneuver her feet yet from underneath my hand to on top of it. But Im sure practice and time will help with this. I have read the softer grip is normal with ekkies. (Also correct me if im wrong)
-she is still eating formula at night. I couldn't really tell you a spoonful amount but I check her crop and decide when shes done on that. She almost seems to take a few bites and then gets almost aggressive at the spoon trying to get the formula out of the spoon. I believe im giving her enough and cutting her off well because if i don't she will literally eat until her crop is packed. I just don't think that seems healthy but if I'm wrong please let me know. I have read about people formula feeding at night for any different amount of time but they say its also more of a comfort thing. Im basically wondering what signs to look for so that i can start weaning her off the right way and somehow don't mess it up.
-we got her a soft wood toy to play with and she seems pretty interested in that. She has been chewing the wood off but I don't believe eating it. Shes also been pretty active in her cage, especially when the top cage isn't open. She is climbing all over the cage.
-shes vocal, no words yet but she seems to change pitch in her noises. I know speech ranges in age and individual birds and look at talking as a plus but definitely not a requirement! I love her so much regardless.
-She is a little bitty with other people but i also spend the majority of the time with her. Im hoping to create a trusting bond with her but would like her to be open and comfortable with others. Any tips would be amazing.
-I feel like she may be a little small but I'm not sure because she is still really young. I had her weighed at the Avian store a couple weeks ago at .61 lbs-276.69 grams. Is this healthy?

Ive accepted i might be over reacting or looking into things too much, but this is my first time owning a bird and i don't want to mess up the fundamentals is all. If there is any tips anyone has to add to an amazing relationship and happiness of Tavia we would both love to hear them.

Thank you thank you in advance i appreciate you dealing with my craziness and love how much everyone loves their own feather companions here

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome! Plenty of Ekkie-expertise here!
Meanwhile, if you haven't discovered it, you can take any issue or topic which interests you, and use the Search Tab to read, read, read about it. I do that a lot. It's an amazing library of information, advice, and support. I'm glad you found this place!

 

[Violet_Diva]

Hello and welcome! I have found the forum to be an excellent resource for information and guidance from numerous experienced parrot owners. I got my first parrot in August, she hatched the end of May and I now believe she was probably weaned too young! Anyway I would recommend you search for content from chris-md as he is very knowledgeable, as is Anansi who has been very helpful to me and Scott too - they all have plenty of eclectus experience. As I am new to eclectus ownership I'm afraid I have no answers for you, but I'm sure someone with more experience will be able to help you!

It's great that you had the opportunity to meet and bond with your ekkie before bringing her home. Unfortunately this wasn't something I could do as travelling makes me ill and the only breeder I could find was a bit far away! It's great to hear about how docile she is, and I must say I'm a tad envious of the fact you can handle her so much!
My thread is: http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/64083-my-first-parrot-female-vosmaeri-eclectus.html

I shall look forward to reading all about Tavia

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed.Wow that was a detailed and thorough description of the current state of you relation ship with your bird and her diet. Good luck with her

 

[Anansi]

-the blue around her eyes has not fully came in and seems quite dark. Is this normal with her age? (4 1/2mo)
-I have been feeding her a variety of veggies/fruits but she just seems to pick at them for the most and still enjoys her pellets and seeds most. Is this normal and okay for her health at this age? We are still working on finding her favorites amongst the fruits/veggies.
I have tried: kidney beans, pears, oranges, corn on the cob, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, zucchini, vegetable pasta, quinoa, plain Cheerios, red and green pepper, brown rice, air popped popcorn, almonds, pecans, cashews, banana, watermelon, etc. i usually serve fresh but sometimes if frozen it is defrosted in warm water before.
-she hasn't really been using her feet yet to hold nuts or eat. But will occasionally for a toy. Is this normal?
-Shes still quite clumsy stepping up with a softer grip. Almost like she doesn't know exactly how to maneuver her feet yet from underneath my hand to on top of it. But Im sure practice and time will help with this. I have read the softer grip is normal with ekkies. (Also correct me if im wrong)
-she is still eating formula at night. I couldn't really tell you a spoonful amount but I check her crop and decide when shes done on that. She almost seems to take a few bites and then gets almost aggressive at the spoon trying to get the formula out of the spoon. I believe im giving her enough and cutting her off well because if i don't she will literally eat until her crop is packed. I just don't think that seems healthy but if I'm wrong please let me know. I have read about people formula feeding at night for any different amount of time but they say its also more of a comfort thing. Im basically wondering what signs to look for so that i can start weaning her off the right way and somehow don't mess it up.
-we got her a soft wood toy to play with and she seems pretty interested in that. She has been chewing the wood off but I don't believe eating it. Shes also been pretty active in her cage, especially when the top cage isn't open. She is climbing all over the cage.
-shes vocal, no words yet but she seems to change pitch in her noises. I know speech ranges in age and individual birds and look at talking as a plus but definitely not a requirement! I love her so much regardless.
-She is a little bitty with other people but i also spend the majority of the time with her. Im hoping to create a trusting bond with her but would like her to be open and comfortable with others. Any tips would be amazing.
-I feel like she may be a little small but I'm not sure because she is still really young. I had her weighed at the Avian store a couple weeks ago at .61 lbs-276.69 grams. Is this healthy?...

- As I understand, the blue around the SI female's eye rings does brighten as they mature. (Maya was already around a year and a half and with her eye rings a full bright blue when I got her.)

- The conversion to a healthy veggie, fruit, sprouts and legumes diet can be... challenging for a bird that is used to pellets and seeds as her main diet. So it will take persistence. Just keep offering her the fresh foods even when she rejects them. You do want to try different approaches, though. Some will turn their noses up at a chopped food, for instance, yet eagerly eat it grated. Or prefer a certain food raw rather than steamed. Another trick is to find a fruit they really enjoy and spread it in with the other foods... especially if the other foods have been chopped up fine so that it is harder to separate them. Pomegranates are great for this. Few are the ekkies who don't like pomegranates.

Also, let her see you eating the foods that you want her to try. (*Note, you want to keep foods you eat entirely separate from hers. Mammalian saliva contains gram negative bacteria, against which birds have no immune system defense. So no sharing.) Eating is a flock activity for birds, so seeing you eating a particular food will encourage her to try it. Try and make a big production of how tasty you think it is.

And one other trick. Mix her chop with a little melted virgin coconut oil. They LOVE the taste! And coconut oil is a very healthy addition.

The foods you've already tried are good. Especially the carrots and peppers for their high Vitamin A content. Keep increasing the variety. Add more leafy greens such as dandelion (nutritional powerhouse and, along with carrots are a part of every meal for my ekkies) and endive, more nutritional fruits such as blueberries and the aforementioned pomegranates, and sprouts, which are among the most nutritionally dense natural foods that you can give them. And make sure the nuts and popcorn are treats rather than staples of her diet. and I wouldn't go too heavy on the corn, either. It has little nutritional value.

- Totally normal. Some ekkies don't use their feet at all when eating. Others, like mine, do. Just a matter of preference in all likelihood, unless you've also observed some issues with balance.

- Yeah, ekkies tend to grip things more softly with their feet than birds of comparable size. And yes, the younguns do tend to the clumsy side of things. Lol!

- I can't speak with much authority on hand-feeding, as I've never done it myself. You might want to take a look in the Breeding/Raising Parrots sub-forum to learn more about that.

- Great pick with the toy! Eclectus parrots definitely prefer softer woods for their toys.

- I've always viewed talking as a bonus rather than a requirement too! But my ekkies can be quite chatty regardless. A great bonus, I must say!

- Socialize, socialize, socialize! If you want your girl to be good with other people, you have to work on getting her to view the arrival of other people as potentially positive developments. Have other people come in and bribe her with treats. Work to form a positive association with people visiting.

- 276 grams is considered a healthy weight for the average SI, but weight ranges don't necessarily tell the whole story. Some SI ekkies will have larger frames than others. You can usually tell if a bird is over or under weight by feeling the keel bone. If it feels sharp and pronounced, she might be underweight. If, on the other hand, you can barely feel the keel bone, she might be overweight for her frame. But I would think your vet would've told you if her weight was at issue.

Hope that helps with your questions, and remember to post some pics of your girl.

 

[chris-md]

^ what he said welcome to the forum!

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed. While I dont have an ekkie, the socializing is the for any parrot If friends come over, they shoud be given a supply of treats to give your girl. it really works, thats how I got Salty to like my wife.

Salty who is a small amazon also likes soft wood toys and pieces too chew, Balsa is his favrite. Even pine is too hard for his taste.

As I said Salty is one of the smaller Amazons,who range from 260-320gr,and he weighs 281 as of this AM. So he is a little shrimpy guy of the yellow shoulder tribe. LOL, when AmyMyBluefront came over for a visit, Salty was dwarfed by her size ( to be fair, she's one of the Hot )
The point in all this .. there is quite a lot of variation within a given group of specimens of the same speicies.

 

[camo]

Welcome.

As always great responses.

The only other thing I can add for a healthy and happy eclectus (well at least my two anyway) is regular showers. My boy is obscessed with them, and would likely have a daily shower if I let him.

I think this helps a lot with feather condition.