I feel like a real beginner.

[helijohn]

Stand by for a long first real post. lol
I went online using Google looking for some answers and after a week of browsing landed on this.

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/15228-my-new-baby-eclectus-lilo-biting-hard.html

Now that is pretty much what I am faced with.
I guess I have been doing something completely wrong.
I brought Lulu home from a breeder two weeks ago; she hatched in October last year. She is my first hand reared bird. My COG was about 15 years old and died recently. He was parent reared and though very timid he was a real dream. All my previous and current birds have been parent reared or pet shop buys.

Being a bit long in the tooth myself and having wanted to try a hand reared companion pet many years ago I thought it was the way to go.

Getting back to Lulu, when collecting her at the breeder's place we (me and my partner) had her on our hands and it seemed like all was well.

After a day of settling in at home I brought her out of her cage no problems and a little while later put her on a stand. Gave her some time on it then went to pick her up and wow got a nasty bite.

OK, so hand reared doesn't mean "step on trained" but this caught me by surprise. Had she been parent reared or an older bird (had a cockatoo once that was well old and well aggressive even) I would have been on the alert. So yes, I flinched...........told her no bite....spent a bit more time and then put her back in the cage.

Over the days I have brought her out and seemed to be doing fairly well, some short step on sessions and time together but as time has gone on the biting has gotten worse.

So this caused me to have the one thing I have not had before. Fear.

I tried the things like distractions but TBH I am not seeing an improvement. So at one stage I had to use a training stick to move her around and what does she do........lunges at the hand holding the stick and so has bitten me and drawn blood on the back of my hand which is normally a place I feel secure with.

A young bird like this is learning who is boss.........her and I am not used to that.

Meanwhile I have been in constant contact with the breeder who has now told me to leave her alone in the cage for about 4 to 6 weeks and ignore her. He thinks she is extremely insecure (can't disagree with that) and she is in a phase that she has to come through so I have to just feed her her regular feeds, no treats nada. I have to say this goes against the grain - I would not ignore any baby - and she now lunges at me when I am feeding her.

 

[sodakat]

Hello. I took a look at the link you referenced and after reading the first response which suggested "forcing" a step-up, I could not read further.

I agree with the breeder you bought her from for the most part. She needs time to just observe you and your partner and learn that she is in a safe home. Forcing her to do things is not going to teach her to TRUST you.

I don't think you need to completely ignore her, but I do think you should stop trying to handle her for the time being. There just is no rush. She'll be with you for the rest of your lives and I guarantee at some point you two will be the best of friends. Just give her time to realize that she has some choice in how things work.

Something you may want to do is afix a perch on the inside of the door to her cage. When she gets comfortable sitting on that perch you can slowly open the door so she is outside her cage on the perch. This will be a much better place to begin the step up process than inside her cage which she perceives as her territory.

Talk softly to her whenever you are close by her cage. I'd continue giving treats but in her dish instead of handing them to her.

When she begins showing an interest in getting out of her cage, just open the door and let her explore a bit.

I assume she is flighted because you Brits seem to be ahead of us Americans in knowing how important flight is. It could be she will want to fly to you rather than be picked up at first. I would let her do this, even if she first lands on your head.

If you are nervous about offering your hand if you have to transport her once she is uncaged, try a folded rope perch instead of a stick perch. Offer her the folded end. I've found there is much more control with a folded rope perch than a stick, especially because you can have her sit up on the folded end instead of out on a stick. Hope that makes sense.

Go slow. Don't worry. She will love you in no time.

--Kathy

 

[moni.k]

I agree with sodakat, sounds like she just needs some time to adjust. I am pretty positive that she was hand reared. If she was parent raised she wouldn't let you touch her at all and would be fearful of handling, but that doesn't seem like the case.

When I first brought Nalani home, she bit literally every single member in my family excluding me. :54: (what a little angel...) But since then I found that talking to her and having her watch our daily lives helped soothe her of her fear. We watch tv, eat, study together and include her in our conversations. She improved greatly but is still unsure of my older brother at times.

There's a lot of cases where adjusting takes days, weeks or even months. Patience and a bit of tender loving care will help the process go smoother. Don't be too hard on yourself, luckily birds are pretty forgiving of mistakes and it is all a learning experience. Next thing you know you're gonna be an ekkie expert!!

 

[Peeker]

I didn't read the link but "forcing step up" would not be my choice. She is letting you know "absolutely NOT". She sounds like she is afraid and just needs time to adjust. Let he watch you go about your daily routines. Talk to her (not AT her) sing, and offer a treat to her cup now and again. The perch on the inside door is a great idea. I have used this before. This will give you some time to let go of your fear too. She is a baby. She is not intentionally hurting you. She just has no other way to get control in a very fearful situation for her. Seeing things from her point of view will help you to empathize with her and be less fearful as well.

 

[helijohn]

I don't think you need to completely ignore her, but I do think you should stop trying to handle her for the time being.
Something you may want to do is afix a perch on the inside of the door to her cage. When she gets comfortable sitting on that perch you can slowly open the door so she is outside her cage on the perch. This will be a much better place to begin the step up process than inside her cage which she perceives as her territory.

Talk softly to her whenever you are close by her cage. I'd continue giving treats but in her dish instead of handing them to her.


I assume she is flighted because you Brits seem to be ahead of us Americans in knowing how important flight is. It could be she will want to fly to you rather than be picked up at first. I would let her do this, even if she first lands on your head.

If you are nervous about offering your hand if you have to transport her once she is uncaged, try a folded rope perch instead of a stick perch. Offer her the folded end. I've found there is much more control with a folded rope perch than a stick, especially because you can have her sit up on the folded end instead of out on a stick. Hope that makes sense.

Go slow. Don't worry. She will love you in no time.

--Kathy

Thanks for the responses - to all.

I confess I get the treats to her by taking the feeder out, putting the treat in and replacing it. My thinking is that I want her to see that she is seeing me as feeding her. I'm cautious though as I see her ready to lunge. If she had an iris I'd be watching that intently.

Also, I wonder about taking on the role of male Eclectus as they get a hard time off the female apparently.

Like the rope idea but can you draw me a picture I almost get it; would it be like a loop?

As for flighted birds, I like to see them fly and wings are beautiful but even though this one could hardly clamber around, I mean she was seriously unable to "climb", she could fly like a Harrier jet. This very good ability to fly also caught me off guard especially as it is a bit uncontrolled. I like to show them where windows and mirrors are for their safety...........usually.

 

[Fleabane]

Hi John, it will get better, you just need to give her plenty of time and don't rush. I imagine she is very insecure and if you can keep her flighted it will help in the long run as she will have the option to return home, rather than bite

I'm going through something very similar and it really does get better and time plays a very major part, which being the impatient type wasn't easy, but it is working

Where did you get her out of interest?

 

[sodakat]

One of these:

Hold the plastic cap ends in your hand and offer the looped end to your girl, asking for a step up. I have 4 hens and use these when they go under things rather than offering my hand. Who cares if they bite the rope? I teach all of mine, males and females, to step onto a rope perch in case someone else needs to move them so there is no chance of biting skin.

When my babies fledge they learn quickly where the windows are. Try not to worry about that. If you give her lots of places to land she'll find her way around the house. I even have some "L" shaped branches I've put on a board, then fastened the board to the wall like a plaque, with the long side of the "L" sticking out into the room, up high of course.

 

[helijohn]

One of these:

Hold the plastic cap ends in your hand and offer the looped end to your girl, asking for a step up. I have 4 hens and use these when they go under things rather than offering my hand. Who cares if they bite the rope? I teach all of mine, males and females, to step onto a rope perch in case someone else needs to move them so there is no chance of biting skin.

Gotcha, many thanks. One of these should do the trick then.

Trixie Rope perch, Cotton Mix, Wooden, Parakeets, Parrots, Cockatiels, Budgies | eBay

@fleabane

I'm going through something very similar and it really does get better and time plays a very major part, which being the impatient type wasn't easy, but it is working Where did you get her out of interest?

I got her from a breeder in Keighley.
eclectus parrot