My newly re-homed eclectus girl, questions / concerns.

[mish_mish]

Greetings from sunny Ohio!

I just (yesterday) purchased a ~10 y/o eclectus girl from a local fellow and need advice from the wise.
She seems to be very healthy, with perfect feathers and beak, however she is very timid and does not talk. Previous owner took good care of her and another male eclectus, but had to let them go due to family matters. He said that he got this girl only 6 month ago to make company for the male, but they did not get along and were kept separately. I know nothing of bird's previous history.

I understand that it will take her some time to get used to a new place and new faces, but she did not talk, or was not very outgoing with her previous owner either.
She sits in her cage or comes out on top, sometimes she acts like she's gonna fly. She eats peanuts and other cracker style treats. Onece in a while (every few minutes) she will make a loud screech, or quiet clicks, but nothing that resembles talking.
Bird is very mellow and does not show any aggressive behavior, even when she does not like to be touched, she would pinch my finger very gently, nothing like my old african gray that would be running away with my severed finger by now. I am not sure if this is her nature, or if she is in some kind of shock. She is nothing like your typical pet store parrots, that play like monkeys and grab my watch.

My questions are:

- how long does it normally take for a bird like this to get comfortable at the new place?
- what can I do to make her more personable and playful, possibly even talk in the future?

Thanks in advance!


some pics...

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi, welcome and wow she is gorgeous, what is her name?

Just a little tip to perhaps drop the peanuts from the list of foods as there can be health risks. There are plenty other treats so it would be no biggy. I hope these help you until some of our experienced ekkie parronts see your post?

Links:

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/

http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/52737-so-you-think-you-want-eclectus.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/new-mem...friendly-warnings-keep-your-parrots-safe.html

 

[mish_mish]

Hi, welcome and wow she is gorgeous, what is her name?

Just a little tip to perhaps drop the peanuts from the list of foods as there can be health risks. There are plenty other treats so it would be no biggy.

Links:

Eclectus - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

This one was pulled from the 50lb bag of "exotic bird mix" that I got with the bird. I will remove peanuts when I see them, thanks.
Name is Julia, unless I rename her.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Welcome Julia, she is lovely oh and lucky!

Are you aware that diet is even more important to an Ekkie? They can and do suffer from picking/plucking, wing flip and toe tap if things are not OK with it?

http://www.eclectusparrots.net/diets.html

I'll leave you to read .....

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

What a beauty, welcome to the forum Julia! It's no guarantee your parrot will talk as many parrots will never say a word. You can start to build trust with her, teach her a few tricks, and soon your bond will grow and her personality will blossom. She is new and scared and needs to get used to her new environment before she'll become playful and want to be with you.

 

[mish_mish]

Welcome Julia, she is lovely oh and lucky!

Are you aware that diet is even more important to an Ekkie? They can and do suffer from picking/plucking, wing flip and toe tap if things are not OK with it?

diets

I'll leave you to read .....

Thank you, just ordered some eclectus specific foods. So that 50lb bag of generic food will go to squirrels in the yard, hope they don't suffer too much.

 

[tashawithanekkie]

Hi from another fairly recent adoptee!

I'm sure you'll get tons of great advice here. Do read the diet info, it's hugely important for ekkies.

As far as talking, our male only really talks when no one's in the room.

My only other advice is, go slow! Like really slow. Eclectus are observers and thinkers, not so much birds of action.

Good luck, she's a lovely little lady, I'm sure you'll have fun.

 

[Owlet]

I suggest dropping the exotic bird mix asap. Eclectus parrots have very unique dietary needs and do not do well on majority of bird mixes. I find it easiest to just make a chop.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome! And good deal on passing that 'exotic mix' to the squirrels! FYI, the peanuts just having been mixed is a risk! Dollars to donuts, bet there is also a pile of sunflower seeds in that mix!

 

[RisingSun]

She sure is pretty! Unless you are refererring to the grocery delivery service, Shipt, there isn't any Eclectus specific food you can order. They must have whole foods only, minimally processed, no preservatives, and non-enriched (added vitamins/nutrients). Diet is the top most important thing for Eclectus and they will suffer quickly from an inadequate diet.

 

[plumsmum2005]

She sure is pretty! Unless you are refererring to the grocery delivery service, Shipt, there isn't any Eclectus specific food you can order. They must have whole foods only, minimally processed, no preservatives, and non-enriched (added vitamins/nutrients). Diet is the top most important thing for Eclectus and they will suffer quickly from an inadequate diet.

I took her reply to mean that this had been read? diets

 

[Anansi]

Congratulations on the newest member of your household!

For now, the main thing you want to do is make her feel comfortable, secure and at home. Work on building up the trust between you. As she comes to trust you and accept you as part of her flock, you will start to see more of her personalty emerge. And you will discover her likes and dislikes so far as play is concerned.

As FlyBirdiesFly mentioned, there really is no guarantee that she'll ever talk. Eclectus parrots have an exceptional capacity for speech mimicry (my Maya does an imitation of my wife's voice that has even fooled me!), but some simply never develop a desire to talk. And others yet become "closet talkers", talking only when they think no one is around to listen. Lol! But your best chance of getting her to talk is to speak to her. A LOT.

Yes, as Plumsmum and a few others mentioned, diet is VERY important when it comes to ekkies. In my opinion, fresh veggies, fruits, legumes, grains and sprouts are the way to go. Just remember that variety is key.

As for making her more personable, bribery is always a good start! Lol! Once you find her absolute favorite treat, reserve it as something she only gets when interacting with you. In time, her love of that treat will find some transference onto you. She will have come to associate you with tasty goodness.

Also, I cannot overstate the importance of interaction and teaching new things. Remember, ekkies are massively intelligent. And the downside of that much intelligence is the possibility of boredom. So as you teach her new things, she will come to see interaction with you as a time of excitement! The high point of her day!

You can start off with target training. Once they get the concept of earning treats by doing as you ask, you'll see her blossom before your eyes... and a whole new world of possibilities will open up before the two of you. You will have combined learning new things AND treats! And she'll love you for it.

 

[wrench13]

Welcome and be welcomed. Imagine you are Julia, with the intellegence of a 3 year old, and you have been abandoned to 3 different homes/places in the space of 1 year. She has a right to be shy and observant for awhile, seeing if this will be a real home. She is gorgeous. The folks on this board are amazing and will give you great advice ( we have lots of ekkie owners). Why not start a thread on Julia and post her/your progress ! I know I love hearing about parrots that get a new home and open up like beautiful flowers. And pics! We love pics and videos!

 

[mish_mish]

Thank you all for such warm welcome and all the advice.
I was able to look up band information, she came from SSA breeder, born on 10/28/2006, sold in 02/2007, pure bred female.
She is doing a little better, starting to eat. We gave her some steamed brown rice with water and she seems to like it the most.
We are not trying to handle her at all until she feels more used to the new environment. Most of the time she sits on top of the cage, sometimes making a loud screeching noise, so loud that our dog runs out of the room.
Once in a while, she spreads her shoulders as if she is getting ready to fly. Few times she said "Hi" but nothing else.

 

[LordTriggs]

she looks very nice! And seems to be settling pretty quickly

I do hope that's planned to be her permanent cage? I have the same type with a few minor differences and I used it for a single GCC. For an Ekkie it would be better to get a cage better suited for an African grey. Rule of thumb is she needs to be able to stretch her wings out fully in the cage.

Also get natural wood perches instead of those nasty dowel ones, her feet will thank you!

Oh I'd also move the cage to a corner away from the window (still able to see out of it though), she'll feel a lot more secure like that and avoid her freaking out if she sees something scary outside

 

[mish_mish]

she looks very nice! And seems to be settling pretty quickly

I do hope that's planned to be her permanent cage? I have the same type with a few minor differences and I used it for a single GCC. For an Ekkie it would be better to get a cage better suited for an African grey. Rule of thumb is she needs to be able to stretch her wings out fully in the cage.

Also get natural wood perches instead of those nasty dowel ones, her feet will thank you!

Oh I'd also move the cage to a corner away from the window (still able to see out of it though), she'll feel a lot more secure like that and avoid her freaking out if she sees something scary outside

I have another cage that is 3 times the size of this one, but need to refinish it. This one is temp solution, only because she lived in it at the previous home, I don't want to freak her out by replacing her safe space right now.

 

[LordTriggs]

she looks very nice! And seems to be settling pretty quickly

I do hope that's planned to be her permanent cage? I have the same type with a few minor differences and I used it for a single GCC. For an Ekkie it would be better to get a cage better suited for an African grey. Rule of thumb is she needs to be able to stretch her wings out fully in the cage.

Also get natural wood perches instead of those nasty dowel ones, her feet will thank you!

Oh I'd also move the cage to a corner away from the window (still able to see out of it though), she'll feel a lot more secure like that and avoid her freaking out if she sees something scary outside

I have another cage that is 3 times the size of this one, but need to refinish it. This one is temp solution, only because she lived in it at the previous home, I don't want to freak her out by replacing her safe space right now.

that's amazing to hear! I bet she's gonna love the penthouse suite!

 

[katie_fleming]

She is absolutely beautiful! Just give her time, a new home is really scary. The bond will develop

 

[mish_mish]

Doing little better, still a lot of reservations in her behavior.
Had to use towel last night to get her back into cage, she did not want to step up but took to the towel rather peacefully.
Today she is singing more sounds and eats few things. Some affection is shown to the alpha female of the house.

 

[RisingSun]

Adorable pictures, people and bird. She is so lucky to have you. It looks like you are doing just about everything right, and when she gets that new cage she is going to have a ball. I love all of the outdoor views that she has. Windows are the best play activity here at my house. She looks like she is adjusting very well, letting different people hold her, not cowering in a corner, in the photo with the dog. She's a gem! Just think, it will likely only go up from here.