New parent

[Amlamb]

A little bit about myself... I purchased a cockatiel from a pet store on April 26th. She passed away less than a month later. The avian vet said that it was from congenital renal failure. I had become so close to that baby that my boyfriend and I decided to adopt from a rescue.

My boyfriend immediately bonded with a blue fronted amazon (who bit the owner while we were there). We though he might be our "problem child".

I fell in love with a female Ecleclus. She was previously returned by another couple after two days for being aggressive, but she was able to step up for me at the sanctuary. Her bio even says she's "shy of hands."

First day was good. Second day she nipped twice and unable to get out of cage. Third day bruise bit through double towel.

She seemed to be afriad of a the towel immediately and runs so I bought a tree stand and ladder but she didn't like. I continued bonding with talking, singing, letting her nibble my fingers through the cage, kissing the top of her beak. She honks, grinds, and sways, so I thinks she's bonding.

Yesterday got her to the bottom of the cage...she stepped up, ...and clamped onto my wrist. Two steps forward, one step back. Today she was lunging and trying to bite. Any suggestions?

I'm trying an oven mitt, she seems to like to pull the strings. I put a treat on the other side to entice her to walk over it. Mind you, I've only had her less than a week, so I'm only looking for suggestions. Thank you!

 

[adz1984]

My biggest suggestion would be that you give her a bit of space, moving homes is generally very stressful to birds.. and stress can lead to illness's or death in extreme cases therefor I use Vetafarm Spark Liquid in water for the first few days of a new bird, it provides energy and electrolytes that assist birds in recovery from illness or stress. I don't think it's available in the US but you would have something similar for sure. Otherwise all sounds normal just take it abit easy, they will soften up and accept you in time!

 

[Flboy]

Just incredibly too fast! Seems like she may work with you, but please try to think frorm her view point! She is sure you want her for lunch!

 

[adz1984]

Just incredibly too fast! Seems like she may work with you, but please try to think frorm her view point! She is sure you want her for lunch!

EDIT:
Thinking about it a bit more I take back this comment

 

[Amlamb]

My biggest suggestion would be that you give her a bit of space, moving homes is generally very stressful to birds.. and stress can lead to illness's or death in extreme cases therefor I use Vetafarm Spark Liquid in water for the first few days of a new bird, it provides energy and electrolytes that assist birds in recovery from illness or stress. I don't think it's available in the US but you would have something similar for sure. Otherwise all sounds normal just take it abit easy, they will soften up and accept you in time!

Thank you so much for your suggestion. I've heard contradicting statements....let them be vs towel them. I've been advised not to give her supplements but how long do you suggest I let her get acclimated and what level of involvement should I provide??

 

[Amlamb]

Just incredibly too fast! Seems like she may work with you, but please try to think frorm her view point! She is sure you want her for lunch!

EDIT:
Thinking about it a bit more I take back this comment

What is your suggestion?

 

[adz1984]

I choose to use the supplement because it makes sense to me and is only for a few days, I believe it does more good than harm but you or someone else could believe otherwise, each to his own!
As for how long, it depends on how skittish the bird is but I would take it easy for at least a week and for the level of involvement I would say back off when she shows signs of stress/anger/fear, so find what works for both of you!

 

[Anansi]

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

My condolences on the loss of your baby cockatiel. They are amazing birds, and I know from experience how swiftly and surely they can work their way into your heart.

And congratulations on the new members of your household! What are their names? And pics! We LOVE pics, here!

As for the supplements, I definitely understand adz1984's reasoning. Thing is, though, that ekkies have a rather unique digestive system that renders them far more susceptible to dietary issues and food sensitivities than other parrots. Fact is, due to their longer digestive tracts, eclectus parrots extract more vitamins and nutrients from their foods than most other parrots do. As such, they often develop issues when exposed to supplements, pellets, or artificially enriched seeds. So, unless prescribed a specific dose by a certified avian vet with eclectus experience, I wouldn't personally give my ekkies any supplements.

As for the biting issue, both Flboy and adz1984 have given VERY solid advice in that you may just need to slow it down a bit. Give her a chance to get to know you and try going more at her pace. I definitely wouldn't introduce a towel at this point unless absolutely necessary, like for a trip to the vet or something. Work instead on building your bond with her. BRIBERY works, here! Get her to associate you with the very best treats. Ofttimes, the way to an ekkie's heart is through his or her stomach.

Also, continue doing the other stuff you've been doing with her. The talking, singing and such is great for bonding. And then, once you can get her out of her cage, work on training her away from her cage. Preferably in another room if at all possible. I say this since you could also be dealing with a territorial issue, here. (Are most of the instances of biting happening in close proximity to her cage?)

Once you've built up the beginnings of a rapport with her, one of the earliest things you should start working on is bite pressure training. Here is a link that you might find helpful in this regard:
http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html My post in that thread also contains 2 other links you might want to check out. Hope this helps!

 

[tashawithanekkie]

I agree, slow down a little. Maybe spend time just being near the cage talking to her. Let her have time to observe you and decide you're okay. Good luck!

xpost, anasi's is far better, he's way more experienced, i'm a newbie.

 

[adz1984]

Completely forgot about supps being bad for ekkies, nice, informative well written post by anansi!

 

[Amlamb]

Thank you all so much for the great advice! Today I began whistling to her and she really seems to like that, she's been honking all morning and will come down and rub her beak on the cage. She also likes kisses on her beak.

I think she is terrified of a towel so I have completely down away with that. I am trying to introduce the oven mit, but just so that she gets used to it.

I have a tree stand that is in another area that I would eventually like to train her on.

How long would you suggest I give her to get used to her new home? I have been leaving the door open too and she will occasionally come out and explore the top of her cage. The rescue she came from suggested only a week before I towel her, but I really don't want to do that. I don't want her to see me as a threat.

One more question, how do I know if she is preening or plucking?

 

[Inger]

Just curious-what are you planning on using the oven mitt for ?


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[Amlamb]

Instead of a towel to step up on my arm, which is what she used at the sanctuary, and she seems to not like. Basically to protect my arm. I'm willing to take suggestions.

 

[itzjbean]

Instead of a towel to step up on my arm, which is what she used at the sanctuary, and she seems to not like. Basically to protect my arm. I'm willing to take suggestions.

My suggestion: long sleeve t-shirt!!!

Keep working with her, but SLOW down! Allow her a couple weeks to settle, get comfortable with her new home and with you. Bites are preventable and are the human's fault...you weren't listening to her and got bit. So just relax, take it at her pace, and no oven mitts (what would you use that for, anyways?)

 

[Inger]

I think someone here used padding under a long sleeved shirt so it looked normal. I think that ideally you want her to accept your hand/arm and the oven mitt might not be conducive to that process. Someone with more knowledge will hopefully jump in here soon. Have you read Birdman666's sticky about big beaks?


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[Amlamb]

Ok, no more oven mit. Thanks for the feedback.

I don't think long sleeved shirt would be enough. That bite was with a double towel. I did read ace bandage under shirt...that might work.

I definitely think she is wanting to come out more. She will go to the bottom of th cage and pace. Honestly, she may step up with no problem. Two days ago she did but then clamped my wrist. I think I'm more afraid than she is, and she can probably tell. I've read not to show a reaction because the can bite purposefully to get a reaction, but obviously that is very difficult. I may just have to suck it up and try to read her signals, especially is she is signaling she wants out.

 

[Amlamb]

Should I allow her to put my fingers in her mouth....is this a form of bonding?

 

[Anansi]

Fingers in the mouth is fine. They explore the world with their beaks, so beaking your fingers is normal and healthy. But bite pressure training is a must, here.

And yes, if you are radiating fear she is likely picking up on it. For birds, body language is VERY important. Thing is, they can't quite conceive of you not being as attuned to their body language as they are to yours. As a result, they find it extremely confusing when you exhibit a defensive posture/fear response when they are clearly indicating no hostile intent.

This is why, IMO, the fear response is so often met with an aggressive reaction from the bird. "You're amped, so obviously we're not on the same page, here. Do we have a problem?" To them, we are the confusing ones.

On a related note, be careful with that whole "no reaction" stuff. It is true that you don't want to go into histrionics, as the bird might not quite understand the context and could actually find your reaction entertaining... or terribly frightening. Either would likely result in another bite. But that said, please give no credence to the advice that you should stoically take a bite in the hopes of convincing the bird that biting has no effect on you. I find that approach masochistic in the extreme.

If a bird is biting you, tell them "No" in an even, yet firm, tone of voice. And then remove the offending beak from your flesh. No screaming and dancing around, but don't allow it to continue on, either. The example I always use is that of a toddler. If you are playing with a child and he hauls off and cracks you one in the face, do you just sit there and allow it? No. You calmly stop him and course correct by communicating that such an action is not acceptable. Why? Because the child doesn't know any better when doing it, and he won't know better until he is taught otherwise. If someone did allow it without letting him know that it is unacceptable, all of the subsequent "facials" will have been the adult's fault rather than the child's. Know what I mean?

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welcome!

Glad you're here, and already getting help.
I like how you're reaching out so sincerely!

 

[StChelle]

Outlawedspirit had some great advice on my thread for my male Eclectus on bite pressure training. I followed that before trying the long sleeves. Its working for me.

In all def slow down and temper expectations. keep working with her. I am seeing progress with my Harley on a weekly basis at first and now nearly every day.