So..you think you want an Eclectus.

[Dopey]

I do measure mine every day. They get fresh food in the morning - 2/3 of a cup for the female and 2/3 + for the male. Usually his is all gone by the end of the day and she usually has a little left but it appears to have been squished by the beak in some way or another. There are some days that he doesn't finish all of his. In the afternoon they get fruit (a couple of slices) or large seeds, (a coffee scoop full [you know the scoops that used to come in the coffee cans - NOT the coffee]).

I have busy/bad days. Then they get 1/2 - 1/3 cup of seeds and some Harvest Gourmet blend.

I have given them pellets and they don't eat them but I still try.

Chris-Md has a great point. Don't over think this. It's too bad that the Eclectus have such a bad rap about their diet because they are the sweetest bird I have and I have a lot.

 

[Taw5106]

I've not really had a problem with feeding Venus, except when I brought her home, she wouldn't eat fresh food. She had been on a seed diet so I worked with her and switched it up. Venus also was deficient in vitamin A so I incorporate colorful, high in vitamin A foods like carrot, sweet potato, and red pepper. To get her to eat the good stuff, Stephen suggested grating so for those items she's fickle about, I grate them like carrot. It sticks to the other food so she ends up eating it. Another trick I use is my cup. If she's being difficult, I'll put her food in a coffee cup, with a spoon (she loves spoons), and she will come to me to see what I've got. Then climb on the cup and go to town. It never fails, she eats! I give her 1/2 cup in the morning, and in the evening around 5p. She gets snacks like an almond, nutraberry, or another fresh veg or fruit combo.

 

[jibbs1977]

I am going to be getting a 12 week old in 5-6 weeks you say 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup is that in cup measures? as i do have these or you on about the food dishes/pots in the cages.

 

[Taw5106]

I am going to be getting a 12 week old in 5-6 weeks you say 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup is that in cup measures? as i do have these or you on about the food dishes/pots in the cages.

I used a conversion table and 1/2 c is about 118 ml, and 1/3 c is just under 79 ml. I hope that helps.

 

[dazg]

I am going to be getting a 12 week old in 5-6 weeks you say 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup is that in cup measures? as i do have these or you on about the food dishes/pots in the cages.

I used a conversion table and 1/2 c is about 118 ml, and 1/3 c is just under 79 ml. I hope that helps.

Thanks for that very helpful : )

 

[Susan1]

I thought I wanted an Ekkie too, but would up with a Blue Crown Conure 28 years old. Sweetest, most cuddly bird on the planet.

 

[RisingSun]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I laughed at the female politely pushing your finger away, Venus does this and I'm mesmerized by it, lol. This is a great post, thank you for sharing your knowledge, both you and Stephen have been so valuable to me with Venus.

BTW, we are heading to the vet in the next hour for the Diva's check up. So far this morning she keeps pushing my hand away, lol. I hope she's in a better mood soon!

When my boy doesn't like me doing something, or when he is over it, he will gently take my finger in his beak, and move it away from him LOL!

I love this sticky! Their beaks can cut, especially if they are overgrown, or haven't been filed. Luckily they don't seem to have the bite-force ability that other parrots have (guessing because of their diet of mostly softer foods). I've only been bitten once by Matisse...on accident, and not fully. He was aiming for my cousin (who for some reason is the only person he detests...and he doesn't like males in general but has never tried to bite), and I intercepted.

My experience with my one eclectus is that no bird will ever try to understand you to your soul, like an eclectus. He watches my e.v.e.r.y move. He stares at my face to calculate my emotions. He knows what I am going to say or do before even I do sometimes (sometimes he sighs right when I do, if not 1/2 a beat before LOL). He knows my habits, tendencies, routines....better than any human. I read somewhere that parrots can sense changes in mood through capillaries in the face....invisible to the naked eye. I believe it.

He has a funny, playful side, but usually doesn't like nonsense like singing and dancing to loud music, and acrobatics, or drama of any kind. For some reason he lets loose in the shower and will sing with me and get super hype and talkative. Mostly he likes to sit on or near me...where he can see my face at all times, give kisses and cuddle. And if I dare to try to touch his head or give in a scratch, he will duck and dive like we are boxing LOL.

 

[Anansi]

...Luckily they don't seem to have the bite-force ability that other parrots have (guessing because of their diet of mostly softer foods). I've only been bitten once by Matisse...on accident, and not fully.

Hahaha! Trust me, this is more a reflection of the sweetness of your particular ekkie than a true measure of their biting ability. Properly motivated, they are capable of de-gloving injuries. While neither of my ekkies tend to show me any aggression (Jolly has never bitten anyone, and Maya has only bitten me once - during her first hormonal surge), I have felt the wrath of an angry ekkie at a bird store (My first ekkie's brother, actually.) That was quite the blood-letting, let me tell you! Worst bite I've ever gotten, easily.

My experience with my one eclectus is that no bird will ever try to understand you to your soul, like an eclectus...

Love this! I know EXACTLY what you mean! Lol! So true!

 

[RisingSun]

^ Oh no! I guess I'd better not piss him off then. Yes I have been very lucky that he is gentle.

 

[Taw5106]

Bites? Venus slaughtered me when I got between her and Buzz my African Gray. She was on a mission. She sliced and diced me, I ended up at the doctor due to infection. Do not be tricked by those sweet beaks, lol!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[rcratchet]

i have a female eclectus early morning she is out of her cage and on my shoulder all day. she will tug on my ear which means one of 4 things food water bathroom or out side if i put her on her cage and she jumps back on my shoulder its out side other wise she would have went into the cage for one of the other three great bird

 

[Anansi]

Isn't it a beautiful thing when you and your bird begin to bridge that communication gap? Talking ability is cool, and ekkies have that in spades, but true communication of this sort is the part that truly fascinates me.

 

[rcratchet]

my eclectus is a female and as most females she knows what she wants and is in the process of teaching me there an incredible bird mine is sweet gentle and very smart her name is Cookie

 

[Anansi]

Cookie is beautiful!

 

[Indian3798]

I don’t know where to post this but I have a question. My husband just got a female eclectus from his friend. She is about 6 years old. We were told she hates women. When she is out of her cage she will walk around and eventually come up to me. I usually just move away. I spend most of the day with her, talking and giving her her food. So last night I left my feet on the floor. She climbed up and sat on my lap. I didn’t act fearful. Then for no apparent reason she bit my arm. I told her no, then she bit it even harder. I said no in a sterner voice and my husband came and got her. I want to know if there is a way to stop this. I would love to be able to let her out durothe day but I don’t want to get bit when I have to try to get her back in her cage when I have to go to work. Also to be able to get her if she is into something that would harm her. Sorry this is so long

 

[Anansi]

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

I've always felt that the whole "my bird hates men/women" thing tends to be a misunderstanding of whatever is actually triggering the biting behavior in the bird. Now, is it possible that a person of a particular gender might strongly resemble another person of that same particular gender who in the past earned that bird's ire? Sure. But it wouldn't be a general man vs woman thing. Know what I mean?

But on to your questions. First thing to do is begin paying strong attention to your bird's body language. What many people don't realize is the extent to which birds communicate via body language. Much of what they "say" to one another... and to us... goes unnoticed simply because we often don't recognize what they are doing as communication. So in many cases, by the time the bird bites you she has likely already warned you several times over and is now acting out of exasperation. (Of course, a bird might also be quick to bite after having been unintentionally taught in her prior home that it's the only form of communication that we humans listen to. This, however, is related to the body language thing as it is the natural result when said bird's other warnings have been continually ignored.)

Now, while we will never get to the point that we can comprehend everything they are trying to tell us, we can at least achieve a rudimentary understanding of their more basic communications. And this will help immensely with the biting situation, as you will be better prepared to avoid the bites in the first place if you can get a feel for when they are coming. (Here is a link to a great thread that focuses in-depth on body language and bite-avoidance: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/57935-brainstorming-biting-parrots.html)

Btw, as if learning to read their body language wasn't difficult enough, some of the indicators that you need to look out for turn out to be individual to one particular parrot. For instance, my male eclectus, Jolly, gently takes my finger in his beak. Depending on the context, he's either being affectionate or stopping my hand from doing something that he's not really thrilled about. The difference is subtle, but you soon get a sense of which is which. But Maya (my female eclectus), on the other hand, is a bird of an entirely different color (both literally and figuratively). When she gently beaks me, she is actually communicating to me the beginning of a countdown. There is something that she wants - urgently - and she's letting me know in no uncertain terms. (This sometimes occurs when she's on my hand and waiting as I get her food bowl together.) Each successive beaking after the first gradually increases the pressure applied. Now, I have no idea what happens after the fourth... as I've never taken long enough to reach #5 (my momma didn't raise no fool!), but given the mathematical precision with which each squeeze increases, I'm fairly certain that the 5th would be rather uncomfortable and the 6th would likely be ouch-worthy. But I understand her communication for what it is and act accordingly.

And understanding leads to the second step, which is determining the trigger. It's all well and good that we come to recognize their body language, but what can we do with that knowledge? Well, with a lot of observation and deductive reasoning, we can figure out what exactly is leading to the reactions to which we have become attuned.

Let's look at your example. (I love, btw, that you say "...for no apparent reason" when you mention her biting you. Apparent is the key.) Once you recognize the body language indicators to look for, you can consider the circumstances around you when you see it happening. For example, let's say your new ekkie has already formed an attachment to your husband. The trigger might have been something as simple as your husband walking into the room. Why? Because the instant he (her favorite in this presumed scenario) walks into the room, you become an obstacle to her being with him. The initial nip, and then the harder bite, were her attempts to get through to you that she wanted to be over there, with him.

Or, if you were her favorite, it might have been a warning bite. "Look out! That suspicious looking guy is back!" Or displacement biting.

Even something as subtle as a lighting change that shifted a shadow on the wall and scared her silly could've been the culprit. Or she might even get bored easily and was trying to get you to engage her instead of just chilling together. You won't really have a definitive answer until you've taken the time to observe.

Of course, the very short length of time you've had her also factors in, but I focused on other aspects since she walked over to you and climbed your leg. So shyness doesn't seem to be the issue.

Whatever the cause, identifying it is job one. Then adjust your behavior appropriately. If it's something that can be avoided, make what changes you need to make that happen. And if not, you work further on bite-pressure training. (Remember the example I gave with Maya? Her countdown was something she developed once I taught her that just up and biting me was not acceptable.) Here is a thread on bite-pressure training you'll definitely want to check out: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/63988-bite-pressure-training.html

Another thing that helps in the meantime as you are learning her body language is to carry something palm-sized in your hand, like a bird-safe piece of wood or plastic, that you can use as a "distractor". This is good in that it gives them a substitute for your flesh when the urge to eat you comes along. Just interpose it between you and the offending beak if she goes to strike.

As for the a safer way to carry her around until she stops biting, you should get a T-perch. Shaped just how the name implies, it allows you to hold the shaft and give your bird a non-flesh perch to step up on that she can't easily traverse to get to your hand. There are quite a few members here who have their birds stick-trained for that very reason... or for birds that get a bit... unpleasant... during their hormonal seasons.

Hope this helps, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have more questions.

 

[Indian3798]

Thank you for the in depth answers I have been reading everything I can about parrots and eclectus in particular. My husband does resemble her previous owner. Somewhat. In the case of last night. We were both in the room with her. She had a choice to go to him but came to me. We were both sitting on sofas in the room. I sit away from my husband when she is out as to not aggravate her, haha! She was just on my lap, I didn’t make any sudden movements are talk loud. She didn’t appear to give any warning. I’ve been reading about. She was preening her feathers and seemed calm. Then just bit. The second bite I’m sure was a result of having been told no. She doesn’t seem to like that. There was an issue with a box she was chewing several days ago. Lol. The crazy thing is I can usually pet her head when she is sitting with my husband. She calls for me during the day when we are here together. It’s almost like she wants to be friends but I think I’m doing something wrong I just can’t figure out what. I’m the one who feeds her and gives her treats. Lol.

 

[rcratchet]

first of all all birds are different but some things never change the bird picks who it likes and there is a pecking order. next you cant pretend your not nervous about him being on your arm he already knows you are. try working with the bird alone but let him come to you watch the bird if he looks like he is going to bite move your hand before he goes for it once he bites and you react and pull your hand away he has you where he wants you it becomes a game for him i have been bitten a few times and if you dont give them a reaction which is hard to do but that is a major step good luck

 

[Ellie777Australia]

QUOTE=RisingSun

"My experience with my one eclectus is that no bird will ever try to understand you to your soul, like an eclectus. He watches my e.v.e.r.y move. He stares at my face to calculate my emotions."


Couldn't have said this better...this is what our beautiful Ellie does...

 

[DaveTX]

Hello All I am new to the group. I am waiting on two male babies Eclectus (Solomon) that are siblings. Any issue with raising them in same cage?