Stressed eclectus

My wife and I have adopted a stressed eclectus who is in the recovery stage of a severe feather plucking episode. Winston is about 17 years old. For the 1st week in our home he was very happy to come out of his cage and sit with us. Commencing two days ago, he suddenly does not want to come out of his cage and will bite if we try to get him to step up. What happened? He was very sweet last week and enjoyed being with us. Now he appears happy as long as we leave him alone.

He might be testing his independence (not coming out when you want him to) or still just dealing with the stress of moving homes. One week is not very long for him so he will go through ups and downs. Don't try and take him out, just sit by the cage and talk or read to him, or even just sit silently. Offer favorite treats through the bars. Leave the cage door open and let him decide to come out and play. Be patient, if he was out and enjoying being with you, he will be back to that you just have to give him lots of time as he is still adjusting. My only other thought is that the cage seems really comforting to him and when you do eventually get him out, you may want to take him to a different room to play and spend time with so that he's not fixated on the cage. There are lots of people on here with Eclectus birds and they can possibly offer more species specific advice. Good luck!

Did you adopt Winston from M.A.R.S by any chance?
Anyway in my opinion you were lucky that he came out at all for the first week, because most of the time they are very nervous to move homes. I would say when you are home you should leave the cage door open and sit in the room and talk to him as much as possible in a quiet voice. Try and make every interaction a positive one. He will eventually come out of the cage. As long as you are slow and give him time he will come around. My husband and I adopted a female eclectus about a year ago and at first we were very frustrated because she truly acted as though all she wanted was to be left alone. Now a year later she a totally different bird. As frustrating as it is to hear the words "time" and "patience", those are the only 2 things that will make Winston come around.
Also a trick I learned in the beginning is to find out what food Winston's favorite and eat it next to his cage and make a big deal about how good it is and he will want to come out and get it. Do this over and over and he will eventually come around. He will associate you with good things and want to be with you.

melbourned said:

My wife and I have adopted a stressed eclectus who is in the recovery stage of a severe feather plucking episode. Winston is about 17 years old. For the 1st week in our home he was very happy to come out of his cage and sit with us. Commencing two days ago, he suddenly does not want to come out of his cage and will bite if we try to get him to step up. What happened? He was very sweet last week and enjoyed being with us. Now he appears happy as long as we leave him alone.

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Can you give more info on why you think Winston is stressed.

What happened....You moved to fast for him....When you keep trying to get an eclectus to do something they don't want to do they will lunge to warn you & if you keep it up they will bite. Did you also get any history on Wilson. The more you know about your new bird the better.

Whenever I adopt a new adult parrot i usually don't handle them at all. They are left in their cage for at least a week so i can monitor them, read their body language. As time goes by I can then address any issues that may arise. Then after the bird has settled into their new environment I start to work with them.

The best advice i can give you is to just leave him alone, open his door if he wants to come out OK, don't ever force him. Ask him to step up if he doesn't want to leave him & come back later & ask. Males tend to be a little more placid than hens & usually come around quicker. It's really all about trust building. When he trusts you he will come looking for you. Just don't fuss over him until you also get to know & trust him.

Yes we got him from M.A.R.S. They seem very caring, but I guess it could be a crazy place for a bird. The other birds can be very loud. Thanks for your advice.