What is my female doing?

Sniperzombies · Mar 7, 2013

I have a female Eclectus who just started moulting. She's about 10 months old, at least her previous owner said she was 3 months when I got her. Everything's been fine until tonight when I came home from work I let her out, made some vegetables and placed them in her cup outside the cage. She'd come out, pick something out of the cup, drop it, run as fast as she could back along the bottom of the cage, bury her face in the corner and stay there. She repeated this for a bit so I put he food back in the cage, let her sit in the shower, put her back in her cage to dry an started doing work. I noticed she was starting to fall asleep and her last couple of poops were runny, I don't think she ate much today. Suddenly out of no where every time I came near her cage she'd run to the bottom, stick her face in the corner, lift her butt in the air and shake. Sometimes she'd lift her wings too. She's been doing this all night. Sometimes if I talk to her she makes a soft cluck noise I've never heard before.

Is this a moulting behavior or some kind of early sexual behavior? She was eating aggressively yesterday, so I know she's been eating. She must be so annoyed with her feathers, she's constantly preening. What should I do?

Peeker · Mar 7, 2013

I hope others chime in but I think 10 months is too young for sexual behavior. I would be in a huge hurry to get her to the vet. If she is really 10 months this feels very wrong to me.

Joshuwaaa · Mar 8, 2013

I would go straight to the vet, no amount of advice is better then getting her checked by a vet. Not to be rude, as I love everyone on this forum, but peace of mind and it can be difficult to diagnose something without seeing it and based on description.

She is young for hormonal behaviour, and I've not heard that about molting.

Sorry I cant be more help, hope everything is okay.

sodakat · Mar 8, 2013

They do 'practice' some of their instinctual behavior even when they are young. I think that's what she is doing when she runs to the corner when you approach. I've seen that with my older girls frequently. Here is my take on it. Female Eclectus are hard wired to find and protect a nest. When they don't have a nest, they still want to protect an area. Not all the time, but when the instinctual urge is strong. So, when she hears or sees you approach she hustles to the corner. Nothing against you. My most loving girl does this now and then.

Watery poops can be caused by drinking water in the shower. A big, massive poop can be the result of them holding it for a while, especially females who can hold a poop for a long, long time because they won't soil their nest. I don't know if you mean runny because there was lot of clear liquid from extra water or runny because the poop was large.

A vet visit may give you other ideas and I don't want to discourage that, but nothing you've said makes it sound like she is sick, IMO.

Which feathers is she molting? Generally the smaller feathers are molted around 6-7 months and the larger feathers molt sometime after they are 12 months, approx.

Peeker · Mar 8, 2013

sodakat said:
They do 'practice' some of their instinctual behavior even when they are young. I think that's what she is doing when she runs to the corner when you approach. I've seen that with my older girls frequently. Here is my take on it. Female Eclectus are hard wired to find and protect a nest. When they don't have a nest, they still want to protect an area. Not all the time, but when the instinctual urge is strong. So, when she hears or sees you approach she hustles to the corner. Nothing against you. My most loving girl does this now and then.

Glad others chimed in. I have this behavior with my females as well but I didn't know they could or would do when they are young. (I got my females after they were mature birds.) One of mine will hurry down to the bottom of the cage any time I enter the room.

I hope everything is going well today.

Sniperzombies · Mar 9, 2013

Thanks for all the great replies. She definatly shows nesting instincts. She loves the scratch at the covers on my bed and stick her face in them. And it's the feathers on her face that are moulting, some on her back. Is it possible ages older than her previous owner let on?

Chikoo · Mar 9, 2013

^^I wouldn't encourage her scratching on the bed sheets, etc. Hormonal female ekkies are not fun....

I don't let my female on the ground or on the bed. She immediately goes into aggressive nesting mode.

Sniperzombies · Mar 10, 2013

Well she won't be allowed anymore. She's so fast though. I go to grab her and she shoots under the covers. She knows when she's doing something she shouldn't, but choses to do t anyways. Little brat.

Chikoo · Mar 10, 2013

Tell me about it!! My female is the same way. She knows exactly when she is doing something she shouldn't be. If I walk in when she is doing something she knows I don't approve of, she immediately stops, or flies back to her perch as if nothing was happening. They can be naughty!

c3honey84 · Mar 10, 2013

Sniperzombies said:
Well she won't be allowed anymore. She's so fast though. I go to grab her and she shoots under the covers. She knows when she's doing something she shouldn't, but choses to do t anyways. Little brat.

I can't let mine on the couch because she goes straight under the pillows! It's nice if some of you guys can just move your female off the bed, etc. My girl will give me a nasty bite if I try to grab her to get her off the couch. So, I have to use a stick.

Chikoo · Mar 10, 2013

I've had to throw a towel or sheet over my female numerous times when she gets into this mode. That's the only way I can get close to handling her to remove her from her "nest".

Sniperzombies · Mar 15, 2013

I laughed out loud at the thought of you poking your Ekkie wih a stick.

Peeker · Mar 15, 2013

c3honey84 said:
Sniperzombies said:

I can't let mine on the couch because she goes straight under the pillows! It's nice if some of you guys can just move your female off the bed, etc. My girl will give me a nasty bite if I try to grab her to get her off the couch. So, I have to use a stick.

Click to expand...

I can easily get my girls off the bed or couch but once they are on the floor and focused and finding a nesting spot-no way! My sweetest little gal will strike at a perch like a snake when she's on the floor.

What is my female doing?

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