9 week old female weaning and flying?

David P

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Sep 18, 2010
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So my female Eclectus "Orchid" is about 8.5 weeks (breeder couldnt remember how old she was... fist told me she was 2 months but actually only around 4 or 5 weeks) Ive had her for almost 4 weeks. She seems very well adjusted, quite happy, already said her first word, very social, very mischievous, and interested in almost everything... Last 2 weeks she has been exercising her wings, she likes to climb on top of this triangular pillow and "gets ready for take off". I may have created a monster though... I started playing bird toss with her on the bed. Tossing her a very short distance across the bed back and forth from my girlfriend to me. The first time she didnt protest but wasnt sure what to think. The second time she decided it was fun. She decided she likes a sleeping cage (plastic picnic basket) and she lets it be known when its time for bed. Last night she was playing in her big cage, and in a heart beat decided it was time for bed. RUNNING to the open door of her cage she looked like she was about to jump to the couch to get in her basket, I quickly got up and walked to her just as she jumped into my hands. This morning she was sitting on the table after eating, I was walking around and she RAN to the edge of the table and was watching me. She waited for me to look at her and she FLEW right to me! I know all birds are different, but doesnt it seem shes kinda young for this behavior?

Also having issues with feeding... I usually hand feed her twice a day with syringe (veggies and fruit in her cage to much on throughout the day) She is getting to be a brat when it comes time to feeding. Last night I know she was hungry but angrily attacked the syringe and refused to eat the baby gruel. Sometimes she wants to eat the food from a spoon, sometimes she will eat about half from the spoon then half from they syringe. Last night she wouldnt eat from either. A little food dropped on the table, she reached down and ate it off the table again refusing the syringe or spoon. She did seems quite interested in the food in the mixing cup and was licking the spoon but only if the spoon was in the cup. The last week or so she will eat about half of the gruel from me before refusing any more, then she waits for my girlfriend to feed her and she will eat the other half. Her intake varies (I think) quite drastically, some days she will eat 50-60 cc while other days she refuses after 25. But even after she says she is full and adamantly refuses any more gruel, she will wait till she goes back to her cage then wolfs down her veggies and bean mix or else gets off her table perch and runs to the fruit basket on the table where there are grapes.
I GUESS this is her weaning herself, again isnt 8 weeks kinda young?

I dont know if its due to her weaning but this weekend I noticed a personality shift in her. She will step up on command (most times) and wants to step up much more than she did. Last night was really odd for her, usually if she is on the couch with us she runs around, plays, looks for trouble to get into, likes to sit on her flying pillow... Last night she was just sitting next to my girlfriend looking up at her like "please pick me up" She climbed on my girlfriends lap and just sat there happily. Later I was on the couch eating dinner, Orchid hopped from her flying pillow to the back of the couch ran over to be standing behind my shoulder and stretching her neck to see what I was eating, she climbed onto my shoulder and just watched. I put her on her towel on the sofa and she just kinda relaxed for a while, when I was done eating she climbed onto my lap then onto my arm and just sat there quiet and relaxed.

Im not too concerned about the change in personality, but found it odd at the speed of the change and the degree of change... Hopefully someone can confirm its normal for young birds.

One other thing maybe odd... I read most eclectus dont like to have their head touched, Orchid enjoys having her read rubbed/scratched. She even will lay on her back for belly rubs and blow drying after her showers.
 

MikeyTN

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When it comes to fledgling time they will refuse to eat formula sometimes as they loose a bit of weight for flight. Just keep on doing what your doing until she fully refuses anymore formula and eat her own food. Some birds do wean a lot earlier then the others.

Both of my ekkies likes to have their head rubbed and I am able to blow dry both of them. They enjoy it too, I posted a video about a year or two ago with me blowing drying my ekkies and they were loving it.... :)
 

nicki

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6 mo old Eclectus :)
I wish mine was weaned that early! It sounds great she is eating and refusing formula and having a very happy transition! Keep doing what you're doing and wait for queues from her, like wanting to be hand fed etc, IMHO you can't ever forget that hungry squawk.

She is very young, but what I've learned as a young ekkie parront is to shoot for 10% of her body weight per feeding. My baby was down to around 5-10 ccs only at night before I weaned him. He really did, I felt, needed that push to get on to regular eclectus diet.

When my Eko attacked the syringe, that is how I knew he was done eating. I am still new with an almost SIX month baby now, just sharing my experience :)

My baby went from this wobbly baby to this master climber. As Sodakat has said, she will let you know when she is ready, and well to me she sounds ready!
 

sodakat

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Jul 15, 2009
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I doubt she is as young as you think. At 4 weeks her colored feathers would just barely be visible. Do you have pictures of her the day you acquired her?

It sounds to me like she is closer to 11 or 12 weeks. When they fledge they are much more interested in flying than eating.
 
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David P

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I doubt she is as young as you think. At 4 weeks her colored feathers would just barely be visible. Do you have pictures of her the day you acquired her?

It sounds to me like she is closer to 11 or 12 weeks. When they fledge they are much more interested in flying than eating.

Here is a pic of her a few days after I brought her home. Im sorry what is the difference between weaned and fledged? I thought fledged meant able to fly... Her flying is becoming a big game to her, standing in her cage and jumping out(she cant spread her wings in the door) Flying from my hand to her basket, flying to me from her pillow, flying to me from the feeding table...
 

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David P

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yup, I definitely have a little monster on my hand... Yesterday morning after feeding or actually after refusal to eat the baby mash, Orchid was wandering around on the kitchen table as I was cleaning up. I dont know if she did it intentionally or just coincidence but as soon as I turned my back on her (literally within 3 seconds) I heard woosh woosh woosh, I turned around and watched her take flight and gain altitude as she headed straight for my open back door! Luckily it is a screened in patio and the bird knows the area as a playground. She surprisingly hit the screen quite soft and landed on the handrail that goes across the patio almost as if she was aiming to land on the rail. From the look on her face Im not sure who was more surprised.
 

sodakat

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She is adorable!!! Nothing quite as cute and sweet as a little Eclectus girl, IMO. My guess is she was about 6 weeks old in that picture.

Fledging is when they leave the nest and begin flying. This happens before they wean. Parent birds continue feeding chicks after the chicks fly. The chicks will fly to eat with the parents, begging to be fed and eating some alongside them.

My clutches have weaned as early as 4 months and one single chick was fed a bit into his 9th month. The clutch I have now will be 5 months the end of next week and are pretty much weaned, although once in a while they will beg to their parents for a feeding.

Its so exciting when they start flying. I'd love to see a picture of her now!
 
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David P

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aha! ok perfect, thank you!
I would be happy to take a pic of her, but she just finished eating and my girlfriend just gave her a through washing, so she looks a bit like a drowned rat. Oops, I just heard the blow drier turn on... she should be fluffy in a few minutes but usually likes to cuddle under a blanky and nap... Tomorrow, I promise.
 

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