Advice on my new baby, home yesterday

Hi All,

I have posted already saying that I am getting a 13 week old male baby eclectus, I have not got him!

Now really need advice because I'm really worried.

The breeder said he was eating fruit and veg and was only needing feeding once on a night. When I was there yesterday he let me hand feed him and he was really tame and sat on me.

Iv brought him home in a travel cage but do not want to grab him so I have the travel cage upto his big cage with the doors oped so he can go in whenever he feels ready. He's been looking in all the time and has been so close so many times! This is now his second night and has still not left the small cage and I am worried he is getting to used to it! Whats your advice on this situation?

Also when I am hand feeding him he eats fine of the spoon but has not attempted to eat any fruit/vegetables, seed, and haven't even seen him drink!

He has just started toe tapping tonight which I'm assuming its because he's not eating his seed or fruit?

He is also looking like he wants to bite me if my hand gets near without food but I understand he needs lots of time to get used to hide surroundings and need gain trust in me so I have not attempted to handle him.

Any advice on my situation would be great because I'm starting to panic.

Thanks

Dan.

Hi Danny,
I understand how you must be feeling, my ekkie reacted almost the same as yours when i first brought him home and i was freaking out thinking i must be doing something wrong. But i've since learnt a lot of it's quite normal so try not worry too much
It's normal for them to not always eat or drink for the first day or 2, he has been thrown into a scary new life, unfamiliar people and surroundings. it's going to take time, you know this already though

I'm not 100% sure on the correct way to handle getting him out of his travel cage. Yoshi came to me in a little wooden box nailed together and i had instructions from my breeder that if he didnt come out within a couple of hours to open the box and take him out. I wasnt comfortable with rushing him and did what you did and had the box up to his cage and so many times he'd pop his head out of the hole in one side of the box (where they put him into it, there was no actual door or way to open the box) but never came out. I didnt want to leave him in there overnight and didn't want to stick my hand in the hole and grab him out either. Only way to 'open' the box was to rip the back off it. I regret having done this as it stressed him out alot but once it was done he happily came right out and went in his cage.

I'm assuming you are handfeeding him while he's still in the travel cage? are you able to coax him out with the food? If you are worried about him not eating offer him more than one handfeeding. I hear its common for young ones to regress a bit with feedings when they go to a new home. I think i saw this mentioned in your previous post.

I don't have much advice about the toe-tapping in your situation. I know its mostly caused from oversupplementing vitamins from feeding pellets/fortified seed. I've only ever had it happen once to my boy and it was from lack of calcium (i dont feed pelets) so i just added a mashed up egg with shell to his dinner for a few nights and it cleared up withinn 24hrs. Someone else will have better advice on that than me.

If he's looking like he wants to bite he most likely will, and you should be prepared to get bit in the following weeks until he's settled in. Yoshi was fearfully aggressive towards my hand for about 2 weeks when i got him. I gave him space but also worked with him on stepping up during this time and did not back down from the beak. the back of my hand received quite a hammering but when he knew i wasnt going to back down he would step up, and after a few weeks the biting ceased completely. Just keep you hand fisted, If he can't grab a finger, it's not going to hurt. If you do this though be sure to offer lots of praise and rewards when he does what you ask, more so when he does without biting, but yeah for the first week i'd take it easy and do things at his pace, give him space but be around a lot, talk to him lots, and offer lots of treats.
Love to see some pics of the boy too!

I don't understand why the breeder give you a time frame to receive your baby in the first place. I would never tell someone they can have their baby by such and such time. I always say whenever they're weaned and got done with their training before they're ready to go. But I know you said his wife became ill or whatever which I can understand why you must pick him up at a earlier time. The main thing is to get him out of his cage if he refused to come out. You need to have him out anyways to properly hand feed him. When changing hand feeders and home, they will act like the way he's acting out like what I mentioned before. Don't worry too much during the first couple of days if he's not eating his fruit and veggies. But you do need to start the training process to get him used to you.