Pebbles joins Gizmo for a shower

Hey all,

Just wanted to share this big step that Pebbles made today! For those who haven't seen my previous posts, we adopted Pebbles (who is supposed to be a 3 year old female), from of all places, a Poultry Auction. It was a hot day and all she had in her cage was sunflower seeds. I have worked with her very slowly, she has been very timid and didn't seem to have had much human interaction in the past (very unsure about being on someones arm, and would bite, but it did not seem to be fear or aggressive related). Fortunately she loves her food, which has been very helpful with getting her to try new things.

Today Gizmo was enjoying a shower and Pebbles seemed interested in what was going on, in the other end of the house, so I decided to get her to step up and see if she would go with me to the bathroom (until now, she will always fly back to her cage if I try to leave the room with her on my arm). Today to my surprise, she stayed on my arm, and after a bit of suggesting this was the end result.



of cause with all things, nothing ever goes perfectly. She was high up on my arm, so I put my hand under the shower to encourage her to walk down my arm. Instead, she decided the easiest thing would be to join Gizmo on my wife's arm, so she flew over to find a slippery arm, and ended up in my wife's hair. Gizmo was more interested in the shower so jumped over to my arm. Pebbles was unfazed, but of cause when she stepped up on my arm she bought my wife's hair with her.



Apart from this minor hiccup, Gizmo and Pebbles had fun, and as usual my wife and I ended up getting wet too....lol.

I think this is a big step for Pebbles, we feel privileged that she has learned to trust us this much. It was an experience she seemed to really enjoy, they really do love to get wet.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Years.

Cheers,

Cameron

Warms my heart to see eclectus so obviously loved and well taken care of. I remember the poultry auction story, was horrified and so very glad that you were there to save her from God knows what fate!

labell said:

Warms my heart to see eclectus so obviously loved and well taken care of. I remember the poultry auction story, was horrified and so very glad that you were there to save her from God knows what fate!

Click to expand...

Thank you for your kind words. Pebbles is a beautiful bird and we are glad she came into our lives.

Yesterday was a hot day, so Gizmo was keen for another shower, it's funny because he has began training us, he always loves a shower, but if he is keen for a shower, he will puff up as we pass the bathroom...lol.

Gizmo is so funny in the shower, he will run down my arm, into the shower wings spread, after a good soaking, he runs back up onto my shoulder and uses my head, shirt back, etc as his personal rubbing post, before running back down my arm under the shower wings spread and fluffed up, letting out the occasional shriek of joy.

My wife continued to shower Gizmo and I bought Pebbles out of the cage, I wasn't going to shower her again, but she hopped onto my arm and was craning her neck towards the other room, so she ended up joining Gizmo for another shower.

She certainly enjoys the shower, but her approach is very different at the moment, not sure yet if it's because it is only her second time, or if she has a different outlook to shower time than Gizmo, but she seems to prefer just sitting under the water, a far more relaxed approach to the whole event. I am thinking about making a shower perch for her, as she still struggles with confidently walking on my arm (unlike Gizmo who will happily grip on, she seems to struggle to get a good hold, and having a wet arm makes things worse).

I would love to hear from others about their showering experiences. Gizmo has always been a bit of a wild child in everything he does, so I would be curious to know who is the strange one, is shower time for an eclectus meant to be a crazy water park type experience or a subdued relaxed experience. It would be good to know, as I realise they all have their personalities, but I wonder if Pebbles would like to move around, but is feeling restricted due to a concern about slipping.

Cheers,

Camo

In my experience my boys have always went way more crazy for bath time. My girl Jillie will sit there but she doesn't spread her wings, put her bum in the air and make a spectacle of her self the way the boys do. Maybe she thinks she is too beautiful and that would be undignified!

labell said:

In my experience my boys have always went way more crazy for bath time. My girl Jillie will sit there but she doesn't spread her wings, put her bum in the air and make a spectacle of her self the way the boys do. Maybe she thinks she is too beautiful and that would be undignified!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, that's exactly the answer I needed. I could see the joy in Pebbles eyes when the water hits her back, but apart from that it's all very dignified (my fear was she was holding back to ensure she had a stable footing). With Gizmo, with his running about and occasional shrieks, and the way he buries his head in my shirt or back of my head, trying to rub the water off his face between dunks, you could be mistaken for thinking he hated shower time, that is until he comes running back down your arm again wings spread, ruffled feathers for another dunking...lol.

Cheers,

Cameron

Oliver LOVES showers...he spreads his wings and flutters about singing and chatting the whole while....

labell said:

In my experience my boys have always went way more crazy for bath time. My girl Jillie will sit there but she doesn't spread her wings, put her bum in the air and make a spectacle of her self the way the boys do. Maybe she thinks she is too beautiful and that would be undignified!

Click to expand...

My experience is pretty much the exact opposite of Laura's. Hahaha! My boy, Bixby, will stoically endure his showers. He remains calm and doesn't really get all excited or anything. But Maya! Maya loses her mind! Spreading her wings and attempting to get every part of herself wet.

I think it really just comes down to the personality of the individual bird, rather than a gender thing.

Loved the pics, btw, and I'm so happy to see that Pebbles is adapting so well to her new life with your family.

Re: Pebbles flies to me

So proud of Pebbles today. This sounds like a small step, and it was for Gizmo and I'm sure it is for most eclectus birds, but this is a big deal for Pebbles.

I was a bit slow bringing over her treat with playtime today, and I noticed the hunch stance that Gizmo gives when he wants to fly to you. Hopeful, but expecting nothing, I put my arm out and said "come on Pebbles", to my surprise, without hesitation she flew over and landed on my arm.

Sounds like a strange thing to get excited about with a 3 year old eclectus, but Pebbles is a smart girl, she has clearly learned in the past that not everyone should be trusted, and she has taught us that trust is something to be earned.

Pebbles has enjoyed a lot of showers now, she still doesn't show her joy like Gizmo does (no flapping and running around), but you can see it in her eyes, and eagerness when she hears the shower running. I think these showers have helped a lot with building trust.

Cheers,

Cameron

Are you kidding?!? Flying to you for the first time is HUGE! It's both a show of trust and evidence that she actually has a preference for hanging out with you. Congrats!

I agree, that's fabulous! A real achievement. I'm so glad she has settled in there and is enjoying herself.

Thanks for the positive responses, 1 week has passed and 1 more flight to me, slowly, slowly, but that's the way with Pebbles (and I don't want to force this, I believe it should be her choice, and she is a smart girl, in my mind this activity is all about trust and I think patience is the key). A repeat within a week in my mind is another big step forward, and we will keep working at building trust.

Cheers,

Cameron