My Second Parrot ! Male Red Sided Eclectus :-)

Violet_Diva

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Bella (Vosmaeri Eclectus Female) + Dexter (Red Sided Eclectus Male) + Gerry (Vosmaeri Eclectus Male)
I eventually decided that if a male eclectus became available to me that I'd bring him home! I was talking to someone about taking a young male they had rehabilitated, but they wanted a bit more than I was able to afford, plus he was quite far away. A few months ago, a young male was listed for sale in the same county! I exchanged a few texts with the owner asking some general questions. Then the add was removed, so I guessed he was rehomed.

On October 25th his advert appeared again. At first I thought maybe it was a scam, but I messaged the seller to find that the deal with the previous buyer was off. So I immediately declared my interest and started sending photos of Bella, showing what kind of life I could provide for her little guy. We texted for a while and today was the day I went to meet him. The lady was lovely and I could see was upset about letting him go, but we agreed that if for any reason he doesn't get on well that I would bring him back to her. He came with his cage, homemade stand, a bag of seed mix, a harness and lots and lots of toys!

He seems very hand tame (no biting) which is refreshing in comparison to when I brought Bella home! But he seems VERY willful, so I've got my work cut out for me with regards to training. The lady said she tried training, but he wasn't interested in the treats. I believe this to be because he's had constant access to seeds (as well as being fed fresh meals too.) So I'm thinking if I can reduce the abundant seeds to a teaspoon a day (like Bella) he will probably be more motivated for training! His name is Dexter and he'll be 2 years old in December. He has said "Hello" a couple of times already, so I'm looking forward to finding out what other things he can say!

He's currently situated in the main living room next to the kitchen as his quarantine area, as his previous human kept him in the kitchen by the living room, so I guessed he'd hear some familiar sounds from the kitchen and also be quite comfortable with the activity level in the living room. Me and the other half are quite boring and don't have human company visit all that often, but Dexter is used to children and dogs, so I'm hoping he will have no problems with settling in.

I would really like him to be in the bird room by Christmas to be introduced to Bella! Though I do just want to make it clear that I'm not planning to house them in the same cage or breed them. I just figured it would be nice for both of them to have some feathered company in the same room.

I'm super excited and can't believe he's actually here!

If anyone has any pointers regarding quarantine or introducing the birds later on, I would very much appreciate it!
 
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GaleriaGila

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Congratulations... all I can say is...

PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

OutlawedSpirit

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I'm glad you have found such a good boy! I just adore ekkies, they are wonderful birds. I think the best piece of advice I can give you regarding quarantine is don't break it. It will be tempting, especially when all seems good after a week or two, to just move them closer together. Don't. Birds are masters at hiding illness and some illnesses can take a while to display any symptoms.

As far as introducing them. I don't really have much advice. I've never formally introduced my two, even though they share a stacked cage. Most of that, however, is due to my male being blind. I think it is too risky to allow them to interact, there is too much of a chance that he would hurt her, not being able to see her. Just make sure when they are first introduced it is in neutral territory, so neither one has the upper hand on the other. I would also wait until you are comfortable enough with at least one of them to be confident grabbing them in a hurry, if their meeting goes south.

Best of luck with your new boy, please give us some pictures!
 
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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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Bella (Vosmaeri Eclectus Female) + Dexter (Red Sided Eclectus Male) + Gerry (Vosmaeri Eclectus Male)
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There's a couple of photos of him on the lower half of page 2 and on page 3:
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/64513-companion-bird-good-bad-idea.html
But here's one of him in his cage since his arrival

(Note: everything inside his cage I have not touched - I didn't want to change or move anything around inside his cage until he's a bit more comfortable and settled in, I think he's had enough change for one day!)
 

plumsmum2005

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Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
He is beautiful, thank you for sharing him.

Curious why did he need rehoming? Ok got it read the previous post. :)
 
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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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His previous human is now running her own business and also has children and felt she no longer could provide him with the time he needed. It was definitely a very difficult decision for her to make and she obviously cared for him deeply, I could see the goodbye was very painful for her. Im going to keep in touch with her and give her updates and photos to try to give her some relief in knowing he's ok and happy (hopefully)!
 

Taw5106

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He is gorgeous!


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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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As he was used to his previous human working from home by dog sitting, I thought he'd probably be ok seeing the cats. The cats walked over to the cage, had a sniff, and Dexter proceeded to politely say "Hello" to the cats! TOO CUTE!

So far he's done two different 'versions' of "Hello"
Wolf whistled
Made 'kiss kiss' sounds
Squeaked
Plus a whole series of things that I couldn't work out yet!
 
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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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Bella (Vosmaeri Eclectus Female) + Dexter (Red Sided Eclectus Male) + Gerry (Vosmaeri Eclectus Male)
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WOW:eek:
He's just gone through an AMAZING repertoire of various sounds, words and phrases for quite a few minutes, and my phone was dead and my charger was upstairs! I didn't want to walk away and miss something, so I'm now trying to remember what I can, of what he said!

All of the things he says are in different voices...

Give us a kiss
Good boy
Hello
Peek-a-boo
A 'pop pop pop' sound - like if you were pretending to be a fish
Various kiss sounds & sequences
Wolf whistle
Whistling of at least 3 unknown tunes
Beatboxing (which may be handy as my partner raps):D
Awww
Dexter
Tickle tickle

I still can't believe how much he came out with!

DEFINITELY going to get a recording of him. He's such an awesome little guy. I think I've fallen in love again! :D
 
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chris-md

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Oh isn't it great!?!?

Parker did the same thing the night we brought him home from his previous family. It was just out with everything, the myriad sounds and words was stunning.

What you might consider doing, and I'm trying to get up the gumption to do it myself, is to start a database of words and sounds you've heard him say. Some phrases come out once in a blue moon and you can actually forget he knows them. This way if there's one you really like you can start coaxing it out of him.
 
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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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That's a great idea chris-md! I'm definitely going to try to keep track of what he knows. I got him to say peek-a-boo by just hiding round the corner and then popping back in sight saying it and he just copied. He also seems to of copied my "Hello" already. I was told he did two different ones (child & adult). When he got here, I heard him do both. But obviously I was saying hello to him in my own way, and he did my own voice right back at me! :eek: Me and the other half just looked at eachother with wide eyes and open mouths... Dexter is one smart cookie!
 

plumsmum2005

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Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
I think it sounds like you have fallen in love. Surely if he is coming out with his full vocab then he is happy and settled? Well done you!
 
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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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Bella (Vosmaeri Eclectus Female) + Dexter (Red Sided Eclectus Male) + Gerry (Vosmaeri Eclectus Male)
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The Meeting
When I went to meet Dexter at his old house he wouldn't take a treat from my hands and wouldn't step up for me. His previous human did get him to step up for her, I'd say a good 65 or 70% of the time (from what I witnessed - keeping in mind I don't know if he was being extra naughty because of my presence). He kept going to places he wasn't allowed such as lamp shades and the top of my head! He then proceeded to remove my glasses for me (cheeky monkey!) His human could lay him on his back in her hand etc, and he showed no aggressive behaviour or irritation which gave me hope for our future relationship!

First Day Home
Yesterday, I mostly just let him settle into his new surroundings. I didn't take him out of the cage as I wanted him to feel safe. For this very same reason, I didn't clean his cage or move any perches or toys. Once I'd got him home, I again tried offering various treats through the bars. He just wouldn't take them from me :( I even tried to hand him something he was just eating! He wouldn't take it, then I dropped it in his bowl and he ate it straight away! I was a bit worried that he might not take treats from me which would make any kind of training incredibly awkward! I took away his bowl of seed (which he apparently had constant access to.) I gave him a meal of various vegetables (which he ate nearly all of) and just a teaspoon of seeds at bedtime. He chattered away before he went to sleep.

Training
Today I gave him a vegetable mix in the morning and when I got home from work all of it was GONE except a few shreds of carrot! The seeds were also gone. I then fed him his next meal with vegetables and fruit. I thought if he would eat anything after that lot, it would have to be something he really likes. I tried various seeds from his mix which he started to take, but deliberately dropped. Then I tried a bit of dried Banana. And he ate it! Not the best treat to be giving him, but it's a starting point! I decided to try to start my version of target training where I tap a location and say "Come Here" and then give a treat. Once I'd established his taking of the treat I began tapping locations with my finger and saying "Dexter Come Here". As he'd just been receiving treats from my fingers it didn't take much convincing to get him to comply. I managed to make 2 Banana chips last for two 5 minute periods. He was a super good boy and got told "Good Boy" every time he came when asked.

Next
Im planning to do another day of 'in-cage target training' and then have him come out of his cage on Sunday once I'm confident that I can get him to come to me on request. Then it's "Step Up" that needs working on! Hopefully he won't be too naughty for me. Im really excited about doing training sessions with him, as I get the vibe that he's really keen and just needs some patience and consistency.
 
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Violet_Diva

Violet_Diva

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Bella (Vosmaeri Eclectus Female) + Dexter (Red Sided Eclectus Male) + Gerry (Vosmaeri Eclectus Male)
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Out Of His Cage!
After doing a little 'in-cage target training' I got him to perch inside his door, I proceeded to open it. He had a little look around and I offered him my arm and asked him to step up. It took a few times for him to do it, but when he did, it was an awesome feeling. Im still using the dried banana chips from his seed mix (as this seems to be what he's most motivated by) but I intend to convert him onto a healthier treat option in time. I got him to step up onto a perch across the room, and then onto my arm and his cage top etc. After doing this for a while (in no particular sequence) I started calling him from his cage / perch to my arm using the established tapping signal and verbal 'Come Here' that I had been using during his 'in-cage target training'. He's such a good boy! I only had to repeat myself a couple of times!
I did notice that before launching himself, he would climb to the nearest point of contact to minimise his flight distance. Is this normal or lazy?
 

Dinosrawr

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He's absolutely beautiful! Congratulations on your new talented speaker, I'm sure he'll be a hoot! As for the minimizing flight distance, I think it's pretty natural for birds who don't have 100% confidence in flying. The "natural" flyers, if you will, generally just launch themselves because they know they can make it. Birds who may be apprehensive tend to lessen the distance. Shiko is my talented flyer, and he can even fly through small gaps in my tree stand. He'll launch himself from anywhere and fly confidently. Avery never properly fledged before I got her, so whenever I call her to me she tries to get as close as possible to reduce the amount of flying she has to do.

That being said, bigger birds may find where they're flying too small and feel better just hopping or walking. There's every possibility he's just lazy and realizes he can minimize his work, but from what I've experienced birds who are confident launch from where they are because flying is just so natural to them.
 

plumsmum2005

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Lou, Ruby, and Sonu.
Fly free Plum, my gorgeous boy.
He could be a little rusty flying and when his fitness and confidence returns, try stopping him?
 

Anansi

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He is beautiful! And quite the talented speaker! Congratulations on such a wonderful new addition to your family!

Violet_Diva, I'd told you in your introductory thread that I thought you have a natural affinity for working with birds. And you have proven me right twice over, now. Your handling of both ekkies' introductions to your household has been extremely well handled.

I look forward to seeing more pics of this little charmer and Bella both... and videos as well!
 

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