Welcome Home Poppy!

EsJ87

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Hello everyone -

Seeking some general guidance on how to "tame" my new baby. She is a ~4-5month of Solomon Island Eclectus that was hand-fed. She was very cuddly/tame with her owner. However, she's bitey with me. I brought her home Tuesday afternoon last week and she appears to be settling well in her new cage.

She bit very hard when i first took her out of the carrier, and a few subsequent times when I was handling her to situate her in her new cage. However- I don't believe she is a SCARED or AGGRESSIVE bird, simply inexperienced as she is still so young - and probably weary of her new home surroundings. Totally normal I am assuming. She seemed relatively content as she was eating, and playing in her carrier on the way home, and took to her new toys without fear in her nice big new cage.

I've been warned in Eclectus Alley forum over at AvianWedb that these parrots may be very scared and stressed out while not outwardly showing it, and that i should essentially "leave her alone" for several weeks while she acclimates to her new home. I am not sure what to think right now, as she beak grinds, and comes towards me in a curious manner while I speak to her in her cage. She's even taken to cute gibberish in front of me, which is adorable since I thought they were usually closet talkers! Overall she seems fairly comfortable to me, but that may be my rosy-colored glasses. Who knows?

I've been able to successfully give her treats through the cage, and she will even take them nicely from my open hand with her cage door opened. However, when I present my hand/fingers on their own (sans treat) for a step-up opportunity...She will gingerly approach, gently take my finger to inspect, and proceed to crush it without actually drawing blood. (OUCH!) LOL SNEAKY REDHEAD... She never backs away from me, but also doesn't attack... like I said She seems relatively comfortable to me... but again I'm being told I'm probably stressing her out and should avoid all attempts at handling her for a long while. Now that its been almost a week since her arrival, she is eager to take sunflower treats from my hands both through cage bars, as well as my open palm when she is out of the cage. She still likes to nibble on my fingers though! ... She has stepped up for me for sunflower seeds a few times now, but immediately goes to nibble on available skin as soon as the treat is devoured. TODAY I took her for a cruise around out kitchen (a few feet away from her cage)... and when I set her down - she would cutely run towards me for any available treats. I even got her to step up on a gram scale :D !!! She didn't stay on it long enough for me to read it, I think i was 300 something grams. I'm a lil worried she isn't eating enough, but i really don't now how much to give her since I'm trying to get her off seeds and just onto fresh fruit and veggies. But so much of the fruit got down in the cage I can't really tell how much she is eating! LOL Normal parrot behavior. I'm planning on getting some ekkie approved pellets delivered soon as well.

I just want to make sure i do everything correctly from the get-go :)
I would LIKE to clicker-train her as soon as appropriate. But not sure how long that would be as she already seems comfortable with my presence. Should i attempt target training with her IN the cage, as a step towards training her to step up without biting? Currently I will sit next to her cage and chat with her while I work & occasionally offering a sunflower seed here and there... She was given a mostly seed diet unfortunately - and I've so far introduced her to watermelon, mango, carrot, broccoli and banana in the last 6 days. All of which she's taken to well.

I know all this can take days, weeks or even months.... but What are clear signs that she is ready for the next step???

Will post photos of the lil chicken :red:
 
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EsJ87

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Feb 22, 2017
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Currently deciding on a new FID - Aracari or Eclectus
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Here is a video of Poppy ! I opened her cage door, and offered to hand feed her some yummy fruit. Took her a few minutes to be convinced to come check it out, but she rather enjoyed it!

https://vimeo.com/212335618
 
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Kentuckienne

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What a beauty! Maybe the "Big beak-o-phoebes guide to macaw beaks" would help. All parrots use their beaks to explore the world, and just need bite pressure training to learn how much pressure is appropriate for human hands, noses, etc. and there are many good posts on the subject. I believe you can assume that if she is coming to you, she's not afraid or stressed, and take advantage of this honeymoon period to build the strongest bond you can.
 
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EsJ87

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Feb 22, 2017
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Thank you - She certainly is beautiful! Is the "Big Beak" resource a book? I tried searching for it online without success. I think bite pressure is definitely the issue, and she goes from soft mouthing, to squeezing, and then "shearing". Dependent on what else is available to detract her from my fingers lol....

Oh dear - Honeymoon phase. LOL I have been told to enjoy the baby months, as soon she'll be a teenager that will push my buttons and test my limits through a bluff stage. YAY! Hopefully i get several months before that happens HEH
 

Violet_Diva

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Hello and welcome, I'm relatively new to parrots and have 2 eclectus now.
This is my ongoing thread about Bella. You might find some info useful in it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/64083-my-first-parrot-female-vosmaeri-eclectus.html

And this is my other ongoing thread about Dexter. Again there might me something you find helpful in it:
http://www.parrotforums.com/eclectus/65457-my-second-parrot-male-red-sided-eclectus.html

The first parts of both will cover some aspects of how I approached my new arrivals!

Kentuckienne was referring to this thread by a very experienced parront Birdman666
http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/56384-big-beak-o-phobes-guide-understanding-macaw-beaks.html

If you want to find info on a topic, use the search tab on the top right on the main page - there is a wealth of information around to be found!

Looking forward to more videos and stories about your new ekkie :)
She's a cutie! But then I am a bit biased...
 
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EsJ87

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Thank you for pointing me in the direction of new interesting reads!!
Posting today's milestone shortly.
 
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EsJ87

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https://vimeo.com/212827399

Her first enthusiastic step p that DID NOT including finger sawing! :D
Of course she then ran up my arm, perched on my shoulder and decided to take taste-test a the nape of my neck. I can't see it so unsure how much damage it was LOL.
 

GaleriaGila

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Welcome home, Poppy, indeed!
Lots of Eclectus afficionados here to support you.
Glad you found us.
 

Anansi

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Congratulations on your milestones! Poppy is beautiful!

The links Violet_Diva provided have a wealth of information in them. Has there been any progress since reading through them?
 
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EsJ87

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Hello! Poppy appears to be doing well. She will not step up onto my hand without major biting 80% of the time. I've found she hates my husband, or is at least very fearful of him. As she has almost chomped my finger off when she is on my and he approaches. She still continues to "test" bite me occasionally at which point i simply set her down on her cage or perch and pay no mind to her for a min or two. Not necessarily a punishment but a lack of attention to try to get my point across. My husband made a LARGE T stand for her, and she's agreed to sit on it for short periods of time w/o much fuss. I attempted to introduce a "shower" concept to her yesterday using a mister/spray bottle. I've had the bottle near the cage, getting it a little closer each day for about 4 days prior to the shower attempt. Yesterday she mouthed the bottle without fear and i sprayed myself few times before spraying her the one time. She was NOT a fan, and afterwards she wouldn't even take the treat I offered. I'll leave the bottle near her again for another few days before attempting again. Starting to stink a little since she'd not been wet at all since 4/4, and presumably longer if the previous breeder didn't give her regular bather shoer opportunities. LOL I've also tried approximations to both my kitchen and my bathroom sinks and she is not interested at all in the water.
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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Great vids! You are definitely making progress with her :D.
Keep it slow...at HER pace..I don't even know her and I can see the progress your making!

And YES..she is beautiful ;) !

I am starting to swoon over Ekkie's now :rolleyes: Must be the weather..or sumptin' :p



Jim
 

OutlawedSpirit

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Great vids! You are definitely making progress with her :D.
Keep it slow...at HER pace..I don't even know her and I can see the progress your making!

And YES..she is beautiful ;) !

I am starting to swoon over Ekkie's now :rolleyes: Must be the weather..or sumptin' :p



Jim

It's not the weather, Jim, it's the Ekkies. They get their talons slowly worked around your heart, then rip it out, and then it's theirs to do with as they please. They are evil little manipulative puppet masters that make you love them. A willing slave is all I am and I wouldn't trade a single minute of it. :)
 
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EsJ87

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Feb 22, 2017
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Murrieta, CA
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Currently deciding on a new FID - Aracari or Eclectus
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Im totally in love with my red chicken. At this point, she will now demand that I pick her up when she is hanging outside of her cage. Of course with their, soft spoken and quiet demeanor. This demand is subtle. She'll hang by the side of her cage leaning forward in my direction. I've caught her holding up her foot towards me once or twice which is adorable!!! After instructing my husband to bribe her with treats outside the cage, this past Saturday she FINALLY allowed him to hold her! She stepped up nicely for a treat without biting him, and also kindly stepped off onto her cage for another treat as well. She is doing wonderfully. Her favorite veggie right now is Green bell pepper. She also likes carrots, mango, plum, raspberries, banana, and strawberry. I have some sweet potato I plan on cooking later to start introducing that into her bowl as well.
 

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