Eclectus at the pet shop questions!

[CakeMarie]

So I visit my pet shop all the time to see all the beautiful avian babies! I get to hold an eclectus named guac!
He is a sweetheart but I get very nervous because he immediately runs to my shoulder.I can't see his body language when he's there. How do I get him to stay on my hands?
He nipped me today(didn't hurt, didn't react) when I got him finally to his cage.
How do I get him onto the cage without him getting angry?
Also one more thing!
He makes a low growling noise on my shoulders at times , I wouldn't understand if he was getting mad? Any insight?
Thank you so much!
This is him!

 

[Mdjandt]

How old is he? Are you thinking of getting him? Birds will naturally want to move upwards. Have you tried having him on top of his cage for interactions until you trust him more? Or a perch would be a good option. That way you can tell if he’s taking a liking to you and you can judge his character more. He could either be territorial of his cage or not want to go in, that’s a tough one. I’d see about a perch they might have setup so you can have time with him. Did you get background information on him?

 

[CakeMarie]

I am not sure of his age but he does have a perch! I've been interacting with him 4 times a week at the pet shop with him inside his cage and he's been a real sweetie the whole time. No dilated pupils, no puffy feathers, just being sweet.
I'm wanting to bring him some fruits. When he sits on mu shoulder I give him his food with my hand and he kindly takes it and eats it sweetly.
I wish I knew more about him, I know he is a rescue.

 

[CakeMarie]

When a bird stares at you a good bit (not a dead state) when they're on your shoulder, is that okay? Is he just trying to understand how I'm feeling?

 

[Mdjandt]

If he’s not showing aggression towards you, he’s probably watching what you’re doing. But make sure you completely trust him and don’t startle him while he’s up there. It won’t be good. I wonder if his owners passed away, it does sound like he was loved, but on the other side, he may have been in a terrible situation before and just appreciates everything so much now. It’s hard to tell. I had a macaw that was a rescue situation. He was kept in a tiny cage and his beak couldn’t close, he was so happy to be in a big cage that he immediately bonded with everyone. He was a little testy with the dog. His favorite pass time was chasing her around the house, terifying her even more of him. Unfortunately I was married to a man in the military and had to move, we weren’t allowed to take him. But I found him a home that I trusted and he’s doing well. So your little friend might just appreciate his life now. It’s hard to tell because birds are such intelligent creatures with their own personalities.

Was he nipping you in aggression or was he just using his beak to steady himself? It sounds like it wasn’t in anger but I’d be careful because larger birds can do a bit of damage.

 

[CakeMarie]

I hope he wasn't in a bad situation but I can certainly see it, I can just see the pain in his eyes but also the love too. I'll try to get the workers at the pet shop to tell me more about him.
I try to be very calm, giving him treats and talking in a very caI'm voice. (Although people say my voice is always calm)
Oh that is so sad, I just don't understand people...they are our children, once you own then, they are completely bound to you and depend on you for the love that they need...
That's hilarious hahaha awewwww.
I'm so happy your baby found a wonderful home, in so sorry you had to give him up though
Oh absolutely!!! Such cuties and can sometimes be more smart than some humans haha haha.

He nipped me with a little bit of aggresion but it didn't draw blood and hardly even a mark, I think guac didn't want to hurt me, and that he was just sad that he had to be put up and that turned to a little bit of anger. I just walked away and didn't talk to him until about 15 minutes later to let him know I wasn't angry at him
And oh definitely, I really think he won't hurt me, he's such a sweetheart. He loves to play with my shirts and I make it a thing never to wear jewelry there! I was wearing a choker and he accidentally bit my neck a little too hard trying to play with it haha!

 

[Jottlebot]

When you have him on your hand, bend your arm so your elbow is at the side of your body and your hand is the highest part. He's unlikely to climb down to your elbow to climb up your shoulder. You might have to hold him a bit below your eye level (unless you have very long arms!) but it will stop him getting to your shoulder.

 

[CakeMarie]

That's a great idea! Thank you so much!

 

[CakeMarie]

Okay so one more thing!..... I have a vertical labret lip piercing. Would he go for it? It doesn't dangle but it is silver... ��

 

[Mdjandt]

He may go for it! Shiny things are a birds best friend. In high school I got my eyebrow pierced, my budgie kept trying to play with it. Lol. I’d be careful because a big bird could rip it out.

 

[Violet_Diva]

I've gotta say he looks like a sweetie. My most recent eclectus has taken quite some time to warm up to me, probably months! Lots of growls and nips later and I finally have his trust. He too was a plucker and couldn't fly, so he felt very vulnerable and this would make him lash out. Now we have an understanding and he's a sweetheart

The fact that this little guy has been this trusting with you straight away is a great sign!

Eclectus come across as rather placid. They typically don't run around as much as some other species and like to watch and learn. I do love the crazy energy of cockatoos and such, but the more I watch them, the more I wonder if I could tolerate them being at high energy levels every day! Eclectus are definitely my pace. I was put off keeping small birds as they are so skittish. Eclectus are much more thoughtful and deliberate in whether they do, which for me personally means I can read them better.

Was the noise he made definitely a growl, or was it more like a clicking crunching squelching sound? If it was more like the latter it's a good thing, it means he's relaxed and sleepy, which means he trusts you as a safe place to rest! If it was a growl, it just means he was trying to tell you he either didn't like something you were / weren't doing.

Definitely try to keep him on the hand or wrist with your arm straight down and bent at the elbow as suggested. If he starts to show interest in climbing your arm you can have treats ready in your other hand ready to distract him. If he only receives treats while on your hands / wrists it will build a positive association of "when I sit here sometimes she feeds me goodies". Maybe something like almond slivers? They're small and can be broken into even smaller pieces to make them last a bit longer as too many nuts aren't good for eclectus.

With regards to the piercing, he probably would be curious of it and try to grab it. I have multiple facial piercings and multiple birds and haven't had one ripped out yet The key is having an alternative thing to occupy them, keep them distracted or to offer them that is acceptable to play with. I'm pretty sure that if my guys were close to my face with no toy or no food it wouldn't take long for them to start grabbing at the shiney

Dexter used to be obsessed with my glasses. If he grabbed them, he was told no and put on a perch or in his cage for 30 seconds and ignored (no eye contact, no verbal communication). Then I'd go back to him like nothing had happened and give him something else to play with instead. If you leave the bird for too long after the negative event they don't make the association between their negative action and your disappearance. Consistency is key when it comes to the training and setting boundaries.

I hope you keep visiting this little guy

 

[CakeMarie]

I know I'm bit late but I found out guacs history! He was left alone in a cage for 2 years, after that, he kept home hopping until he finally found a home, which is a workers bird and I can absolutely see he loves him.
By the way, I also found out he's not growling, he's actually purring and he's happy!
I make him happy yay!!❤❤

 

[EllenD]

WATCH YOUR PIERCING!!! It's not that he's trying to hurt you, but they all love jewelry of any kind, and with that big beak he could rip it right out through your lip before you even knew he was doing it...I speak from experience, it wasn't pretty..

Belly-button piercing, laying on my bed, shirt got rolled-up and exposed the ring, I was watching a movie and not paying attention to what Kane was doing (Senegal Parrot). He was sleeping on my pillow beside my head one minute, the next I felt heat and a stinging pain and I jumped-up, scaring the hell out of Kane. He flew into his sleeping cage (we were in my bedroom), and I ran to the bathroom to see blood EVERYWHERE...He didn't rip it the entire way out, but about half-way through. Of course then after it started to heal it got infected and i had to take it out and take Cephalexin for 10 days. So watch any piercings, specifically your earrings and any at all on your face!