I did itโ€ฆโ€ฆI canโ€™t believe, a bird came home with me last night.

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
So, I did it. After going back and forth for at least a week. We went to visit a rehome needed bird, and took it home.

A male Eclectus, 12 years old. Very loved and well integrated into the family. The owner was too busy to care for him with her new job. Very nice lady. She cried sending the bird out of the house. The only thing I didnโ€™t like too much is heโ€™s on a seed diet. But she said the bird will eat anything if we offer. Will work on that slowly.

The Eclectus is very well socialized and talked with us throughout the whole car ride. โ€œHi, hello, hummmm, wa-wa-wa-wa (when we sing to him)โ€. Iโ€™m not going to say too much about him at the moment because he just came last night. We are still on our way to figure him out and vise versa.

Iโ€™m a bit nervous. Did I do the right thing? Not just for him, but also for my family. Can we pull through and do it right? Give me advise on the kick start of a rehoming bird. Share your first week with your bird experience, please.
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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Oh, I also want to know what food processor you use for the chop. Gotta get one.
 

Pampa

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Congratulations! I think you will be fine. You are being thoughtful about your new family member and human family, and thatโ€™s good. Iโ€™m not the most experienced person but I have brought two rehomed, both Friendly tame and socialized, birds home. Take it slow and follow the birds lead. My two wanted to be out and handled from the beginning. They both, like humans, were on their best behavior at first and got more bold as they integrated with me and my home situation. Get him on a schedule so he knows what to expect. On BirdTricks they said when a bird is new to your home everything is so new and unexpected that you can start feeding the diet you want them on day one and they will adapt with it all. I tried that with bird two, who was under age two, and was on a mostly seed diet. It worked for that bird. You could give it a try.
I have an old food processor that Iโ€™ve had... 30 years? Wow. It works fine for everything.

How exciting for you. Have fun.
 

Laurasea

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Congratulations! Taking a re home is a wonderful thing to do!!!
My re-home Pikachu who was well loved and socialable before I got him, just melted seemlessly into my life and heart
My rescue Penny had some ups and downs at the start. But she is a big Love now. Still has some quirks and confidence issues but a great girl.
You might have a honeymoon period and then an adjustment period then all settled. Or just be great from the getgo!
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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Thanks guys. I just need some encouragement. It was not a rushed decision, I'm just extremely nervous whenever he dose something undesirable.



He had a really bad day 1. Not horrible, but bad. He refused to step up, but he will fly to our shoulders. That's more out of his habit. He is not shy at all when he express that he is not happy.



He is pushing boundaries already tonight. Can you guys help me with dinner time? He was full, but he wanted to be on the dinner table to steal food. How should I handle this? I can make a bird designated seat and give him his own portion of bird appropriate food. But I can't let him pick up food from the table. Plus we will have food when guests are over. How can I keep him in control?


He came with his cage, but the cage has a broken hole. Can I replace or fix it? I don't want a new cage right away since he likes his old one now. Something familiar.
 

charmedbyekkie

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It actually sounds like you're doing well - don't stress so much :)

He's still probably nervous about his new family (afterall, he doesn't understand what's going on), so it may yet take time to step up and do other "normal" things. I'd try doing target training first before working on stepping up.

As for boundaries, I'd encourage you putting him in his cage to eat at the same time you guys eat your meals (for now at least). Parrots do forage, so him going to the table is a normal reaction. What we do want to shape is to make sure all interactions are positive for both you and him, so it's all about baby steps. So stationary training is a big ask for him right now, especially if he's not solid on his step up.

As for the cage, it depends on the damage of the whole. If it is exposed metal (potentially rusting) or sharp (he might try to wiggle out and get caught), then you'll need to replace it asap for his safety. If it's just a door missing, you might be able to DIY a cloth or grating fix (make sure your materials are safe).
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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It actually sounds like you're doing well - don't stress so much :)

He's still probably nervous about his new family (afterall, he doesn't understand what's going on), so it may yet take time to step up and do other "normal" things. I'd try doing target training first before working on stepping up.

As for boundaries, I'd encourage you putting him in his cage to eat at the same time you guys eat your meals (for now at least). Parrots do forage, so him going to the table is a normal reaction. What we do want to shape is to make sure all interactions are positive for both you and him, so it's all about baby steps. So stationary training is a big ask for him right now, especially if he's not solid on his step up.

As for the cage, it depends on the damage of the whole. If it is exposed metal (potentially rusting) or sharp (he might try to wiggle out and get caught), then you'll need to replace it asap for his safety. If it's just a door missing, you might be able to DIY a cloth or grating fix (make sure your materials are safe).




I agree with the relax part. He just sat on my shoulder a few minutes ago to enjoy some k-pop music together. He was doing his "what cha doing?" and "wa-wa-wa-wa-".


I don't mind to give him time. I just dont want to set up to fail...you know. I will try to put him in cage starting tomorrow. We did free feed today since both of us have work today. Tomorrow my husband is home, so it will be scheduled meal time. That will be easier.




Oh yea, the hole is a missing feeder door. I might get some acrylic board to cover it. It is currently covered by cardboard.
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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charmedbyekkie

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What do you guys think about this product? He will only be in this "cage" at eating time with us. He will have his own portion and be placed on the table.



https://www.eclectusparrot.com/kitkub.shtml

That looks like a pain to clean. I heard people have similar complaints about the Aussie Seedmates.

ๅฐๅง, just use https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=570156867748 Can clean easier bah.

We can take it apart and even flatpack it. No need to worry about getting into corners. I disassemble it to clean it about every other day (Cairo flings a lot). I attach it to Cairo's cage where people would normally put a nesting box. You could put it where the food door is missing. All of Cairo's food goes in there, except for his dehydrated chop.
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
What do you guys think about this product? He will only be in this "cage" at eating time with us. He will have his own portion and be placed on the table.



https://www.eclectusparrot.com/kitkub.shtml

I have something very similar for BB the cockatiel. I originally got it for Jonesy (Goffin 'too) because he would literally throw his food across the livingroom floor :eek: BB loves his "box" lol and it keeps his messes way down. Cleaning is ok for the most part...being acrylic and all. The only thing that kind of sucked was that I had to snip a couple of his house bars coz the thing hangs from the side and he needed a way to go in and out. I highly recogmend it..think I got it from Amazon for $70ish?


Jim
 

noodles123

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EDIT- glad things are going better for you. That plastic thing looks small.

Original: WOAH WOAH---you shouldn't even attempt to get him to step up until it has been a week to a few months (varied by bird)...You are rushing this. SLOW DOWN. Breathe---build trust.
You should do quiet things near cage---not in his face, not trying to touch. Do this for days and let him see you putting treats into the bowls (doesn't have to come from your hand). You want him to associate you with positive things, not anxiety.
You can still let him out each day (you should, assuming it isn't totally unsafe) but you should do it when he is hungry near dark so that you have a means of bribing him back--you sort of have to know your bird on this one, but for about 1 month, I couldn't touch my cockatoo, and she was out daily (all day on weekends and until she put herself in her cage at night on work-days). I never toweled her or chased her (which is why she stayed in BEFORE work but not after).
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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Thanks guys, we had a better second day.

Full story of first day- (why not stepping up was a problem.)
We left him in cage when we went to work. First day we just did free feed since we were gone all day. We had a talk show on for him. He HATED the talk show, got out of the cage himself, and beat the crap out of that computer. We came back home to a free running, eye pinning green chicken.

So of course, he didnโ€™t not want to cooperate when we had dinner. He was full from free feed, but wanted a piece anyways. He was just gonna get it and drop it. We donโ€™t mind him not stepping upโ€ฆโ€ฆwe didnโ€™t even want to try, but what else can we do? ��
Then before bed timeโ€ฆโ€ฆgave very grumpy signs, bit my nose...then I wrapped my arm in towel and had him step up.

Today, my husband was home. We started feeding more on schedule. He quickly learned that he has to eat his meal in the cage. Dinner time he was caged, squawked a few times, and gave up. He even had a shower after dinner. Bite time decreased to just once.

We are making progress. I didnโ€™t know that I would be this nervous when I actually get a bird.
 
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Jen5200

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Good to hear that you are making progress, and things are calming down a little. You are all learning about each other, and everyone is trying to figure out how things work. I have 6 birds that are all rescues or re-homes - routine seemed to be very important to all of mine. I think with mine it was helpful that they could start to trust that they knew what to expect to happen at particular times, and that provided some stability so we could get to know each other better and build a bond. Youโ€™re doing great, be patient, breathe and ask lots of questions (thereโ€™s lots of support here) :).
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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He has pretty good appetite, but he does not like to drink water. The previous owner confirmed that he's not a rapid drinker. He basically lives a fatty bird-life so far. Seeds, fruits, and little water. Good thing that he flies.

I'm not in a rush to change his dies. I know that takes time. But I'm more worried about water. Can you give me suggestions on how to get him to drink? Maybe I should pretend to drink something and see if he is interested. Do you have recommendations on bird-safe tea? The 100% herbal ones of course.


Thanks so much. I feel the support. It has been very helpful.
 

charmedbyekkie

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My first though would be how do you know he's not drinking enough water? If he's eating a lot of fruits, he's likely getting his water via the wet fruits. Check his droppings to know - if all three parts are normal, you're ok. However, if his droppings are missing urine but have ok urates and faeces, then it's a clear sign he's not getting enough water intake.

We had a similar problem with our ekkie. Cairo basically preferred drinking from running taps, instead from his water bowl. It was clear that he was making himself dehydrated because urine was often missing from his droppings. Our avian vet recommended 2 things:

- the moment you see droppings that bounce (yes, he was dehydrating himself so much), put him in the shower
- change his water bowl to something else (we switched from a stainless steel one to a red ceramic bowl)

It's largely worked for us. However, I do notice that our little guy doesn't like to drink from the new bowl if I rinsed it with apple cider vinegar. So I have to be very careful what I clean it with and how well I rinse it.

I wouldn't get into tea just yet. Some birds like it, some birds hate it. You also don't want to get him started on a habit that you don't plan on continuing. Try the water methods and see how it goes first. Plus, with teas, you have to change it more frequently.
 
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shinyuankuo

shinyuankuo

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May 9, 2019
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State College, PA
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Winston ๅฑๆ’š, the Eclectus. ๅฑๆ’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
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My first though would be how do you know he's not drinking enough water? If he's eating a lot of fruits, he's likely getting his water via the wet fruits. Check his droppings to know - if all three parts are normal, you're ok. However, if his droppings are missing urine but have ok urates and faeces, then it's a clear sign he's not getting enough water intake.

We had a similar problem with our ekkie. Cairo basically preferred drinking from running taps, instead from his water bowl. It was clear that he was making himself dehydrated because urine was often missing from his droppings. Our avian vet recommended 2 things:

- the moment you see droppings that bounce (yes, he was dehydrating himself so much), put him in the shower
- change his water bowl to something else (we switched from a stainless steel one to a red ceramic bowl)

It's largely worked for us. However, I do notice that our little guy doesn't like to drink from the new bowl if I rinsed it with apple cider vinegar. So I have to be very careful what I clean it with and how well I rinse it.

I wouldn't get into tea just yet. Some birds like it, some birds hate it. You also don't want to get him started on a habit that you don't plan on continuing. Try the water methods and see how it goes first. Plus, with teas, you have to change it more frequently.

My boyโ€™s (or ๅคง็ˆบ to be more accurate) dropping does not bounce. I just never see him going to the water, but I guess his poop looks ok. He is still transitioning to the better diet, so we gave much fruit recently. The good thing is he is very motivated by almonds.

We started target training and found he is afraid of the stick. Will have to desensitize first. It gets better everyday. He was on my arm tonight while I read him some Bible verses. It was all good until I got bit right before bed time. He makes a โ€œuRRH!โ€ sound when he is put to sleep. :rolleyes:

I found out that he is not very enthusiastic in showering...eating a lot of seed, have food coma right after morning meal, and not a fan of shower...this guy is a fatty. Or I guess in Chinese ่‚ฅๅฎ…:Dใ€‚

Again, I really want to thank all of you for commenting, encouraging, and sharing. I thought I was ready for the challenge, but one can never be ready before the real deal comes.
 

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