Young eclectus help?

GabeB

New member
Jan 13, 2020
13
4
Tennessee
Parrots
Red sided Eclectus
Umbrella Cockatoo
Blue Masked Lovebird
Hi everybody! I'm new to the forum and was looking for some advice.
My dad got a Red Sided male Eclectus a couple of days before Christmas, and I need some advice on raising him. My dad passed away in January so I am raising the bird myself. His name is Echo and he is 6 months old.

My main concern is that he does not have any desire to be around me. He doesn't bite much but he hates when I try to pet him and just sits on my hand. He doesn't really like to run around much or play when I have him out.

Is this normal for young Eclectus or just Eclectus in general?
Any tips for connecting with him more?

I feed him a fresh veggie/fruit diet along with pellets from the breeder(Cold pressed, organic, etc.) I also have an umbrella cockatoo and a black-masked love bird :)
Thank you so much for any advice!
 

chris-md

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2010
4,349
2,119
Maryland - USA
Parrots
Parker - male Eclectus

Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
Welcome to the forums! My deepest condolences on the loss of your dad!

Thank you for checking in on proper eclectus care. Sounds like youā€™re mostly there., diet at all!

Just give it time. parrots can take several months to settle in, so it sounds like heā€™s still adjusting.

But temper your expectations on handling. Ekkies donā€™t really like to be touched or petted like other birds do. You need to find other ways to engage. Consider training such as target training, flighted recall, and color training, to name a few. Heā€™s wildly smart, even at this age. The training will help speed up the bonding process.

You may already know this but donā€™t force interactions. If heā€™s not stepping up for you, use treats to entice him. Step up is a trick, and should be tested and trained consistently like any other trick.

My pedanticism aside, it sounds like youā€™re actually on the right track, just need to keep the patience. Keep up the amazing work!
 

charmedbyekkie

New member
May 24, 2018
1,148
82
US/SG
Parrots
Cairo the Ekkie!
Chris has got it covered, but if you really want a second voice to echo...

We met our ekkie boy when he was 5 months - recall trained perfectly.

We adopted him when he was 9 months old and, within less than 3 months, he picked up so many new tricks and vocab. An insane enthusiasm for learning new things once he understood what training was about. Everytime he realized we were in training time, he could hardly keep still in his excitement. It was the absolute best way to bond with him.

As for petting, we doubt Cairo will ever enjoy being touched. He'll tolerate it for the sake of putting on his harness (because he knows that means fun times), but otherwise he's strongly against it. Even for me (and my partner and our vet has pointed out that I can do almost anything to him, including flip him upside down or even cradle him on his back). He just doesn't like it.

Now, warning to you, my partner didn't listen to Cairo's cues of "no thanks" (Cairo would gently take your finger and push it away). He kept trying. After several months of this, Cairo realised the only way that my partner understood Cairo's "no" was if his "no" was a firm bite (instead of his gentle push). So don't push your little guy on it.

A link I like to share, especially for ekkies who are more pensive, is this https://www.exoticdirect.co.uk/news/how-train-bird-using-positive-reinforcement

Do share more of your little guy!
 

shinyuankuo

New member
May 9, 2019
98
16
State College, PA
Parrots
Winston å±ę’š, the Eclectus. å±ę’š (pi-nian) came from Pinion (Psalms 64, meaning flight feather, typifying God's soaring power.)
Hummm, I think this is quite an appropriate topic for me to share (looking at the scars on my hand).

My Ekkie did not like me from the start. He is a rehome. He picked my husband. My husband got bit the first two days, and that was it. My biting period continued on for 2 months or more. I 120% agree with what was shared - just give it time.

Training helps, but I even got bit when I awarded him treats. HOWEVER, it was just a phase. It was needed between me and Winston. So grind your teeth and let the biting be. But do watch his body language and don't push too far. It's a balance between you and your bird to figure out.

Outside of training time, Winston is not very playful, neither. He seems to be more of a perch potato. He will sit all day on our shoulder or his little perch stand next to us, and just look like at us like a stalker.

As for tips for him to warm up, talking and singing. For me, it was his nickname. One day, Winston was talking on his cage, and he said "Hi, Win-win-!" I picked it up and called him that. His eyes pinned, and I could tell that he thought different of me starting there. So keep talking to him and see what opportunity he offers to you.

As of now, Winston is happily sitting on my arm, blocking my computer screen while I type. My husband is still his favorite, but I'm also on the good side. Yay for myself (looking at my scars again...)!
 

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