hello, im new with a naughty eclectus :)

Bobbie

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hello :)

we have had our eclectus(Jasper) for 5 days, for the first 2 days he was a delight, super firendly and really nice to have a cuddle with. but for the last 3 days he has been growling, lunging and trying to bite when we tried to handle him. this is the same when changing his food bowls.

we dont rush towards him or stick our hands towards him really fast, we take it slow and talk softly to him as we aproach him/his cage.

his diet consists of: baby corn, brocolli, carrot, and peas for his veg, and fruit: pear, apple, melon, mango, prunes, blue berries, black berries and apricot. - all these are shopped and raw and put in a bowl together(should i do this differently, all seeds are removed)

he also has half a coconut hanging in his cage, which he doesnt seem to eat but loves to tear/chew to peices.

in addition to his coconut he has a few plastic toys and natural wood perches(odd shapes)

he has a seed mix(i cannot find these pellets anywhere in the UK) which is in a seperate bowl to his fruit/vegs.

he is 19 months old. i have heard they go 'through a terrible 2s' stage. could this be a part of his behaviour? or is this simply a myth?

or could it all be down to the fact that he is realising that hes been taken from his home where he grew up and he is venting his frustrations on us?

any help will be appreciated. he loves to talk, and for an ekkie he has an amazing vocab and a deep voice for half of what he says and a cooo type voice for the other half of his words. :)

hes a lovely boy and we just want him to settle :)

many thanks
bobbie (and jasper)
 

Miriam

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Buddy our Quaker parrot and Daisy our Cockatiel and Saphira our Eclectus!
Hi there...welcome to the forum! The only advise I can offer is what my breeder told me...take it slow, keep talking to him and don't push him. Whenever his feathers are up or he looks tense, just back up a little and continue talking to him in a gentle voice. His diet sounds good, except i dont think you need to take the seeds out of everything...except apples, no apple seeds. Make sure he gets enough sleep, lack of sleep makes them cranky...10 hours is what i keep reading.

Anymore advise you get I would love to see, as i have had my Ekkie, Saphira, for 7 days and she doesn't seem to be calming down any. Feathers up and lunging quite a bit.

Good luck with Jasper. Hopefully before long we will both be enjoying fun time with our Ekkie!
:red::)
 

mtdoramike

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11 month old Senegal Parrot - 3 year old SI Eclectus
I don't know about Ecluctus, but my Senegal was similar in actions as yours. I bought him from a lady on Craigslist. He was 11 months old. Once I got him, he seemed to be fairly friendly. I didn't touch him for two days and let him get used to his new surroundings. Then on the third day, I started to try getting him to step up, which he had been taught by previous owner. He would pinch the crap out of my finger, but not drawing blood or breaking the skin. So this was my signal to back off, which I did.

I think just started setting by his cage talking to him offering him treats from my hands inside his cage then outside of his cage. It was a good 4-5 days before I really started pushing him to step up. He hate, I mean hates being on the floor, so one day there was a large school bus pass the house near his window, which scared him. He flew off his cage and glided to the floor (wings are clipped). I let him walk around for a few seconds at which time he walked over to my feet. I bent down so he could see me and offered my hand. He jumped up on my hand without a nip. Then I just spent a good hour walking him around the house on my hand going from room to room. I would then make him stup up from hand to hand. After that he was fine and he was hand feed as a baby.

I'm not sure about the prunes though. I would think with all the nuts and fruits, birds wouldn't need prunes.

MIke
 

Miriam

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Buddy our Quaker parrot and Daisy our Cockatiel and Saphira our Eclectus!
I've left the door open so she Could come out, and she has, but she was unable to get back in her cage on her own and just kept on trying with all her might to get in a position to fly up and kept flying into things, she is clipped also, she would not come to me for anything so finally I got a towel because I didn't want her to get hurt.
 
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suebee

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hey bobbie try northern parrots for harrison super fine pellets :) in UK though you may think it costs alot!! £7.99! the bag will last over a month, as i generally put enough to cover bottom of her bowl with, if your bird won't eat it, sprinkle it over the fruit :)

5 days is not long, he might have felt you was to forward with him lol
so just sit in the room with him an let him have time to adjust an check out his new home, and take his time with coming to you for now??

if he likes to shred that coco nut :) get him more to shred, try corn on cob, raw or roasted dry :) they can eat the corn an then destroy the cob! my nut loves corn on cob :) oh try fresh peas in pod, like sugar snap peas lol my nut loves to shred things an it makes a meal last longer for her lol i tie them around cage etc

ok apple seeds as said above are a no no but also lychee stones!

personally growling and lunging major display of un-happy, nut did this an the best thing was to walk away

nut is not a talker or a squarker, so i have to read her body language, if she turns her back to me, she is not interested!
if she backs away she is, in her mind yellin at me she is not interested,
when she crouch an hiss is her last warning to me

her feather postion have alot to say as well but i haven't sussed all of them yet, but what i call the tall skinny, when she stands tall and skinny looking means she is scared, she does not do the tall skinny much now, but there are times she looks like she is, but that is mainly cos she is un-sure, or she has just un-hooked the curtains, knocked something over, etc

i am sure jasper will settle, as you had a good start and welcome to the forum :) how many ppl in your household?? as jasper might have a prefered person :)
 
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Bobbie

Bobbie

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Hi miriam, we can learn together :) your girl sounds lovely. have you posted any pictures? hope we can both build thier trust soon :) also im sure she doesnt hate you, you had to help her one way or another. just try again and keep at it :) oh and seeds. i just read somewhere that you shouldn't give fruit seeds thats all. but i will try him with some now :D

Hi mtdoramike, thank you for your advice, we have been taking it slow and talking to him and hes talking back which i hope is a start :D the prunes just seemed nice to try as a treat though he didnt take to them.

Hi suebee, thanks for the name of the food, 7.99 isnt bad i will try get some, thank you. he likes to sit on top of his cage, and whistle, he will say alsorts and chat to himself in his own mixed up language. if im here watching tv he will shriek so i say hello and he will start to tlk then and stop the high pitch shrill :) he really does love his coconut, is it ok for him if he does eat it?? the way you describe your nuts' body language really matches to his, so i will bare all your descriptions in mind. he does the tall and tense thing and the feathers to the side of his head and at the back, he will stick those out while your changing his bowls of trying to offer a treat. although this evening he has been good, he let me run my finger down his chest and straight after he took a treat from me. right now hes on top of his cage chatting away. i hope these are all good signs

oh and theres two of us, me n my partner chris

many thanks to you all. i will post some pictures too soon :D
 

suebee

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lol bobbie thats great his allowing you to touch him :) just a little at a time, i never really touch nut under her beak, cos it makes my fingers an easy target lol, but she loves her head/neck rubs :)

when i use to give her a rub she would flash a bite at me, i just touched her beak and moved away, but now i know when she fancies a rub from me, she will come close lol and she only wants a rub from me, when my partners not at home, his her fav person :( she no longer rides on my shoulder, unless i am in the bath lol she'll let me splash her till she feels she is wet enough

i think a very varied diet is best, so not loads of just one thing, pomegrante is another fav, but becarefull of black cherries, only cos i nearly had a fit when i forgot i fed nut one, and she looked like she had cut top of her beak!!! plus her poop came out like passed blood!

can't wait to see pics

Parrot Musings: Parrot body language

i love this blogg :)
 
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Bobbie

Bobbie

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i will give that blog a good read :) he let me go over to him just now and he stayed looking pretty relaxed and twisted his head at an angle to look at me and i gave him a pom seed :)

heres a video i took about an hour ago of him chatting away. sorry you cant see him i only have a lamp on and its not far off midnight here.

its not his best talking moment, hes been going for ages and making some rather funny noises, but i swear when i put the camera on him he knows and goes very quiet :p

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V00di5IScr8]YouTube - ‪Jasper the Eclectus parrot‬‏[/ame]

even when jasper was in his good mood for the first day he wouldnt have you touch his head and he also hates to be misted or go near water :(

this is one of the first pictures i took of him :)

DSCF23731.jpg
 
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Bobbie

Bobbie

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thanks :) this picture doesnt do him any justice, hes so colourful and bright in person. the blues and reds in his wings are amazing and his beak.. its brighter than half his toys i swear!
 

suebee

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awww his so sweet, how much sleep time does he have??? by 8pm nut is all covered up an tucked away for the night, she gets at least 11hrs every day??

hee hee nut hates being misted, though likes being wet?? so try a shallow dish of water at bottom of his cage?? (a sturdy dish that won't tip lol) or as he gets more confidant in you let him watch you shower/bath and he might just join you??
nut wont get into a shallow bath etc by herself and has stopped bathing in her water dish, but as soon as i start running a bath she gets all interested :)

ok if you feel his getting more confidant, cut up a plate of fruit, a few bits and eat them in front of him, an share a little to start by takin a little to him, and as his confidance grows he will go to you for some, but let him take it back etc, nut use to eat next to me, but now likes to take it back to her cage :( but i've a feeling jasper will prob eat on you :)

another fav treat of nut's is meat/egg white/seeded bread but she gets these in tiny/small amounts lol i sometimes give her a chicken wing bone :) though i don't know if eclectus like or eat meats, so maybe another eclectus carer can help here :)
 
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Bobbie

Bobbie

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he gets around 9 hours. is that ok or not enough?

when hes ok with us touching him and handling him i wil have to try the bath thing :)

since we last spoke he has got better, we have been giving him treats when he lets us touch him. he will let us touch his back and chest gently never his head. each time he does we give him a treat, we have been using slices of almond, are these ok? not harmful too him or anything? he really likes them.

i heard a raw wing bone? not sure if its raw, but the marrow in it or something they really like and i think its good for them. ive not tried any meats with jasper yet..
 

suebee

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i'd give jasper cooked meat/bone but tiny amounts small wing bone once a week, i generally give nut her meat during meal times that she shares with us, her table manners have improved :) as she no longer sticks her beak into every1s dinner, she sit by my man and wait for her bowl lol

almonds are ok, but remember there fattening lol so alturnate treats from nut to fruit

the bath thing let him watch, 1st :) its best if he is happy to follow you, ride on your shoulder and has a perching place, nuts perching place is top of the door lol and when i'm in the bath an start splashing she swoops down

its going great an while his getting these treats start teaching him to step up and come to you, easier if his loose in the house and you need him off a door top etc

9hrs or more is fine, if he gets chance to nap in the day lol

sounds like his slowly trusting you, don't push to fast, as you give him treat try a little touch of the beak, i use to do this with nut. evey time she went to bite me, my hands would naturally flinch away, but i would then slowly go to touch top of her beak, and she never seemed to mind that lol though at times she has looked as if she was thinking about taking them of via the shoulder lmao
 

jew1187

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He is a beautiful bird. You just need to give him time. Don't force him in to doing something he doesn't want, unless its something that must be done. Like taking him to the vet. Have you done that yet?
 
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Bobbie

Bobbie

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jasper is settling now :)

if he really really wants something he will try his hardest to get it without coming off the cage but twice now. once for a tiny tiny piece of pancake and a crips which chris dropped on the floor he has come down and onto the floor to get both of them. i think its great. he willl let chris touch him and give him a treat. but wont let me near him anymore.

he will lung and growl at me if i walk near his cage or try change his bowls of food/water etc. making it hard for me. but hes better with chris for sure. no lunging or angry noises.

also he is screaming. now ive google eclectus scream etc and none of them sound anything like him. he is proper shreiking, so loud it rattle in your head if you know what i mean. very high pitch and ear piercing. i have read they do it when they want something. but he does it when he is loose so can fly or walk where ever he likes and he has fresh fruit and al his favourite things in his cage. but still does it. any ideas as to what it is?? he doesnt want to be touched as chris tried that and got a warning bite.

any help will be great.

hows your little lady doing suebee?

we have not been to the vet yet no jew.
 

BirdLady3

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Hi Bobbie - I'm totally new here to this forum, but have had my eclectus for 19 years, from a baby to the lovely 19 year old I have now. So, not at all new to birds, and especially the beautiful and mysterious eclectus. I also have an african grey (congo) and cockatiel. My parents and I have at one time or another had about 20 parrots. First things first, in my humble opinion, never LISTEN to your breeder. Don't take your bird to anyone but an avian vet, not a regular vet. And for the eclectus yell - it's an alarm. It's meant for a warning to others of their flock. To address the lunging/attacking you issue now - sounds like your baby prefers your hubby. Mine did this to me after 17 years and it broke my friggin heart to pieces. There's nothing you can do but be patient and kind. Always watch their body language for cues on what you should do. If he's watching your fingers like they are meat sticks - don't touch him. If he's being passive, it's okay. From my personal experience, do NOT give them free reign of your home. They will think of it as their home, and that they are in charge of it. You don't want to go there, believe me. I did it, and it's not a pretty situation. Let him have his area (i.e. his cage and a perch) and that's that. I'm going to re-read your q's and post from there. And as always, these opinions/views of mine are just gained from 20 years of having birds and caring for them.
 

JJones1719

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Hello, Perhaps you are having issues with biting for several reasons. Think of it this way, in the wild Parrots are pray birds, Snakes are the natural enemy to the Eclectus. The snake moves slow, your hand moves slow, to an Eclectus you are the snake, move towards your Eclectus like you would normally move, this way your movment is no big deal. if you move slow or your body language hesitates at all, Parrots are very good on reading body language so they know right away that something is different and will do whatever they can to get away or stand and fight. Sometimes Parrots can be cage aggresive. One trick you can use is stick train them with a clicker, open the cage door and let them climb to the top of the cage then pick them up. Sometimes parrots are food agressive, to stop this, feed your Eclectus by hand with treats and play with them with their favorite toy. Soon he will not see you as a threat but more like part of his flock. Most questions can be answered by watching wild birds, after all, eventhough your Eclectus was hand raised, in their mind, they are still wild animals. Best of luck to you and your new Family member. Joe
 
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BirdLady3

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jasper is settling now :)

if he really really wants something he will try his hardest to get it without coming off the cage but twice now. once for a tiny tiny piece of pancake and a crips which chris dropped on the floor he has come down and onto the floor to get both of them. i think its great. he willl let chris touch him and give him a treat. but wont let me near him anymore.

he will lung and growl at me if i walk near his cage or try change his bowls of food/water etc. making it hard for me. but hes better with chris for sure. no lunging or angry noises.

also he is screaming. now ive google eclectus scream etc and none of them sound anything like him. he is proper shreiking, so loud it rattle in your head if you know what i mean. very high pitch and ear piercing. i have read they do it when they want something. but he does it when he is loose so can fly or walk where ever he likes and he has fresh fruit and al his favourite things in his cage. but still does it. any ideas as to what it is?? he doesnt want to be touched as chris tried that and got a warning bite.

any help will be great.

hows your little lady doing suebee?

we have not been to the vet yet no jew.

Hi again - also, wanted to point out that eclectus do this alarm when they are scared. so when he's loose as you said, something scared the poop out of him and he was warning the flock. They will often get scared when out of their cages (which is safe to them) if they see a bird flying outside, see a dump truck going by, hear a loud noise, etc. I hope I'm conveying this correctly. Basically it doesn't take a lot for these little guys to get scared. At all. A great website for electus owners is landofvos.com, please check them out. Also, eclectus don't just need fruits and veggies. Although, that should be like 60-70% of their diet, they need protein and other nutrients too. I hate pellets for my Jewels. They made him toe tap. I found from experience that the best diet is a soft food mixture (mine prefer the poly-pasta from crazycorn.com) mixed with caribbean bounty (seeds/nuts/dried fruit mixture) and Harrison's organic pellets. I've found in my years raising birds that colored pellets are just bad for my guys. Seeds are what these animals eat in the wild, so please keep that in mind. Don't always listen religiously to others saying seed is no good. That's just not true, it must be given in moderation because they'd eat it all day long and only that if you give it to him. Kinda like our unhealthy but delicious food, you know? So anyways, I mix all this delicious healthy stuff together every morning and they eat it during the day while I'm at work, and then I give them a fresh serving when I get home and remove it at night. My little guy is acting a bit sick right now..so we're waiting on results from blood work, so that's how I found you guys. I'm glad I Did. I HIGHLY recommend going to landofvos.com for all of you. it's a website completely dedicated to eclectus.
 

BirdLady3

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I respectfully disagree with the snake analogy. I hate to say this, but, I'm going to because I've been to the ER twice from my eclectus biting me trying to tell me something, but, when they bite you and they growl at you, but not your husband or partner, etc. then unfortunately, you're not their "person". Birds in general will choose usually 1 person that is "their person". I mean the one person they love and adore and will always want to go to. Mine always thought of me like that until I met my now husband, and then boyfriend/fiance and bit the crap out of my face when I tried to kiss him. AFter 17 years of owning him, and me being his chosen one, he chose my hubby. It was extremely hard on me, but I was inflicting my human emotions on my animal and that's not how you should operate. He's, in my opinion (and from experience) telling you he prefers your husband, and will tolerate you for other things, but listen to him when he is growling or lunging at you and leave him alone. And PLEASE do not leave his cage door open for him to come and go as he pleases. Just as you wouldn't do with an unruly teenager, do NOT do the same thing with your intelligent bird. He will take that as your home is HIS TERRITORY and will try and rule the "roost". I couldn't walk around in my own home because I Did this for so long and he would run after me and chase me! I'm only trying to save you the heartache and ER visits that I had to endure. It just makes sense, doesn't it when you think about it? If you give them the run of the house, they'll take it all. Use common sense. And I sort of agree with moving as you normally would, but, that has nothing to do with moving slow or anything. He obviously is scared of you and/or just doesn't want to be bothered with yuou, i'm so sorry for being honest and hurtful, but I wish someone would have told me these things before I have scars on my face and kept trying to PUSH my eclectus into my way of doing things.
 

Pedro

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Bobby, it's clear that your bird has come to you with a bit of bagage. Probably the reason he was rehomed. From my experience being a breeder of these beautiful birds & working through some of their behaviors with their new owners. IMO i believe there is no naughty parrots, if a parrot has behavior issues it's usually the fault of the owner/carer. I also think that we need to educate more companion parrot owners on parrot behavior because i believe this is the area where we fail our birds miserably.

Your boy is 19 months old. The screaming could be a habit now. One that's maybe hard to break. If it's for attention it is to be ignored. You should reward him for being quite. Eclectus are one of the easiest birds to read body language & understand what they want.

Yes they do have contact calls for various reasons but it should not be on going & a few short bursts is all my birds carry on with if something is bothering them. Most days all my eclectus are quite. They do get a bit rowdy in the breeding season.

You haven't had him all that long & sometimes it can take up to a year to completely earn each others trust. The main thing is to take things very slow.
 

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