burdman
New member
- May 8, 2013
- 49
- 0
- Parrots
- Eclectus parrot, rescue, Riley 13 yr old, CAG siblings Punkin and Munkin, 5 yr old
Hello, this is my first visit to the forum. This past weekend my wife and I picked up an older (13 years) male eclectus. He is a hard luck case, in that his owner is quite elderly and was diagnosed with a terminal disease forcing him to part with his beloved companion. It was very emotional for the owner and the bird. We were able to get his cage and his most recent toys. He has spent roughly a month at the store where he was originally purchased, which is where we were introduced. He had been being slowly socialised and was just recently brought out of the back room and onto the shop floor.
So far so good. We wanted to let him get used to his new surroundings for as long as needed before trying to have too much physical interaction with him, but he had other ideas. Within an hour of his arrival he was talking, taking new foods, and seeming generally content. Having had several birds in the past I was able to see that he was anxious to interact with us more than us just talking calmly to him in his cage. We let him out within hours of his arrival.
What a sweatheart he is. There were a couple "inquisitive" nips initially, but he was trained in "up" hand commands and we were soon holding him with no problems (once we learned the "up" command ourselves).
He seems to prefer me holding him as opposed to my wife, but she is able to work with him without any nipping.
He will sit on my shoulder for as long as I will let him, and gladly steps off my shoulder onto his cage when its time to go. He likes my facial hair, especially around my mouth. I get the impression his past owner may have given treats with his mouth, though that is only speculation (I used to do this with birds I've had in the past). He will let me nuzzle him with my ear or cheek without any protest. He seems generally content on my shoulder.
Last night we had a very minor incident. I had him out kind of late, about 9:30. When it came time to go to bed I was able to put him on his cage, but when I attempted to put him back in the cage he would not cooperate. I tried several times to get him on my hand but he was having none of it. He wasn't biting or acting the least bit aggressive, he just would not let me pick him up. He didn't do the eclectus freeze, but just looked at me each time I tried to pick him up. I tried leaving the room to see if he'd return on his own, no luck. I thought maybe he was having trust isues so thought I'd try a dowel. This he did not like at all. Now things were getting a bit more heated for him. I kept talking to him calmly and finally he walked to the front of the cage and calmly crawled onto my hand and I was able to place him in his home. The only thing I could figure was that my approach was somehow not what he was used to, so I will work on that.
We want him to have the best life possible. It breaks our hearts to hear him say "hello Jim" when I walk into the room because we assume this was either his owners name, or someone his owner spoke to.
They said at the pet store that he has an extensive vocabulary, but we have only heard a few phrases and singular words. Is there anything that we might be able to do to unlock his vocal repertoire?
What signs might we watch for that would indicate he is pining for his old owner, other than feather pulling or diminished appetite (neither of which he is doing). What can we do to comfort him during his transition other than what we are doing? He is a hearty eater and we have been giving him a wide variety of fruits and veggies as well as his staple pellets.
Do eclectus enjoy play areas? He seems rather docile while out of his cage, but a real accrobat inside it.
Thanx
So far so good. We wanted to let him get used to his new surroundings for as long as needed before trying to have too much physical interaction with him, but he had other ideas. Within an hour of his arrival he was talking, taking new foods, and seeming generally content. Having had several birds in the past I was able to see that he was anxious to interact with us more than us just talking calmly to him in his cage. We let him out within hours of his arrival.
What a sweatheart he is. There were a couple "inquisitive" nips initially, but he was trained in "up" hand commands and we were soon holding him with no problems (once we learned the "up" command ourselves).
He seems to prefer me holding him as opposed to my wife, but she is able to work with him without any nipping.
He will sit on my shoulder for as long as I will let him, and gladly steps off my shoulder onto his cage when its time to go. He likes my facial hair, especially around my mouth. I get the impression his past owner may have given treats with his mouth, though that is only speculation (I used to do this with birds I've had in the past). He will let me nuzzle him with my ear or cheek without any protest. He seems generally content on my shoulder.
Last night we had a very minor incident. I had him out kind of late, about 9:30. When it came time to go to bed I was able to put him on his cage, but when I attempted to put him back in the cage he would not cooperate. I tried several times to get him on my hand but he was having none of it. He wasn't biting or acting the least bit aggressive, he just would not let me pick him up. He didn't do the eclectus freeze, but just looked at me each time I tried to pick him up. I tried leaving the room to see if he'd return on his own, no luck. I thought maybe he was having trust isues so thought I'd try a dowel. This he did not like at all. Now things were getting a bit more heated for him. I kept talking to him calmly and finally he walked to the front of the cage and calmly crawled onto my hand and I was able to place him in his home. The only thing I could figure was that my approach was somehow not what he was used to, so I will work on that.
We want him to have the best life possible. It breaks our hearts to hear him say "hello Jim" when I walk into the room because we assume this was either his owners name, or someone his owner spoke to.
They said at the pet store that he has an extensive vocabulary, but we have only heard a few phrases and singular words. Is there anything that we might be able to do to unlock his vocal repertoire?
What signs might we watch for that would indicate he is pining for his old owner, other than feather pulling or diminished appetite (neither of which he is doing). What can we do to comfort him during his transition other than what we are doing? He is a hearty eater and we have been giving him a wide variety of fruits and veggies as well as his staple pellets.
Do eclectus enjoy play areas? He seems rather docile while out of his cage, but a real accrobat inside it.
Thanx
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How very tragic about his former owner. 
