Need help with understanding 22 week Ekkie

[mcmalott]

Simon is 22 weeks old - we have had him for 3 weeks and really love him.

I need help knowing if the following is "normal"

When we first got him, he already knew how to step up and was a total love bug - from the beginning he has eaten any and everything put in his fruit/veggie bowl - he has played with all of his toys.

As he has settled in more he swings and climbs all over his cage...lately he has been playing on the bottom of his cage .... not alot but 5 or 6 times a day -- is this normal???

Also he has A LOT of energy and is constantly moving all up and down his cage and tearing up toys - he seems VERY happy - I guess I was thinking after all of my reading that he would be calmer (I am NOT complaining!!!!) is this typical???

Lastly - he has started to bluff me and grab and my fingers when I ask him to step up - he also tries to nibble (very hard) my fingers when we are just hanging out watching TV. normal??? how to I get him to stop the nipping/biting - right now I sternly say no and he stops but I have to remind him often.........

One other question.....I only pet the front of his chest and his beak because I do not want to have any issues with him mistaking me for a mate - is it bad to rub their beaks or chests?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Boysmom]

Ruby beaks us alot, which is not biting but tasting and testing and using her beak as a hand. Ruby has never learned the strength of her beak in 2 years. she wont even crack nuts on her own. Now that she is hormonal she has become more aggressive with her beak but still has never broken skin. I pet Ruby all over and she doesnt take me for her mate, but she does think my son's turtle whose tank is near her cage, is her mate. She is aggressive when anyone tries to feed the turtle. She will jump onto his tank, open the lid, and drop fruit in to him. Ekkies do move about their cage alot and once they learn to play with toys can destroy a $20 toy in a day. Ekkies aren't known to be the most affectionate of birds, but do make great pets just the same. I wouldn't trade Ruby for the world. I love Ruby and she loves me !

 

[weco]

You have a juvenile parrot that is not yet 6 months old.....for his age, yes curious, yes a lot of energy and yes, playing on the cage bottom.....it's part of his world.....

His bluffing & nipping is part of his testing his limits.....think of a 2yo child throwing their food & otherwise embarrassing their parents in a restaurant...Simon is at that stage & will continue to take whatever liberties you let him get away with. Failing to set the rules now will cause you headaches down the road.....Stern voices, disapproving faces & putting him back in his cage has wondrous effects on most young birds.....they thrive on flock approval & don't like being excluded from flock activity.....

Give him a couple of more years, he'll eventually mellow.....when he has you just where he wants you.....huh.....I bet you thought you were in control.....sounds like Simon is a healthy juvenile ekkie...congratulations.....

 

[Karigan]

Boysmom, that's hysterical!

 

[moni.k]

Nalani loves utilizing her whole cage and I do find her on the bottom quiet often. What I like to do is place trays of home grown, organic wheat grass on the bottom grate so she can roll around and forage through it. Your ekkie is really young and will be a ball of energy, I really enjoy this part. I rough house with Nalani and love flipping her over on her back and give her belly rubs. hehe. She lets me know when the funs over, but it tires her out. It also exposes her to being handled every which way, so I can pet her belly, place her on her back, flip her upside down and she thinks its all fun and games. Comes in handy when I take her to the vet or working on socializing with strangers.

As for the biting, Nalani is also quiet young... she's about 7 months old and she is fascinated with my glasses, fingernail and ear. I am constantly telling her "no biting" just one of those things where I will have to wait until she gets over it. Thankfully she doesn't bite hard, but it can get a bit annoying at times. If it gets too much, I give her a distraction (foot toys, piece of paper, food, etc) and reward her for her good behavior.

Lastly, as for the petting, he is really young and he hasn't reached sexual maturity. So it should be fine wherever you pet. Once he reaches "puberty" so to speak, you don't want to put any pressure or pet his back. This can stimulate hormonal behaviors. But I think the beak, head and chest should be fine. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Sounds like he is adjusting really well to his new home.

 

[Oedipussrex]

Have to agree with everyone else. Pickle isn't the most active of birds and he still loves it when i fill the bottom of his cage with shredded paper and hide nuts in there for him. We started doing this because sometimes he just shreds his poopy newspaper lining and thats a bit gross. And even though pickle is generally pretty good with his 'exploratory nibbling' now, he still seems convinced that finger nails are supposed to peel off. You cant let him get anywhere near them or he will try to remove them - and god forbid you wear a bright nail polish! lol

Seems to me you're doing everything right but we all know how we just want to be 150% certain that our fids are ok at every given moment XD

Boysmom the turtle made me laugh so much!

If anyone knows - i am genuinely curious. I understand why petting the back of a female bird may stimulate hormonal behaviours, but i always wondered why people apply this to the males as well?.. since they are usually 'on top' as it were - but i guess that doesn't matter... ;P

 

[mcmalott]

Thank ALL of you for your help!!! I really needed reassurance - the 150% comment was spot on LOL

I have a 34 year old YN Amazon so a baby Eclectus is VERY different for me!!!!!!

I really love him so much but I also understand that I have to set limits for him and I am doing that - he is starting to talk and I can make out several things that he is saying Hello is VERY clear - he can also do the pitch and length of "What's up buttercup" and "I love you" today though he clearly said "OW" and it is not from me because I do not react with the nipping it is from my 18 year old daughter and 10 year old son!!!!! I am so excited he is starting to talk!

Thanks again for your help and suggestions