Does anyone else have an Ekkie who does a 'Chicken guarding her eggs' Stance?

[PamnJay]

Hi,

We adopted a 6 year old Ekkie named Ozzy and he is a sweet boy (mostly ). We understand the screeching and screaming and use earplugs when he gets really loud, we get he like attention and frankly he had a pretty lonely few years. But he does this unusual stance both inside of and on top of his cage and wonder if anyone has seen anything similar and want to make sure it isn't a health issue, like the wing flipping. Firstly, he was on pellets for a while, I don't know how long and they were fortified, those are out the window now and he is down to 2 Nutri-berries a week. He eats veggies and fruit with the odd pumpkin seed, we are adopting a better food routine for him, but can't everything at once. I have attached a couple videos of him, please let me know if we should be worried or if it is hormones, he those too!! Thanks,

J

I guess videos are too big to post here...
His stance looks as follows, he bends over so hi body is pretty much horizontal, head looking forward. HIs wings spread out a bit, maybe an inch from him body and they shake. He has also screeched while doing this. He also has this super-loud high pitched tone he puts out. It reminds me of the Velociraptors on Jurassic Park but much louder and like 3 decibels higher. It is brutal...

I was able to get a few pics, but it isn't the same.

J

 

[saxguy64]

I know that pose very well. Usually accompanied by fluttering of the wings, but not outstretched. With my guy, it's entirely about excitement and wanting attention/interaction. I call it his happy to see me dance

 

[PamnJay]

Thank you!!!! We were concerned it was something serious.
He does seem to like attention, in his first home he was kept in the bathroom and had his cage banged on when he was loud and that woman sold him to a friend who kept him in a shed in 30C weather. When Olivia ( who we got him from) found out, she went and took him. That was three years ago and she did a fair amount with him to get to the mostly happy guy he is today!

 

[chris-md]

Well diagnosed above. Also called wanty wings by certain corners of the internet. “ I want, I want, I want!!”

Do keep in mind that while adorable and largely harmless, it is begging behavior and opens one avenue for potential behavior issues if you aren’t careful. Just think of a dog begging. . If a dog if begging you often don’t give him what he want or hcontinue begging. Don’t reward this every time, or it could get worse.

Largely, sit back, laugh and enjoy the silliness. Just be mindful begging isn’t always a good thing you want to reinforce. As a parrot owner, being able to identify behaviors and understanding accidental reinforcement is something you need to be mindful of to avoid future behavior problems.

 

[PamnJay]

Thanks! I remembered that he will be sitting on my shoulder, fly to his cage and then start that. I wonder if he is begging for a treat?

 

[PamnJay]

So I figured how to post to youtube so here are two videos of Ozzy.

He has been doing this all day, he was doing it more than he wasn't. He has done this more today than any other day so far.

J

 

[kme3388]

I shouldn't laugh but Nico my ekkie does this a ton. Once those wings start fluttering, and Nico leans forward I know I'm in for it. This happens when he wants to be held, or if I'm not giving him his food in the morning quick enough. If I walk away from him he'll get angry, and I'll get the full out scream that has the ears ringing for a few seconds.

I myself have started weighing Nico more often. It's a good way to tell if something is wrong. With birds hiding illness usually by the time its noticeable it's gone way too far. I bought a digital scale that is used to weigh food at wal-mart for $7.

 

[PamnJay]

OK, here we are again. Ozzy is on top of his cage, he won't come to either of us, and you can see and hear what he is doing. That high pitched sound is skull piercing and there is nothing that we have been able to do about it. When we ignore him, and we are, we have earplugs in, he just gets loader and more frequent. I have seen happy to see you moves and this ain't it. He will not come to us. Could this be withdrawls from the pellets?? Could this be an indication of illness? I appreciate and respect the opinions of all who replied but this is just nerve wracking as we can't get into an avian vet any time soon, one just left the province and the other is swamped.

Thanks again,

J

 

[kme3388]

OK, here we are again. Ozzy is on top of his cage, he won't come to either of us, and you can see and hear what he is doing. That high pitched sound is skull piercing and there is nothing that we have been able to do about it. When we ignore him, and we are, we have earplugs in, he just gets loader and more frequent. I have seen happy to see you moves and this ain't it. He will not come to us. Could this be withdrawls from the pellets?? Could this be an indication of illness? I appreciate and respect the opinions of all who replied but this is just nerve wracking as we can't get into an avian vet any time soon, one just left the province and the other is swamped.

Thanks again,

J

It's so hard to tell illnesses in birds. They hide illnesses very well, and usually by the time it's recognized it's very hard to reverse. A vet would have to evaluate your beautiful Ekkie, and run labs to make sure he is okay.

The only ways I know how to tell if a bird is sick is if they are at the bottom of their cage, and weight fluctuations.

It is spring which means molting, hormones, and pin feathers!!! These aren't good combinations, and for some the struggle is real (including myself).

My Ekkie coughs like a human as his previous owner had a medical condition, and coughed a lot.

 

[PamnJay]

It's so hard to tell illnesses in birds. They hide illnesses very well, and usually by the time it's recognized it's very hard to reverse. A vet would have to evaluate your beautiful Ekkie, and run labs to make sure he is okay.

The only ways I know how to tell if a bird is sick is if they are at the bottom of their cage, and weight fluctuations.

It is spring which means molting, hormones, and pin feathers!!! These aren't good combinations, and for some the struggle is real (including myself).

My Ekkie coughs like a human as his previous owner had a medical condition, and coughed a lot.

Thank you, sorry I didn't get your reply sooner. Ozzy doesn't cough, he sneezes and a very loud AAAHH-CHOOOOO just like his previous owner,

A friend got us in contact with her friend, who got us in contact with her friend, who has been breeding Ekkies for over 30 years says he is stressed, to much commotion so we shut the drapes so he can't see outside and he was more relaxed until tonight but he is in his cage now, where he feels safest and will eat again. He wouldn't take anything for about an hour earlier. We aren't sure what to do.

J