Female Behaviour

[Artaire]

Hi guys, I've been doing a lot of research recently as im considering getting a Red Sided Eclectus hen sometime in the near future.

The biggest thing that has made me think long and hard about my decision is regarding their behaviour when they become sexually mature. 'Apparently' they turn into 'mean' birds when in season, whereas some females of other species don't. (Which I don't entirely believe)

I personally think they are just labelled as 'mean' birds because their owners don't know about their hormonal changes during season which alters their behaviour temporarily. Not knowing this their owners will push trying to get the bird to do things it really doesn't want to do, resulting in hostile/aggresive behaviour.

Do Eclectus hens turn completley hostile and become 'mean' birds (More hostile than other female parrots?), or is it just down to lack of respect for their bird when its in season? I figured as long as you respect them and their cage and space then really they should be no different to any other female parrot.

Let me know what you guys know/think

 

[Pedro]

I am sure eclectus breeders were responsible for labelling as mean & aggressive way before they became available as companions & i think that is where they got their bad wrap from. Trust me that a nesting hen with chicks is no different than any wild animal protecting her babies. I have suffered a few bad bites when my hens are sitting on eggs. So i would say that to own a hen eclectus you must first build trust & respect her.

We often forget that a parrot still has that wild instinct to protect herself, even though bred in captivity. I also think a lot depends on how these hens read our body language. I have 2 breeding hens both I hand raised as chicks. 1 is as wild as they come & she knows i am scared of her, I am sure i'd be dead if she could get me when she is nesting, she will nail me any chance she gets, although she will always take food from my hand. The other hen we have a respect for each other, she will bite if she doesn't like what i am doing. She trusts me enough to inspect her nest box & babies & doesn't mind when i take the chicks when it's time.

Personally I don't agree with the hormonal issue with parrots because i just don't see it with any of my parrots. I think each time a parrot does something like bite, scream or pull it's feathers out it's labelled with something or another & being hormonal is at the top of the list. I think parrot owners need to work on having a good relationship rather than picking fault in their parrot everytime it does something wrong or they don't like.

Bottom line is if a hen eclectus knows your afraid of her she will forever put the wind up you. She can work out your body language just as good if not better than you can work her out. I don't believe they are mean parrots at all just misunderstood. Not a companion parrot for everyone. It has taken me many years to really understand eclectus & why they do what they do.

A lot of companion parrot carers don't want to take advice either or understand that they are actually the problem & not their parrot. So at the end of the day people are still going to label parrots as being aggressive because they themselves don't understand a birds needs. Hope that makes sense.

 

[c3honey84]

I have heard a lot of people say that female eclectus are known for being mean. My friend who works at a bird store says that female eclectus are "stuck up." But I don't think it has anything to do with being in season. Female eclectus are known for being the watchers and male eclectus are known for being the do'ers. The females mainly like to sit with you and are not very active. (Of course there are exceptions.) This has a lot to do with them mostly sitting on eggs in the wild while the male brings them food. My female just likes to sit and watch TV with you, but is not the type to fly to you or sit there and let you pet her. They can be considered as mean birds because sometimes they just want to be left alone and will get aggressive if you don't get the hint. For example, if I have her on her tree and she has food on the bowl on her tree, she will bite me if I try to take her off the tree because she is not done eating yet! Also, she is very stubborn and will try to bite me if I try to move her when she doesn't want to move. I just have to read her body language and leave her alone when she's not in the mood for me. The best thing to do is to purchase a female from an eclectus breeder that gives them lots of attention and gets them used to being handled. For example, there is a breeder here in NJ that lets all of her eclectus babies hang out with the family, which helps to make them friendly and willing to be pet. (I did not do this by the way, I adopted her from someone. Roxy was originally purchased from a pet store.) Also, start training early. Step up is a necessity, but a recall command is also good that way she will come when you call her. Training will build the relationship and the trust.

 

[Artaire]

Thanks very much guys for helping to clear that up. I've always thought it just depends on how much respect you give the bird, I know some try and play the whole 'Oh im bigger than you and im your master, do what I want you to do!' blah blah and it just pushes them away.

I know Eckies aren't really known for being cuddlers but...I've seen a lot of sillytame super cuddly eckies but only a couple of those are hens. I know every bird is different but hopefully if im lucky, the breeder I find may have heavy interaction with them when they are young.(Not so many breeders here) However it does seem more so that the boys are the more active ones as Honey said, so I think I may end up getting a boy depending on whether or not I can find the right breeder.

Im certainly not gonna buy a bird that hasn't had social interaction at an early age then hope its gonna be sillytame.

How do the boys change behaviour-wise when they are/becoming sexually mature?