Female Eclectus Behavior

throwingcopper33

New member
Sep 28, 2019
28
Media
3
15
Florida
Parrots
Female Solomon Island Eclectus
I have a normally well behaved female Solomon Eclectus that is 2.5 years old named Luna. She is healthy and active. She weighs 350 grams. She is always outside her cage when I am home and I allow her to fly where ever she wants. She tries to find things she can push around with her beak and watch them fall off counters like a cat. It becomes a full time job sometimes picking up the things, but I don't really mind it. She gets sunlight, although she has always hated being outside on my back porch that is screened and protected. My best guess is that there are predatory birds in the area that she realizes are a threat. Her diet is majority fresh veggie diet. Pellets only consist of about 20% of the diet. Usually one pellet meal every other day. Sometimes she won't touch the pellets... such as today. So the percentage may not even be as high as 20%.

Until recently Luna has been a fairly quite bird. She will mimic whistles perfectly and words terribly. She will do so at a comfortable level. What she has started recently is what sounds like my door to my garage squeaking but at 10 times the annoying level and 100 times the decibel level. She does this about 40-50 times a day and it has gone on for about 2 months now. Even though I should be used to it by now, it is just as bit as startling today as it was the first time I heard it two months ago. I'm not kidding when I say my ears are ringing as I type this from what she is doing.

She will only do this at her cage, and at no other place in the house. She will not do this when on my hand or shoulder.. thankfully! As best I can tell from her body language, it seems to be some sort of anxiety or boredom release when she is in her cage or on top of her cage. She has a big cage, 10 toys inside and 5 toys on the playtop. She also has plenty of different perches. I recently moved the perches around, removed toys and added new toys. She still seems anxious and bored at the cage with no decrease in the issue. I have tried to figure out if its a call for attention. When I go the cage, sometimes she will walk to me to interact. Sometimes she won't. So that test seemed inconclusive.

She started this about a week before an annual vet visit. I didn't bring the issue up at the time, because I thought it was just a small phase. The fecal and blood test were normal. The avian vet found no issues during the exam and gave her a clean bill of health. I think it would be a waste of time and money to go back, for them to do the same tests, and then tell me it is a behavioral problem. I know it is a long shot to see if someone has had similar problems or have insights/advice, but it never hurts to try!
 

Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Well that has to be awful!!!
I'd try patterning to music when caged. You play soft music when she is quiet and napping, then try to get that when caged, but before she starts on the sound.
Do short caged sessions with the music at first, so you have success, then take her out and start working on longer sessions. https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/


You guys do foraging? If not teach , fun fir together and hopefully you can have for fun in cage and quiet
 
Last edited:

cytherian

Active member
Dec 29, 2020
102
114
Near NYC
Parrots
Eclectus
It seems to be too early for it to be hormonal, as it takes a few years more before they're at the point of puberty.

We have a related noise problem with our female Ekkie, who is now 11 years old. Before hitting puberty she tweeted, chirped, and occasionally squawked. Sometimes would say "hello" very softly. No other words.

She just finished 5 weeks of nesting activity where she was blissfully quiet. But now? She's back to her ear piercing screams/squawks. Usually she does it when people are nearby. Just today I was working on my computer in the other room and she started her squawks with no one in sight. About 2 ~ 3 per minute. It went on for about 5 minutes. There was no stress indication at all. Plenty of food. Fresh water. How could it be hormonal when she already finished her egg cycle? Periodically she gets new toys. The latest one was installed just 3 days ago. She shredded it into oblivion. I really think she's bored... and wants nothing more than to be cavorting with males and procreating. It's an unfortunate situation that we're perplexed on how to solve. The squawks create a kind of PTSD feeling when I enter the kitchen, knowing the inevitable is coming.

Anyway, yours is only 2.5 years, so just want to prepare you for what's possible.
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top