reddfoxx79
New member
- Mar 4, 2021
- 37
- 4
- Parrots
- Fennel, Solomon Eclectus female (12/25/20)..... Lulu, Solomon Eclectus female (10/1/20)..... Vegas, Harlequin macaw (2/2/21)
Hi. I got a 3-month-old Eclectus female from a breeder over the weekend. She's fully weaned - eats veggies, fruits, and pellets like a champ. The breeder let her fledge naturally and kept her flighted. The vet said she's lean and a great little flyer. There are no health concerns at all.
That being said... this baby is evil! LOL. She bites to hurt me, and chomps down, grinds her beak back and forth, and once she lets go, she just keeps tagging me over and over. I guess that hand fed/raised does not equal hand tame. The vet gave me some ideas to help with the bad behavior. She did say, too, that the bird is still young, but she could also just be a bit of a jerk (personality wise).
My questions:
1) The vet said when we're able to get her to step up and come out of the cage, and she then bites, not to put her back in the cage. Put her in a carrier for a timeout of 10-15 minutes. This will teach the bird to find another way to communicate that she wants back in her cage. If I use a larger carrier for her timeouts, that she's never seen and will never be transported in, will she associate that ALL carriers are bad? I do not want that! If so, what alternative timeout location can I use?
2) The breeder showed me how friendly the baby was before I bought her. She gave the breeder kisses, nuzzled her cheek, stepped up/stepped down, and went willingly into her carrier. Since she was so nice and comfortable around the breeder, I assumed that would translate into a nice, well-adjusted baby. But she is not like that at all with me. Is it possible that she bonded to the breeder, and I'm dealing with a broken bond?
3) This baby is so young and has so much potential. However, the vet said Eclectus don't typically act like this, so only time will tell if she's still adjusting to a new environment, or if she's just a very different bird who will remain mostly wild. And I have no idea how to TAME a bird. After two days of her flying around the cage, crashing into things, biting the wires to get out, attacking my hand when changing food and water, attacking my hand when I present treats, and stepping up on command while tearing off pieces of flesh, I guess I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with here. This can't be normal... right? She'll snap out of it?
Thanks so much in advance!
That being said... this baby is evil! LOL. She bites to hurt me, and chomps down, grinds her beak back and forth, and once she lets go, she just keeps tagging me over and over. I guess that hand fed/raised does not equal hand tame. The vet gave me some ideas to help with the bad behavior. She did say, too, that the bird is still young, but she could also just be a bit of a jerk (personality wise).
My questions:
1) The vet said when we're able to get her to step up and come out of the cage, and she then bites, not to put her back in the cage. Put her in a carrier for a timeout of 10-15 minutes. This will teach the bird to find another way to communicate that she wants back in her cage. If I use a larger carrier for her timeouts, that she's never seen and will never be transported in, will she associate that ALL carriers are bad? I do not want that! If so, what alternative timeout location can I use?
2) The breeder showed me how friendly the baby was before I bought her. She gave the breeder kisses, nuzzled her cheek, stepped up/stepped down, and went willingly into her carrier. Since she was so nice and comfortable around the breeder, I assumed that would translate into a nice, well-adjusted baby. But she is not like that at all with me. Is it possible that she bonded to the breeder, and I'm dealing with a broken bond?
3) This baby is so young and has so much potential. However, the vet said Eclectus don't typically act like this, so only time will tell if she's still adjusting to a new environment, or if she's just a very different bird who will remain mostly wild. And I have no idea how to TAME a bird. After two days of her flying around the cage, crashing into things, biting the wires to get out, attacking my hand when changing food and water, attacking my hand when I present treats, and stepping up on command while tearing off pieces of flesh, I guess I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with here. This can't be normal... right? She'll snap out of it?
Thanks so much in advance!