Lincoln

[Owlet]

Once I get him to the vet and such and looking better I'll work on bonding and then I'll move to flight training c:

 

[chris-md]

Remember, Training IS bonding. It's a way of helping establish a two way communication between the two of you.

 

[Owlet]

Well I feel for flight training he'd have to like me enough to trust me and go to me.

 

[chris-md]

Not at all! The basics of flight training usuall begin with target training. He just needs to be target trained first. Anyone can do that with any stranger bird if they want to. No special bond necessary. It's the act of building communication the creates the bond to begin with (think simply being able to read the body language).

It's important that you move at your own pace that works best for you both. But don't mistake being strangers for inability to train. . I'm dog sitting a stranger's dog (we are pet sitters on rover.com)and after 3 days I'm quite successfully training him to stay having no bond with him at all.

 

[Owlet]

Alright! I'll get started right away

 

[EllenD]

Congratulations! Wow, what a beak! I don't think his feathers look that bad, he's a beautiful boy...he seems like a sweetheart too.

"Dance Like Nobody's Watching"

 

[Owlet]

His feathers look okay in front but then it's like this in the back

I did schedule a vet appointment for him though, this Saturday.

 

[chris-md]

Aw poor guy. Good news is molting will ultimately take care of that.

 

[Owlet]

I've made 2 batches of chop today, 1 of vegetables and one of fruits. I plan to give fruits in the morning and vegetables at night, or is that too much food? I put a cup and a half in each portion bag because I didn't really know how much he'd eat so I planned to just watch to see how much he eats and adjust the amount from there.

Vegetable chop:
Okra
Peas
Green beans
Corn
Red bell pepper
Topped with plain oats.

Fruit:
Mangos
Strawberries
Bananas
Pears
Blackberries
Topped with plain oats

 

[chris-md]

Looks great! You're off to a really good start!

For amounts, you might start with about 1/8 cup to last a few hours. That's where I started. I've since scaled back to about 2-3 tablespoons. Something to consider is that ekkies, like many other parrots, fling their food. The more food they have in the bowl, the more freely they will fling it. But each bird is its own individual so Lincoln may be different in propensity for flinging.

By restricting food somewhat, you reduce food waste (this goes to if they fling it they don't get it back. If Parker throws his bowl and his food, he doesn't get more. Learns fairly quickly).

 

[Owlet]

Wow 2-3 teaspoons every few hours. So I could maybe do a 1/8th a cup of fruit in the morning and same amount of Vegis at night

 

[chris-md]

Not teaspoons. TABLEspoons. And there's still leftovers (not much but some) and it has reduced food flinging significantly. And on top of this I love him to death so he does get assorted treats throughout the day between meals.

 

[Owlet]

Oops I meant table spoons xD

 

[Anansi]

I've made 2 batches of chop today, 1 of vegetables and one of fruits. I plan to give fruits in the morning and vegetables at night, or is that too much food? I put a cup and a half in each portion bag because I didn't really know how much he'd eat so I planned to just watch to see how much he eats and adjust the amount from there.

Vegetable chop:
Okra
Peas
Green beans
Corn
Red bell pepper
Topped with plain oats.

Fruit:
Mangos
Strawberries
Bananas
Pears
Blackberries
Topped with plain oats

Your first batch looks good. The only change I would personally make is in your plan to give a cup of fruits in the morning and a cup of veggies at night. Why? Because that implies an even split of 50/50. While in nature, eclectus parrots are largely frugivores (fruit eaters), or technically obligative frugivores, you have to keep in mind that the fruits they have access to in the wild more closely resemble our veggies in terms of nutritional content. So the ratio between fruits and vegetables should rather heavily favor the veggies over the fruit.

For instance, if I'm providing 7 types of veggies in a given day, I'll add 2 types of fruit for flavoring. Some fruits offer near veggie level nutrition (blueberries & pomegranates, for example), but most do not (yeah, grapes! I'm looking at you!)

Also, one thing I've learned about okra is that I only chop it up and add it to the birds' bowls when I'm about to serve it. I once added it to regular chop and refrigerated, only to be greeted by a slimy, unholy mess the next day. Not cool. Lol!

Not teaspoons. TABLEspoons. And there's still leftovers (not much but some) and it has reduced food flinging significantly. And on top of this I love him to death so he does get assorted treats throughout the day between meals.

Also, keep in mind that 2 tablespoons are the the correct amount of food for Parker. Not necessarily for your guy. Jolly and Maya easily eat double that with no waste. So remember that you have to find the amount that satisfies Lincoln and work with that.

And btw, great advice on target training as a bonding tool, Chris! Couldn't agree more!

 

[Owlet]

Yeah I'm aware I'll have to find an amount he like, it's just nice to know about how much another eclectus eats. I gave him half a baggy of the fruits this morning so about 3/4s of a cup if I did my math right

 

[Owlet]

I got Lincoln to step up! I'm so excited, I've only had him for a few days and he's come so far.

We also had a few little kids over and they wanted to give him a treat so I let them. He (Lincoln) did very well with them and didn't seem scared. He's happily take the treat from all of them.

I'm so proud of him.

 

[Violet_Diva]

I'm so pleased for you! Just keep going at his pace, take it slow and I'm sure you guys will be the best of friends. It will take a while to build your trust with eachother, but it's sooooooo rewarding when you make steps of progress like yesterday. It's really good to know that your relationship is already heading in a good direction so soon. Don't forget to be proud of yourself too!

 

[Owlet]

I got him to step up a few more times and just now he decided to perch on my shoulder for a bit. I took him on a little tour of the house since he's been confined to my room and he seemed a little scared at first but after a bit he relaxed. My dogs were super confused though.

 

[PhantomJiuJitsu]

Awwwwww he's too cute

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