Overnight changed from loving to nightmare

[debkmn]

We have had Jethro for 2 months. He has been so sweet & loving to both of us until a week ago. He now still loves my husband but hates me. I have been nothing but nice to him. He tries to bite my legs when he is on the floor & I walk by him, he lunges at me. He bites me fiercely. He looks at me like he wants to kill me. He is in heat, so I am thinking this is probably whats going on. Do you think that his behavior will stay this way towards me? How long do they go throw this sexual thing of humping on his perches & toys? I am already about to get rid of him. I am getting scared to even go around him. Please help with any ideas.

 

[Safira]

Being in heat is something horses, or dogs and cat go through. Male birds do not 'go in heat' they are simply hormonal.

How old is he?

Don't put him on the floor when you are around so he won't go try to bite you. Yes he may be hormonal if he is of age. There are some people here with a lot of experiance and they'll give you better advice. But he'll get over it.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, birds are hormonal for several months, every year. It is something you will need to learn to work through. And yes, when they subside he will probably at least be tolerant of you again.

First, if he shows mate interest in your husband, your husband should not encourage it. Have him put the bird on a stand or back on or in his cage until the mood passes. Don't pet him anywhere except on his head and neck, at least during the hormonal months, but I don't do it other times either. All it does is frustrate the birds if you let them think it's ok. They don't understand why you aren't fulfilling your role by mating with them and raising chicks. They don't get that it's not possible. And a male bird may very well try to protect it's mate and get aggressive with other family members.

How does the bird behave if your husband isn't there? Is he nicer to you then? If so, I would do his feeding, cage cleaning and give him all special foods each day. I would also interact with him when hubby isn't there or is out of site and sound in another room. Or have hubby hand the bird to you to show you are accepted by him.

Often taking the bird into a room it doesn't normally spend time in can help because it's out of it's territory. You may find he is very willing to interact with you in a strange environment like your yard, the park or another place.

You do need to be confident (not aggressive) though kind. If you are frightened he will think there is something to be frightened about, or he may think he is in charge of you.

Now this is all kind of general parrot info, and Ekkies are one of the birds I've never gotten a lot of experience being with. Those who own them here will hopefully be more helpful than I am.

 

[Pedro]

Adding to Roxy's post. How is his health sometimes if they are in pain or are a little off color they can get aggressive.

What is his diet like, are you offering him a mostly fresh fruit, veg & sprout diet. No high protein or fat foods. To many Sunflower seeds in your eclectus diet can cause aggression as well.

Here in Australia eccies are sexually active for 9 months of the year.

Site Name - Articles - Behavioral - Sex And The Psittacine

Have a read through the link.

 

[mtdoramike]

First off, you and your husband need to set ground rules for your bird. Think of it as dealing with a 2 year old child who is having a termper tantrum. You must be stern yet not abusive towards him. You must show him that your the flock leader. When you talk to him and he doesn't want to you like stepping up, repeat it in a LOUD voice and then put your arm out front of him and put the other hand behind him and give him a push towards your arm. DON'T LET HIM INTIMIDATE YOU, if you do then you have lost the the battle.

When he does the things you want him to do, reward him. If he doesn't then give him time outs, take things away from him ect.....

Mac will do the old mating thing with my wife and my daughter and will growl at me and lunge at me when I try to remove him from their hand. So I do the above things, I comand him in a loud voice almost to the point of yelling to step up and put my other hand behind his rump and force him onto my hand. If he acts as though he wants to bite me, I yell either "NO" or "STOP" and rock my hand a little which puts him off balance and makes him forget what he was trying to do.

Now once Mac is away from them, he is sweet as sugar. One of the things I use to dicipline Mac when he wants to be stubborn is to lock him up in his cage. His big thrill is to be able to walk about the house especially when he is looking for me.

 

[roxynoodle]

I did have to do that one day with my amazon when he decided he wasn't going to step up and made a lunge at me when I asked. I just said, "STEP UP!" in a very commanding tone, and he did.

 

[Fiwi]

I'm a new Ekkie owner myself, so I don't have anything to add. I just wanted to say good luck with your bird and don't give up. He'll come around. We had issues early on with Emmett being aggressive towards my husband and daughter. We did what is described in the posts above and he has gotten a lot better.

 

[Pedro]

Parrots bite for 2 reasons survival & control. Creating a band-aid solution isn't getting to the reasons behind the behaviour. I would think the best way around this situation is to find out...WHY...Seems by your other post regarding plucking that Jethro is a matured bird. Do you know why he was rehomed. My guess is that he had already learnt to bite from who ever owned him before. 2 months in a new environment seems about the right time frame before previous bad behaviour surfaces. Now he has figured out that if he bites you he will be left alone & that is probably what he wants.

IMO if this behaviour was learnt in his previous home & I believe it has. If you are to make friends with Jethro you are going to have to gain his trust & i am afraid that will take some time. It can be done you just have to work hard at it & take things very slow. You really don't want to make the situation worse.

Eclectus thrive on drama. If for instance you start jumping & running & calling out for hubby to pick him up that is drama eclectus enjoy. Don't allow him on the floor, if he does get down there get yourself a T shaped perch you can ask him to step up on, with out him being able to bite you. Just hold the handle. That way you can take him from A to B. I feel you have to undo all the bad habits he has learnt in his previous home.

Can you explain a typical day in your home with hubby, yourself & Jethro, what is his routine, his diet. I think there is more to Jethro's behaviour than anyone really knows.

Some things that could help to take his mind off hormonal behaviour, a daily shower, let him dry off & preen himself. Give him foraging toys & hide bits & pieces in them, give him some natural safe branches to chew. Keep a box of foot toys out for him to play in. Change the toys in his cage on a weekly basis. Also has he learnt the step up command & would he step up every time he is asked.

 

[debkmn]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Jethro is 7 years old. He actually is tolerant more of me when my husband is around. I am the one that feeds him but he even lunges at me thru the bars of his cage, took a nice chunk out of my finger. He was stepping up for me & he always loved to give me kisses. Now I'm scared to pick him up because I know he'll bite me. We are also having a terrible time getting him to eat. We have tried about every veg there are but he throws them all. I have made him bread with sweet pot & carrots in it. He really likes it but doesn't eat very much of it. About the only fruit he really likes are apples. He does eat a few zupreem pellets. I'm not sure he is getting enough to eat. Could use some advice on what to feed him. Also he plucks alot. We spray him with aloe vera juice but doesn't help much. He also has quite a bit of yellow on his breast area. Do you think this is vit A deficiency?

 

[luvmytooo]

Just keep trying to offer veggies in different ways , sliced , diced , quartered , etc...
Maybe offer some warm oatmeal with some yams mixed in or some egg. Dont give him alot all at once , narrow it down to one or two veggies at a time. Sometimes my Goffin likes to throw everything out of the dish just for fun and they are notorious for putting their food on their backs and letting it roll off , lolol. But when all your veggies are on the bottom of the cage , it can get frustrating. Parrots are like children , you just need to find that special way they like their veggies , lolol.
Hide them in foraging toys , etc...Just be as creative as you can be , and consistant , it will eventually pay off There is a great thread about veggies , check it out , it has alot of great ideas for picky parrots
Good luck and perservere

 

[Pedro]

Thanks everyone for your advice. Jethro is 7 years old. He actually is tolerant more of me when my husband is around. I am the one that feeds him but he even lunges at me thru the bars of his cage, took a nice chunk out of my finger. He was stepping up for me & he always loved to give me kisses. Now I'm scared to pick him up because I know he'll bite me. We are also having a terrible time getting him to eat. We have tried about every veg there are but he throws them all. I have made him bread with sweet pot & carrots in it. He really likes it but doesn't eat very much of it. About the only fruit he really likes are apples. He does eat a few zupreem pellets. I'm not sure he is getting enough to eat. Could use some advice on what to feed him. Also he plucks alot. We spray him with aloe vera juice but doesn't help much. He also has quite a bit of yellow on his breast area. Do you think this is vit A deficiency?

There is a very clear pattern here with Jethro. Has he been seen by a Avian Vet. To clear up any health issues. There is a possibility there is some liver damage because it's clear his diet has been compromised for years.

My first thoughts is deficency in vitamins & minerals. As his diet isn't what a healthy eclectus requires. To get him to eat better try & chop up everything about the size of frozen carrot cubes. They like variety so make his bowl look interresting & colorful.

diets

You will find a heap of info on diet in the above link.

Site Name - Articles - Veterinary Health - The Basics of Feather Picking

Parrot Enrichment

 

[roxynoodle]

Because he isn't eating the right diet for an Ekkie, he probably isn't feeling well either. Aside from the importance to his health, once he is eating the right diet, he may become nicer to you again.

Is he also getting outside sun or do you have full spectrum lighting for him?

My amazon is a completely different bird now that he's been eating right for a few months. He used to be pretty lethargic and mostly just sat around like a couch potato. Now he plays and talks almost all day.