Please advice

[NY_Givi]

Hello, I have a male eclectus, 6 y.o. We had him from day one. At the age of two months he had a pneumonia that was cured within a few months of antibiotics and special inhalations.

However all his life he likes to find a flat, preferably shiny spot, then regurgitate what he recently ate and eat it again. Also, he knows that it is a bad behavior and doesn't do it if he knows that he is being watched. As an example - if he seats on somebody after dinner he is going to do it politely inside of his beak. Also, if he is around the shiny stand of the kitchen chairs he first checks if somebody is around as such a behavior makes him caged for 30 mins. or so. And he considers himself as a human and lives like one among three of us.

Anyway, about the regurgitating question. He regurgitates one food more than another. Like oatmeal for instance he is going to regurgitate as much as he consumed. Other foods - not.

Question - is it something important missing in his diet. He is on same pellets from 4 months old and he loves them. is it stoppable? did anybody have any similar experience?

All his vets checks he is considered absolutely healthy. So far I did not meet any avia vet who knew the answer.

 

[chris-md]

Hello and welcome

It’s normal, not “bad behavior”. It’s hormonal behavior, something eclectus are renouned for. You can begin to control it, but Youlll never fully get rid of it, and to a SMALL extent accept it as a species trait. but you need to adjust your husbandry to eliminate common hormonal triggers which can range from too much sugar in the diet (this includes too much fruit) to improperly petting him. Read up on eclectus hormones, it’ll rock your world, so to speak.

Can you tell us about your care for him: routines, diet, snacks, etc?

 

[chris-md]

I want to amend above: “you’ll never eliminate it” is actually a bit hamfisted. Under good husbandry practices you are likely going to be able to keep it to a minimum for most of the year, with occasional breakouts in the spring and fall. But minimizing isn’t the same as eliminating it. Eclectus hormones are inducible, so your care makes all the difference.

It’ll also depend on the bird - some birds have stronger hormones than others, and will have varying levels of ability to control hormonal behaviors.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Hopefully your vet was/is a qualified one... would you like some references?

Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.
International contacts, too.
Or... sometimes I find a place to start just by Googling "avian veterinarian near ((your location))"

 

[NY_Givi]

Gila, tnx, but I tried three of them, including one in the special vet. hospital in Manhattan. Do you guys think it is OK to get him a female? in a different cage of course. Will they become friends? What would be the best age?

Please share your opinion if mature eclectus can be introduced to a girlfriend? Please note he never saw a bird in his life and considers himself human.

 

[chris-md]

is there a particular reason your considering a girlfriend? Introducing birds can potentially be dangerous, especially a bird as territorial as a female Ekkie, you have to have the right motivations, and if your reason for asking is “I want him to have a companion”, you’re already lost that battle.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

Do NOT get him a female.
Only get a female if you want another bird and are ok with spending extra time in case they cannot be out of their cages at the same time.

Female ekkies are notorious, as Chris mentioned. And I've heard from breeders that they can and will kill a male that doesn't know what to do for them. Yes, some people have had good 'platonic' pairs, but that is because the owners themselves put in a lot of work with both bird individually, caring for their individual needs down to the precise detail.


As Chris mentioned:

you need to adjust your husbandry to eliminate common hormonal triggers which can range from too much sugar in the diet (this includes too much fruit) to improperly petting him. Read up on eclectus hormones, it’ll rock your world, so to speak.

What have you done to help your ekkie? That way, we know what you haven't tried so we can suggest accordingly?


Chicks don't fix everything

 

[SilverSage]

I once adopted a “pair” of eclectus that were so stressed out by each other they were nearly bald. Female eckies are a KNOWN stressor for male eckies.

Please read my article on hormone control in parrots; it is very doable like mentioned above, you can expect things to be Lott difficult in the spring but it’s not something that should just be allowed to continue. The poor guy is sexually frustrated and that’s no fun for anyone.


http://silversageaviaries.com/handling-hormones/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shinyuankuo]

While I am also a newbie to parronting, I'd like to add to the thread. I think, it might be your best bet to stop giving him oatmeal. The texture of cooked oatmeal (especially warm oatmeal) resembles regurgitated food. This is why he throws it all up after eating.

You can start helping him by giving low energy food (low sugar food), making sure he's got 12 hours of sleep everyday, and stop touching him except the head. My Winston does not like head touch, so we simply don't touch him (except for training). They are capable to show friendly affection without us touching all over them.



Good luck!