Please help ??

[Robyn]

I was sent an email yesterday from a guy I met in our vets, we sat next to each other and chatted about our male ekkys. We swapped email addys and I said if you ever need advice or help just email me. That was last year, last night this email comes through... ' please help, my parrot won't stop screaming '. The guy lives 5 minutes from me, so after meeting him last year promised to see him today to try and help him.
Got to his place to find his most gorgeous absolutely beautiful super super placid ekky there. My heart absolutely melted. I only met them once the year before.
His wings are clipped, sadly has never flown. Is a very happppy little boy, just 3 months younger than my Jack who turned 2 in June, this other just turned 2 this month.
Talk about super placid Omg words cannot describe him... He let me pick him up, snuggle, hug and cuddle him, without so much as a whimper, he just lapped it all up.
We narrowed down his screaming is due to not enough attention, the guy is a shift worker who is about to take on uni, so less time for this bird. He said he can't deprive him of the attention he needs.
After leaving , I got sent an email saying ' I have made a decision, he has to go and he has to go with you. I saw the way you interacted with him today and that's made up my mind'.
Is it a good thing to bring another 1 home ??Jack is very attached to me. But I'm finding it very hard to leave this other one behind, the guy is very upset that he as to part with him and wants him to go to somebody who will love him.
Could he and Jack get along , is it at all possible or a big mistake ??
Jack is fully flighted, the other has never flown.
The guy is bringing him over tomorrow just to see how Jack would interact with him.
My husband LOVES jack but doesn't want another one.
But I do believe if my husband saw him , his heart would melt too.
I know that my Jack would always come first and know all about not showing favoritism ever, I have had a lot of pets over the years, jack is my 1st bird and we have had him since he was 14 weeks old.
Please somebody tell me what they think ????
Thank you

 

[suebee]

jack will probably enjoy the company, when he gets use to the new bird lol

see how the meet goes and decide from there, but i'd be tempted to ask for another just in case, as nuts always on best behavior 1st visit

 

[Mayden]

I'd say take him on for a while (if him and Jack get along), wait it out a few months to see if they can come around to each other. If not you'd be able to find him a decent home as youd know what to look for for him and don't just want megabucks for the ekkie.

I know it's a lot of moving about, but you'd be giving the ekkie a good home and attention for the time being, even if he does end up rehomed, Jack might enjoy the playmate/company. and psssh! you're other half can't deny cuddles from the new one I'm sure!

 

[Pedro]

Iwould be looking more into the reason why this eclectus is screaming. Could very well be a health issue. IMO this bird would have worked out how to fit into life with a shift worker. Something else is triggering off the screaming. I would bet it's been reinforced. Usually as the males get older & a 2 year old is starting to mature. (Mine started to breed at 2 & 1/2 years old) It isn't a good idea to keep up with the cuddling, hugging or snuggles as this stimulates the hormones. And along with that comes the vocals. They do have their moments & can carry on for day's & then behave for some time. I don't think this bird is starved for attention I think he is looking for a mate.

To be honest i really think they do better with their own species, so I am saying give him a home & work out any problems as they surface. Sure your going to have issues with Jack he may not like having another bird around. If you do take on this other bird i suggest you treat them equal & give them equal time. They may or may not be buddies but i think after time they will be ok.

I have adopted a 4 year old male eclectus that screamed all day long & drove his owners nuts. Once here he stopped all his nonsense & has been a very good bird. Although not perfect. I let his wings grow out & over the years has been introduced to others of his own species. He is around 12 years old now. He lives in an aviary with a hen (also adopted) I love him to death.

 

[EAGLE]

Hello Robyn,

I would advise you to take the Ekkie and as was already said: If it doesn't work out for whatever reason then find it a great home. Hopefully a home where it will be able to fly and never be clipped again, etc.

Good luck.

 

[Robyn]

Thank you very much guys for your help. Now I have no idea how to persuade my husband, but anybody who saw him would absolutely melt, so I think I need to have him here when hubby comes home.
The other realllly odd thing is the ekky doesn't like water or showers ???? Jack absolutely loves showers and will get cranky with me when I try to remove him at the end.
If I take him on it is something I would have to slowly introduce him to.
He looks a very healthy boy, beautiful bright green and the the most striking color in his beak.
When my husband asked how did the visit go ??? I said weird thing was the guy put him on the floor and he told him to run to the one he loves and he came to me. Which is very strange when he doesn't know me.
He isn't a biter but the guy said will lightly nip him only, doesn't do it to anybody else nor any strangers who handle him..... My husband said straight away .... The bird is angry with him.
The guy said he isn't selling him to me, it's not the money he cares about, it's his future, he wants to give him to me.
The guy had his sister over for a visit whilst I was there and the bird just interacted with anyone and seems very content, didn't have hardly any toys and said he lacked these.
I do believe it's not enough attention.
God I'm stuck my husband is going to kill me, I didn't get much sleep last night because I'm worried for this little guys future.
The other thing, is it bad luck to change their name after 2 years ???
The guy named him Fluffy and I really don't see how that fits the gorgeous baby.
Thank you

Also want to add, although this baby doesnt like showers or likes water, he doesnt smell at all and funnily enough his feathers are very very soft and actually fluffy. So I have no idea how he is this way if he hates showers ???

 

[spmud]

Changing the name of a re-homed bird is a good idea. A name change comes with the change of environment - it helps with the new start to a new life. It might take a while for him to recognize this is his new name but he will understand.

Does Fluffy say his name? Zubi our galah's name use to be 'Sammy' we adopted her. She knows we are talking to her when we say Zubi and there is no doubt she knows this is her name, but on the odd occasion she will still say 'hey Sammy' or 'samma samma'.

 

[kerry]

I would first see if the new bird knows his name before you even think about changing it. If he already knows his name I wouldn't change it because he will already have the adjustment & confusion of moving to a new place & having a new owner, possibly new/different foods, etc.

 

[Robyn]

Hi all,
The parrot in question came for a visit today. Initially my parrot started grooming him. When I asked the guy if he wanted to see the size of Jacks cage , he went over taking his parrot with him, coz he can't fly, he sat him on the top. I knew that was wrong as the cage is ' jacks property ', so it didn't take long for jack to get nippy. I told the guy it was best to move away from his cage.
So we put both of them on the kitchen bench, jack was curious.
Anyway the guy left his parrot for the afternoon from about 11 am and I was supposed to bring him home at about 5 but wanted my hubby to look at him so I texted the guy and asked if I could home him a bit longer, it was about 6.30 when I took him home.
My hubby thought he was beautiful and if the guy gives him up, then he will come to me ( fingers crossed ).
They did fight when they got too close to each other. But when apart, all was excellent, they both ate food on the same kitchen bench. Both sat at opposite ends of the window sill and Jack chatted to him non stop. I even took heaps of video f jack chatting to him and the other seemed to grunt and acknowledge him lol.
I have no idea if he can say his name but if the guy gets back to me, will ask that.
The guy told me today that he only has him out or spends time with him, maximum 30 minutes a day ! He has a small cage, clipped wings and doesn't know how to fly.
The guy was shocked that Jack is out of his cage for a minimum 5-7 hrs a day and was blown away by the size of his cage.
I do hope he comes to me, if he does , first thing I will do is get his nails trimmed, my arms are covered in spots and little cuts from his very very sharp claws.
I took lots of photos and videos, I had one on each shoulder for photos ( not what I would normally do, was just for photos ).
Anyway, thank you all for your advice, much appreciated...

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

I stongly agree with Pedro on this. That being said let's address the favoritism thing. They may be the same kind of bird, but you'll wind up loving them equally, you'll see their differences and come to appreciate the new boy as an individual. I've also found that male ekkies tend to learn to get along with other male ekkies in a household.... (They share females in the wild, and aren't as people territorial with other males as some other species might do as pets). You would have to take it slow of course.

 

[Robyn]

If I were to take on this new ekky, there would be no favouritism at all. I know pets can get jealous of new pets , we have had many types of pets over the years and all our pets are equally loved.
I dont work, so I have a lot of time for Jack, I have a dog which is an outside dog, I have 2 cats, one we got just at xmas past , being 8 weeks old, so she was raised with Jack.
Sounds like a handful, but my household actually isnt, the 2 cats never bother Jack , but Jack loves to play with the younger cat ( under strict supervision always ).
I have had Jack for over 2 years now , we got him at 14 weeks... and our older cat and Jack have no interest in each other at all.
I had the guy of the other ekky contact me last night asking if I would take him or not, said I would ... my husband met the ekky during the afternoon visit here, my hubby loved him.
I was still encouraging the guy to try and make a go of it with his ekky and that he needed more attention ( he gives him 30 minutes or less a day of attention ). I was shocked by that and he asked how much did I give jack, said quite a few hours a day. I also mentioned they need their sleep , roughly 10- 12 hrs per day like us, his mouth dropped as he didnt know this ... because I noticed during his afternoon visit he was yawning quite a bit by 4.30 pm and by 6 was dozing off , took him home at 6.30, had to wait for my hubby to get home at 6 to have him meet the bird.
Anyway this sms came last night " will you take my bird or not ? ", said yes and he wanted to know when would I have a cage for him ( he was coming without a cage as the guy has other birds and wants the cage ). So I was telling him that i would try and obtain a cage today ( sunday ) or monday , sunday most things were closed and ebay where I got Jacks cage was also shut till monday. So I told him I would get it monday morning...
I did though purchase a table top perch, same as jack which he loves, was going to get this parrot everything for his own ( not sharing anything ). But today the guy sends another sms and asks if I had bought anything , thought I should say no ( table top perch was only $20 which Jack can use later, his is getting old ). The guy says he would like to hold on another week and try what I said which is more attaention as it seems to be working .. But his idea of giving him "attention " he said " I have put him in front of the tv and it seems to be calming him ". I never at any point suggested the tv as a means of entertaining or giving attention to this bird.
Now Im realllly worried as he has changed his mind or should I say putting it off twice . Im worried that if he decides to give him to me and I buy his cage, play stand and everything the guy will back out.
I can understand how hard this must be for him but he keeps saying he is worried for his future as he hasnt time for him, has never flown, hasnt got a big cage, no toys and the guy said whe nI went to visit him the other day " u would be doing me a favour if you take him because Im going to start uni soon plus he is a shift worker.
So Im now at a loss as to whether accept him or not because Im worried he will take him away once I have him , he lives 5 minutes away and doesnt want him to go far.
I realllly want him, especially now since my hubby has agreed.
I dont work and have time for him. Im just now a bit concerned... tv is not the way to go to give your bird attention. He hasnt even started at Uni yet either.

 

[Pedro]

Robyn please don't be in to much of a hurry to adopt this bird. Put youself in the guys place he obviously loves his bird. & relocating him to another home is very hard. If your meant to have this bird the guy will give him to you in his own good time. He has to be sure you will take good care of him. If your not meant to have him well the guy is working with his bird to make life a lot easier for himself.

I would hold off on getting the cage or anything else for that matter. Source a cage & have everything ready so you can just go & pick things up, should you get the go a head. This type of thing happens to me all the time.

Why not TV all my parrots love to watch the telly & listen to CD'S. My Red Tail Black Cockatoo spent all day yesterday on his playstand watching telly with hubby & myself. When he felt like a fly around off he went.

I really don't know why parrots need so much attention & because other owners don't comply it's a bad thing. My birds get very little attention. Mainly because i am to busy, although i am always around. My parrots are taught to entertain themselves, which they do perfectly, I very rarely have behavior problems with biting or screaming. And the best part of all they totally trust me. I think for me quality time over rules quantity.

 

[Robyn]

Hi Pedro, thank you so much for your message.
I totally do understand the guys plight and I've been doing nothing but encouraging to keep him, right up till just before I was about to purchase the cage. I'm just worried that if he were to hand me him and decides not right now a few more times my hubby is most likely to just turn around and say definitely no. We have not had this happen to us before.
I have numerous times said you have to be absolutely sure before giving him up. I know how he would feel, I could never give up Jack, it would be like removing a limb.
I did purchase the table top perch for the bird but that was just a $20 purchase and if I don't end up with him, jack can use that later.
I have located the supplier of jacks cage, also on eBay, so I can pick up a cage at any time.
I would never take this bird without him being ready. Just never come across this before.
He is in need of attention, he is with him 30 mins or less a day, doesn't have the proper amount of sleep and has never flown, so ge can't go for a fly like my Jack. This Ekky just turned 2 and has never flown, I do find that a little sad.
Anyway thank you for your message, nice to know it's happened to others.

 

[tlouiselle]

Honestly, I think if Jack did that well with him on the first visit, imagine how happy he will be once he actually gets used to the company. Lots of birds do wonderfully by htemselves, but I still love to see them with company since they live in flocks in the wild. I think you guys would be wonderful for this baby and are exactly what he needs. Even taking the time to post your experience shows how devoted you are. I sure hope this baby can come home to you

 

[Robyn]

Hi again,
My Jack has never seen another bird before, dont get me wrong about my previous post though, there was a couple of little scuffles but I managed them both. They even ate on the same bench , opposite ends of course lol. I even had one on each shoulder for some photos and video, I would never do this unless it was just to take a photo.
Jack seemed content to have him around but at a distance, I think for a first visit this was pretty ok , complete with a couple of scuffles. I guess given time , once they got used to each other, this would be pretty good.
Just hope this baby does come to me , fingers crossed. If the baby does come to me , he will be getting all his own things , as Jack has pretty much claimed all his stuff and is pretty protective of his things.
Thanks guys ..

 

[Robyn]

Well sad to say, I did take the new parrot, bought his new 3 level cage, shower perch , everything.... The guy has now claimed him back.
Was very upset as I never pushed this, the guy did. I got a call about 4 or 5 days ago begging for me to come and collect him, he couldn't look after him anymore.
I collected him, bought his cage same day, hubby set it all up, purchased other equipment still arriving in the mail.
Then I kept getting text on my phone asking how he is or he forget to tell me what else he likes.
Finally yesterday afternoon came the upsetting text asking for him back, even offered to pay for everything we bought him.
I was soooo upset I couldn't talk to him, told him to speak with hubby who got very attached to this parrot.
We initially said he couldn't have him back then decided he could come and see how happy he is.
I stayed in another room with my own parrot, didn't want to see him, hubby spoke with, the guy took the parrot home.
We didn't want any money to compensate for what we bought or what is still on it's way, we were just concerned for the parrot.
We have kept all the equipment, hubby has told him that if he were to change his mind again and needs him to go to a good home that he can bring him back, the condition being he will not be returned.
This upset me so much, had me in tears. Took a lot of coaxing for this guy to convince me to take him, he backed out the 1st time just before we got the cage, then rings and begs to come collect him the 2nd time.
I can't be an emotional yo yo for this sort of thing , at the same understanding how much he missed him.
Has anybody had this happen ???