EsJ87
New member
Hello everyone -
Seeking some general guidance on how to "tame" my new baby. She is a ~4-5month of Solomon Island Eclectus that was hand-fed. She was very cuddly/tame with her owner. However, she's bitey with me. I brought her home Tuesday afternoon last week and she appears to be settling well in her new cage.
She bit very hard when i first took her out of the carrier, and a few subsequent times when I was handling her to situate her in her new cage. However- I don't believe she is a SCARED or AGGRESSIVE bird, simply inexperienced as she is still so young - and probably weary of her new home surroundings. Totally normal I am assuming. She seemed relatively content as she was eating, and playing in her carrier on the way home, and took to her new toys without fear in her nice big new cage.
I've been warned in Eclectus Alley forum over at AvianWedb that these parrots may be very scared and stressed out while not outwardly showing it, and that i should essentially "leave her alone" for several weeks while she acclimates to her new home. I am not sure what to think right now, as she beak grinds, and comes towards me in a curious manner while I speak to her in her cage. She's even taken to cute gibberish in front of me, which is adorable since I thought they were usually closet talkers! Overall she seems fairly comfortable to me, but that may be my rosy-colored glasses. Who knows?
I've been able to successfully give her treats through the cage, and she will even take them nicely from my open hand with her cage door opened. However, when I present my hand/fingers on their own (sans treat) for a step-up opportunity...She will gingerly approach, gently take my finger to inspect, and proceed to crush it without actually drawing blood. (OUCH!) LOL SNEAKY REDHEAD... She never backs away from me, but also doesn't attack... like I said She seems relatively comfortable to me... but again I'm being told I'm probably stressing her out and should avoid all attempts at handling her for a long while. Now that its been almost a week since her arrival, she is eager to take sunflower treats from my hands both through cage bars, as well as my open palm when she is out of the cage. She still likes to nibble on my fingers though! ... She has stepped up for me for sunflower seeds a few times now, but immediately goes to nibble on available skin as soon as the treat is devoured. TODAY I took her for a cruise around out kitchen (a few feet away from her cage)... and when I set her down - she would cutely run towards me for any available treats. I even got her to step up on a gram scale
!!! She didn't stay on it long enough for me to read it, I think i was 300 something grams. I'm a lil worried she isn't eating enough, but i really don't now how much to give her since I'm trying to get her off seeds and just onto fresh fruit and veggies. But so much of the fruit got down in the cage I can't really tell how much she is eating! LOL Normal parrot behavior. I'm planning on getting some ekkie approved pellets delivered soon as well.
I just want to make sure i do everything correctly from the get-go
I would LIKE to clicker-train her as soon as appropriate. But not sure how long that would be as she already seems comfortable with my presence. Should i attempt target training with her IN the cage, as a step towards training her to step up without biting? Currently I will sit next to her cage and chat with her while I work & occasionally offering a sunflower seed here and there... She was given a mostly seed diet unfortunately - and I've so far introduced her to watermelon, mango, carrot, broccoli and banana in the last 6 days. All of which she's taken to well.
I know all this can take days, weeks or even months.... but What are clear signs that she is ready for the next step???
Will post photos of the lil chicken :red:
Seeking some general guidance on how to "tame" my new baby. She is a ~4-5month of Solomon Island Eclectus that was hand-fed. She was very cuddly/tame with her owner. However, she's bitey with me. I brought her home Tuesday afternoon last week and she appears to be settling well in her new cage.
She bit very hard when i first took her out of the carrier, and a few subsequent times when I was handling her to situate her in her new cage. However- I don't believe she is a SCARED or AGGRESSIVE bird, simply inexperienced as she is still so young - and probably weary of her new home surroundings. Totally normal I am assuming. She seemed relatively content as she was eating, and playing in her carrier on the way home, and took to her new toys without fear in her nice big new cage.
I've been warned in Eclectus Alley forum over at AvianWedb that these parrots may be very scared and stressed out while not outwardly showing it, and that i should essentially "leave her alone" for several weeks while she acclimates to her new home. I am not sure what to think right now, as she beak grinds, and comes towards me in a curious manner while I speak to her in her cage. She's even taken to cute gibberish in front of me, which is adorable since I thought they were usually closet talkers! Overall she seems fairly comfortable to me, but that may be my rosy-colored glasses. Who knows?
I've been able to successfully give her treats through the cage, and she will even take them nicely from my open hand with her cage door opened. However, when I present my hand/fingers on their own (sans treat) for a step-up opportunity...She will gingerly approach, gently take my finger to inspect, and proceed to crush it without actually drawing blood. (OUCH!) LOL SNEAKY REDHEAD... She never backs away from me, but also doesn't attack... like I said She seems relatively comfortable to me... but again I'm being told I'm probably stressing her out and should avoid all attempts at handling her for a long while. Now that its been almost a week since her arrival, she is eager to take sunflower treats from my hands both through cage bars, as well as my open palm when she is out of the cage. She still likes to nibble on my fingers though! ... She has stepped up for me for sunflower seeds a few times now, but immediately goes to nibble on available skin as soon as the treat is devoured. TODAY I took her for a cruise around out kitchen (a few feet away from her cage)... and when I set her down - she would cutely run towards me for any available treats. I even got her to step up on a gram scale
!!! She didn't stay on it long enough for me to read it, I think i was 300 something grams. I'm a lil worried she isn't eating enough, but i really don't now how much to give her since I'm trying to get her off seeds and just onto fresh fruit and veggies. But so much of the fruit got down in the cage I can't really tell how much she is eating! LOL Normal parrot behavior. I'm planning on getting some ekkie approved pellets delivered soon as well. I just want to make sure i do everything correctly from the get-go
I would LIKE to clicker-train her as soon as appropriate. But not sure how long that would be as she already seems comfortable with my presence. Should i attempt target training with her IN the cage, as a step towards training her to step up without biting? Currently I will sit next to her cage and chat with her while I work & occasionally offering a sunflower seed here and there... She was given a mostly seed diet unfortunately - and I've so far introduced her to watermelon, mango, carrot, broccoli and banana in the last 6 days. All of which she's taken to well.
I know all this can take days, weeks or even months.... but What are clear signs that she is ready for the next step???
Will post photos of the lil chicken :red:
!
Must be the weather..or sumptin' 
