Baby Eclectus Problems

[duckncover]

She's still young and was born May 2, 2010. She is being very nippy and bites really hard sometimes. If you go near her cage she'll lunge at you also. I handfed this bird and now she's being vicious for some reason and I don't know how to get her back the way she was. Please can someone chime in and help me I'm at a loss here. I need a technique to get her back to being friendly and not biting..

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Some exploratory beaking is normal, but if she is biting hard and lunging, I think you have other things going on with her. As they grow up, they don't always want to be handled all the time. They become independent individuals over time. Forcing a parrot to do something never works as well as smoozing and bribing.

To make friends with her again, talk nicely to her, offer treats and don't force yourself on her. If she has toys she especially likes, offer those.

If you don't force yourself on her, she shouldn't need to bite you, when you approach her. Parrots often will bite people when the people either don't recognize or ignore the body language that says they don't want to be handled. Biting is an escalation for them. Once she learns to communicate that she doesn't want to be handled without lunging and biting, plus sees that you understand and respect that, she won't need to do that anymore.

There are several other times when parrots often bite, too. If you are handling them when someone or something frightens them, they may bite you. Some high strung birds will also behave well for a certain amount of time and then reach a point where they are over stimulated. The chance of biting or screaming can go up then. Are there other people and pets in the household that could be an issue for her?

Birds can also become protective of their living area and defend it. You might be seeing that or she might be anticipating being forced out of her cage. It could also be a little of both.

How is her diet? I have a CAG that is sensitive to food dyes. He becomes more high strung and agitated if he eats food with artificial dyes in it. He's like a different bird. His old nickname during that time was Spawn of Satan. My understanding of eclectus is that some of them are also sensitive to artificial ingredients in some pellets. They also are more sensitive to diets lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables that all parrots need. Have you recently changed her diet at all? Is she getting enough sleep?

Is there anything new in the house that could be bothering her? New items, people or pets? A new schedule?

Probably it's just her growing up, but it never hurts to look at other things, just in case.

 

[duckncover]

Nothing has changed too much here since she came. She is very cage protective and that's most of the problem. She doesn't take treats from people and never has. I've tried everything but she will only take food from the bowl. She seems to have calmed down a little more than before now that I let her be for a while. She keeps herself amused in her cage with her toys so maybe I'll try to get her to play with them outside the cage. Thank you!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

It sounds like you're making progress. Putting the treats in her bowl is still a positive thing for your relationship, even if she isn't taking them from your hand. I would always offer them to her first, then put them in the bowl. Some day she may surprise you and take it.

Another thing you can do is figure out something she absolutely loves to eat more than anything else. Don't give it to her as a part of her normal diet. Save it for when you are interacting with her. Choose something that you don't mind eating. Take a little bowl of it to her cage. Offer her some. If she refuses it, you eat that bite. Really enjoy it. Have another bite, without offering her some. Really enjoy it. Look at her and ask her, "Want some?" Offer her another bite. If she doesn't take it, you eat it. Really enjoy it. I would do this multiple times. She may decide it's worth it, to take it from your hand. I've had this work, with new birds. I usually sit sideways in a chair and don't look at them directly for a new bird.

You can also feed the food to other people or pets in the household, if there are any willing takers. Modeling behavior with others is always a faster route to go with birds. They will often copy what other birds are eating and doing or what people are eating and doing. I trained my parrot to let me file the sharp tips of his nails, by using the emery board on my own nails, while he watched. He was pretty phobic when I got him and he likes me to show him that new things are safe.

My parrot definitely knows the phrases, "Want some?" and "Mmm... Yummy!"

 

[verthandi]

This can be normal behavior for a while, if you hand fed her. Mine go through a short period where they act like they hate me, shortly after they are weaned. I only give them their favorite treat outside their cage. Maybe using a tree stand or perch near an area that you are working and putting some of her favorite toys on that stand will help too. Just give her a little time to adjusting to being a big bird now.

 

[bagendhens]

sounds like shes going through the 'terrible twos' (otherwise known as the toddler stage) where she wants things her own way.

how was she weaned? did you abundance wean her? it might be worth offering her a little formular, to many birds even adults its a huge treat thats great for reestablishing trust and boundries.

also is she biting or nipping...

nipping is an exploritory behaviour and while sometimes leaves a red mark never breaks the skin, its boundry testing
biting however is done with force and breaks the skin and is a fear or agression behaviour.

you might want to try stick training her so you dont have to be sticking your hands in her cage to get her out...
if she is indeed cage agressive it might be worth getting a second smaller 'bed time' cage which many people swear by for cage posessive birds.