Handfeeding my new 2 month old eclectus parrot!

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
Don't worry she's in a cockatiel cage for now until she's ready for her big parrot cage.

Also she will nip and bite alot (not hurting you - but you've got to say ow and no when she bites to hard) this is because she's learning stuff - tasting, and texture, and strength of objects.

I'm glad to know that's normal. I was worried she might have a biting problem but your right, she's just curious. I'll just let her know when it's too rough.​

wow 450 for an electus? thats cheap! I wish I knew a good breeder that had eclectus's for that price! I want one really bad - my friend bought Solomon from a reknowned eclectus breeder for 1000$, though he was well cared for, vetted, and hand reared till 4 months old.

The one person I could get ahold of - said at that age feed from a plastic spoon - make the formula thick and tip it up after she starts tasting it and doing a chugging motion, this will allow her to eat what SHE wants, and she'll get full. Advice 2-3 times a day for an eclectus, morning afternoon, and evening feeding wise. Leave fresh soft goodies like cheerios, pureed fruits, and weaning pellets available to her to try as she gets older. In a few weeks crush the weaning pellets and add to the thick handfeeding formula, if she starts pecking at pellets on her own - great - try hand offering her some - or offering them on a spoon softened with a bit of water - but only when she initiates a want to eat them.

She shouldn't be allowed to free fly in the house till about 6 months, holding onto her feet and kinda gently bobbing her to get her to exercise those wing muscles every few days when all her feathers are in is a good way to exercise those muscles and help her build up feet and wing muscles (feet by she'll naturally grab tightly to your fingers when you do this)

touching her, stroking, nuzzling, etc etc is EXTREMELY important obviously. - letting her taste, bite, grasp, manipulate various kinds of objects made of different materials is essentially for a baby. Eclectus are exceptionally sensitive birds in my experience - all 3 I've ever met and associated with were hand reared and very social - my friend's electus is talking pretty darn well @ 1 yr old, when most dont start talking till 3, and he's a pure baby doll, my daughter can carry him around and pet him whenever - he doesn't care...

Getting her to grasp and stand on various surfaces of material and width a couple inches off the ground, slowly as time progresses try getting her to grasp something and flip her upside down, and hold your hand behind her back incase she looses grip, but this will help build her grip as well - much quicker.

Any parrot, associating words with behaviors and tasks and what not is important especially if you want to them to be able to do any kind of tricks even step up, or come out, and be able to talk. When she nibbles to hard give a slightly dramatic "ow" followed by a stern "no - that hurt" and put her away from you or just turn her around - this will signal that the behavior wasn't a good one.

Rewarding good behavior early on, and 'reprimanding' verbally then ignorning the bird after a bad behavior for a few minute is key to building a quick and easy boundry with a young parrot.


Good luck! She is GORGEOUS by the way. I LOVE LOVE LOVE solomon island eclectus, just beautiful birds. You are very lucky!

 

[NaomiSarah]

Hey you! I've raised a LOT of eclectus parrots. She looks lovely!!! You're going to be wrapped around her little finger.

However, I have to disagree with the above. Giving any reaction to a parrot for a bite is just bad news. Don't say NO or act angry or pull your finger away. Instead, twist away from the bite in a controlled fashion , slowly and without any outward reaction (and YES you will lose skin, just a hazard of hookbills), put the bird down/in its cage, and leave.

The reason for this is that parrots are drama queens. Any reaction, to them, is exciting, and they're not intimidated or "tamable" in the respect that you can't "scare" them into doing good for you. Want the bird to do good for you? Keep pine nuts around (once weaning is completed). They eat those things like candy, and will do whatever you ask for them (eclectus in particular). If they think they can make you shout, or say no or anything else other than walking away (which IS punishment for a social parrot), they will do it often and effectively. No disciplining parrots! Ignoring them is the best way to make the behavior disappear!

I've escaped damage from hyacinth macaws, who have the strength to crush every bone in your wrist with one bite. NO reaction is the ONLY reaction you should give a bird when teaching them about gentleness - especially the eclectus. The eclectus will only bite if threatened, their first line of defense is to hold statue-still to hide/determine your intent. They're very frightenable, of the parrots, and one of the species you want to be the most careful not to traumatize because they WILL pluck, toe-tap and scream under stressful conditions. You'll know your eclectus is happy because the fur-like feathers around her beak will come foreward.

If she starts tapping her toes, this is an entirely different phenomenon common to eclectus but that can be stressful. PM me, please, with any eclectus-questions - they're my absolute favorite parrot.

 

[jaimslee4u]

I like Apple, what is the bird's name on Harry Potter, the one that burns up and appears again?

She is really pretty!

 

[duckncover]

I emailed the breeder and found out she is a pure Solomon Island Eclectus. If I didn't mention it above she was born on May 8th 2010. One thing that worries me is the loud noises she's making at certain times. I want to discourage them but she just keeps doing it if you ignore her.

 

[NaomiSarah]

Oh she's so young yet! She doesn't have any concept of proper behavior yet, but it will come with the ignoring - it's something you have to be persistant with. Noise is something you HAVE to be prepared to tolerate with a young parrot until they get more mature and figure out that screaming doesn't get you anything. It's like caring for a child, honestly - Eclectus are particularly sensitive and need really gentle adjustments to new situations. If you just got her, she's still really scared.

Did the breeder prepare you for all of this? Eclectus parrots (ANY parrots, but eclectus are particularly sensitive as I said) are honestly like raising a child... they live for very long times and take a lot of very consistent attention. They're so susceptible to self-mutilation and plucking and screaming if the amount of attention they get doesn't stay consistant for their whole lives. It's a huge commitment, but SO rewarding. PM me if you'd like to chat about her, I love Eclectus the most of all the parrots. :-D

 

[NaomiSarah]

Is it a nasty, scratchy kinda alarm call she's making? That's very typical for an eclectus in transition. There are NOT many breeders who send an eclectus home before it's fully weaned, because it's traumatic to go from one feeding "mother" to another. Solomon Island - when the pure girls grow up, they have a pure blue ring around their eyes, but it's so tiny and delicate, I LOVE it!

 

[duckncover]

Yeah sort of what you described. She only makes with when she's hungry or talking to Paco my DYH Amazon. He's been staring at her constantly since her cage is right across from his and I introduced them and he loves her. He preens her feathers and they talk back and forth and touch beaks together. That is unusual for Paco since he has never connected with any other bird I've let him by. He also started trying to throw up for her but then he didn't. I think she may have been begging at him. Here's a picture I took of them interacting.

 

[annanicole18]

I liked the name suggestion of Phoenix. Beautiful bird. Hope you two have a long time together.

 

[redhen]

Never mind...
I like Ruby..

 

[duckncover]

why what were you going to say redhen?