New Female Eclectus

[BirdGuy21]

No, I understand why she would bite. She's scared and in another home, with someone she's only ever seen once. It's a long process to build that trust. We will get there.

I'm very glad she is eating right away. Took some pear from me and we ate our pieces together. She's making sweet whistling sounds occasionally.

 

[Laura729]

Aww, pretty girl! I think the fact that she is eating and making sounds already are great signs.
How did she act/interact in her foster home generally?

 

[BirdGuy21]

Her foster mom said she was so sweet and was willing to try new things. She enjoyed having her and would have kept her if she could. She was there for about a month. I met her within the first week the rescue got her in.

Have a vet appointment scheduled for her to check her out. Plan for blood work and full exam. Her nails are so long that they need professionally trimmed. Spots on her chest are plucked down to the skin, I'm hoping there isn't follicule damage and the feathers can grow back.

 

[BirdGuy21]

I was putting some food in the cage and she snuck out all by herself. Poor things nails are so long though they wrap around the cage bars and get stuck. She stepped up for me and hung out on my arm for about twenty minutes. She had a hard time perching since her nails are so long. Got another bite mark to show off at work though . Think she was starting to fall and got scared, so my thumb was the closest thing.
Going to give her dinner here shortly. She ate most of her breakfast chop.

 

[BirdGuy21]

She is chowing down on her dinner! Chop of carrots, acorn squash, jicama, sweet potato, pear, chard, kale, blueberries, chia seed, pumpkin seed, radish, cilantro, flax seed, cauliflower, jalapeños, sweet peppers, celery seed, snap peas, and bell peppers.

 

[Laura729]

Can you have her talk to my Charlie about how great all these healthy foods are?? It took him forever to even try some of these things!
But good for her - that's awesome!!

 

[BirdGuy21]

Haha sure, I'll put her on the phone. She's in bed for the night now though, so maybe tomorrow morning.

Overall I think her first day went pretty well. Glad she is so willing to try new foods. I saw she has new tail feathers growing in and some small pin feathers around her eyes.

 

[janicedyh]

I read something recently about chia seed. I had been giving it to Dobey and felt really guilty after I read about it. It seems that if you don't soak the chia seed giving it dry dehydrates your bird. From then on I have been soaking the chia overnight and adding it to his food. Soaking does make a jell like substance...so that is normal. I think the big issue is that chia absorbs water and Ekkies don't drink very much (getting most of their liquid from fresh fruit and veggies)

 

[BirdGuy21]

Hmm, I haven't heard that but chia is obviously dry, and Ekkie's are not natural seed eaters. The chia that's in my chop mix is pretty wet though, as it absorbs the juices from the fruit and veggies it's mixed in with.

 

[BirdGuy21]

She did very well at her vet visit today. Stepped right up for me and let me put her in the carrier, and allowed the vet to draw blood with not even a single squawk. Her nails are no longer curled over and getting stuck in everything she perches on. Our vet thinks she is a little older than 14 years, as her pupils show irregularities around the edges, but can't tell for sure as her leg band does not have a year on it. Anyone know the band number LIN FL? Looked it up online with no results.

Her choanal papillae are short and rounded, which the vet said is a sign of long term poor nutrition and vitamin A deficiency. We will be adding red palm oil to her diet to help with that, as was recommended above by @Laura729. She weighs 424 grams. We will get her complete blood tests back in a few days. Her feathers are in a lot worse condition than at first appears. Under her wings are plucked and chewed and several feathers are broken off, either from accident or barbering. There is fresh chewing related damage on her one flight feather. Breaks my heart to think of how neglected she was, and makes me angry that anyone could ever do this to a bird. Vet indicated there is scar tissue and follicle damage to her chest, but she should be able to regrow at least some of the feathers. She has fresh feathers growing in under her wing, provided she doesn't resort to plucking.

She was rewarded with a treat of fresh soaked pumpkin seeds, and having sprouts, chop, and birdie bread for dinner tonight. It will be an early bedtime for her since she had such a long day.

 

[Laura729]

Poor girl, but she is so lucky to be in a loving, caring home now. I understand being angry about her previous lack of care, though.
What a good, brave girl at the vet! There's a thread on AA somewhere about band #'s, but not sure of the one you mentioned has been listed on there.
That's good that she can likely regrow some or most of her feathers. Charlie had/has lots of follicle damage, but has been able to regrow more than anticipated (though he still barbers them sometimes).
Sounds like she's having no trouble switching to a healthy diet! And she seems to be settling in very well. She must sense she is in a safe place.

 

[BirdGuy21]

I guess I cannot understand how someone could watch their bird or any animal in their care lose feathers and inflict harm.

She tried a taste of red palm oil and coconut oil today. She licked both off the spoon, but preferred the coconut oil. I will start mixing it in with her food a few times a week. I know both oils contain the good type of fat, but if her blood work comes back indicating any cholesterol problems, I assume I will have to be careful with the oils. We are going to go out to the store to pick up some more ingredients for chop this evening and see if we can find any new fruits and veggies for her. Anyone have any recipe ideas for bird breads or dishes?

She hasn't wanted to come out of her cage today like she did yesterday, but she is probably still a little tired from the vet. She had a really big day yesterday.

 

[BirdGuy21]

Update on my girl, who's new name is now Gillian, nicknames Gilly, Gilly-Bean. Gillian means youthful, and she sure has the energy and enthusiasm to keep fighting through this to better heath! She says "yeah, ohh, and ohhhh", and when I asked if she liked Gillian, she says "yeah". She has been out of her cage everyday. She steps up for me and likes to hang out on my arm and walk around with me. She is my first bird who bathes when the vacuum is running, all my other guys try to out scream it. She was perched on my arm this evening and stretched her wings out one at a time, standing on one foot.

Found two things she hasn't particularly enjoyed- goji berries and alfalfa sprouts. I did notice what could be a wing flip this evening. She was on my arm for about thirty minutes, and flipped her wings three times, spaced roughly three-five minutes apart. Only did it those three times. Not sure if she was just unsteady on my arm or it was a wing flip. Hoping it was the former, but I will keep my eye on it. I've wrote down everything I've fed her today to keep track just in case. Going to order some AO cage mix "Not just for Ekkies" and the Hemp Berry Pudding.

 

[Laura729]

Adorable - love her new name!! I changed Charlie's when I adopted him too.

Does she have a little elmo-sounding voice? I think the ekkie "ohhhh" and "oooohh" sounds are so cute. I love the "yeah" in response to her new name. The female ekkie I took care of for about 2 years was a great talker, and some of it came out after several weeks or even months of staying with me, so Gillian may have more surprises for you! Charlie has never talked (and apparently didn't in his previous home), and I think it's likely b/c he was very neglected and left alone so much, he didn't have a chance to learn. I'm totally fine with him not talking, of course, but it makes me sad that he was so discarded and neglected for so many years. He's great at communicating through singing and other sounds, though!

That's great that she's bathing! Does she bathe in her water bowl, or are have you been able to try misting/showers yet? To get Charlie used to those, I would bring him in and have him perch on the shower curtain rod while I showered (and made a big deal about how GREAT and FUN it was, and sing to him, etc). Then after a few times doing that, I would take a spray bottle in with me, let him see it and even spray/mist (on the soft, mist setting) it around/above me, and then get some to land on him in the process (make sure to put lots of towels/bath mats out if you do this, haha). Then he learned to love being misted while the shower was running, and eventually learned to trust he shower itself for the most part - though he still often prefers that I mist him until he's drenched...

When she flapped her wing, was it a full flap, or a smaller movement?

It sounds like you're doing really well with her diet, which is awesome. My boys were just enjoying the AO Strawberry Patch Pudding last night, actually! Haven't tried the hemp berry, but I think I've heard good things from others on the forum about it. It's great to find a good, and quick/easy to prepare mash like that that they enjoy, so you even can sneak other healthy stuff "extras" into it and they will be more likely to try it or not even realize they are eating it. Though again, it sounds like you aren't having much trouble with Gillian's diet switch!

If she's hanging out with you a lot and stretching on you, she must be quickly learning to trust you. You're doing a great job with her, and it's wonderful that she finally gets a chance to be happy and loved.

Please keep posting updates. This section of the forum doesn't seem to get as much "traffic" but hopefully more people will be around, but either way I'm loving hearing about her.

 

[BirdGuy21]

Thanks @Laura729! She does have an elmo voice, that is a good way to describe it! I was trying to describe her voice to people at work and this will be the perfect description. I believe she said "hi" to me today, although it caught me off guard and could have been a variation of her "ohh's". She was a chatty little girl today though, making lot's of "oh" and "yeah" sounds when I was with her.
It always breaks my heart to hear about birds who are left in their cages and neglected and ignored for years. I don't understand how someone could do that to a living being. That's great that he likes to sing and talk in his own way for you.

She bathed in her water bowl when the vacuum was on. I took her into the bathroom when the shower was running, but she didn't seem too thrilled with the idea. I put her close to the water, and she didn't lean away but she didn't lean into it either. I am going to work on getting her used to the shower and hopefully she will want to join in. We did mist her with a spray bottle once, she was okay with it but it wasn't her favorite. I will have to try your method with combining the shower and spray bottle!

For the wing flip, it was a smaller movement. It was similar to this video, but I would say it was less movement. Could be because she doesn't really have any flight feathers that it was less noticeable. She didn't twitch her head at all.

She moved her one wing a tiny bit this evening, but I only noticed her doing it once and am not sure if it would qualify as a wing flip. I also have a tendency to over analyze things, so there's that. Just want to be sure thorough though, as she's already been through a lot. I've started writing down her daily food offerings and anything of note so I can keep track.

I was looking at the Strawberry Pudding from AO, might have to buy it now with since your guys like it. I haven't placed my order yet, waiting on the vet to call back for blood work. That way if there is any particular nutrient that she needs more of, I can see about ordering a mix or blend with that food in it. Any other recommendations from AO that your guys have liked?

I was so excited when she stretched out for me . Trying to show her a little more of the house everyday to get her comfortable. She enjoys our little walks around and will sit on top her cage door and stare out the door when she wants to go for a walk through the house. I hope she feels safe and loved, it hate to think of how long she went without any companionship or interaction. She gave me a little pinching bite today to let me know she was ready to go back to her cage, but she is such a sweetheart. I'm really lucky to have her in my life.

I have noticed that his section of the forum doesn't seem to be as active. I will definitely post updates frequently- if I get annoying with them I promise I won't be offended if you say something, haha .

 

[BirdGuy21]

*Update*

Blood work came back normal! The vet was shocked, said she had to read the results twice and make sure it was for the correct bird. All counts are within normal range except for cholesterol, but vet said proper diet will take care of that and it's not as high as she anticipated. Very happy right now!

 

[Laura729]

Yayyyy!! That's awesome and such a relief, I'm sure. I have been wanting to reply to your previous post since Tuesday, but have had a slightly crazy week. But I will tonight!

 

[expressmailtome]

That is good news.

 

[BirdGuy21]

Thanks everyone! It's definitely a relief. I was worried that it'd be a worst case scenario. With her cholesterol being a little high, should I only offer the red palm/coconut oil a few times a week?

She came out with us for about an hour and hung out. Now she's beak grinding and falling asleep . I want to start some basic step up training to continue to build trust. I've been using little pieces of pumpkin seed for treats. Any ideas on a healthier option for training treats?

Also, she did this posture tonight. Is this a sexual behavior? She hasn't done it before. Her wings are flat against her body and her tail is in the normal position. Didn't make any noises or other movements.

 

[Laura729]

I would *think* the elimination of the bad items from her previous diet, plus the reduction of sunflower seeds (also from her previous diet) would soon help enough with the higher cholesterol that you wouldn't have to worry so much about limiting the oils, but double check with your vet. And you could try limiting oils to a few times a week in the mean time, just to be safe.

That posture could be sexually based, though she could have also been trying to get your attention or thinking of moving and then she paused...Charlie sometimes pauses mid-movement/decisions and even "spaces out" at times for a minute or so...!

Back to your previous post (again, sorry for the delay!)
Other AO items my boys like are the Mayan Gourmet Mash and Sweet Potato Bird Bread. Planning to try the Parrot Paella next. @Danita might be able to suggest some of the other popular items!

I think, if her wing motion was less than the example in the video, she could have just been adjusting as she was getting settled. I've seen many birds do that, even a few times, to get everything "in place" or comfortable. Have you seen this movement much more since that post?

Haha, yes, the ekkie Elmo voice! I think they naturally sound like Elmo (even in their "ohhhh" or ooooooh" sounds). The female eclectus I used to take care of had the sweetest little Elmo voice, but also randomly said "C'mere" in a deep voice and did a terrible-sounding smoker's cough which she picked up from her 1st home (and older man who smoked).

And yes, please keep posting! There isn't enough "traffic" on this section/sub-forum, so we need as many posts as possible! And I love reading Gillian updates!