Please help with my Eclectus

[Kbry]

Hey Guys,
So I have an eclectus male about 10 mo-1 yr old right now. I adopted him when he was about 4 or 5 months old. He has been very hard to work with because the person I got him from left him in a cage and thats it. Now he is much much sweeter and a delight to be around sometimes.

He loves to be with me and off his cage. He is always lifting his wings as if he is threatening to jump off( he cant fly due to clipped wings) and when he actually does he will walk around until he find me and have me pick him up.

Here is my issue.
When I am holding him he is cutting my hand by biting to hard, i dont know if he is playing or being aggressive. It is hard to know because he ALWAYS want to be with me. I want to be able to hold him play with him and cuddle and stuff like that. I also want to train him. But I dont want to do any of that on rocky grounds.

Can someone please help me with my issue. How should I proceed, what do I have to do to be successful with my little ekkies?

 

[sunnysmom]

@EkkieLuv ?

 

[EkkieLuv]

Hi there and congrats on your new baby! I have zero experience with ekkies that young. My guys came to me as adults, the youngest at 3 so hopefully some others will chime in! You might also post to the Behavior Byway thread as the things you're experience are not likely unique to just ekkies. My guess is that he is testing the waters, so to speak - seeing what he can get away with! I recommend that you avoid the biting whenever possible 1st and foremost. You don't want to find yourself leery of handling him and I know that I get that way when I get a bite. You also don't want to find yourself jerking away due to pain or fear and harming the trust that you're working hard to build right now. Pay close attention to the warning signs before the bite! They are usually very subtle but noticeable when you learn what they are... pinning/flashing of the eyes, feathers tight to the body, posture, etc. Is there anything you've noticed that preempts the biting? Is he just feeling around and getting too rough or is it a fast strike with a growl? Is it happening when you're just hanging out - or when you're interacting with him? If it seems like a playful biting, pay attention to when he's getting too rough and put him on a playstand or such BEFORE a bite and distract him with a toy or training activity.

On the "training" perspective, you want to reward positive behaviors! They pick up on clicker training quickly so look into that! (Karen Pryor Clicker Training | The Leader in Positive Reinforcement Training It's fun and reinforces the behaviors you WANT!

Do you plan to let him fly? That is also a great way for them to burn off some energy and frustration, not to mention stay healthy. Off topic - Was he allowed to fully fledge and learn to fly?? While he's clipped, get him flapping while on your hand. If you drop your arm slightly he'll be encouraged to flap his wings... keep him going until he gets some exercise.

I hope this helps! Keep us posted.

 

[alshgs]

Target/clicker training is a great way to direct the behavior in another direction. It keeps the wheels turning in their heads so they don't think about biting

 

[Kbry]

@EkkieLuv Thankyou for the responses, And by the way I live in Houston also. I am not sure if he was allowed to fly before I adopted him, he was very young and already had his wings clipped. I do notice the signs and sometimes its weird to say he doesnt like my left hand. When he bites I take it. I have had a lot of painful experiences with him and usually I take the bite pretty well. There are some instincts of my own where I pull away quickly before he gets me but usually thats when I am playing with him. But it is possible that he doesnt dsee it as playing either. I literally started clicker training a couple days ago. and I will be continuing that. Sometimes he growls, he seems to get mad when he knows he has done something that will result in me putting him back on his cage. Of course he would be content with sitting with me all day but he gets to rough with his bites. At first they start off with what seems playful but I honestly think it is testing the waters. I usually put him up when he bites to hard. Is this something I should be doing?

 

[Laura729]

He may still be learning his own beak strength. My Charlie never had toys or much interaction before I adopted him, and for a while he would often playfully chew and bite on my fingers - HARD. Calmly but firmly saying "no" and (also calmly) putting him back on his cage and ignoring him for a few minutes, as well as having foot toys on hand to redirect/distract him might help. I just saw this in another thread as well, and the responses/suggestions might help with your guy too:
Biting! and weaning. | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[EkkieLuv]

What part of Houston @Kbry ??

It sounds like you're doing the right things. I'll reiterate that avoiding bites is #1 so keep an eye on the signs and redirect him to something positive. Since being with you is a reward, put him in his house or on a play stand if the bites are non-playful.

 

[Kbry]

@EkkieLuv I live in Manvel, just south of pearland on 288, and I will definitely start doing that. I need to get him alot more toys as he only has 3 and a swing that has bells and things for him to tear up also. the only i dont do is avoid bites because I want him to bite me if he feels fear of me touching him or so on so I can not move and show him nothing is wrong. But I will just start trying to avoid the bites instead.

 

[EkkieLuv]

I'm NW... south of Tomball. Interactive toys are good... find things you can play with him, like putting plastic beads in a bowl. Teach him to put the beads in the bowl and give him a treat when he makes a move in that direction. Or roll a wiffle ball and let him go get it and bring it to you.

Not reacting when he bites is good because if he's biting b/c he doesn't like what you're doing, he's looking for a reaction. BUT at the end of the day, there's no reason for you to get bitten and you don't want him to think that biting is ok. So avoiding those circumstances is best. For instance, I KNOW I will get a bite from Tigger if I reach near his food bowl while he's also near. He will also bite if I force him to step up so rather than forcing him I make stepping up an option he can't resist. If your fid (name?) shows signs that he will bite while he's hanging out with you, simply move him or redirect him before he bites.

Let us know how it goes...