JornsBergenson
Walking the driveway
- Joined
- 8/3/19
- Messages
- 190
My wife spent years researching parrots and came to the conclusion that the Eclectus would be best for our family. He was going to be her parrot. She promised the I wouldn't have to lift a finger to take care of him. We got him from a breeder after he was weened and he would lay on my wife's chest and loved being cuddled.
He is two years old now and he has always loved her. He coos when she come into the room and comes to the edge of his stand to get close to her as she passes through the room. It is almost ridiculous how he behaves with her.
After an unfortunate accident, he became fearful of hands, especially hers. After some nasty, scaring bites to my wife's hands and arms, my wife became extremely fearful of handling him. I saw the need to step in and start working with Toby even though he didn't like me much. It took a couple of weeks of target training and step-up training and he started accepting me as a flock member.
He is now over 2 years old and I have become the person shops at the organic market for his veggies, makes his chop, orders his pellets, feeds him, cleans his bowls and his cage, makes his toys, takes him to the vet, etc. In the morning, he calls for me to come get him so we can hang out. We have our calls back and forth across the house to let each other we're okay. His "human voice" sounds like mine (I talk in falsetto with him so he doesn't sound like an old geezer). He says "Hey Buddy!" when I get him up in the morning (not sure how he picked that up, I may have said it once when I walked into the room). I have no idea how his little mind thinks of me, but I guess to him I am his source of food, "entertainment" and companionship and his trainer. My wife will always be his "chosen one" but I am honored to be his "buddy". We just got to get Toby over the fear of her hands and my wife over the fear of his beak.
We have 3 young adult children in the house, and only one of my kids is a "bird person". Toby will step up for my son, but my son tries to treat Toby like his Nanday conure who's personality is completely different from Toby's. It usually ends with me having to rescue Toby from my son.
Toby is not a touchy-feely bird at all. He's never completely gotten over his fear of hands despite attempts to train him. He will step-up but wants to get away from the hands ASAP. His policy: "There will be no petting of any kind. No touching of feet. No touching of wings or any other part of my body. I may choose to stand on your hand for a few seconds, maybe".
Anyone else have stories and about how your eclectus interacts with your family members? Who is the "chosen one"?
He is two years old now and he has always loved her. He coos when she come into the room and comes to the edge of his stand to get close to her as she passes through the room. It is almost ridiculous how he behaves with her.
After an unfortunate accident, he became fearful of hands, especially hers. After some nasty, scaring bites to my wife's hands and arms, my wife became extremely fearful of handling him. I saw the need to step in and start working with Toby even though he didn't like me much. It took a couple of weeks of target training and step-up training and he started accepting me as a flock member.
He is now over 2 years old and I have become the person shops at the organic market for his veggies, makes his chop, orders his pellets, feeds him, cleans his bowls and his cage, makes his toys, takes him to the vet, etc. In the morning, he calls for me to come get him so we can hang out. We have our calls back and forth across the house to let each other we're okay. His "human voice" sounds like mine (I talk in falsetto with him so he doesn't sound like an old geezer). He says "Hey Buddy!" when I get him up in the morning (not sure how he picked that up, I may have said it once when I walked into the room). I have no idea how his little mind thinks of me, but I guess to him I am his source of food, "entertainment" and companionship and his trainer. My wife will always be his "chosen one" but I am honored to be his "buddy". We just got to get Toby over the fear of her hands and my wife over the fear of his beak.
We have 3 young adult children in the house, and only one of my kids is a "bird person". Toby will step up for my son, but my son tries to treat Toby like his Nanday conure who's personality is completely different from Toby's. It usually ends with me having to rescue Toby from my son.
Toby is not a touchy-feely bird at all. He's never completely gotten over his fear of hands despite attempts to train him. He will step-up but wants to get away from the hands ASAP. His policy: "There will be no petting of any kind. No touching of feet. No touching of wings or any other part of my body. I may choose to stand on your hand for a few seconds, maybe".
Anyone else have stories and about how your eclectus interacts with your family members? Who is the "chosen one"?
... the picture!!!
