Pascal

[Les charlson]

I cover my guys at night. It helped with creating their routine and I think they feel secure. When they see me with the covers they move to their sleeping perches . If I am late they are sometimes already in their spots. Ruby usually talks to me for a while, once covered. They do get used to hearing, but not seeing us. I think they like it. In the morning they are quiet, other than some eating noises. When they hear me say, 'Time to wake up everyone' they know the covers are about to be removed and their breakfast is turning up. Oh, they are also in my lounge room.

I'm not sure what to do about sleep.. do any of you cover cages at night? We have an inconsistent bed time, plus my husband wakes up anywhere between 330and 430 for work in the mornings. Pascals cage is the only place it can be in the house, which is in the main living area. Theres no way for me to put it anywhere else unfortunately.. I feel like its wearing him down. I would like to get another cage for him in a different room as a sleeping cage but with everything going on right now finances dont allow it.. right now the only thing I can think to do is either cover his cage and use a rain machine on a low volume to drown out noise or use his travel cage in a different room but it is so small! I'm not sure which one would be better.

 

[Les charlson]

I cover my guys at night. It helped with creating their routine and I think they feel secure. When they see me with the covers they move to their sleeping perches . If I am late they are sometimes already in their spots. Ruby usually talks to me for a while, once covered. They do get used to hearing, but not seeing us. I think they like it. In the morning they are quiet, other than some eating noises. When they hear me say, 'Time to wake up everyone' they know the covers are about to be removed and their breakfast is turning up. Oh, they are also in my lounge room.

Edit- Just wanted to add that I get up early. After the covers come off I wait until they have all pooped, then I clean the bottom of their cages before I give them their breakfasts. They all know the routine and if they drop anything and go down to retrieve it there is no mess.

 

[reffek94]

Well after just 2 nights of being covered hes back to his normal, nonscreechy, playful self!

 

[Les charlson]

Well after just 2 nights of being covered hes back to his normal, nonscreechy, playful self!

Hooray, thats great. They do need their rest and alone time, just as we do. My sister has been having trouble with her guy being noisy. We think its because she is now home all day and he can't get any time to himself. He flies to his sleeping perch in his cage and naps in the morning and again in the afternoon. She wasn't covering him at night. We tried covering him for his afternoon nap, about an hour and also at night. No more yelling...so far. We think he may have been overstimulated. I am glad he is being his playful self.

 

[reffek94]

Well last night I found out ekkies are spiteful I was on the phone with at&t for FIVE HOURS! Time got away from me and I realized it was an hour past his dinner time. I finally fed him.. later that night i was cleaning his cage. Usually he hops in there and hangs around me while I do it but last night he climbed to the top. I wasn't thinking and was cleaning away andddd he pooped on my head then hopped down into the cage like nothing happened what a butt.

On a side note I'm thinking about ordering some things from the avian organics site.. does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[mythic55]

They are a wild 2 year old human crossed with a monkey- in a birds body.....
Hangs upside down by just one leg... swings back and fourth..... then DROPS, flaps twice before hitting the ground and with a single flap, rights himself and soars like a rocket! a few more flaps, then actually ' soars up to 12 ft, around the room with a few more flaps..... and lands on a perch..... terrifying for me, super fun for him. ugh.

Then he repeats this same move, praces is figure 8 routine- and generally just goes bat schnitt crazy. Then relax (sleeps like a baby). Eats. Then repeat!

He is getting more and more new feathers! so I was able to get a snap shot of a new one coming in.
Just so you know what to look for:


That feather, like the rest will grow out full length as an 'adult' feather.
Obviously my guy has more solomon pure bloodline- but its still much more 'yellow' than his earlier ones....

 

[mythic55]

I have not ordered from Avian Organics... (I dont think?)

 

[mythic55]

Here is a fun one for you:

Dimitri at 14 weeks flight training (sectond step- moving target). He is very unsure of my phone/camera so he misses target, then decides the phone looks like fun to chew!
Always it is land on hand, and close my thumb over his feet.... but even I am distracted wither a phone in one hand!!!). lol
But he easily recalls 25 ft. I keep moving his perches around the house (you do amazing at this)- practice recall. He enjoys it SO much (but he has no idea why the phone is in my other hand... lol.)

 

[mythic55]

I was on the phone with at&t for FIVE HOURS!

Why is it that the needed items can get away with murder???

well... I suppose our birds can too

 

[bosh]

What a beautiful baby boy! Sounds like he has a wonderful parront taking care of him.

 

[reffek94]

Well it has been a while. Pascal is still doing well! Very clingy! I recently got an order of avian organics foods and snacks from @Danita and he loves everything we got! He tried to boycott his regular food for a while because he only wanted the snacks and treats we got! He LOVES it all. We got some bird bread mixes, dry cage mix, treats, and some mashes. He eats it all as soon as I put it in his bowl. Now he knows what the bags look like and sound like so if he sees one or hears one he starts getting excited and craning his neck trying to see what it is while chattering or screaming to himself depending on his mood! I also got a full spectrum light for him which he is really enjoying. He loves to stand as close to it as he can get and preen himself, especially after a bath! He is getting better at flying. He has much more control even though his flight feathers are still not in yet from his breeder clipping them down so much. He will fly around the living room/dining room / kitchen area (its a big circle) and if I'm gone for too long he will fly down the hall to whichever room I'm in. He has picked the wrong room a few times and then runs out and tries to find me. He's so sweet! He loves to preen my hair but also unfortunately loves to grab my nose! He's like lightning!

 

[Monaco]

I'm so happy to see an update on him. We all seemed to get busy around the same time. I think clingy is probably better than sneaky!

 

[reffek94]

I'm so happy to see an update on him. We all seemed to get busy around the same time. I think clingy is probably better than sneaky!

He is pretty sneaky too he knows if he's doing something wrong! He waits for me to look away before he tries again!

 

[mythic55]

Well it has been a while. Pascal is still doing well! Very clingy! I recently got an order of avian organics foods and snacks from @Danita and he loves everything we got! He tried to boycott his regular food for a while because he only wanted the snacks and treats we got! He LOVES it all. We got some bird bread mixes, dry cage mix, treats, and some mashes. He eats it all as soon as I put it in his bowl. Now he knows what the bags look like and sound like so if he sees one or hears one he starts getting excited and craning his neck trying to see what it is while chattering or screaming to himself depending on his mood! I also got a full spectrum light for him which he is really enjoying. He loves to stand as close to it as he can get and preen himself, especially after a bath! He is getting better at flying. He has much more control even though his flight feathers are still not in yet from his breeder clipping them down so much. He will fly around the living room/dining room / kitchen area (its a big circle) and if I'm gone for too long he will fly down the hall to whichever room I'm in. He has picked the wrong room a few times and then runs out and tries to find me. He's so sweet! He loves to preen my hair but also unfortunately loves to grab my nose! He's like lightning!

Good to know he is doing well. As mentioned, you are a great comipanion for him. I am assuming he chose you as hise 'mate'. Ekkies are exrtemely hormonal, so training needs to be expressed now- at 1 yr old- you may not even recognize him (aggression, etc).

I would be very careful with the 'full spectrum lighting' and if he is 'getting close'.
It can actually permanently damage the eyes of ekkies. He may just be seeking a light source, but it is often entirely too strong. I think there are multiple posts on this that can be referenced but I am on my mobile.

Cheers to you!

 

[reffek94]

Well I'm not sure what else I can do so any advice would be appreciated! Pascal seems to be allergic to my cockatoo. I've had my suspicions about it for a while but nothing seems to be helping.. hes sneezing and scratching at his nose a lot. They've been separated and I have good quality air purifiers running. We have a small house so separating them was very difficult! Getting his cage somewhere else took a lot of work and scratches on the walls haha. Frequent baths and misting. But nothing is helping. He has been to the vet and they said that's most likely what it is because he is in perfect health otherwise. He's starting to get little thin areas where he is constantly scratching at his nose! I dont know what else to do for him!

 

[Monaco]

Was moving him the only thing on the table? Did the vet give you any information or suggestions? I'm sorry you guys are experiencing this!

I guess this answers the question about powder down birds with Eclectus? It's difficult to find information about it.

@mythic55 @EkkieLu?

 

[mythic55]

Im so sorry-

"Pascal seems to be allergic to my cockatoo. I've had my suspicions about it for a while but nothing seems to be helping.. hes sneezing and scratching at his nose a lot."

Extremely possible- Ekkies have EXTREMELY sensitive systems. But they also are overly sensitive to foods and most odors (even perfumes and deodorants) more than any cockatoos or CAG's I have known. Majority of Ekkies are actually kept outdoors in aviary type situations, not interior.

Combination of dietary and environmental issues can compound into very serious issues in Ekkies. Often 'showers' or 'baths' can be huge case as your shampoo, and generally just small things can become massive issues.

Your male is also due for a molt- in which he will loose some feathers- but the addition of sneezing is a lager issue.
I always recommend Moringa-

Because of the rules and regulations on this site- I can not post any studies, etc. But If you have further questions and want to troubleshoot this- you can reply and hopefully I can respond in time.

 

[reffek94]

Was moving him the only thing on the table? Did the vet give you any information or suggestions? I'm sorry you guys are experiencing this!

I guess this answers the question about powder down birds with Eclectus? It's difficult to find information about it.

@mythic55 @EkkieLu?

The only suggestions I got were what I was already doing. Separate them.. frequent showers for my cockatoo to keep her dust down.. air purifiers.. he basically told me ill probably end up needing to find him or my cockatoo a new home
@mythic55 he is doing some molting but the feathers he's losing on his face seem to be because of the scratching.. its 2 perfectly placed little circles right above his nares where he scratches all day.. part of me is wondering if he's allergic to the dogs too..

 

[Monaco]

The only suggestions I got were what I was already doing. Separate them.. frequent showers for my cockatoo to keep her dust down.. air purifiers.. he basically told me ill probably end up needing to find him or my cockatoo a new home
@mythic55 he is doing some molting but the feathers he's losing on his face seem to be because of the scratching.. its 2 perfectly placed little circles right above his nares where he scratches all day.. part of me is wondering if he's allergic to the dogs too..

I'm so sorry. I hope you can find some relief for him, and don't have to face that tough decision. Keep asking questions. Maybe post in healthy highway or bird boulevard to get some more responses.

 

[mythic55]

The only suggestions I got were what I was already doing. Separate them.. frequent showers for my cockatoo to keep her dust down.. air purifiers.. he basically told me ill probably end up needing to find him or my cockatoo a new home
@mythic55 he is doing some molting but the feathers he's losing on his face seem to be because of the scratching.. its 2 perfectly placed little circles right above his nares where he scratches all day.. part of me is wondering if he's allergic to the dogs too..

My heart goes out to you.
Old world vs New world parrots- Being housed together, near or otherwise is extremely difficult for Ekkies.
Usually not dogs (in my experience) but definitely shampoo, perfumes, cooking odors (like toast, onions, etc), Cockatoo dust is well- expansive! controlling it on every surface is difficult (one good flight or fan blowing and it all gets stirred up again). Some Ekkies are more sensitive to others (which scientists are trying to determine why).

Do you have other pets? like chinchillas? (I just had a client who had to make a hard call between her ekkie and her elderly chincilla.... she chose the chinchilla as she also had children and as we all know- Ekkies get VERY aggressive at 1-2yrs old).

But do give separating them a shot, and really explore other irritants that could be compounding it:
Excessive water intake (if fed dry food, ekkies drink water, and they are not proficient drinkers) Or showers. This creates a residue that causes them to sneeze, and scratch at their nares. Spo much so- I knew someone who took daily showers with their bird- the water intake caused the bird to 'clean out' their nares by sneezing. This is turn caused the bird to constantly scratch at the nares as their was a crust that formed.
Household chemicals- which does include cleaners (sometimes even vinegar), shampoo, perfumes, bodywash
Ropes- Recently I ordered 'chemcial free' manilla rope from a reputable human. Dimitri was sneezing so much and scratching at his nares (on his favorite perch) I had to remove it.
Dietary based- even sometimes dietary issues can cause irritation- I had a clients whose ekkie was allergic to oatmeal. Took WEEKS to figure that out.

At the very least, do try ordering some Moringa Tea. Offer this once a day- it is a H2 and mass cell stabilizer, it can calm ekkies systems very quickly (or even humans with systemic allergens/irritants)

Edit: Also look into your toys- certain died toys can cause further irritation (like a famous pinneapole toy everyone buys). So if it is a died wood/wicker it is worth a thought.