recent rescue cagebound

[StevieBird]

Hi all, around five months ago I rescued a delightful female Eclectus who I have named Mona. I rescued her from a tiny cage in a dark shed, and she was being physically abused by the previous human who had her. She had plucked all of her chest, her legs, and her wrists, but as far as I can tell has not plucked a single feather since she arrived and is currently moulting and growing many feathers back in. She does not like to bathe, so the tips of her flights and tail have gotten a little tatty, but she has just started allowing me to spray her so that is solved going forwards. I had to take it slow as I didn’t want to stress her out and reinstigate any more self harming behaviours. She allowed me to stroke her beak from the first day she arrived, and she has settled in very quickly. Her diet is mostly raw veg and edible herbs, accompanied by some TOPS pellets, cooked legumes, fruit and millet. She is very gentle and calm, and is quiet throughout the day other than joining in conversation with her ‘momo’ and ‘ooooh’ noises. She shakes the walls with her screeches if she runs out of food or I put her to bed late, but I think that is rather reasonable! She wants absolutely nothing to do with me (which I don’t mind), and she shares a spacious room with my other resident birds; two female cockatiels and a female galah. All four of them have large separate cages and when let out together daily, get on very well and just mind their own business with Mona chatting in her cage and the three cockies solo playing, watching the (lidded and covered) aquariums and begging me for attention. She has also met conures, plets, pigeons, finches, all kinds of other birds who have come through the rescue in the past few months and since found forever homes elsewhere, and she has been chilled out around everyone.

Mona will take extremely high value treats from my hand, and she does not attack people - that is all I will ever ask of a parrot! I would, however, like her to feel comfortable leaving her cage. I got the cage second hand and I’m unsure of the exact brand and model, but it is just under 6 feet tall, around 3ft wide and deep, and she has lots of rope, wood, hemp, etc toys to destroy as well as safe natural branches. She is fed twice a day, with veg and fibre in the morning, and then fruit and millet in the evening. She clearly feels comfortable in her cage, and I am very glad, but it seems she is so comfy that nothing can tempt her to leave it! I know female Eclectus are biologically designed to sit in a nest cavity most of the year, but I want her to feel safe coming out. I would love any and all tips, as I have 10 years of experience with running a small parrot rescue, but she is the first Eclectus I have cared for!

Thanks all,

Stevie x

 

[LozBin]

Bless you for rescuing this beautiful girl.

Advice coming, I feel sure.

 

[StevieBird]

Bless you for rescuing this beautiful girl.

Advice coming, I feel sure.

thank you so much <3 she is a pleasure to care for, I am really enjoying the diet aspect, it’s so fun to do her meal preps

 

[patchyjoon]

Hi all, around five months ago I rescued a delightful female Eclectus who I have named Mona. I rescued her from a tiny cage in a dark shed, and she was being physically abused by the previous human who had her. She had plucked all of her chest, her legs, and her wrists, but as far as I can tell has not plucked a single feather since she arrived and is currently moulting and growing many feathers back in. She does not like to bathe, so the tips of her flights and tail have gotten a little tatty, but she has just started allowing me to spray her so that is solved going forwards. I had to take it slow as I didn’t want to stress her out and reinstigate any more self harming behaviours. She allowed me to stroke her beak from the first day she arrived, and she has settled in very quickly. Her diet is mostly raw veg and edible herbs, accompanied by some TOPS pellets, cooked legumes, fruit and millet. She is very gentle and calm, and is quiet throughout the day other than joining in conversation with her ‘momo’ and ‘ooooh’ noises. She shakes the walls with her screeches if she runs out of food or I put her to bed late, but I think that is rather reasonable! She wants absolutely nothing to do with me (which I don’t mind), and she shares a spacious room with my other resident birds; two female cockatiels and a female galah. All four of them have large separate cages and when let out together daily, get on very well and just mind their own business with Mona chatting in her cage and the three cockies solo playing, watching the (lidded and covered) aquariums and begging me for attention. She has also met conures, plets, pigeons, finches, all kinds of other birds who have come through the rescue in the past few months and since found forever homes elsewhere, and she has been chilled out around everyone.

Mona will take extremely high value treats from my hand, and she does not attack people - that is all I will ever ask of a parrot! I would, however, like her to feel comfortable leaving her cage. I got the cage second hand and I’m unsure of the exact brand and model, but it is just under 6 feet tall, around 3ft wide and deep, and she has lots of rope, wood, hemp, etc toys to destroy as well as safe natural branches. She is fed twice a day, with veg and fibre in the morning, and then fruit and millet in the evening. She clearly feels comfortable in her cage, and I am very glad, but it seems she is so comfy that nothing can tempt her to leave it! I know female Eclectus are biologically designed to sit in a nest cavity most of the year, but I want her to feel safe coming out. I would love any and all tips, as I have 10 years of experience with running a small parrot rescue, but she is the first Eclectus I have cared for!

Thanks all,

Stevie x View attachment 467457

I actually cried while reading this. Thank you so much for saving this baby. I literally cannot fathome what goes on in these SICK peoples heads who abuse any type of animal. Why get the animal in the first place if you don't like it? I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.

 

[KiMa27]

Welcome, Stevie and Mona!!!

Thank you for savings this lovely girl. Like PatchyJoon, I just can't imagine how anyone could harm birds (or other animals)!!!!! How lucky you were to find and save her!

I'm just a newbie here but can share my experience with one of my new rescues who came from an abusive situation. He is very comfy in his cage and I've had to coax him out. I ended up putting a play gym right up against the open door of the cage with a sturdy ladder (so he'd feel safe) to make the 'crossing' from cage perch to gym an easy one. I added high-value treats (while he watched) to the treat bowl on the gym. That did the trick after awhile!

A note of caution, my guy comes out easily now but he tends to get spooked VERY easily when out of his cage and ends up jumping off the gym and running under furniture. Not sure if this would be an issue for Mona but just to make you aware. I'm now trying to figure out a way to make him feel safer on the gym.

 

[StevieBird]

I actually cried while reading this. Thank you so much for saving this baby. I literally cannot fathome what goes on in these SICK peoples heads who abuse any type of animal. Why get the animal in the first place if you don't like it? I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.

Ohh thank you for your lovely words! I am furious and sad about it too. I wasn’t sure if she would settle in a cage indoors as she’s clearly been an ‘aviary bird’ in the past but she seems to be nice and calm and enjoying herself these days.

 

[StevieBird]

Welcome, Stevie and Mona!!!

Thank you for savings this lovely girl. Like PatchyJoon, I just can't imagine how anyone could harm birds (or other animals)!!!!! How lucky you were to find and save her!

I'm just a newbie here but can share my experience with one of my new rescues who came from an abusive situation. He is very comfy in his cage and I've had to coax him out. I ended up putting a play gym right up against the open door of the cage with a sturdy ladder (so he'd feel safe) to make the 'crossing' from cage perch to gym an easy one. I added high-value treats (while he watched) to the treat bowl on the gym. That did the trick after awhile!

A note of caution, my guy comes out easily now but he tends to get spooked VERY easily when out of his cage and ends up jumping off the gym and running under furniture. Not sure if this would be an issue for Mona but just to make you aware. I'm now trying to figure out a way to make him feel safer on the gym.

That’s a bloody marvellous idea! Thank you so much for your input. She does absolutely leap from one side of the cage to the other when she gets spooked or when I have to wheel it across the room to clean, so I can imagine what you’re talking about lol. She can fly fairly well so I’m hoping if she spooks she’ll end up on something high instead of underneath things. Hopefully she will actually leave her cage one day and I can let you know! Good luck with your guy, and bless you for rescuing him, I’m sure he’ll eventually realise how safe his stand is

 

[LozBin]

That reminds me - my lovely tiel Coco was rescued from an abusive home by a well-meaning lady who recognised that she couldn't look after her properly... so she came to me.

It was a few weeks wiyh me before Coco would leave her cage. During her quarantine, I set up a play gym with toys and treats on a table right in front of her cage. I watched her emerge slowly, cautiously to investigate her new surroundings and I won't lie , it was an emotional experience when she first set foot outside.

I set millet bribes on her cage door which acted as a drawbridge leading to the play gym. It was a step-by-step process (baby steps!) to coax her outside her cage. I observed it all from eight or ten feet away and made sure I remained still and quiet while she discovered her confidence.

The short of it is, make being outside the cage easy, non-threatening and peaceful and I'm sure your girl will get there.

 

[Dartman]

If it's safe to do so you could just leave the door open and let her decide when and how she wants to come out and explore. When I had Lurch I left his door open and slowly he'd get closer to me as I left a chair close to my favorite recliner spot and just sit there and talk to him and do my thing. He was also a very mad at the world guy who took years to mostly trust me and stop biting without warning but he got there and we reached a understanding with each other.
After that he would follow me all over the house and hardly bit anymore, but for him it was a feature so leave him alone when he was in a pissy mood or be fast.

 

[Finchbreed]

My sister rescued a Male Eccie 6yrs ago - and strangely enough his name was Rona. It was during Corona virus lockdown and so short for Corona.
He had been flying round the neighbourhood - These require licences in West Aust. Sis contacted the Authorities and regirstered that she was caring for him till the true owner could be found. No one would admit to owning him though several people tried to claim him - asking questions resulted in him being sick and in urgent need of medication (lies) Strongly believe the true owner was found - but had deliberately let him "escape" because she did not want the "gift" her daughters had given her.
Rona was very human friendly - but as sis had 3 budgies, 2 cats and a dog. Had to be caged initially - in a standard cockie cage 1mtr sq - far too small but only thing she could grab at short notice. They got a harness and he would go for walks to the local park and all. Sis's hubby built a bathroom size avairy for Rona to live in as a regular location - while still coming out for regular harness walks.
Rona lived on a high fruit diet - as Eccies do in nature - with the addition of veges and seed. He was very fit and healthy - till one morning 4 days after they got him he was found dead on the bottom of his avairy - having displayed no signs of illness and no wounds. Probably a night fright.
So can only speak for male Eccies - which are very people friendly. Visitors did not touch him, but were not attacked or threatened in any way - he just fluffed a warning.

 

[Finchbreed]

Oops that should say 4yrs after they got him.

 

[HelenVanessaDavies]

What a beautiful girl I'm sure she'll thrive with you. I don't have much advice to give but I'm sure as she adjusts she'll come out of her shell more

 

[Nostromo]

I love the idea of putting a play gym right up against an open door. Also, maybe putting some toys, a perch and a bowl on the outside of her cage near her door so she can climb out, munch, retreat. If her cage bowls have separate doors, maybe try opening the doors and seeing if she'll come through the hole to eat from her bowl. Just tiny tiny steps of exposure. It's probably pretty enormous for her to even be adjusting to having so much more space in her cage, so much more stimulation. She may feel braver about venturing out when the other birds are caged. I feel like dawn and dusk can be active times for birds, she might be a little more likely to move around at that time.

Another thought I have is to wonder if she's making use of the cage space she has? If she mostly sits in one spot in her cage, I would think the first target may actually be to encourage her to make more use of the space she already has. So foraging toys, treats hidden in corners etc, until she gets used to climbing around and exploring within the safety of her cage.

 

[StevieBird]

Thanks so much guys, I appreciate your input very much. Hopefully she’ll venture out aoon and I can update with some pics! x

 

[KiMa27]

Thanks so much guys, I appreciate your input very much. Hopefully she’ll venture out aoon and I can update with some pics! x

I hope you have good luck! It would be great to see how it goes for her!!!