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Puberty has NOT been kind

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Puberty has NOT been kind

Postby sherillynn » Mon Nov 03, 2014 8:24 am

I have a 6 year old female ekkie that I have had since she was about 6 months old. We used to be best buddies. She would step up nicely, ride all over on my shoulder, go for car rides and provide endless hours of entertainment.

When she hit puberty and started to lay eggs about a year and a half ago, this all stopped and to be honest, I am now a bit afraid of her biting. I can pet her and handle her wings and toes without issue but stepping up gets a big hard chomp no matter how I approach it. What makes it more frustrating is that her body language doesn't signal that she is going to bite. She acts like she will step up willingly and then comes the bite.

I've tried having her step up on a stick and that hasn't gone so well. How do I get my best little buddy back?

I guess thankfully she isn't lunging at me and shows no aggression in that respect. She just doesn't like to be handled.
I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.
Henry David Thoreau

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sherillynn
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 26
Location: Iowa
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Blue and Gold Macaw, Eclectus, TAG
Flight: No

Re: Puberty has NOT been kind

Postby Wolf » Mon Nov 03, 2014 9:17 am

As I understand it the female of this species is quite territorial and in their natural habitat spend her time in the nest mostly and waits for her males to come by and feed her. With this in mind if you are providing her with anything that could be used as a nesting place in her cage I would remove it. I would then try opening her cage door so that she can come out on her own. I do this for all of my birds as they think that their cage is theirs and is their safe place where they won't be bothered.
As for the biting, Ekkies are not noted for warning you they just go for the kill. But it is possible that your problem will solve itself if she is out of her cage before you ask for her to step up.
That is all I have as I don't have this species myself. Ley me know if any of this helps at all.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Re: Puberty has NOT been kind

Postby Pajarita » Mon Nov 03, 2014 12:34 pm

Wolf is right, ekkies don't display, they just look at you all mild-like and go and bite you HARD without batting an eyelash! As to her aggression, yes, they are territorials but the biggest problem with ekkies and their aggression is hormones. These are birds that are naturally hormonal because their breeding season is so very long in nature - plus most ekkies eat a diet way too high in protein in captivity (and too low in water content and fiber) so you need to be extra careful with their diet as well as keeping them to a super strict solar schedule or they produce sexual hormones all year round - sexual hormones = aggression.
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Norwegian Blue
 
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Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Puberty has NOT been kind

Postby sherillynn » Mon Nov 03, 2014 7:04 pm

Wolf- she can come and go in her cage as she wants. She and the TAG have an entire room to themselves. She doesn't appear to be territorial. I can pet her, open her wings, touch her toes, I just cannot pick her up any more. She used to ride on my shoulder and we would go outside or in the car.

Now she bites whenever she is asked to step up. No warning, just a chomp.

There also isn't anywhere for her to nest so that issue has been taken care of. When she does lay an egg, it is in the bottom of her cage or under my sewing table.

I still love her and I will continue but it is disheartening when we had such a close relationship before.
I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.
Henry David Thoreau

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sherillynn
Lovebird
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 26
Location: Iowa
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Blue and Gold Macaw, Eclectus, TAG
Flight: No

Re: Puberty has NOT been kind

Postby Wolf » Tue Nov 04, 2014 5:39 am

Based on your responses this leaves just two areas, in my opinion to search for answers to this problem. The first is diet and the other is the amount of time that you spend with them. So how much time do you spend in the room with your birds each day? and could you please provide a details account of her diet? You know, what does she eat and when do you provide her with what foods to eat.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: Puberty has NOT been kind

Postby Pajarita » Tue Nov 04, 2014 11:28 am

There is also the light schedule... Ekkies are particularly prone to hormonal behavior so one needs to be even more careful about breeding triggers with them and, although not providing a nest is definitely a step in the right direction, it won't stop her body from producing hormones (and, if she is laying, she is definitely producing them). People say that their laying is normal but I had a female SI for years and she never laid a single egg.
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Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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