i got a new eclectus

[adamentmeat]

i am a very inexperienced bird owner. I have only had budgies, and although i got some of them talking, most did not. anyways i just would like some help identifying some of the behaviors of my new eclectus parrot. I took him to a bird specialist and he helped me with things, but i would still like to know some general things like body language and screaming. for instance talking and whistling is generally a relaxed behavior right? when he screams does he just want my attention, or could something else be the issue.


also i would like to know the difference between preening and plucking of feathers. i know that preening is to maintain his feathers, and plucking is self mutilation brought about by stress or poor diet, but i don't know how to differentiate between the two when he is actively engaged in them.

and lastly, is playing music for him a beneficial thing usually? whenever i do he seems to try to mimic the songs and he seems happy, but it is still hard for me to identify his body language. his favorite song seems to be the yeah yeah yeah song by the flaming lips. he always perks right up when he hears it, and is constantly whistling along and chirping

[sidech]

Congrats on your Eclectus !

I hope you had done your research on them prior to buying him. They have a particular diet they need and they certainly can't be fed off the shelf seeds and pellets... I won't get into this because I don't know if you need it or not. But please ask if you have any questions. Eclectus can get really sick if you don't feed them the proper way.

We would need more info to help you. First, how old is the bird ? How long have you had him ? Was he handfed or not ? What's his history, if he's not a baby ? What was his diet before you got him, and what's his diet now at your house ?

Tell us a bit about the progress you've made with him, his routine, how he's settling in. It is just impossible to answer your questions without more background.

Preening and plucking : why do you ask ? Is he plucked ? If so, there are many reasons why an Ekky would pluck, one of these might be diet.

Music : in general, Eclectus don't do well in loud households. They thrive in more quiet environments. Playing soft music for them a few hours of the day is certainly a good thing. Having loud music blasting all day would not. I usually leave soft music or talk radio on for Jazz maybe 1 or twice per week when I'm at work. I figure it would be annoying to have it on all day. But that's just me. Some people might leave the tv on all day and their birds enjoy it. There is no recipe that applies to all parrots. You have to adapt your ways to your particular bird.

Please post pictures !