Clingy Bird

[LPolliard]

I thought Cockatoo's were the clingy species. Turns out my re-homed Ekkie hates me being out of his sight. I can't go to the bathroom without him coming around the corner to check on me. When I have something to eat he doesn't hesitate to dive right in without so much as an invite. Must be a funny sight seeing us both face to face pigging out on a bowl of cereal or a Subway sandwich.

Are most hand fed birds this way even if you were not the original foster parent?

[Michael]

This doesn't sound like clingy, just curious. This is pretty normal/typical of most hand reared parrots.

Clingy (like a Cockatoo) is more like screaming, plucking, etc when owner goes away and hanging onto the owner every possible chance regardless of what they are doing.

[LPolliard]

He is definitely curious like a three year old and definitely clingy. I see both characteristics in Chico. He is curious about shaving. You can see the wheels turning in his little parrot brain when I am all lathered up. He also likes to be in the middle of everything when I am out in the garage at my work bench. He does let out his natural Ekkie call (squawlk) when I get out of sight. I am glad he doesn't pluck his feathers and does stop calling for me after he realizes I am no longer home. But if he thinks I am near then he is calling me for my attention. He has got me trained well. If I ignore him he will climb down from his perch, walk over to me, and wait by my feet until he gets some attention.

[sidech]

Male Eclectus tend to be really clingy birds.

For his own sake and yours, you have to teach him to be happy on his own. It will get a lot worse of uou don't, and they live a very long time...

Have you read about Ekkies specific diet requirements ? He should not be eating your sandwiches or cereals. He shouldn't eat anything with added chemicals, vitamins or anything unnatural.

Go check out the Land of Vos and Laurella Desboroughs or Graham Taylor's websites. There are very dramatic consequences to not feeding an Eclectus the way it should be.

[LPolliard]

Sidech, Thanks for your response. I am aware of their dietary needs and have been to the sites mentioned above upon your previous recommendation to my first post at the beginning of the year. The sites are very informative. Chico does get plenty of vegetables and some fruit. His current mix/preference is 50% veg 20% fruit 20% nuts/seeds and 10% junk. In the junk category I include grains (pasta breads & cereals), cheese, and meats. I try to limit his exposure to sugary and fatty foods but I don't eliminate them completely. I know he would do better and live longer with no junk food but so would I, but why would I want to? Bottom line, he is a companion pet and I, like most people, want their pets to be happy. Joining in on flock activity makes him happy. Rest assured people food is not his main dietary food and I do eliminate known toxic substances. This includes avocado, chocolate, and vitamin supplements. Thanks again for recommending the websites.

Regards to his clinginess, you are right, I will have to modify our together time slightly so it doesn't become an obsession when I am home. I already feel like a captive, ironically. Not sure how to approach this. Any suggestions? Ignoring him and living with his squawking does not sound pleasant for either of us nor to my neighbors. Is tough love needed for part of the time when I am home? He has me trained well.

[liz]

Mine were not hand raised. They follow me or hitch rides all over the house. When we eat they beg for a bit by saying "huh". If we don't give in Rambo will ask "is that good".

[Shelby]

I know he would do better and live longer with no junk food but so would I, but why would I want to? Bottom line, he is a companion pet and I, like most people, want their pets to be happy. Joining in on flock activity makes him happy.

If you never gave him junk food, he would never miss it. Small amounts of whole grain pasta aren't bad, and some people make "birdie bread" (a few people here have posted their recipes). But I would strongly urge you to resist the temptation to introduce him to more new junk foods. Your excuse holds no merit. There are many, many happy birds who have never eaten junk food and they are not any worse off.

Regards to his clinginess, you are right, I will have to modify our together time slightly so it doesn't become an obsession when I am home. I already feel like a captive, ironically. Not sure how to approach this. Any suggestions? Ignoring him and living with his squawking does not sound pleasant for either of us nor to my neighbors. Is tough love needed for part of the time when I am home? He has me trained well.

I say foraging and teaching him to play independently is your best bet. He is too reliant on you to provide entertainment and this is not good in the long run.
Here is what I told another member of this forum who needed help starting foraging with their bird:

Most captive birds need to be taught how to forage. In the wild, their flock members teach them, so in captivity we have to teach them. Here are a few articles/videos I've found that talk about teaching your bird to forage if it doesn't know how. It's pretty entertaining to watch them!

• Foraging vs. Feeding
• Beginner Foraging Tips
• Getting Started with Foraging: Beginning Tips and How-to
• Foraging for Parrots 101

Good luck!

[sidech]

Regards to his clinginess, you are right, I will have to modify our together time slightly so it doesn't become an obsession when I am home. I already feel like a captive, ironically. Not sure how to approach this. Any suggestions? Ignoring him and living with his squawking does not sound pleasant for either of us nor to my neighbors. Is tough love needed for part of the time when I am home? He has me trained well.

Ok, glad to hear Chico is eating well. For the junk food part, just be careful and give very small quantities. 1 fruit loop for him would be the equivalent of you eating the whole box... And on the long run, would make him bery sick (just an example, you probably don't give it to him... )

Jazz is 1 1/2 and he is a work in progress. Everyday there is a new thing I have to adapt to, but here are the foundations of what I do to teach him to be happy on his own and maintain peace in the house.

1) he never eats from my plate or on the table. He gets fed on his playstand, near the kitchen table, whether we're eating or just his daily veggy treat. He eats on his own, but with us. This avoids having a bird who runs after you and tries ro get into your food while you eat, and teaches manners.

2) he is NOT out for the whole day, ever. He has some time in his cage, and I make sure to not have a fixed schedule, so there is no screaming to come out when a certain time comes.

3) i never respond to screaming (other than almost having a heart attack when he's too close to my ear). I know some people respond to flock calling, and that's the accepted way to go, but I don't want to reinforce the bahavior, so I ignore it. He is not calling for me yet for the most part.

4) being out of the cage is an earned privilege. There are boundaries to respect, and good behavior is expected. If he screams, he gets warned twice, then he goes back to his cage. After a few minutes, if he's quiet and I have time, he comes out again and we go back to square one.

5) i teach him that doing what I want from him will give him freedom, but not full access to me. He has 2 perches he can use, one in the kitchen, which comes with freedom to walk around on the floor, which he does, and one in the living room, which doesn't allow walking around (speaker cables around...). So, most of his time is spent either playing on his perch or walking around. The interactions with me are indirect (sees me but doesn't have access to me and I don't talk to him), direçt, meaning he sees me and i talk to him, and physical, which mean he is on me. I would say it's about these proportions of each, in the same order : 40-40-20

6) when he flies to me for physical contact, i usually let him have it the first time, for a few minutes or more, but never the same amount and not at the same time each day, so he doesn't scream if he doesn't get it. Then, when that time is over, he goes back to his perch. If he keeps flying to me, he gets warned twice, then back to his cage, just like the screaming. Remember, being out is a priviledge, and good behavior is expected or else you lose the privilege.

That's how I do it. So far so good, but it's not perfect, repetition is the key. It's a lot of work too, but if you don't do it, you are putting at risk your chances of successfully cohabitating with him.

[Shelby]

4) being out of the cage is an earned privilege. There are boundaries to respect, and good behavior is expected. If he screams, he gets warned twice, then he goes back to his cage. After a few minutes, if he's quiet and I have time, he comes out again and we go back to square one.

6) when he flies to me for physical contact, i usually let him have it the first time...If he keeps flying to me, he gets warned twice, then back to his cage, just like the screaming.

From everything I have read/experienced, that whole "three strikes" punishment method doesn't work for birds the way it does for little kids, and they don't understand punishment or discipline the way kids do. When you "punish" a bird they just see that you are doing something they don't like. OR, they learn that if they bite/scream/etc., you put them in the cage. They then start to bite/scream when they are done playing because they know you'll put them back in the cage. You shouldn't use being in the cage as a form of punishment. Then they start to think of the cage as a bad place to be and that opens up a whole can of worms.

Consistency is best. Encourage him to fly to you only on cue. Reward good behaviors, such as being quiet or allowing you to handle him. If he does something you don't like (screaming in your ear, flying to you when you didn't cue) put him down on a perch and turn your back and ignore him for a few seconds. Then cue him to do something you do want him to do, such as flying someplace on cue or doing a trick such as "wave" or "kiss".

[sidech]

4) being out of the cage is an earned privilege. There are boundaries to respect, and good behavior is expected. If he screams, he gets warned twice, then he goes back to his cage. After a few minutes, if he's quiet and I have time, he comes out again and we go back to square one.

6) when he flies to me for physical contact, i usually let him have it the first time...If he keeps flying to me, he gets warned twice, then back to his cage, just like the screaming.

From everything I have read/experienced, that whole "three strikes" punishment method doesn't work for birds the way it does for little kids, and they don't understand punishment or discipline the way kids do. When you "punish" a bird they just see that you are doing something they don't like. OR, they learn that if they bite/scream/etc., you put them in the cage. They then start to bite/scream when they are done playing because they know you'll put them back in the cage. You shouldn't use being in the cage as a form of punishment. Then they start to think of the cage as a bad place to be and that opens up a whole can of worms.

Consistency is best. Encourage him to fly to you only on cue. Reward good behaviors, such as being quiet or allowing you to handle him. If he does something you don't like (screaming in your ear, flying to you when you didn't cue) put him down on a perch and turn your back and ignore him for a few seconds. Then cue him to do something you do want him to do, such as flying someplace on cue or doing a trick such as "wave" or "kiss".

That's your opinion, and you're fully entitled to it. I don't use the cage as punishment. I use removing him away from the common living area as a consequence for screaming. He is very intelligent, it might take months but he will get it.