Cock bird attacking hen bird!!!!!

[Lone Pine]

Hi, I just found and joined this forum; it appears to be well used with some good questions and equally good replies. I hope someone out there can help me! I purchased a breeding pair of red sided Eclectus about four months ago and all has been well until recently. I have them set up in a suspended cage 3ft square x 6ft long. There is a nestbox mounted externally. I know the hen birds are supposed to be dominate however a few days ago the cock bird attacked the hen in the nestbox and has started to prevent her from eating. Both cock and hen have been working the nestbox but not together. They stay at seperate ends yet sleep on the same perch but not as close as they used too. After the violent attack (luckely I was home at the time) I placed a wire divider across the middle to seperate them, blocked off the nestbox entry and gave them seperate food and water. Two days later I removed the divider, left the nestbox blocked and left the extra food and water; all was well for three days but he has attacked her again (I was not home) and now he's bitten off one of her toes! The divider etc have now been replaced. PLEASE HELP if you can!

[The Outlaw]

Seperate them. They are not gonna work as a breeding pair. The next time you could come home to a dead bird. Are they proven or did someone just sell you a male and a female ekkie? Are you sure she's even old enough to breed? Do your have their hatch papers and know either of their ages? Have they been surgically sexed? By that I don't mean to determine their sex of course, but instead to determine if they are capable of breeding (health and or maturity)?

[The Outlaw]

Lone Pine:

I have sent your questions off to our Eclectus expert, Carolyn Swicegood. Hopefully, she'll send her response within the next 24 hours. In the meantime, keep them apart.

THE OUTLAW

[The Outlaw]

Hi there,

Please don't place this male with another hen. We don't know why but some Eclectus males become violent and they are quite capable of KILLING a hen in a violent and bloody attack. It could happen to your Red-sided hen and I know you hoped for advice on how to get them together again, but unless you are willing to risk being witness to a killing, or to finding a dead hen on the cage floor one day, do not place this male with any other bird -- ever.

Some Cockatoo males become violent and kill their mates, often after years of peacefully producing chicks together. There is a theory that in the wild, Cockatoo males go off together and hold sparring matches which releases their aggression. In captivity, they don't have that outlet for their aggression and therefore sometimes "snap" and kill their mates in violent attacks. Cockatoos are the most likely to exhibit this shocking behavior but I have heard a few cases over the years of Eclectus males doing just as much damage in similar situations.

Your Red-sided pair may or may not have been a "breeding pair" or a "proven pair" as represented by their seller. Many buyers get burned by deceptive advertising on this issue. Even if they were an established producing pair, this would be a dangerous situation for your Eclectus hen.

We don't know enough about natural Eclectus behavior to know whether or not they too might engage in routines in the wild like Cockatoos are known to do, so there is little research to guide you with this problem. In my opinion, it would be very dangerous for you to place the male with the hen again. I don't believe you would be as lucky next time because this bird's rage obviously is escalating with each new attack.

It might be possible that he would be "more compatible" with another hen, but there also is a very real risk in allowing him the chance to attack any hen again. I sincerely hope you will consider retiring him to companion bird status, preferably in a single-bird home. I have yet to hear of a male Eclectus turned violent ever being successful again as a non-violent breeder.

Sorry I can't be more encouraging but I can only advise you based on my experience and the combined wisdom of several other long-term Eclectus breeders with knowledge of this problem. Feel free to seek other advice but please be cautious.

Carolyn

[Alyce Johnson]

I happened to be reading this thread because it reminded me of a story told to me by a breeder of conures. I was going to try to breed my female (companion) conures but gave up the idea when told they do get killed in breeding situations - it is apparently not that uncommon.

This breeder had a male that killed his mate, after having raised several clutches successfully. She waited 10 years and then tried him again with another hen. He killed her, too.

So, conures are not eclectus, obviously, but this is a story that confirms what was said above - once a male starts killing his mates, he doesnt seem to go back to normal behavior. Better to make a pet out of him, for sure! Better safe than sorry.

[Lone Pine]

Thanks you all for your assistance. The replies are basically what I expected. Unfortunately I didn't think there would be an easy fix so I will keep them separated and now have to decide what to do next. I will stick with this forum, as the replies are quick and most of all sensible. Thanks again.

[natureboy]

Actually in cases that i have seen males usually get picked on by the hens
Female eclectus in breeding environments or not have strong urges to breed
and the males usually take longer, How long have these two been together?
If they were a pair when you received them?

If they were not properly introduced on a nutuaral territory this may be the issue. Its so hard to tell because they cant verbally tell us.
How old are these two? Thats too bad im sorry to hear this.

I agree i would not trust a male with that type of issue.
that poor girl lost a toe thats very tramatic eclectus are very touchy.
do you still have contact with the person you purchased these birds from if
they were a pair? because that is very alarming,

If you intend to breed them again or her witha new male introduce them side by side and then monitor them also allowing them to have a larger cage.
with no sight of a nest box let them create a relationship. nest bozes pose alot of issues more than often, please continue to post and ask questions thats what we are here for . please avoid any already answered questions sorry i just skimmed through . thanks

[The Outlaw]

Frankly, you can never put this male in a breeding situation. He must be made into a pet and that's that. If he's aggressive enough to hurt this one, he's likely to kill the next one.

Usually, its the female ekkies who are known for their aggressive breeding behavior. I would, instead, sell this male and find her an older mate. Don't pair her with a younger male, for she could well harm him. Female ekkies won't tolerate inexperience when they are ready to start their families.