Ecky Attacking Partner...

[Aussie]

Hello, this is our first post, love this website, very informative :icon_smil

We just got our 4 month old ecky hen to our home, watched her being hand reared by a breeder since birth. Her name is Kira and she is a wonderful bird.

She has been with us for 5 days now, bonded straight away with me (male) and is very friendly. But she continues to struggle with my partner (female), when it's looking like we're making progress Kira will end up attacking her with her beak. In the few days that Kira has been with us I've taught her to step up & come to me, but at this stage if my partner goes to have her step up she ends up with bites.

We have also got 3 kids aged 7-11, so we're being a little cautious in letting them put thier hands close to Kira until she stops attacking my partner.

When she does attack, we give her time out, place her in her cage & cover it for 10 minutes. Seems to work as she is very gentle afterwards, have only done this a couple of times so far and think that it's working.

We also ensure that everyone in the house goes up and talks to her etc. She is learning to stay on her 't' stand as well.

Is there anything else that we can do to change her attacking nature with others?

Your advise will is greatly appreciated :icon_smil

[The Outlaw]

Carolyn's thoughtful reply:


Hi there,

With only a few minor changes, the integration of Kira into your family will go smoothly. She has chosen you as her favorite person, so now it is important to show her that other family members are also fun and worthy of her affection.

In order to do this, your other family members should interact with Kira in a place where she cannot see her cage and other places that she considers her territory. Also, you should be out of her sight and quiet while they work with Kira. This will make all the difference in the way she treats them. Remind them that they must not show fear, even if they have been bitten. Eclectus are very intuitive and perceptive. They read our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice much more accurately than we read theirs. Tell them to "act" if they must because it is important that they exude confidence when interacting with her. If they offer their hand, but hesitate or pull away, she will sense their fear and react accordingly.

More than likely, they will not be successful at first if they ask her to step up from inside her cage or other play stations that she claims as her territory. To avoid this problem, you should take her to a room with which she is unfamiliar and leave. Then have the family member "rescue her" from there. If she won't step up from a play stand in the unfamiliar room, you can try placing her on the floor, leaving the room, and after a minute or two, have them come rescue her from the floor, where she is sure to step up in order to get to a higher, safer place. Then they should praise her, speak lovingly to her, offer her treats, and take her on adventures such as showing her all the things in the room and letting her take a closer look at them. If she enjoys bathing, they can take her in the shower with them while sweet talking and praising her.

Short car trips will also give them the opportunity to be her "rescuer" because they will be the only safe and familiar person in that setting. Again, you should stay away while other family members are interacting with her. Give them a chance to win Kira over without the distraction of having her distracted by trying to get to you.

Until she has accepted your other family members, have them take over all the fun things that she enjoys and once she has accepted them, you can once again participate in her care . I know it will be hard to turn over her care to others when she is so attached to you, but it is necessary until she is integrated into the family. Your daily time with her for now should be short and sweet.

This is a critical time for Kira because if you don't work at having her accept everyone in the family as part of her flock, she might always be a one person bird. Let us know how this works out and best of luck to you and your family.

Carolyn

[Aussie]

Hi Carolyn,

Thank you for your advice, we greatly appreciate it and have taken it on board and will put in to action.

Regards,
Caroline & Phil.

[Aussie]

Hi Carolyn,

Well here's an update. We tried everything you suggested (except taking Kira in car) and there has been an improvement overall. We worked on everything for nearly four days and then I (Phil) was actually away for five days, Kira was left with Caroline and kids during this time.

Kira still attacks Caroline (big time) but mainly when she puts here back in to her cage, many times Kira can't wait to turn around to go her. Caroline gets her out of cage by using a bribe (stick of raw pasta) most of the time...many times she wont come near her.

Kira goes nuts when she sees me, a bit like the infant she is. She lets Caroline and the kids touch her in most cases whens she's out on her T-stand and she has started to come up to the near side of her cage when the kids approach at times.

Kira is a lot more placid when I'm around and she generally wont bite...I do have to let out a Noooooo (in a gentle growlin tone) to which she always stops.

Do you think there is anything else we can try?

I'm in the process of teaching her to come to me in flight, she can fly okay...not to good at landing
She is at the point where she wants to take off and come to me but still a little unsure of her own abilities.

Kira spends much of her days with just her and Caroline in the house, the kids have also got school holidays for two weeks so much of the time everyone is there except for me.

At kids bedtime I have been taking her and saying good night to the kids individually, they all give her a pat during this. She also comes to the nearside of her cage to say good night when she's about ready to retire to her perch. I take her out and give her a cuddle on the couch for a few minutes while Caroline is sitting with me, Caroline also talks gently to her while touching her. After this we put her back in to her cage, she always moves up to her perch and generally settles for the night.

Kiras' cage is in the lounge, many times Caroline and I lay on the couch together while watching TV...do you think that when Kira sees this it may have a negative affect on her towards Caroline or, should she just get used to such things as the norm?

We look forward to your reply

Caroline & Phil.