Post by peppercorn on May 21, 2019 13:39:24 GMT 10
Hi,
I'm new here and this is my 1st post. This post has turned out longer than I intended but I hope you enjoy my story.
I've had Eclectus Parrots for about 15 years now on and off. I say on and off because I have lost 2 males and 1 Female parrot during that time but have always had a female resident named Ruby. I lost her once too but I got her back. She didn't go far. (You may think I'm clumsy in losing these birds but I'll explain why I have further on).
On to Ruby.
Ruby is a really unique bird. She sits atop of our verandah in her cage overlooking the entire neighbourhood. She has an incredible vocabulary and she uses it in context amazingly. If you fail to believe that these birds don't understand a rudimentary form of language I don't know what to tell you. I have many examples but I'll leave it for brevity in this 1st post.
Ruby reminds me of a rough house old broad. I've saved her from snakes in the middle of the night that she's alerted me to. She's had babies where she hated me for taking them from her only to forgive me months later.
She can be warm and affectionate and then when it suits her, she can rush to bite when she wants you to recognise her domain. She can be a real bitch believe me. But through all this time together we have learned to respect her and she respects us. It's a kind of mutual respect thing. You can handle her when she's in the mood but you gotta count your fingers at other times.
I lost her long term mate about 4 years ago when I left the cage door opened. His name was Narmu. (I didn't name him btw)
He was a lovely bird and very tame. We got him from a person who rescued him from a younger guy who had lost interest. They gave him to us because they knew we would look after him. We did and we had him for about 8 years. I still miss him after all this time. He was on the roof of our house when I discovered him missing and I rushed out onto the street and called him to come to me of which I was very confident he would do as he had done it before many times in a different setting. I called him and he was about to fly to me when a couple of butcher birds got on his tail and scared him off. They chased him out of sight right on his tail. I searched and searched the neighbourhood for weeks but I never found him. I always thought that someone found him and kept him for themselves because he would've eventually flown to someone.
I had failed to lock the cage properly (after removing a snake) and he scarpered.
Anyway, this is a long way to tell the story but when I was able to save up enough money I always wanted to get a new partner for Ruby. Her and Narmu were an awesome couple and they used to mate daily. Ruby would lower herself on the perch and she would say "Step up step up Narmu" and he would eventually obey her and step up, and then they would go at it and she would say, Oooh Narmu, good boy Narmu good boy!". It was hilarious and I would tell people about it and no one would believe me until they saw it for themselves.
The context of her language was AMAZING and still is. I could eave the cage door open for Ruby and she would come out and look around but I doubt she would even bother to fly off. She's a part of the furniture here now. She has been out a few times but she just hangs around.
Anyway, it took me about 2 and half years to find the spare cash to buy. male and I eventually found one advertised on Gumtree for $500 who looked good, and was local. But when I went to inspect him he was in very bad shape. The photo they used definitely wasn't up to date or wasn't even of him. He was in bad shape.
He had been left in a cage in the middle of a backyard in the Qld heat and he had been fed nothing but seed for a year. He had been plucking his feathers on the shoulders of both wings and on his chest. He was in a really bad way and only a year or so old.
I wasn't looking for a bird in bad condition but, I felt I had to rescue him so, I bought him for $450 out of compassion because the people who owned him just had no idea how to look after him.
I named him Bugalugs and gave him a big cage of his own on the verandah next to Ruby. Ruby is about 14-15 and she would eat this bloke for breakfast until he matures so, my plan is to ease him into her cage eventually as he recovers and matures. I have to make Ruby yearn for him which she will eventually. (I know women lol)
Anyway, the amazing thing is that within 6 months of feeding Bugalugs well and giving him some TLC all of his feathers have returned and he's as happy as can be. He's a bit flighty and can be spooked easily, even after a lot of handling but, that's his prerogative I guess.
The most AMAZING thing I've noticed is his vocabulary.
When we first got him all he did was mimic the wild birds calls that he was surrounded with but by 6 months, he had learned ALL of Ruby's vocabulary and a few words of his own. Personally, I am gobsmacked at his diction and overall ability.
The one trait he did show initially was a propensity to start yapping unintelligible noises and yapping and yapping and getting louder and louder and he sounded like a broken record going manic.
From start to finish it would take him about an hour to an hour and a half until it was like he was going to explode. I've never had a bird who acted this way. Once or twice a day he would work himself up into this manic state where it was like he was revisiting a nightmare so, I decided to hose him down and thankfully, that worked. It was like a reset. He'd stop and become quiet and preen himself. After a couple of hours he'd eventually start the process again but at least I'd found an answer to his nightmare.
At nighttime he would tap his feet wildly and yap and yap unintelligible noises and his feet would be jumping up and down, so to me it's obvious he's had some emotional turmoil. But he is improving and he's noticeably better at night now and the manic state seems to be down to 1 episode a day and after only 6 months of care I think that's really good. I reckon he may always have the scars but he should be able to recover I reckon.
Anyway, in the mornings he's really loud and screams and the neighbours aren't too happy so, I get up with the sun and bring him inside from his cage and he quietens down and is quite happy. I've been doing this every morning since I've had him.
So, on Saturday (voting day) I'm half asleep and I go through the same process I've been doing with him and grab him from the cage when I cleared my throat and spat over the railing into the garden below (which is a dumb thing to do with a reptile resting on your arm) when he got spooked and just flew off into the wilderness. I just stood there and watched him fly off out of sight and muttered "Oh well, that's the end of that".
I sheepishly walked down the road in the general direction and could hear him announcing his freedom from the top of the trees but there was nothing I could do and I did look a bit strange standing in the middle of the street at 6am in my pyjama's. So, I walked home cursing my stupidity.
We looked for him for the next few days but there was nothing. I live in Tewantin, near Noosa and there are tree's everywhere crowded with hundreds of Crows that own the tree tops. My wife just gave me that look that she does that say's everything and all I could do next was pray. So, I did. I prayed that he would come home but at least he'd find someone who would rescue him so he didn't get attacked by the wildlife.
So yesterday (Monday) we have our Grandkids out on the Verandah playing and screaming like 2 yr olds do and Ruby was screaming every 30 seconds or so when Bugalugs fly's in from nowhere and lands on his cage and tries to get back in through the now closed door.
He was hungry!! Oh boy was he hungry.
I opened the door for him and he dashed in like he was saying, "Thank God I'm home!" He seemed very happy to be here and when I asked him, "So where have you been and what have you seen?" He answered with a worrying oh oh oh.
So that is a very short explanation of my good news. Bugalugs is home! He found his way back and he's well and unharmed.
You might be wondering why I don't cut my birds wings after all these losses? You may think that this would negate most of these problems?
Well, we used to cut their wings and let them walk around the Verandah and into the neighbouring tree's but they are birds and they use, and need their wings. They would fall out of the trees and hit the ground hard. I never had any of them damaged but it wasn't good imo.
Even if you cut their wings, their flight feathers grow back quite quickly. Ringnecks flight feathers only grow back once a year but Eclectus's grow them back when they're needed. So you get into the habit of believing they can't fly until one day, they can. However they're limited.
This then poses a big problem for them. If they do escape they can't fly well and are instantly attacked by wild birds. Where we live there are plenty of cats, Owls, lot's of Crows, plenty of Carpet snakes too and wild birds who'll attack the Parrots on sight. The wild birds instantly know that these birds are easy prey so they attack them. The Parrots have little defence other than their ability to fly.
I would rather lose them and know they can at least fly properly and escape than to lose them knowing they can't escape danger. If they can only "half fly" or fly very short distances where they crash-land on the ground they can damage themselves and have no way to escape cats or dogs. I don't think it's fair to have a bird and take away their birdness.
Keeping them in a cage isn't cruel as some people think because they need and want protection but taking away their wings I think is cruel.
Anyway, there will be some here who'll read this and think I'm a bit of a nut and maybe I am but, I love my parrots and have a respect for them. I've learned a lot about these birds and one thing I have learned is that mutual respect is quite possible with these Eclectus but it takes time. They are very smart and very capable and they know where their bread is buttered so to speak.
I just wanted to tell you one of the very many stories I have assembled over the 15 or so years I've had these birds. This one has a happy ending some other don't. But the longer I care for these Eclectus I sometimes wonder who owns who to be honest because, they're very cunning and intelligent animals.
I'm new here and this is my 1st post. This post has turned out longer than I intended but I hope you enjoy my story.
I've had Eclectus Parrots for about 15 years now on and off. I say on and off because I have lost 2 males and 1 Female parrot during that time but have always had a female resident named Ruby. I lost her once too but I got her back. She didn't go far. (You may think I'm clumsy in losing these birds but I'll explain why I have further on).
On to Ruby.
Ruby is a really unique bird. She sits atop of our verandah in her cage overlooking the entire neighbourhood. She has an incredible vocabulary and she uses it in context amazingly. If you fail to believe that these birds don't understand a rudimentary form of language I don't know what to tell you. I have many examples but I'll leave it for brevity in this 1st post.
Ruby reminds me of a rough house old broad. I've saved her from snakes in the middle of the night that she's alerted me to. She's had babies where she hated me for taking them from her only to forgive me months later.
She can be warm and affectionate and then when it suits her, she can rush to bite when she wants you to recognise her domain. She can be a real bitch believe me. But through all this time together we have learned to respect her and she respects us. It's a kind of mutual respect thing. You can handle her when she's in the mood but you gotta count your fingers at other times.
I lost her long term mate about 4 years ago when I left the cage door opened. His name was Narmu. (I didn't name him btw)
He was a lovely bird and very tame. We got him from a person who rescued him from a younger guy who had lost interest. They gave him to us because they knew we would look after him. We did and we had him for about 8 years. I still miss him after all this time. He was on the roof of our house when I discovered him missing and I rushed out onto the street and called him to come to me of which I was very confident he would do as he had done it before many times in a different setting. I called him and he was about to fly to me when a couple of butcher birds got on his tail and scared him off. They chased him out of sight right on his tail. I searched and searched the neighbourhood for weeks but I never found him. I always thought that someone found him and kept him for themselves because he would've eventually flown to someone.
I had failed to lock the cage properly (after removing a snake) and he scarpered.
Anyway, this is a long way to tell the story but when I was able to save up enough money I always wanted to get a new partner for Ruby. Her and Narmu were an awesome couple and they used to mate daily. Ruby would lower herself on the perch and she would say "Step up step up Narmu" and he would eventually obey her and step up, and then they would go at it and she would say, Oooh Narmu, good boy Narmu good boy!". It was hilarious and I would tell people about it and no one would believe me until they saw it for themselves.
The context of her language was AMAZING and still is. I could eave the cage door open for Ruby and she would come out and look around but I doubt she would even bother to fly off. She's a part of the furniture here now. She has been out a few times but she just hangs around.
Anyway, it took me about 2 and half years to find the spare cash to buy. male and I eventually found one advertised on Gumtree for $500 who looked good, and was local. But when I went to inspect him he was in very bad shape. The photo they used definitely wasn't up to date or wasn't even of him. He was in bad shape.
He had been left in a cage in the middle of a backyard in the Qld heat and he had been fed nothing but seed for a year. He had been plucking his feathers on the shoulders of both wings and on his chest. He was in a really bad way and only a year or so old.
I wasn't looking for a bird in bad condition but, I felt I had to rescue him so, I bought him for $450 out of compassion because the people who owned him just had no idea how to look after him.
I named him Bugalugs and gave him a big cage of his own on the verandah next to Ruby. Ruby is about 14-15 and she would eat this bloke for breakfast until he matures so, my plan is to ease him into her cage eventually as he recovers and matures. I have to make Ruby yearn for him which she will eventually. (I know women lol)
Anyway, the amazing thing is that within 6 months of feeding Bugalugs well and giving him some TLC all of his feathers have returned and he's as happy as can be. He's a bit flighty and can be spooked easily, even after a lot of handling but, that's his prerogative I guess.
The most AMAZING thing I've noticed is his vocabulary.
When we first got him all he did was mimic the wild birds calls that he was surrounded with but by 6 months, he had learned ALL of Ruby's vocabulary and a few words of his own. Personally, I am gobsmacked at his diction and overall ability.
The one trait he did show initially was a propensity to start yapping unintelligible noises and yapping and yapping and getting louder and louder and he sounded like a broken record going manic.
From start to finish it would take him about an hour to an hour and a half until it was like he was going to explode. I've never had a bird who acted this way. Once or twice a day he would work himself up into this manic state where it was like he was revisiting a nightmare so, I decided to hose him down and thankfully, that worked. It was like a reset. He'd stop and become quiet and preen himself. After a couple of hours he'd eventually start the process again but at least I'd found an answer to his nightmare.
At nighttime he would tap his feet wildly and yap and yap unintelligible noises and his feet would be jumping up and down, so to me it's obvious he's had some emotional turmoil. But he is improving and he's noticeably better at night now and the manic state seems to be down to 1 episode a day and after only 6 months of care I think that's really good. I reckon he may always have the scars but he should be able to recover I reckon.
Anyway, in the mornings he's really loud and screams and the neighbours aren't too happy so, I get up with the sun and bring him inside from his cage and he quietens down and is quite happy. I've been doing this every morning since I've had him.
So, on Saturday (voting day) I'm half asleep and I go through the same process I've been doing with him and grab him from the cage when I cleared my throat and spat over the railing into the garden below (which is a dumb thing to do with a reptile resting on your arm) when he got spooked and just flew off into the wilderness. I just stood there and watched him fly off out of sight and muttered "Oh well, that's the end of that".
I sheepishly walked down the road in the general direction and could hear him announcing his freedom from the top of the trees but there was nothing I could do and I did look a bit strange standing in the middle of the street at 6am in my pyjama's. So, I walked home cursing my stupidity.
We looked for him for the next few days but there was nothing. I live in Tewantin, near Noosa and there are tree's everywhere crowded with hundreds of Crows that own the tree tops. My wife just gave me that look that she does that say's everything and all I could do next was pray. So, I did. I prayed that he would come home but at least he'd find someone who would rescue him so he didn't get attacked by the wildlife.
So yesterday (Monday) we have our Grandkids out on the Verandah playing and screaming like 2 yr olds do and Ruby was screaming every 30 seconds or so when Bugalugs fly's in from nowhere and lands on his cage and tries to get back in through the now closed door.
He was hungry!! Oh boy was he hungry.
I opened the door for him and he dashed in like he was saying, "Thank God I'm home!" He seemed very happy to be here and when I asked him, "So where have you been and what have you seen?" He answered with a worrying oh oh oh.
So that is a very short explanation of my good news. Bugalugs is home! He found his way back and he's well and unharmed.
You might be wondering why I don't cut my birds wings after all these losses? You may think that this would negate most of these problems?
Well, we used to cut their wings and let them walk around the Verandah and into the neighbouring tree's but they are birds and they use, and need their wings. They would fall out of the trees and hit the ground hard. I never had any of them damaged but it wasn't good imo.
Even if you cut their wings, their flight feathers grow back quite quickly. Ringnecks flight feathers only grow back once a year but Eclectus's grow them back when they're needed. So you get into the habit of believing they can't fly until one day, they can. However they're limited.
This then poses a big problem for them. If they do escape they can't fly well and are instantly attacked by wild birds. Where we live there are plenty of cats, Owls, lot's of Crows, plenty of Carpet snakes too and wild birds who'll attack the Parrots on sight. The wild birds instantly know that these birds are easy prey so they attack them. The Parrots have little defence other than their ability to fly.
I would rather lose them and know they can at least fly properly and escape than to lose them knowing they can't escape danger. If they can only "half fly" or fly very short distances where they crash-land on the ground they can damage themselves and have no way to escape cats or dogs. I don't think it's fair to have a bird and take away their birdness.
Keeping them in a cage isn't cruel as some people think because they need and want protection but taking away their wings I think is cruel.
Anyway, there will be some here who'll read this and think I'm a bit of a nut and maybe I am but, I love my parrots and have a respect for them. I've learned a lot about these birds and one thing I have learned is that mutual respect is quite possible with these Eclectus but it takes time. They are very smart and very capable and they know where their bread is buttered so to speak.
I just wanted to tell you one of the very many stories I have assembled over the 15 or so years I've had these birds. This one has a happy ending some other don't. But the longer I care for these Eclectus I sometimes wonder who owns who to be honest because, they're very cunning and intelligent animals.