Hi everyone! I have a 16-week-old male Eclectus parrot named Gideon. He is still settling into our home, and I’d really appreciate practical advice from people who have raised a young Eclectus themselves.
Gideon is very social and seems to have a clear preference for me within our family. He feels safest with me and steps up onto my hand very easily, so we already have a good connection in that sense.
However, when he is out of his cage, he frequently flies straight to my head or tries to climb onto my shoulder, even when I want him to stay on his play stand. I don’t want him on my head or shoulder at this stage, because I don’t fully trust him around my face yet. I’m still learning to read his body language and don’t know how he might react if he gets overstimulated or decides to bite. I’m particularly concerned about a bite to my face, nose or ears (earrings/piercings).
I’ve tried calmly returning him to his stand, but he often comes straight back to me. This can turn into a repeated cycle, and I’m struggling to teach him that he can be near me without constantly landing on me.
Another challenge is that he can be quite boisterous and excitable on some days, while being much calmer on others. I’ve tried a variety of treats to find something he really values, but food rewards don’t seem to motivate him particularly strongly. Sometimes he is more interested in getting to me than in the treat itself, which makes training a little difficult.
I also have three children, so my goal is to build a safe, positive routine that works for the whole family. I want him to remain fully flighted and learn to fly to me when invited, rather than feeling that he can land on my head or shoulder whenever he wants.
I really want this to work, both for Gideon and for our family. I’m committed to helping him learn, but I feel I need some practical guidance on how to teach him the foundations: boundaries, settling on his play stand, appropriate ways to interact with me, and managing his excitement without damaging our bond.
I’d especially love to hear from people who have been through this stage:
- How did you teach your young Eclectus to stay on a play stand instead of repeatedly flying to you?
- How did you set boundaries around your head and shoulders without making your bird afraid of you or damaging your bond?
- What did you do when your bird wasn’t particularly food-motivated and seemed more interested in physical contact than treats?
- How did you teach the difference between flying to you on cue and landing on you whenever he feels like it?
- Is this kind of behaviour and variation in excitement typical at 16 weeks, and what realistically helped you manage it?
I really want this to work, both for Gideon and for our family. I want to guide him properly during these early baby and toddler stages so we can build a strong foundation for his adolescence and adult life. I’m worried about unintentionally teaching him habits now that could become difficult to change later, or making mistakes at this important stage that could negatively affect his development.
I know he is still very young and has a lot to learn, which is exactly why I want to get things right from the beginning. I’m committed to helping him learn, but I need practical guidance and clear foundations to work with, rather than constantly guessing whether I’m handling things correctly.
I’d really appreciate honest experiences and concrete advice from people who have raised an Eclectus through these stages. I’m not looking for perfection, and I’m not looking for a quick fix.
I’d genuinely appreciate honest experiences and concrete, practical steps for teaching him a solid foundation, especially from people who understand Eclectus behaviour in a family home.
Thank you!
(Yes, this was constructed using AI. English is not my native language so I needed a bit (or a lot of help ;)) to get my point across!
