Re: aggressive newly weaned baby

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: Hi Maryjane! : How are things going with your new little boy? It sounds like he was having some issues getting acclimated. Problems do occur, even with well socialized, fully weaned babies. I believe it is usually an issue of security to varying degrees. I will recap a few of the things that have already been covered, and then go on with a trust-building technique for your consideration. : Weaning regression : Some respondents have mentioned that a 12 week old baby is young to be fully weaned and I agree. Usually, babies are weaned between 4-5 months of age. Even fully weaned babies 5 months and older can have weaning regression when they go from the breeder to a new home. It can also happen if a baby goes from the breeder to a pet shop, and again when the baby goes to a new home. : You have mentioned that your little boy eats very well, and this is good! Just be aware that this could be contributing in SOME part to his behavior problems, and once other issues are resolved, could surface. : : Fear of hands – proper socialization : This could have something to do with handfeeding/weaning trauma. Handfeeding trauma happens when babies are gauvage (tube) fed, or are syringe fed in a production-line method – open mouth squirt in food NEXT open mouth, squirt in food NEXT open mouth…you get the idea. This is often used by breeders who have so many babies they don’t have time to feed each bird as an individual, or by breeders who don’t want to make time to do this. Weaning trauma happens when babies are force-weaned (let go hungry until they eat the offered food) or weaned to a schedule (instead of following the baby’s natural weaning process – some breeders don’t like to “wait”). Babies fed and weaned in this manner could have issues of fear with hands because the hands they knew were not gentle, kind, fun etc. The hands could have been pushy, in a hurry, pickemup - plopemdown or rough. The babies could have been left in their brooders or in their small cages and not played with or handled in such a way that they are used to people or enjoy human companionship. : I am not saying this is the way things WERE, but a strong fear or hand-shy response from the baby might indicate this or something similar COULD have happened to him. : Something else that could have happened might have been that he was properly handfed/weaned and socialized, but the shipping could have caused a lot of insecurity – were there dogs with him? Was there turbulence? Did a piece of luggage fall and scare him? Was there a loud noise on takeoff and/or landing? There is no way to know, so as far as helping him, you have to start at “Ground Zero” – at the “worst possible scenario” and move up. : You probably already know a lot of what I am going to suggest next, but it is important to “set the mood” for security enhancement techniques. : No matter what the reason for his fear response/insecurity, these things could help. : Setting the mood : Before you approach your baby, ensure you are as calm as possible. Many people believe that birds are empathic and reflect your mood. If you have had a bad day and are upset or frustrated, your bird is likely to pick up on that and could respond defensively/aggressively. This could have to do with the “flocking” nature of parrots – if your flock members are stressed, there could be a danger to watch for or flee from. To work with a fearful or insecure bird, you should be as relaxed, calm and happy (or at least upbeat) as you can be – send the message that all is well within the flock, and therefore with him – he has nothing to be afraid of. Get into comfortable clothes, shut your eyes, take a deep breath and relax for a minute or two before going to get/working with your baby bird. : Make sure there is nothing that might seem “scary” to him in his room or when you work with him – avoid bright or dark or patterned nail polish, brightly colored or patterned clothing, hats, fluffy hairstyles or accessories, dangling earrings or bangle bracelets or necklaces that swing toward him when you lean toward him etc. As he becomes acclimated and his security increases, these items can be used or worn around him (it helps to show them to the baby first). : Ensure your movements are smooth, calm and deliberate – nothing fast or sudden. Make sure your hands move slowly and are in plain view. If he is VERY afraid of your hands, put them behind your back and see if that helps. : The following is my attempt at describing Sally Blanchard’s trust-building technique for working with phobic (fearful) parrots: : At first, don’t try to reach for him. Bring a chair into his room and situate it near his cage. Bring a magazine or book and sit in the chair and read for a little while – 15-20 minutes – or longer if you are comfortable! Try to observe him without him knowing you are looking at him. What is he doing? Is he coming closer to see what you are doing? Is he in a back corner? Is he acting like he wants to come out of his cage? : If he is in a corner, or otherwise seems to be afraid, after the 15-20 minutes are up, look up from your book, talk to him gently and praise him, and leave the room. Repeat the exercise later in the day, or the next day. The goal is to get him to come closer to you – to be curious about you and want to see what you are doing. : When he shows signs of being interested in you, or wants to come out of the cage, open the cage door for him to come out, talk to him gently, and return to the chair/reading. Do not reach for him. When he comes out, if he goes to the top of his cage to play, look up at him and talk to him. If he comes near you, let him observe you and talk to him. Rest your hands calmly on your lap or– let him see you are not going to reach for him. Let him sort of be the one who “reaches” for you. : Once he has learned you are not going to grab him, and he is playing on top of his cage and/or otherwise showing he is curious about you, then you can see if he will allow your hands close to him. Hold a treat on one hand and offer it to him. Give him a minute to come and get it and see that you will not grab him. Give him another treat and praise him….The goal is to eventually have him allow you to be close to him and to touch him on the beak or feet. From this point, the goal would be to have him step onto your hand. : Remember to give praise and treats. The goal is for him to trust you and to learn that your hands will not hurt him or be rough with him – they will give him treats, be gentle with him, and be pleasurable things to have around. : I think you may be surprised how quickly he begins to trust you – although the first steps may take a little longer. : Go at his pace. Be easygoing and patient. The trust you build with your baby now will help form a strong foundation for him to build on in his on-going relationship with you. : Pet quality / “windows” for a sweet companion : His pet quality is probably very good. He just needs a little time and reassurance. I think you will probably be able to see improvement in days/weeks rather than months. I have also not heard of any “windows” – there are times when a bird is more compliant – such as when he is a baby – but parrot behaviorists advise that birds of any age can be worked with and even unruly adult birds can become affectionate companions. I think there is plenty of opportunity to build trust and an excellent relationship with your baby boy. : If you are interested in learning more about Sally Blanchard and her parrot behavior techniques, I have posted a link to her website below. : I hope this information has been of help to you. : Al and Mary : Cabby and Chardy (SIE) : : : Hello! : : I picked up a 12 week old male Solomon Island eclectus at the airport on Tuesday. I know SIs are supposed to be the sweetest, but this little guy is very aggressive and still quite fearful. I know that's to be expected with a new bird, especially one that had to bear such as stressful and long day as he did on Tuesday. : : The problem is, I am now getting inundated with so much different information. One breeder friend told me that I got Elvis at the wrong time ... there are two windows when you can get an eclectus and have him be sweet ... 8 weeks, or two months after weaning. She told me it could be as long as 6 months before he is pet quality. : : Other bird friends keep asking me if I'm spending time cuddling with him and stuff, but he'd rip my face off if I gave him the chance. : : I love this bird to distraction, and will always do so. I will not give up, and I am not ignorant enough to think he should have fallen immediately in love with me. I also own a senegal, and I have bred @#%$atiels, so I know a fair amount. I just do NOT know much about eclectus, I guess, and all the different opinions are confusing me. : : Your advise? : : Maryjane

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