I got my baby male eclectus yesterday. Was wondering what to expect, as he is only 3 months old. He is very calm, not too active, and likes to just snuggle and relax. He does like taking a shower with me, and eats alot, but would prefer to sit in his cage than to be with us. Is this normal?
No, actually, it's not normal for an ekkie. They are very people oriented and love to be on top of their human all the time... did you spend time with him before you got him or did you just buy him without getting him used to you in advance? Also, has he been vetted?
I did not get to spend time with him first because he came to me from a breeder in Florida. He was shipped to me. I was wondering if the flight regressed him a bit? I have not taken him to a vet yet. He has had his polymac vaccination though.
Oh, geez, I hate it when I hear about babies been shipped from one place to another like a chair!
Of course the trip affected him! Imagine taking a one year old child from all he knows familiar and sending him in a box somewhere! Poor baby! Take your time with him, he must have been traumatized by the whole terrible experience and will need a lot of reassurance and time to forget it. Don't push him to accept you but don't ignore him either. Spend as much time with him as you can but don't demand anything from him, just accept whatever he is willing to offer you. And make sure he gets plenty of good, soft food (lots of veggies and fruits with lots of fiber in them -low protein and low fat -and, if you are going to feed him pellets, get the ones made for ekkies and no other!).
He does sound completely normal & YES that is normal ekkie behaviour for a new baby in a new home it is not familiar with, however I become extremely nervous when new owners bring home a fully weaned 3 month old ekkie. That is actually unnatural in most occasions as many ekkies do not wean until after 3 months. They're very slow to wean & many breeders often force wean which will eventually cause behaviours. Keep an eye on his eating habits & any change in behaviours. I don't want you to panic though, some are successfully weaned at 3 months.
While all he's doing now is completely normal for him do be aware that weeks down the track his snuggling could change as a part of his reaction to a completely new environment. Some ekkies need to snuggles or quiet time alone to adjust, after a few weeks some can suddenly become nippy. To avoid this, if he wants to be left alone, leave him alone for a while. Don't force him to do anything he isn't ready for.
Ekkies are known to be 'aloof' but give him a few months to become 100% settled into his new home & with his new people & the aloof ekkie will disappear & you'll have yourself a very entertaining & talkative bird.
New baby eclectus
He is very calm, not too active, and likes to just snuggle and relax. He does like taking a shower with me, and eats alot, but would prefer to sit in his cage than to be with us. Is this normal?
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