How Does My Baby Grow?
This record of how babies progress is based on our experiences observing our own birds, from hours upon hours of socializing and training.
TWO MONTHS : At two months our babies are still on multiple hand feeds a day, we have begun to introduce seed for them to practice cracking, some veges (usually soft foods or steamed) and water. Their feathers are still developing. Their nips are like "tasting" our fingers. We let them do their gentle "tasting". You can see whether they are quiet or inquisitive but their personalities are not fully apparent. They are used to having the harness on.
THREE MONTHS : At three months they begin to test us by biting with greater pressure. Little babies are shy and act more instinctive, they may charge at fingers or bite your hand when you reach into their cage to pick them up. They are learning the command "up". They are now testing flight and being trained to avoid windows. They are introduced to a greater variety of fruit and veges and go down to one hand feed a day. They begin to test their vocal cords by squawking more.
FOUR MONTHS : By the end of four months a baby is usually fully weaned and a confident flier. They are pretty good with windows by this stage. This varies from bird to bird. Their baby plumage has grown in and settled. They still poo every twenty minutes or so and have learned the command "up". Their bites get harder and they are still learning the "don't bite" command. It is a month of hard work and training and a lot of noise, especially breakfast and tea time!
FIVE MONTHS : By five and a half to six months a baby is a confident eater, flier, has learned the "don't bite" command, they begin to make sounds and say words instead of squawking. They are fully harness trained and a confident traveler. They poo less or poo in a particular place. This is also around the age when they have their first baby molt. Each baby molts differently. Some will molt in clumps which makes them look spotty, others molt a little around the eye and others do not look like they are molting at all. We have found the girls more sensitive during their molt, they tend to withdraw a little. We gently socialise them anyway. A babies personality at this age has usually developed to a point where you can read their behavior and natural tendencies. Are they soft, gentle, naughty, mischievous? Do they like to nip the heads of my flowers and watch them drop to the ground! Do they like to snip our mp3 players headphones in half! Do we have to watch them to make sure they don't get into mischief or do they sit on their perch and watch the world go by? Do they fly off on us when they know it is bedtime because they like the chase? Do they like being touched all over and cuddled or are they more independent?
By this age you can tell if they still have a tendency to bite, although if they do, they have learned what pressure is appropriate and generally release on command. (I talk a lot about biting because birds do bite and these birds have a strong bite. It is important to us because we have little children and the birds are around children a lot. Plus we know people whose birds bite and we want to be different! It is also important that potential home owners understand that beaks come with birds. The difference between our birds learning the command "don't bite" and others who have not taught their birds this is pressure. When our birds test you with a bite, they usually release on command, and don't apply enough pressure to break the skin. Whereas a parrot that has not learned what pressure is appropriate or inappropriate can, and usually does, break the skin, particularly if you jerk your hand or body part they are nipping away. This does not mean that with our birds, you or someone else will never get bitten, it just means we have implemented ways to reduce and manage bites when the baby is young. Some birds bite, some birds don't, our birds whether biters or not, with proper care and management usually turn out not to be biters).
SIX MONTHS + : Six months and up is the getting to know you as a companion stage, they are looking for somebody to love. They are talking more. With a lot of attention and one on one time they can be trained to do lots and lots of things. They will begin to fly to you, with training they will learn to fly to you on command. They will snuggle into your hair while on your shoulder and preen you. It is a lovely bonding age. This is when you can have fun with your baby and worry less about the basic training.
ADOLESCENCE : Birds go through many stages throughout their lives. Eclectus reach sexual maturity at around two to three years old. Some birds may even be four years old before breeding. Eclectus tend to be fearful of new and strange things, which some people may interpret as aggression. Approach Eclectus when you are calm and introduce new toys and people slowly, gently and gradually.
BLUFFING : Nipping, biting, charging, growling, aggressive behavior and a general resistance to interaction is often called "bluffing". Birds can enter this stage seemingly overnight. No one knows exactly why, but many speculate it's because of hormonal changes as the bird progresses from a juvenile into adulthood.
Many new bird owners tend to shy away from a bluffing parrot and keep them confined to their cage, the mistake in this is that it can encourage the behavior or make a parrot even more withdrawn and antisocial.
To handle a rebellious bird continue your routine and ignore the behavior. This doesn't mean neglect your bird, they need to be socialized and handled every day. The bluffing stage will pass, so don't take their behavior personally, it doesn't mean you're a bad owner or not loved, it just means you should pay close attention to the way you react to their behavior.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Never scream at your bird. It will encourage the behavior, birds don't see loud vocalizations as negative.
- Try not to pull away from bites. This can be hard to do because bites hurt! Stay calm and push into a bite rather than jerk away, they'll soon learn that biting doesn't get them anywhere. If you have taught your bird the "don't bite" command. Then continue with this method.
- Never strike at your bird. It can hurt them and is pointless because they can't distinguish the strike as a consequence for being naughty.
- Be patient, depending on the individual, the bluffing stage can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. With lots of work and positive reinforcement, you will find that your bird will eventually be nice again.
TWO MONTHS : At two months our babies are still on multiple hand feeds a day, we have begun to introduce seed for them to practice cracking, some veges (usually soft foods or steamed) and water. Their feathers are still developing. Their nips are like "tasting" our fingers. We let them do their gentle "tasting". You can see whether they are quiet or inquisitive but their personalities are not fully apparent. They are used to having the harness on.
THREE MONTHS : At three months they begin to test us by biting with greater pressure. Little babies are shy and act more instinctive, they may charge at fingers or bite your hand when you reach into their cage to pick them up. They are learning the command "up". They are now testing flight and being trained to avoid windows. They are introduced to a greater variety of fruit and veges and go down to one hand feed a day. They begin to test their vocal cords by squawking more.
FOUR MONTHS : By the end of four months a baby is usually fully weaned and a confident flier. They are pretty good with windows by this stage. This varies from bird to bird. Their baby plumage has grown in and settled. They still poo every twenty minutes or so and have learned the command "up". Their bites get harder and they are still learning the "don't bite" command. It is a month of hard work and training and a lot of noise, especially breakfast and tea time!
FIVE MONTHS : By five and a half to six months a baby is a confident eater, flier, has learned the "don't bite" command, they begin to make sounds and say words instead of squawking. They are fully harness trained and a confident traveler. They poo less or poo in a particular place. This is also around the age when they have their first baby molt. Each baby molts differently. Some will molt in clumps which makes them look spotty, others molt a little around the eye and others do not look like they are molting at all. We have found the girls more sensitive during their molt, they tend to withdraw a little. We gently socialise them anyway. A babies personality at this age has usually developed to a point where you can read their behavior and natural tendencies. Are they soft, gentle, naughty, mischievous? Do they like to nip the heads of my flowers and watch them drop to the ground! Do they like to snip our mp3 players headphones in half! Do we have to watch them to make sure they don't get into mischief or do they sit on their perch and watch the world go by? Do they fly off on us when they know it is bedtime because they like the chase? Do they like being touched all over and cuddled or are they more independent?
By this age you can tell if they still have a tendency to bite, although if they do, they have learned what pressure is appropriate and generally release on command. (I talk a lot about biting because birds do bite and these birds have a strong bite. It is important to us because we have little children and the birds are around children a lot. Plus we know people whose birds bite and we want to be different! It is also important that potential home owners understand that beaks come with birds. The difference between our birds learning the command "don't bite" and others who have not taught their birds this is pressure. When our birds test you with a bite, they usually release on command, and don't apply enough pressure to break the skin. Whereas a parrot that has not learned what pressure is appropriate or inappropriate can, and usually does, break the skin, particularly if you jerk your hand or body part they are nipping away. This does not mean that with our birds, you or someone else will never get bitten, it just means we have implemented ways to reduce and manage bites when the baby is young. Some birds bite, some birds don't, our birds whether biters or not, with proper care and management usually turn out not to be biters).
SIX MONTHS + : Six months and up is the getting to know you as a companion stage, they are looking for somebody to love. They are talking more. With a lot of attention and one on one time they can be trained to do lots and lots of things. They will begin to fly to you, with training they will learn to fly to you on command. They will snuggle into your hair while on your shoulder and preen you. It is a lovely bonding age. This is when you can have fun with your baby and worry less about the basic training.
ADOLESCENCE : Birds go through many stages throughout their lives. Eclectus reach sexual maturity at around two to three years old. Some birds may even be four years old before breeding. Eclectus tend to be fearful of new and strange things, which some people may interpret as aggression. Approach Eclectus when you are calm and introduce new toys and people slowly, gently and gradually.
BLUFFING : Nipping, biting, charging, growling, aggressive behavior and a general resistance to interaction is often called "bluffing". Birds can enter this stage seemingly overnight. No one knows exactly why, but many speculate it's because of hormonal changes as the bird progresses from a juvenile into adulthood.
Many new bird owners tend to shy away from a bluffing parrot and keep them confined to their cage, the mistake in this is that it can encourage the behavior or make a parrot even more withdrawn and antisocial.
To handle a rebellious bird continue your routine and ignore the behavior. This doesn't mean neglect your bird, they need to be socialized and handled every day. The bluffing stage will pass, so don't take their behavior personally, it doesn't mean you're a bad owner or not loved, it just means you should pay close attention to the way you react to their behavior.
Some things to keep in mind:
- Never scream at your bird. It will encourage the behavior, birds don't see loud vocalizations as negative.
- Try not to pull away from bites. This can be hard to do because bites hurt! Stay calm and push into a bite rather than jerk away, they'll soon learn that biting doesn't get them anywhere. If you have taught your bird the "don't bite" command. Then continue with this method.
- Never strike at your bird. It can hurt them and is pointless because they can't distinguish the strike as a consequence for being naughty.
- Be patient, depending on the individual, the bluffing stage can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. With lots of work and positive reinforcement, you will find that your bird will eventually be nice again.