eclectus (biting)

Question
Hello, my mother in law has had a female eclectus for about 5years she had a male eclectus which passed about 2 years ago and she had a cockatoo which she sold...the female eclectus has always been very agressive towards my mother so it has lived most of its life in a cage, the bird started to pluck so I told her that I would take it, i do not have any experience with parrots but have a passion for them, the bird was fine the first couple of days and now it is biting my husband and I, I am terrified...but I do not want the bird to go back to her house and live caged forever, I probably need to tell you that I have 2 smaller children in the house and the bird is in a smaller cage (not to much)but certainly smaller...My first question would be should I just keep getting bit by the bird or should I give it time to adjust? and also how can i get her to quit biting at me? She is so beautiful and I love her and would love to be able to take her out and spend time with her however I don't need anymore scars from the bird?

Answer
Jessica, I admire you for what you are undertaking and hopefully I can help you continue. It seems you're already on the right track in knowing that a bigger cage is the first and most important step.
 When a bird isn't out of cage for at least 2 hours (averages are 4 hours and our birds are out for at least 7 hours daily) - extra steps need to be taken to make sure their in cage time is ok.

 When it comes to plucking, the first thing to do is have her fully evaluated by an avian vet for underlying causes such as parasites, yeast infection or other disease.
 When everything is ruled out, we have to consider that this little girl has just had so much stress in her life over the past couple years that she's acting out.

 The biting seems to have worsened because after she did it a little bit at first, your reaction empowered her and gave her reason to do it more. When a bird is unsure of their environment, their caretakers, or pretty much anything else, they need some sort of control - and that beak is not only their most significant tool, but weapon as well.

 If your children are under the age of 10 yrs - it might not be a good idea to have this type of bird, but certainly there are many success stories out there.
 They can never be left alone with her. Not only for what she might do to them (bite), but for how upsetting they can be to her.  Kids have naturally "jerky" movements (as perceived by a bird) and a different pitch to their voices that can be interpreted as distressing or even predatory.
 One of our most successful rescues (Sadie, a blue and gold macaw) had been subjected to several households before coming to us. One was in a situation where she was on public display in a small cage and children allowed to run up to and slam on the cage.  For a very long time Sadie was terrified of youngsters, although now she's often used to help teach school children - so you should always have hope for your beautiful Eclectus.

 I've got more details about behavior modification and caging at my page (there's just no room here)

 www.4AnimalCare.org (click on 'birds').

I know you can do this Jessica - your heart is in the right place!  I'll support you all the way.