COCKATOO IS TOO Jealous !

427HISS

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My wife and I have had "Shelby" a Cockatoo, for 6 years now and can't love her enough, but recently she has become very jealous over one of our 3 dogs, a Sheltie,... and when my wife brushes out them and our cats. Shelby will come down from her playstand and actually chase the Sheltie
down the hallway !

She has tried to bite his tail etc...(too much hair) lol

She has also started nipping at everything ! Funiture, air fans, clothes, etc...

What has changed and what can we do ?
 
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Scott

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If age six is accurate, Shelby is likely sexually mature, so we can likely rule out adolescence. BTW, what species?

Is the Sheltie new, can you identify something that has changed to cause jealousy? In any case, please be extremely careful as the most tame dog can flip and become hostile and kill a bird. Or a tragic accident can result from the bird being trampled in panic. Sorry to be blunt, but the Bereavement Forum is replete with horrific stories of surprise attacks.

Can you date the other behaviors to similar time as the jealousy began? Perhaps displacement anger with the sheltie?
 

ChristaNL

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Ehm, it is probably somehting very simple.. have you by any chance been laughing at her antics with the trying to grab a tail?

Because if you were amused by it -> that is positive reenforcement.
(not pointing any fingers or something depressing as that! Toos love fun and attention, actually, who doesn't...)

So if she gets rewarded by attention, giggles, exclamations of horror, anything, that's encouragement to try it on other things/ situations as well.
And you guys get upset by it!?
Also an interesting reaction.

If biting stuf makes people pay attention and respond with several kinds of intense emotions...
I would be biting stuff all over the place myself ;)
Because it is fun to do and very rewarding.

She may have started out with "hey, I want attention too" - but if misbehaving gets you all the attention all the time... lets keep at it!
 
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noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
I know that many cockatoos varieties reach sexual maturity around 6. Lots of the "innocent" things may have been perceived as safe early on will now inspire hormonal issues (aggression, screaming, egg laying etc).
My suggestion would be to ensure that no one is petting her on any place besides her head...Avoid all dark spaces and cave-like places (e.g, blankets, pillows, boxes, huts, tunnels, under furniture etc)...Avoid "cuddles"..
Make sure she is getting the proper amount of light and sleep each day (12-14 hours of sleep), and not too much light or dark.
Avoid warm mushy foods during hormonal periods.
Provides lots of exercise and foraging opportunities.
If you see the bird wanting to cuddle and doing kinds of a chomping with its head turned sideways, and/or eye-twitching, this is sexual and should be ignored (and activity that caused it should be stopped for the time being).


Look into ABA (applied behavior analysis) and ABC charting (antecedent , behavior, consequence) and work on ignoring undesired behaviors and training in conjunction with eliminating triggers for possible hormonal behaviors.


That having been said, all sudden changes in behavior should always be accompanied by a visit to a vet to rule out any underlying health issues.
 
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427HISS

427HISS

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Sorry for the late response, I had a heart attack.

We, have had her for 6 years, but the rescue thought she was 10 years old, so she is around 16. Sweet 16. lol...

I do pet, stroke and hug alot. I don't know what to call this reaction, but some times while I'm hugging her, she will kind quiver and blow air out I think, her nose like quickly, "poof,..poof....poof". Is it a sexual reaction ?

We have three dogs, a Terrier, bBrussel Griffon, the Sheltie and three cats. Shelby only goes after our Sheltie and sometimes, my wife, but not bad.
 

itzjbean

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Sorry for the late response, I had a heart attack.

We, have had her for 6 years, but the rescue thought she was 10 years old, so she is around 16. Sweet 16. lol...

I do pet, stroke and hug alot. I don't know what to call this reaction, but some times while I'm hugging her, she will kind quiver and blow air out I think, her nose like quickly, "poof,..poof....poof". Is it a sexual reaction ?

We have three dogs, a Terrier, bBrussel Griffon, the Sheltie and three cats. Shelby only goes after our Sheltie and sometimes, my wife, but not bad.

Yes any petting and stroking along the back, under the wings should be avoided! You are stimulating her and in turn they get frustrated because they can't mate with us. Best to stop petting any area except the head. You need to be consistent about this or she will be very confused and lash out.

It's human's job to stop an attack before it happens! Instead of watching her chase your dog down the hallway, you should be stepping inbetween and stopping this behavior as you see it happen. As she climbs down, get between too an dog. Stop her with a firm NO when she tries to attack and don't be afraid to use your hands to stop her. Dogs need protection rom birds that attack. Sounds like she needs more boundaries set by her humans. She sounds a little too spoiled that she is not getting all the attention.
 
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Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Sorry for the late response, I had a heart attack.

We, have had her for 6 years, but the rescue thought she was 10 years old, so she is around 16. Sweet 16. lol...

I do pet, stroke and hug alot. I don't know what to call this reaction, but some times while I'm hugging her, she will kind quiver and blow air out I think, her nose like quickly, "poof,..poof....poof". Is it a sexual reaction ?

We have three dogs, a Terrier, bBrussel Griffon, the Sheltie and three cats. Shelby only goes after our Sheltie and sometimes, my wife, but not bad.

Oh, hope you are recovering well with a good prognosis. Glad to have you back!

While all dogs are capable of inflicting serious or fatal injury to a bird, some breeds have a lesser prey-drive. Not sure about Terriers and Shelties, but I have a Brussels Griffon (fairly rare!) and he shows no interest in my birds. That said, of course, I take no chances!!
 

noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Sorry for the late response, I had a heart attack.

We, have had her for 6 years, but the rescue thought she was 10 years old, so she is around 16. Sweet 16. lol...

I do pet, stroke and hug alot. I don't know what to call this reaction, but some times while I'm hugging her, she will kind quiver and blow air out I think, her nose like quickly, "poof,..poof....poof". Is it a sexual reaction ?

We have three dogs, a Terrier, bBrussel Griffon, the Sheltie and three cats. Shelby only goes after our Sheltie and sometimes, my wife, but not bad.


I hope you are feeling better!!!
That puffing/quivering you describe sounds very sexual. Mine sometimes does it and I change the subject quickly. Please stick to head petting only, and remember, even this can sometimes elicit a sexual response.

I know...they are so dang cute---much of what appears to be cute/sweet/cuddles is a sexual response (90% of it LOOKs innocent, until you get used to what it is that you are looking for).
 

Aspie_Aviphile

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If you see the bird wanting to cuddle and doing kinds of a chomping with its head turned sideways, and/or eye-twitching, this is sexual and should be ignored (and activity that caused it should be stopped for the time being).

Could you please describe that in more detail or link a video showing what you mean? Thanks! :)
 

noodles123

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I't everywhere on instagram but people tend to not understand that it's sexual, so I often stumble upon it in cuddle videos. I will try to find a video tonight (I may also have one of mine doing it).
 

noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
This guy knows a lot about parrot behavior, so it bothers me that he often handles his birds in a sexual way (he seems not to know that it is sexual)
In this video there is some mildly sexual/hormonal behavior happening (it contains decent info on behavior but it is a TERRIBLE EXAMPLE of how to pet your birds)--ALWAYS stick to the head only--never head to tail, etc:

Here are some time-stamps for the 1st video (posted below). I am just basing this off of what I know of my own bird and my intent is not to offend anyone. You won't be able to hear them, but watch body posture and beaks.

21:19-21:21 (as he is petting the bird on his lap--right before another bird blocks that bird from view=a bit sexual looking)
The bird under his left arm (our right) is being fairly sexual for much of the video. watch 21:10- 21:50 and watch the bird on his lap closest to the camera
21:40 again (same bird on his lap)
22:38 (bird under his arm)
23:05 -23:42 (bird under his arm)

The 2 birds nearest to his body (the one under the arm and the one on the lap) are being a bit "weird" throughout.


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fq_PzunmCE&t=2025s"]Cockatude 40 Behavior's Fantastic Four - YouTube[/ame]


This is the tip of the iceberg/mild (but it can lead to spikes in hormones and worse things)---there are other sexual behaviors.
1 step past what is shown here involves the bird making a quiet clicking sound with similar poses to the bird shown in the video, but often accompanied by a slight eye twitch/overall vibration.



This video is a good general overview of some things to look for:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by54qevmF-4"]What a HORMONAL BIRD Looks Like!! - YouTube[/ame]
 
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ParrotGenie

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The quiver is a sign of hormonal sexual Behavior. It is nesting/breeding season, they get hormonal during this time of year. You have to avoid petting her on her wing, or anything below her head. Then if you see her trying to nest usually under something, or corner, don't allow it and stop it.

My female U2 get jealous during this time of year, she hate certain people by her area by her play area as she out most of the day at work, when she next to my other male umbrella cockatoo named Cooper. Particularly this one lady that like to pickup my male Umbrella Cockatoo named Cooper to play with him. My female umbrella cockatoo will then get upset and run down and spread wings yelling at her and attack her If I didn't stop her. Then I pick her up to stop the attack she flaps her wings at me screaming at me for not letting her finish her attack, it her full blow temper tantrum, which during the summer time she didn't care if she pickup Cooper before, Cockatoos during nesting season can be very temperamental. I usually put her in time out after that for a few minutes.
 
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Aspie_Aviphile

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Bo recently began doing that with his tongue while on my shoulder, but I had read it's a friendly, interaction-seeking gesture. Is it necessarily sexual or only if accompanied by the cocked head and crouching posture? I've been responding to him when he does it because I prefer it to his other way of seeking my full attention while on my shoulder, which is to give me a little nip. I'm not sure what "twitching eyes" means.
 
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noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
If it is just a few clicks/tongue movements, that can be just happy/calm. In my experience, for a behavior to be sexual, the head doesn't always have to be cocked, but generally there is some sort of odd posture, head cocking, clicking and/or vibrations in the sexual situations (2 or more of the aforementioned behaviors combined = good indicator of sexual behavior). Regardless of posture and head position,in a healthy bird, any vibration/quiver of the body and/or twitching of the eye (even in isolation) is always very sexual (excluding seizures or neurological issues that could possibly cause "vibration" lol).


I have found that if my bird is doing the chomping thing (chattering beak while while looking up at me), it is usually like a nesting behavior and will often progress to the full-on vibration unless she is put on her perch or something and petting stops----for awhile, I wasn't sure if it was definitely sexual, but it almost always progresses in that direction if allowed to continue, which leads me to believe that it is sexual. Leaning her head against me and staring up (while clicking her beak) is sexual for my bird, but again, it is like the tip of the ice-burg (in her mind, it is like foreplay...at least, I am pretty sure). This all exists on a spectrum and will vary bird to bird in terms of specifics and triggers. Most of the time, she does this within the context of certain triggers...but not always. Just yesterday, I walked over the her cage (where she was sitting in the top of it quietly) and for no apparent reason, when I approached, she abruptly leaned her head against my chest, stared up at me adoringly and started chomping. Then, I tried to get some dust off of her nare (because I had a great view) and she started vibrating while making a clicking/puffing sound...Sexual to her, not sexual to me. Either way, I withdrew my contact and tried to distract her/change the subject.

Not all clicking is sexual either--- mine will loudly click her beak when excited (often with her crest up). A quieter slow clicking (like 2-4 times with crest down) is friendly (in my experience) but a faster quiet clicking (almost chattering) accompanied by visible beak movement is usually sexual---it usually will occur in situations where you are actively touching your bird, or if your bird is in a dark space (under a pillow/blanket/ledge) or on your lap)--just sticking a bird's head in a darkish place is often enough (as you can see in the videos above, the bird on the right is sticking her head into the dark space under his arm and shredding things with her butt in the air---nesting behavior). Sometimes, petting on the head alone can initiate sexual behavior, but it just depends on how hormonal the bird already is. I have noticed that if mine sits quietly in the sun for a long time and I pet her on the head, she will often start vibrating (eek).

In terms of the twitching eyes, this behavior (in my experience) is always accompanied by a quivering body-----have you ever faked a smile for so long that your muscles in your face start to twitch? The eye twitch kind of looks the way that holding a fake smile feels lol... it is very subtle...not like blinking, but like a twitching of the skin surrounding the eye---not opening/closing of the eye either, but subtle twitching of the mechanisms in the eye responsible for opening/closing...Hard to describe...

I just try to change the subject or stop the contact (I don't really react other than removing the stimulus that is causing it).
 
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Scott

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I find touching/close contact with cockatoos to be contextual. During hormonal/breeding periods it can be detrimental and lead to highly negative behaviors. At other times when done in transient manner and not repetitive, it is part of a healthy bond.
 

noodles123

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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
I agree with what Scott said, but I also want to add that in captive birds, breeding behaviors/cycles are often all out of whack due to indoor temperatures and unnatural light cycles, so just because it isn't spring or fall, doesn't mean you won't see random hormonal behavior.
 

noodles123

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I uploaded a video of mine being hormonal---in isolation, the behavior shown in the video from 1 second through 9 seconds wouldn't always have to be hormonal, but in her case, they are, because they progressed (as shown within the video).
I know my bird, so I can tell you that most of this is hormonal (I wanted to get a video for you and I knew she would be "weird" because she had just been sitting in the sun..She also has a flake on her nare that I desperately want to remove lol!).
21 seconds in, if you turn up your volume, she does the eye/body twitch and you can hear the slight puffing/clicking sound...it is subtle, but it is there (no doubt, if encouraged, this would evolve into something more extreme). Please know that I don't like her to do this, but when she has been in the sun she almost always does---notice that she did this even though I was only petting her on her head...I put her back on her perch as soon as I got the clip because there are risks to indulging any hormonal behavior (such as aggression, plucking, egg-binding in females etc).

PS- her feathers look terrible because she just went through stress at the vet and they are all disheveled.


[ame="https://youtu.be/nPXAE5nx3_E"]Hormonal Cockatoo - YouTube[/ame]
 
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Scott

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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
I agree with what Scott said, but I also want to add that in captive birds, breeding behaviors/cycles are often all out of whack due to indoor temperatures and unnatural light cycles, so just because it isn't spring or fall, doesn't mean you won't see random hormonal behavior.

A great point, indoor living casts a very random opportunity for hormonal activity.
 

Scott

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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
I uploaded a video of mine being hormonal---in isolation, the behavior shown in the video from 1 second through 9 seconds wouldn't always have to be hormonal, but in her case, they are, because they progressed (as shown within the video).
I know my bird, so I can tell you that most of this is hormonal (I wanted to get a video for you and I knew she would be "weird" because she had just been sitting in the sun..She also has a flake on her nare that I desperately want to remove lol!).
21 seconds in, if you turn up your volume, she does the eye/body twitch and you can hear the slight puffing/clicking sound...it is subtle, but it is there (no doubt, if encouraged, this would evolve into something more extreme). Please know that I don't like her to do this, but when she has been in the sun she almost always does---notice that she did this even though I was only petting her on her head...I put her back on her perch as soon as I got the clip because there are risks to indulging any hormonal behavior (such as aggression, plucking, egg-binding in females etc).

PS- her feathers look terrible because she just went through stress at the vet and they are all disheveled.


Hormonal Cockatoo - YouTube

She's a beauty! Subtle indeed, you know her very well!
 

Betrisher

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Yes, I second that! She's an absolute stunner! I hope I can achieve a bond like that with my girl... eventually... :)
 

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