I need some cockatoo training tips, please!!!

I just bought a 2yr. Old Moluccan Cockatoo, and he/she is very friendly, very cuddly and loves to be touched... However when he/she is on or in its cage, I cannot get it to step up on my hand or arm... ANY TIPS?

First and foremost: WELCOME to the forum and congrats on your new fid ! I LOVE my M2. Also we want pics (we all love pics).

Now down to business: How long have you had the bird? Toos are very sensitive birds and need extra time in order to adjust to their new environment. Heres some tips: Don't even expect your bird to do anything other than just sit there and observe you for the first month or so. It takes time for parrots to acclimate when they change homes. Some come right to you, others are more sensitive and take longer. I give a minimum of a month before expecting anything from the bird and I give it a full year for them to acclimate to see if its going to work out or not (NO MATTER HOW ROUGH the transition is, anything less than a year is unfair to the bird). These guys take time, don't rush things, be patient. Allow your new bird to come to you on its own terms, not yours. Keep in mind that you will more than likely own this bird for the rest of your life, so you have nothing but time for the bird to step up. Approach it this way and your bird will build a strong bond with you. Birds are not like dogs, you can't just tell them what to do and expect results. Birds are very intelligent, you have to respect your bird and respect it's space and it's wishes. If the bird doesn't want to be bothered then don't bother it. This will send the signal to the bird that you will allow it to have a say in what is being done to it (Also your bird is very unstable and nervous right now, by backing off you are showing the bird that you are not the cause of its stress - you don't want your bird to associate you with the reason why its scared). This is a major life change for the bird. Birds will show passive physical signs (like not stepping up, or moving away from you) that they are not comfortable with you yet, if you keep persisting then you will end up getting bit. If you ask the bird to step up and the bird shys, then back off and respect the birds wishes. You have to build a relationship with the bird first, it takes time (think months not days). It has to get to know you. It has no idea who you are or what you intentions are. You know what they are but your bird doesn't know you from Adam yet. Patience will pay off. If you allow your bird to come to you on its terms, you will be suprised at how fast your relationship will develop, if your putting pressure on the bird to develop a relationship it will take longer and it will be a more stressful process.

Also allow the birds cage to be its safe haven. Dont reach in and pick it up from inside of the cage. A good technique is to leave the door open on the cage. Only pick up the bird from the cage door, and no where else. This teaches the bird that it can relax when your around it, that if it wants to interact all it has to do is come down onto the cage door and if it doesnt then all it has to do is not go onto the door. This way you can be around the bird without forcing yourself onto the bird. If your constantly pushing the bird then the bird is going to associate you with being uneasily pressured. Not good, this equals bites. Bites from an M2 equally are not good.

My best advice to you is to be PATIENT. Allow the bird to determine how fast your relationship develops. What you do have on your side is the fact that you have a Too and its very young. Toos love physical attention, of almost any kind. This usually makes a Too transition a little quicker (most of them really dont like change). Their kind of like the popular girls at school, you ignore them and they will worship you, if you are constantly trying to get them to like you and to notice you then they will ignore you.

And PLEASE PLEASE give your new Too one FULL YEAR before determining whether it will work or not. It takes a while for them to fully acclimate to a new home. The first year can be very difficult, by this I mean screaming and temper-tantrums (I'm not kidding). Usually around a year they start doing really well (sometimes two).

Toos thrive off of routine. Whatever routine you want your Too to follow you need to set up now and be consistent with it (your bird will feel more secure with a set routine as well and will become more comfortable with you). For instance Rome's routine: Awakes at 8(ish)am and is put directly outside, stays out until around 4-5pm and then comes in and goes to bed around 8pm. It took her 9months to adjust to this routine. 9 months of a very unhappy bird - was screaming all the time, all day. Now she only does her sound off if I'm late bringing her in and completely entertains herself during the day (foraging, destroying toys etc.). If you promote independence in your Too then you will have an independent Too. If you dont encourage independence you will have a clingy bird.

Sorry this was long, its just my opinion and what has seemed to work the best for me. Good luck

Wow... That was an amazing post that you posted for me to read! I really appreciate it.

One other question, we have him/her in a new very large cage and it like to come out and get on top... When we are ready to go to bed, how is the best way to get the Too too come down and go to bed?

Thanks,
Joshu

hee, hee...sorry, couldn't resist. I remember that being a big issue for us when it was time for lights out. What I ended up doing was turn lights out, night light only, cover Amigos cage, not his door, and he would climb in.

Mare Miller has a good idea. Another thing you can do is turn out most of the lights, so that its dim not completely dark, and see if he goes in on his own. If after awhile he doesnt you can try to ask him to step up. I dont want you to get bit but you can try putting an arm in front of him below his chest and one behind him under his tail (use perches instead of arms if your really worried). If I come home late and its dark Rome wont step up forward onto my arm but will step back onto the arm behind her rolleyes: wierdo, she does the same thing in the morning). You'll find some just have weird habits, figuring it out just takes time.

Also how is the bird? What type of situation did it come from? Did the past home have any problems handling him? Has he ever bitten before? Why was he re-homed? Answers to these can help us give you more specific advise.

Thanks Mare Miller, I will definitely try that!

As to the questions...

Also how is the bird? What type of situation did it come from? Did the past home have any problems handling him? Has he ever bitten before? Why was he re-homed? Answers to these can help us give you more specific advise.

The bird seems to be in great health, however we aregonna take him to an avian vet this week hopefully.

From what I was told by the lady that we got Carmin from, was that she got Carmin directly from the breeder.... Also, I've checked around and this lady that I bought Carmin from has been doing this for 30 years and has a good reputation.

He hasn't bitten me yet, but don't know about anyone else.

And...

Do not know exactly why he was rehomed, but I fell in love with him for some reason!

thanks for the input,
Josh

I just posted a image of Carmin in my Images

Another great technique for getting a bird in it's cage is to put a very desirable treat inside paired with a consistent cue. This teaches the bird that going into the cage gets a great reward and shapes a positive behavior that will eventually become a trained response to your cue.

Thanks Rescue Me.... What would you say are some of the "favorite" treats? I have a Sun Conure as well and are familiar with his, but like to hear about what other people use as treats.

Grapes are my bird's favorite, as well as most sorts of berries. She definitely has a sweet tooth. And larger birds like cockatoos usually love pine nuts.

I really like rescue me's advice. Try cooked peas in the food bowel, Toos seem to love peas. Rome really likes pine nuts as well. If those dont work just keep trying different things until you find out whats a favorite.