Help with recently rehomed too

We've had Butch for a week. Today was really challenging. I got nipped this morning when I tried to get him out to take a shower. Ok I pushed too much. Then this afternoon he was on a tree stand in the living room and my sister in law was standing too close and he reached over and grabbed her with his beak. She panicked and ended up pulling him off the stand and he grabbed harder. Now this evening I had him back on the stand/table in the living room. My CAG Neytiri was causing him to be nervous cause she kept flying to me. I decided to take butch back up to his cage. When we got to the top of the stairs he reached under my hand and bit me. I decided to use a perch to pick him up and he tried to get me again.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong or if he's just testing me. I always move confidently and deliberately with the birds. So not sure if this is normal or what. Any advise is appreciated.

Thanks.

Sassy

Well firstly I'd like to say hybrid toos are the worst IMO. I've met several and all of them have had this kind of attitude. It's like they are to confused and get fed up. The fact your sister in law got panicked and he grabbed harder is normal, so he has an excuse for that. He may have been trying to be friendly and ended up ending bad. The biting your hand on the way back could have been him still being nervous I'm not quite sure since I wasn't there. The fact you grabbed a stick after this is we're you went wrong I'd be willing to say. That probably freaked him out and possibly was the reason for the second attempt at a bite as you agitated him. These are all kind of just suggestions as to the issue, hybrid cockatoos are just off the charts honestly and the issue can be that they are just being themselves.

I'd say just keep being confident and don't let him win against you. If you really need help I live in pa as well and could do a behavioral consult with you if needed. Keep us updated and give all detail as possible as this will make it easier to figure it out, hopefully.

Is this your firs cockatoo? A hybrid too as a first is even worse then a normal one epically as it is a re home on top of that:s.

The incident with my sister in law and my hand bit were not related. They were about 4 hours apart. After my SIL got bit I couldn't get him to step up and with the commotion I just gently toweled him and talked softly to him. The hand bite later was when i was holding him and my CAG Neytiri kept flying and landing on my shoulder. Maybe that made him nervous.

Hubby and I were talking and it appears that he is nervous when we are walking around with him. He also doesn't seem to be able to step off on to a table or floor etc. We suspect that he was a perch potato and isn't comfy with being handled much. Not sure what to do about it.

This whole situation is new to me as the other birds were brought home as babies.

Yea you are expirencing a different world with a grown bird plus a cockatoo. If he's nervous it may just be that he needs time to settle into his new home. He is probably able to step off onto a table you may just have to kinda dump him on the table and say step off, really just making him step off but then he will understand the phrase and do the command once used to what the word means.

Keep In touch and let me know how you make out at the end of another week or so.

Will do. Learning for all of us.

That's what it's all about goodluck sassy hope butch comes around this week.

Try this for nervous birds.

If he's mainly going to be your bird, get some alone time with him in a small room outside his cage. Talk softly and happy to him and offer a treat. Do this at least a few times per day and after he's acclimated to you, then try other people. Praise him with happiness when he does good, but also lightly scold him with "no",..if he does wrong, he'll know your tone of voice.

He's just nervous and scared like a child and most likely Will adjust given some time. Don't give up on him and he won't give up with you.

Had a great evening. Talked softly and moved very slowly whe moving him on my hand. Took him downstairs to his tree. You can see some of on this video.
[ame=http://youtu.be/wssNWoClzV4]Butch - YouTube[/ame]

He was a real sweetie tonight.
Sassy

He's defiantly having fun and getting very comfortable with you. The behaver of curling his wings is also a good response and will sometime ask you to pick him up. When our Cockatoo "Shelby" wants to go to different room, outside to the deck or to be with me, she'll cup her wings and point where she wants to go. I'm sure he'll do the same with you the more comfortable he gets in his surroundings.

Thanks for the video, he's a typical funny Too !

The both of you are doing very well, especially for only one week.
So be happy !

Thanks. I was wondering what the wing thing was. When my CAG does that she's about to fly off somewhere.