Suggestions for new Goffin?

Hi there! I've been wandering around the forum here for a week or so and thought I'd introduce myself and ask a couple questions.

My name's Sarah, I'm 24, and though I had little birds growing up (a Quaker parakeet, cockatiels) we've always wanted bigger parrots. My dad in particular has loved macaws all his life and found a 12 yr old blue and gold male in a rough situation to adopt several months ago. Harley's my dad's baby now and doesn't care much for me, but that's okay. We're on civil terms and he's fitting into the family well.

I personally have always loved cockatoos, and I've worked in a pet store for 7 years, and whenever we had 'toos I fell in love with them every time! I knew I didn't want any of the bigger species, because I just don't have the time to devote to such needy critters and we already have Mr. Loudmouth making enough noise so while I can deal, I didn't want one with a reputation of constant screaming. So I researched and whittled my choices down to a rosebreasted (Which I adore! One day, maybe!) or a Goffin. Well, I found a breeder who'd recently purchased a 'breeding pair' of Goffins from a family who couldn't care for them anymore... and after getting them saw that they were both male. Some breeding pair. Since they were both in great shape and friendly birds, he split them up to sell as pets.

So Sid Vicious (What else do you name a bird with a punk mohawk?) has come to live with us, and he's a delightful little guy. The breeder believed he's about 4-5 years old. He's been with us about 2 weeks, and is very friendly and silly and remarkably well adjusted so far. Lets anyone pet him anywhere on his body, loves head scratches, is really very quiet during the day... I love him! I just have a few questions.

1: He doesn't quite know what to do with most toys. Shreddable ones he loves (and then carries the pieces around in his foot and rubs them on his cheeks... omg. So cute.) Anything else he ignores. Is there anything else these guys usually like to play with? I've been rotating things in and out and he doesn't get freaked by anything but thus far he just goes for the shreddies. Suggestions on different fun stuff?

2. He doesn't like treats. We have a million things for Harley and he's a food hog, but Sid just eats his seed mix and is thankfully trying the fruitblend Zupreem I'm mixing in. He ignores all nuts. He doesn't like the yogurt covered parrot yummies, banana chips, dried fruit and peppers... I'm going to try some fresh fruit and veggies. What do your Goffins like?

3. He will not step up on my hand. He did it the first 2 days, now he skitters away and looks at me like I'm nuts. He'll come out of his cage on his own accord and wander around the top playpen and waddle along the floor and wander back into the cage when he's done. He's not handshy otherwise and he loves being petted so I'd like to be able to hold and snuggle him if he'll let me. Step up tips?

4. Okay, the screaming. I was prepared for some screaming. He's a 'too, it's inevitable. I don't care if he screams all day long, that wouldn't bother me, but he's been very quiet during the day! It's after he's been covered up for the night. High pitched, long drawn out scream, over and over. It's something I'll deal with, but wow that's getting old fast and I'd like to be able to sleep before 2 in the morning. My work schedule varies, so he gets covered up between 9:30 and 10:30 pm, depending on if I'm closing the store that night and don't get home til 10, or if I'm already home. Likewise he gets uncovered anywhere between 6:30 and 9 am. Doesn't seem to matter if I've been home or what time he gets covered, or if he had playtime in the morning or evening... Sometimes he only screams for half an hour or 45 minutes right after he's covered, which is absolutely fine, because I haven't gone to bed yet. Sometimes he waits til midnight when I'm lulled into a sense of false security and carries on until 2 am. That's the not cool part. Any tips on cutting this down to just early evening racket? Do I just need to try and get him on a more regular schedule as best I can?

That's all for now, welcome to the world's longest post. Any tips or hints on anything is appreciated!

Congrats on the new member of your flock!

Give him some time to build trust with you - he'll probably remember how to step up after he feels at home.

What happens if you don't cover the cage? It is possible that the previous owner didn't and that is scaring Sid?

Thanks! He sure is a cute little guy.

I didn't cover him for the first few days, and he was perfectly quiet, not a peep.
The fourth or fifth day he screamed for hours and hours and hours, so I found a big dark sheet, covered him up, and after a while he stopped and slept.
Next day, I covered him about 9:30, he screamed a couple times after being covered, then went quiet and was fine all night. I thought-Hey! I've got it!
The next night he was fine again all night, I thought everything was cool, then the next he was fine for a few hours, then started the screaming in the middle of the night. Now it's sort of a trade off. Some nights he's fine after a little bit, some nights he's a nutcase. I can't find much of a pattern.

His cage is in my bedroom, I also have a few reptile cages and a cage of pet rats and a pair of little button quail in there, all the way on the other side of the room from Sid, and my little dog sleeps with me too. Sid doesn't seem to mind any of them, he's gone over and checked them out under supervision several times and wasn't scared at all, and nobody makes much noise at night, besides a rat squeak here and there when they play, and it does not seem to have a correlation to when Sid screams.
I also don't go to bed until 1 or 2 in the morning sometimes, it's always after midnight, and while the rest of the room is dark, my desk light and computer screen are on, so I didn't want to keep him from sleeping with my goings on. I don't know if it's just maybe too much for him to get used to right now, but he honestly seems tooootally unfazed the rest of the time. I've been around a lot of different birds and he does not seem upset or stressed otherwise? If he was I'd be less perplexed. Maybe he just needs to sleep in a different room? I don't know, there's so many things to try.

Congratulations with what IMHO is the most dynamic and loveable cockatoo variant.

In a nutshell (pun intended) it's a matter of trust as previously posted. I have 5 Goffins - 2 "wild" parents and their 3 offspring. Each personality is unique but one common issue is trust. The babies were handfed and clearly bonded to people, though they aren't as neurotic as some. I'll address the parents, as the situation is different. They were initially kept in an outdoor aviary and had minimal contact. Roughly 15 years ago they were brought into an indoor walk-in cage and eventually began breeding. Bad parents, though that's another story. Over time I could enter the cage and gently stroke the male's head/wings, but not the female. In more recent years they've been separated due to aggressive behavior. (another long story) Finally, the female will allow contact with her head/shoulder region.

As prey-animals, parrots are extremely cognizant of their surroundings. IMHO they also learn by observation. Over the years I've noticed a distinct "look" as they intently focus on a given situation. There's plenty going on in their minds!

Good luck Sarah, and never give up!