Cockatoo Behavior

Hello! Long time visitor, first time poster. My wife and I adopted an adult (12 years old) male umbrella cockatoo who we named Tiki around 9 months ago. Tiki was at a bird rescue and was owned by an older couple, and after the husband passed the wife gave him up. We went to visit and eventually adopted him after we learned how affectionate he was, and he became part of the family. He has a very large cage (probably would comfortable fit a large macaw, I can almost stand in it and I'm 6'2", and is fed Zupreem along with Nutriberries as occasional treats, as well as vegetables, his favorites being tomatoes, broccoli, and carrots. He is out of his cage for between 5-6 hours per day and our dad in law who we live next to visits him and plays with him.

As of late, he has become somewhat 'crabby' as my wife terms it, and seems to prefer sitting in his cage to coming out and being with us. There are perches all around the house, including several custom ones for the big guy attached to walls. He seems like a perfectly happy bird, he eats well, plays with his toys, interacts with us during play time, and overall seems content with his life. I'm wondering if U2s can ever just be moody for a while, or if it's perhaps the darker weather since his attitude seems to be tied to daylight savings.

Thank you for any advice.

Yes. It happens. It's that time of year.

These are generally hormonal behaviors. Welcome to about six weeks of mood swing city...

Cockatoos? Moody?

Nah.....

(Ok, maybe a little...)

U2 emotions are almost as stable as a box of wet dynamite. U2's pout, they have tantrums, they dance and sing, they do the U2 vapor lock where they turn to stone where they stand, they wave a foot begging to picked up, offer your arm, they show you the full crest and refuse to budge, all that in a ten minute time span. I've learned to go along with most of the mood swings. A cockatoo's moods are like Texas weather, if you don't like current conditions, wait a few minutes, the conditions will change.

Hormones can transform a sweet, well adjusted, well trained U2 into a force of nature and cause good trainers to second guess their training methods. It's usually better to distract them with something interesting to do than to buy into their craziness. This too shall pass and when it does, you'll have your sweet little buddy back.

***Hush Poppy, you can't prove I'm talking about you.

I on first hand have seen the mood swing and transform from a sweet cuddly bird to a total terror in just seconds. Of course I'm talking about Java the U2 that we had to rehome as things just keep going sour. I have never been afraid of any birds nor do I just give up on training. I did give up with him due to the fact that I was terrified of him. Plus for the safety of our other animals, visitors, my partner, and I. He had to go.....Because of him I keep my distance from the large Cockatoos.

The only Cockatoo in this household is Dixie the Lesser Sulphur Crested, she's the sweetest little angel until she throws a temper and screams like mad. She was an abused and neglected bird when we got her. She had to be totally retrained and she turned 360. But over all, she's an excellent Cockatoo, many friends and visitors wanted to take her home. People offered me money, I said no she's not for sale, she's our baby....

Allee said:

U2 emotions are almost as stable as a box of wet dynamite. U2's pout, they have tantrums, they dance and sing, they do the U2 vapor lock where they turn to stone where they stand, they wave a foot begging to picked up, offer your arm, they show you the full crest and refuse to budge, all that in a ten minute time span. I've learned to go along with most of the mood swings. A cockatoo's moods are like Texas weather, if you don't like current conditions, wait a few minutes, the conditions will change.

Hormones can transform a sweet, well adjusted, well trained U2 into a force of nature and cause good trainers to second guess their training methods. It's usually better to distract them with something interesting to do than to buy into their craziness. This too shall pass and when it does, you'll have your sweet little buddy back.

***Hush Poppy, you can't prove I'm talking about you.

Click to expand...

This!! :smile049: Cockatoo behavior can cycle several times in a short period of time, as if a switch were literally thrown with instant effect!

I'm glad to hear it's just cockatoo-ness and nothing we did. Last night he sat on our headboard and yelled at us for about fifteen minutes before he climbed under 'his' blanket and fell asleep. Tiki has the attention span of the average goldfish!

Rocky will raise his crest (and the roof) and scream so that we wonder why the neighbors don't call the cops and report that we are torturing some poor soul in our house, and then hold out his foot and say "I wuv ooh" and be a sweet snuggly baby all in the space of a few minutes. Toos require flexible parronts. LOL

My wife has often said that Tiki is bipolar for the same reason. He once went nuclear after I put my socks on in the bedroom, bobbing his head, cresting, and charging me to the point of biting me on the arm, and he's asleep ten minutes later. We accept it as part of cockatoo behavior, and I honestly think it helps keep me on my toes. He's only bit a very few times and we learned before adopting that yelling doesn't accomplish anything. It's fun adapting to his behavior.

Birdman666 said:

Yes. It happens. It's that time of year.

These are generally hormonal behaviors. Welcome to about six weeks of mood swing city...

Click to expand...

Oh man Mark...you hit it right on the head lol..Jonesy finally came out of his terror rage!

Jim

There is never a dull moment with a 'too.