He's gotta go.. :-((

...Jonesy..Bonesy..a.k.a. The Cockatoo Man.. We have no idea what has become of him..people say "horemones"..I dunno. I have been owned by parrots for 3o years and I have NEVER had this situation with any of them.

Just ONE DAY he has been "tolerable". Otherwise he is a terror! He never screamed before,now he will not shut up. From the minute his house gets uncovered it is countinuous screeching,and I don't mean for 5 or 10 minutes,but for 30 or 40 :11:

He has become unpredictable now also. He was on the living room floor the other day <he's been there often and likes to walk about or do his little hippity-hop thing lol> and always stepped up. Well Saturday I bent down to get him on my finger,he lifted his little foot as to step up,then CHOMP!! Both beaks went deep into my palm,to where when I lifted my hand out of shock and PAIN he was able to HANG from my palm coz his little beaky dug so deep,both mandibles,requiring ME to have 2 stitches!!

I am very worried that his "too'd" will start to change sweet Amy's good nature,and I won't let that happen.
I have given him time out..so much in fact he prolly doesn't know if its day or night coz his house is covered so much. Even Amy now yells "SHUT UP"!!
It is not fair for this bird to be covered,and/or put in another roomcoz he is so bad. If he is out he goes for the feet. Arleen is now afraid to try and pick him up <and so am I> coz we have no clue what he will do,and don't know why.
When he is "good" he is the sweetest guy. Loves his loveys..scratches,pets..eating nummies,hopping and running and playing with Amy,but now he is just a b......d.

Anyone interested in him? We cant deal with it anymore and its killing us seeing hm like this.


Jim

Hey, I'm so sorry that your 'too' has required you to need stitches. It creates so many emotions for us to deal with when this happens. I know you will get others jumping in with good advice, you sound desperate for some contact so here goes with the hand of friendship and any support I can give ? First thing I would say is "act in haste, repent in leisure" - take time to consider this decision. Are there any foods that aggravate what probably is a hormonal problem? Mine is pretty feisty after feeding him egg. I have read today about Sunflower seeds and peanuts. Have you spoken to your AV for help. How old is your 'too'? Have you a stick or T perch to use instead of hands for the time being? He may pick up many of your current emotions as well. Mine will chase/have a go at feet when in s*d parrot mode and a towel to hand can save any bites. I'll come back ....

I assume you don't do a full body stroke as this is allied to having sex with your bird? Sexual behaviour in birds has several external influences inc light, temperature, humidity and food sources. Sexual behaviour usually starts when the days start to get longer. However, artificial lighting, temperature and climate control in homes can create stimuli for breeding that may be confusing to both bird and us.
Parrots still need attention during these times but it needs to be less physically until it settles down. Sit near his cage, so he is near you, talk to him - can they scream and listen to you at the same time?? He will need loads of exercise to dissipate some of his energy (sexual or otherwise) and follow up with a cool shower. Give him loads to do also.
This is good info too - Owning a cockatoo
Sorry not got my tech hand in here yet to link it for you
Remember you are not alone here ....

I think this is the link.
http://www.parrotforums.com/cockatoos/17694-owning-cockatoo.html

Some tough love here also,
All About Cockatoos - MyToos.com

That is EXACTLY how my dad's G2 is/has been for as long as I can remember- unpredictable and LOUD. You might as well be describing Alfie right down to the "sneak bites" with no warning and screaming sessions. In fact, it's pretty normal cockatoo behavior, especially this time of year. It really and truly takes a special kind of person to deal with the kind of things a cockatoo can dish out and very few have those real 'cockatoo person' traits. If I were you, I wouldn't give up on him so quickly. I would at least wait out the next few months and see if things improve after the hormonal stuff starts winding down. You should also be extra diligent about not feeding sugary fruits, not feeding fatty foods, keeping consistent night/day schedule (artificially), LOTS of extra chewing and shredding toys and perhaps even some remedial training for Jonesey to help rebuild trust on both sides. Regardless of your choice, I hope you are able to find a good home OR are able to work with him to help minimize some of the unpleasantness.

P.S. You do tend to start tuning the incessant screeching out after a while... not sure if that's due to some kind of hearing loss or not though:09:

P.P.S. The bites get less painful over time as your pain threshold increases:52:

I got a bite from my favorite too this morning. Didn't bleed but he was mad because I had closed his cage before he was ready for me to close it. Too bad. It really is hormonal season and my toos are letting me know it. Please don't give up on your too.

And no I don't want it.

I hope you'll decide to keep your 'too for the simple fact that most cockatoos that go into the adoption system never get out of it. Like many pets, I know our birds, and in particular our adult male U2, can sense our emotions and will act on them. After I was bitten the first time I got scared to put Tiki away and he only bit more. As soon as I started to keep myself calm the biting stopped. And, like many 'toos, I know mine can go from loving to hostile in a second and then back the next second. My only recommendation with my limited experience is keeping Jonesy's beak as busy as possible. Tiki has a rotation of toys and small objects in his foraging bucket so that whenever his attention wavers he can always pick something new.

Also do be aware that we are in cockatoo hormone/mating season, and every cockatoo owner I have spoken to (including many on the boards) pre-warned me about Tiki getting weird for a few weeks. We've even noticed that when it's my wife's time of the month Tiki gets even stranger. Seems like the smallest things can set him off.

I hope you find a good solution for both of you, please keep us updated.

Sorry to hear of your physical pain and anguish for Jonesy. I haven't yet gotten to the point of desperation with my Toos, so can't offer much personal advice.

It seems this is the HARDEST year yet for my white feathery flock, particularly with Gabby, my generally sweetest and most predictable G2. He's bitten more then ever and has the most volatile mood swings of the group. Still, when he's good, he's very good. Interestingly, he seems better at night with the lights turned off - loves to cuddle like his old self.

We were ready to give up on Rocky several times the first few months. It takes a long while for a parrot who's had many homes to really settle in and adjust, and this may also have something to do with that. Rocky bit my husband badly several times, and left some nice bruises on me, too. But as trust has built between us on both sides, we have found ways to minimize the chances of a bite. Hubby has a game he plays with Rocky. He keeps a towel handy and when Rocky gets on the floor and waddles around, Hubby holds up the towel like a matador with a bull. Rocky will charge the towel, and Hubby drops it over his head and laughs and pets him. At first this made Rocky mad, but he really loves head scratches, and put up with it for that reason, and then it became a game. Can he get to Daddy's feet before Daddy drops the towel on him? Can he dodge the towel and get to me before Daddy drops the towel on him? When he starts to gnaw on me, it's when I'm holding him and he wants to go back to his cage, either because he has to poop (bless him, he won't poop on me) or something is making him nervous, and the cage is his safe place. Body language and feather position always give warning before the gnawing. It's possible Jonesy isn't cooperating by giving you warnings and maybe he wouldn't like the towel game, but if you can try watching for signs, working with him and learning what he wants that he isn't getting, or what might be agitating him, you can get through this. Rocky rarely bites hard enough to leave a bruise anymore, now that I know what he's saying and what he wants, and give it to him as quickly as I can.

Oh my goodness....does this bring back memories of Java the U2.....I tried with him for a year and a half but it got to the point that it hjust wasn't possible due to the fact he attacks anyone and everyone plus the other animals in the house. For everyone's safety he had to leave....he was fully flighted, the next home he went to, he flew to his wife's face and attacked her pretty bad. I think he was clipped afterwards. That was the last I heard from them.

Awww...I feel for you, BELIEVE me I do!

My similar situation was not with a "Too" but a Sun Conure, the unpredictability was part of the problem, but not so much as the screaming!

I tried EVERYTHING!! He finally found his "home" in our home office, were we could shut the door when his screaming got to be too much.

I will say, he DID get a LOT better and I did get along with him very well, but he was dangerously unpredictable toward my husband and our Franklin started picking up his non stop flock calling before I found a solution that worked for Sunny.

I had kept in touch with Sunny's previous owner since I adopted Sunny from her 2 1/2 years ago. In previous conversations she had hinted a few times that she would love to have him back now that her health issues were under control, her difficult children had moved and it was just her and her husband and the house needed some "life".

So, last month, I contacted her with the offer of her taking him back and she was ecstatic! The big drive for me to make the decision when I did, and I struggled with it for months, but the final decision was because I realized since I had adopted DeRita, that I wanted to give her most of my attention and I really enjoyed my time with her and Sunny was sort of getting the back burner. NOT NEGLECTED, but just not my first choice to get out after work is all.

His original owner was soo happy to get him back! She praised me for how amazing he looked and she now keeps ME updated!

I am SOOO glad I decided to give him up. I do NOT miss his flock calling one single bit. There is TOTAL peace in the home again and Sunny...he is doing GREAT back in his old home, getting all the attention he needs and more.

I realize this might not be the same option for you, but I want you to know that I support your decision. There really does come a time when enough is enough, as painful as it can be sometimes...you know. <3

As far as the screaming/screeching...I had tried everything with Sunny, from leaving him outside his cage all day, to moving his cage all through out the house, to covering his cage when he wouldn't stop screaming, new toys, foraging and interactive toys, new and different foods, games, tv, music all to no avail...but when I moved him into the "office" out of desperation for some noise reduction as I thought I was going to explode and shut the door...that actually worked!

I placed his cage on a desk that he could see out the window a little bit, we spent a lot of time in and out of the office, so he still got plenty of attention, when he was "good" we would leave the office door open so he could see out into the main living area and watch us all moving about the house and if he got to screaming, we simply shut the door...no fuss, no scolding, no frustration, nothing..and he'd stop calling out.

Sometimes I wondered if he was just overstimulated.

Good luck to you.

Toni

I used to think I was a "TOO" person . Pearl my male Goffin changed that . He has taught me a lot though. He did the screaming thing. I tried everything . What worked for me was that if he could see into the kitchen he would scream all day. So a corner of his cage is always covered [and that fixed that] He has his aggressive times . With watching his moods I just go with it. I dont make him do anything . If he wants attention thats what he gets , He also loves to shred newspaper on the bottom of his cage. Keeps him very busy. What I would do is keep trying different things and learn him more .

Never having a 'Too before, I don't KNOW how,or when,the turn into monsters,or for how long.
Having Amy for 28 yrs,I know how to read her,know when she's p.o,when to stay away. But even when she "gets like that",it doesn't last long.
Smokes would get a little bratty too,but nothing compares to The Cockatoo Man :11:

How long should I expect him to be literally out of control?? SCREAMS alllllllllllll day....I mean ALL day! And his heckle jeckle moods are untrustworthy.

But my main concern is for Amy.. I DO NOT want her to pick up on his rudeness. We have come to the point where he goes in another room and his house stays covered and I feel that's cruel and unhumane. I can't let this go on for MONTHS....


Jim

My white Toos need their 5 minutes of "Fame" everyday. My whole family makes a big deal about them we hoot and holler [has made a difference].

AmyMyBlueFront said:

Never having a 'Too before, I don't KNOW how,or when,the turn into monsters,or for how long.
Having Amy for 28 yrs,I know how to read her,know when she's p.o,when to stay away. But even when she "gets like that",it doesn't last long.
Smokes would get a little bratty too,but nothing compares to The Cockatoo Man :11:

How long should I expect him to be literally out of control?? SCREAMS alllllllllllll day....I mean ALL day! And his heckle jeckle moods are untrustworthy.

But my main concern is for Amy.. I DO NOT want her to pick up on his rudeness. We have come to the point where he goes in another room and his house stays covered and I feel that's cruel and unhumane. I can't let this go on for MONTHS....


Jim

Click to expand...

Hi Jim. I wish you luck and hope / pray someone on the forums will be able to help you rehome your Too. Takes a lot of guts to admit you can't handle something . Sad we see so many post of people that try to hang on and the poor bird ends up caged or worse. Much respect

Christine

When it gets THAT bad, I think you should perhaps consult a really highly regarded avian behaviorist (your vet probably has someone they can refer you to locally). Forums are great but the advice is too brief and fragmented and of different methods, and you probably need to employ one in its entirety for a length of time to effect a change worth noting (and I've heard that once you start a behavior modification program that birds seem to get WORSE before they give it up), but you really could use the services of a good avian behaviorist.

I have a cockatoo and he's a good boy, but, even he does his little scream fits once in awhile. They usually don't last long but it seems to be his way of venting pent up energy. When he gets edgy like that, I let him do lots of flapping (he's clipped) exercises up and down the hall and give him a warm, drenching shower (mine will go in the human shower so I take him in there to get him wet to the skin). After that, he will spend hours grooming and napping. It's been said of puppies and parrots, "A tired parrot is a good parrot." Good luck and I hope you're able to keep your boy.

Wow, that sucks to read Jim. One way or the other I hope it works out for the best.

My daughter is the too person in this house. I've dealt with too many behaviorally challenged toos to want another one as a permanent addition to my flock.

Toos are the hardest of the bunch, in my opinion.

I just had to give my umbrella cockatoo to a pet shop owner to bring to a sanctuary he was a bully constantly screaming and going after our moluccan and african grey I went to visit him today before he left tomorrow for florida and he was so happy her was in a cage with 3 others just like him and finally stopped screeching and being mean, the pet shop owner said he hadn't been able to sell a bird like him in 10 years. my bird became the king of the cage lol

I hope everything works out and you are able to keep your Goffins, but I just wanted to add my two pennies' worth here. There is a stigma in our society - I see it bad in the dog rescues I help with, I see it in many parrot owners and rescuers, etc. - that people who relinquish animals didn't try hard enough or are bad people. With parrots especially, we are bringing challenging, emotionally taxing and potentially physically dangerous wild animals into our homes hoping they can adapt to a captive situation. Most of us who do research and overprepare find we get a new companion we can at least live with if not adore. But it doesn't always work out. Some people and parrots just aren't good matches, and while I think people should always put in the effort to change the relationship, sometimes the dynamic just doesn't and can't work out.

In dog rescue, I know people who struggled with serious property damage from dogs with severe separation anxiety and even one couple whose new dog ended up hanging themselves from a car window...all because they were afraid of the stigma of admitting the dog's problems were too much for them. I know people whose new dog ended up killing their original dog. They saw the aggression, but were scared to admit it wasn't working out and be blamed for it. Sure, there are simple fixes and in many cases the people just didn't have the experiences and resources for those animals, but they were afraid to admit failure. Here in my town, relinquishing an animal means you will never be allowed to adopt again from most of our shelters.

Anyway, it's a long tangent but if the animal truly isn't working or has become dangerous to itself or the household, there shouldn't be a stigma attached to relinquishing or rehoming that animal. Cockatoos take an extremely dedicated owner and even then, some toos just won't work in some situations. I hope you try whatever you can to keep your bird at home, but ultimately if it doesn't work out, please don't feel that rehoming is a betrayal or makes you a failure. In any case, good luck.