Rescued cockatoo screeching

[JRHfilms1]

We had owned a Too for 38 years, so we aren’t new to bird care.

But we recently rescued an Umbrella that had been relegated to a garage for two years. He automatically adopted my wife as his owner. But the moment she leaves his sight, he screeches until her return. We leave the TV on, he has toys, food, and I realize they need to be mentally stimulated, but not sure how to help with his separation anxiety.

Any suggestions for a new member? Thank you in advance, and a pleasure to be in the group.

 

[annierose]

how long have you had him? his anxiety is understandable, and hopefully with some time and patience, his insecurity and separation anxiety will fade.

 

[JRHfilms1]

We’ve had him for 2 years. We actually adopted him before our other one died. But his behavior has always been the same.

 

[annierose]

same behavior if you (yourself) are not in the house?

 

[JRHfilms1]

If I come into the room, sometimes he will quieren, but doesn’t want me to hold him, only her. If we are both in the room and she leaves, he screeches again until I talk to him for a moment. If we leave the house, he screeches forever.

 

[annierose]

sounds like you do have a problem. i wonder how you get any sleep. maybe if you play a recording of yourselves having a long conversation, he'll think you're both there but in another room. haha

 

[noodles123]

what's the longest you've let him scream? I don't even go back in when mine is screaming. If the bird gets quiet, reenter and praise "thanks for getting quiet" etc---at first, maybe only require 10 seconds of sustained quiet before returning and praising, but gradually, you will want to increase the time. Also, if my bird doesn't get enough sleep she becomes more prone to screeching etc.

Side-note: This bird sounds as though he does prefer your wife, so she should be very cautious about making sure that bond doesn't trigger hormones-given the fact that you are already dealing with behaviors, the last thing you want is to add more. Make sure your bird has no access to dark spaces...bedding, paper piles, under furniture, under blankets/pillows/ under clothing etc. Cuddling cockatoos is a bad idea--they love it, but it is sexual to them in most cases. Stick to petting on the head only.

 

[JRHfilms1]

Thank you for such great information. Those are things that I was unaware of, and that gives me some insight into one of the problems. He always wants to burrow under her jacket and I had no idea why. Again thank everyone so much. I now have the info I need to proceed. Thank you

 

[BeatriceC]

I play a variation of the game Peek-a-Boo. Stand next to him with a sheet in your hands. Hold the sheet over your body, say Peek a Boo, then drop the sheet, and make a big deal out of greeting him after you've reappeared. Gradually increase the time between saying peek a boo and dropping the sheet to about a minute. Then gradually work your way out of the room. Once you're out of the room, hide behind a wall, so you don't need the sheet anymore, and also gradually increase the time between saying it and reappearing. This is basically a combination of pavlovian conditioning and tolerance training, teaching him that whenever you say peek a boo (or really, whatever word you want), that you're going to reappear soon. It helps a lot with separation anxiety. It can take anywhere from a few days to a couple months, but if you go slow and steady, you should get to the point where you can just shout "Peek a Boo" from anywhere in the house when he gets loud and he'll be reassured that you're coming back soon.

Additionally, you can also teach him to "use his inside voice". When he starts screaming, talk to him at a normal volume. Eventually he will get curious of what you're saying and stop screaming long enough for him to hear. Then you tell him to "use your inside voice", and when he responds at a reasonable volume, reward him with love or treats or whatever works for him. This also takes a couple weeks, and isn't perfect, but I get about 80% effectiveness with my birds and having them drop their volume when I tell them to use their inside voices.

And I just re-read the OP, so replace all instances of "you" and "you're" with "your wife". She needs to be the one to do it since the separation anxiety is with her.

 

[sunshine.within]

If you only just rescued him then it might be a good idea to just take him with you as often as possible. I got my U2 a medium sized travel dog crate where I installed a perch and for months, before we got her a big indoor aviary, we would just take her with us. It might help with his insecurities and also adjust to life with you.


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[noodles123]

See, mine would like to be with me wherever I am, but I think it's also important for them to learn that they can be alone. Taking the bird with you everywhere would probably decrease the screaming, but I am not sure that solves the problem...It could create a "monster" who expects to be with you even more. I am not trying to be contrary-I just want to emphasize the importance of teaching Toos to be a bit independent without their anxiety shooting through the roof when they can't be by your side. They absolutely need lots of time with you etc, but doing anything early on will likely set a precedent for the future.

 

[Scott]

See, mine would like to be with me wherever I am, but I think it's also important for them to learn that they can be alone. Taking the bird with you everywhere would probably decrease the screaming, but I am not sure that solves the problem...It could create a "monster" who expects to be with you even more. I am not trying to be contrary-I just want to emphasize the importance of teaching Toos to be a bit independent without their anxiety shooting through the room when they can't be by your side. They absolutely need lots of time with you etc, but doing anything early on will likely set a precedent for the future.

Absolutely, teaching independence is critical to a happy relationship with toos. Easier when raised from young, challenging with a rescue. Once you get over the "hump" of the honeymoon it can be possible to create an ambiance of cage or playstand of refuge. Many toos enjoy converting macaw-sized wood chew toys into toothpicks.

 

[sunshine.within]

I really don’t think that forcing cockatoos into independence before they’re ready is wise. They are, after all, highly social animals who bond for life in the wild. It is a very healthy thing for this bird to have formed a bond and he’s just not ready to accept the concept of independence yet. I would try and make him certain that he finally belongs and that when mommy and daddy leave they’re just doing all the things he’s been doing too.

I think after a while Bianca was so tired of being taken places that she took being left home alone as a relief.


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[noodles123]

I think that you may have lucked out...Yes, they are highly social etc, but in the wild, that would be their life, 24/7. Life with humans isn't the same and changes to routines are often harder on birds than they are on humans, so starting off by taking a bird everywhere sets up an expectation...The disappointment is all the more palpable when that is no longer feasible, which often leads to problem behavior. I know that you are speaking honestly about your experiences with Bianca, but I think that most birds would react differently.

 

[EllenD]

I really don’t think that forcing cockatoos into independence before they’re ready is wise. They are, after all, highly social animals who bond for life in the wild. It is a very healthy thing for this bird to have formed a bond and he’s just not ready to accept the concept of independence yet. I would try and make him certain that he finally belongs and that when mommy and daddy leave they’re just doing all the things he’s been doing too.

I think after a while Bianca was so tired of being taken places that she took being left home alone as a relief.


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The issue with this is #1 they've had their U2 for 2 years already, so this is not a bird that is new to their home, to them, or to their daily schedules and routines. So his screaming whenever the wife is not with him/he can't see her has only gotten worse and worse over the entire 2 years that they've had him, she's "his person" and this is to be expected with a U2 who bonds-closely with one particular person, however after 2 years this would not be "forcing him into independence" at all, but rather helping him get over his severe separation-anxiety and feeling of insecurity and anxiety when she isn't in his view/with him.

You mentioned that "it's not healthy for the Cockatoo to be forced into independence", even after 2 years of living with his Flock and bonding-closely with "his person", but how is it healthy for him to still be screaming literally 24/7, 365 if she isn't with him? If this U2 has been displaying this separation-anxiety every time she leaves his sight for 2 years, then that ALSO MEANS that in-addition to he and his wife losing their minds, this U2 has ALSO been constantly feeling anxiety, stress, insecurity, etc., hasn't been getting a solid 10-12 hours of sleep every night, and has been bored to tears (by his own-doing) because he's not doing anything at all to stimulate his mind or his body because he only thinks about where his person is 24/7...FOR THE LAST 2-YEARS!!!

There is no way that them continuing to try to appease their U2 by constantly making sure she is with him after 2 years of doing it is at all healthy for this bird, not in any way!! Not physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, or behaviorally healthy for him! If they had only had him for a few months then this would be a different story, but even then you still need to start GRADUALLY teaching all parrots who have separation-anxiety at this level that they can be alone without their person and have fun entertaining themselves while they are away, and eventually get them to trust that their person is going to always come back, which is a lot of the reason they start to scream like this when they first bond to someone closely, especially a re-homed bird. So it's absolutely much, much healthier for them to start to teach him that he can feel secure, happy, and have fun by himself, and that his person is always going to come back to him, and it's okay if she isn't always with him 24/7.

 

[sunshine.within]

That’s still what I would be doing. Evidently what they are doing isn’t working so, in their shoes, I would do what I actually did. If nothing else, to see if it worked at least a little.


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[Betrisher]

My Corella screeches a lot and very loudly. Luckily, we're in a position where her screeching doesn't immediately affect anyone except us. We're gradually developing stainless steel eardrums, but it's still pretty awful when she's in full throat.

The thing is, Rosetta screeches most of all when she's lonely. Considering I adopted her to be my companion, I guess it's on me to be that to her as well. I spend as much time as I possibly can with my birds, but it's just not the same as them being in the midst of a permanent flock (which would be the natural thing for them to expect). I'm on the lookout for an opposite-gender companion for Rosetta so that she can at least have refuge in another member of her species.

My pair of Alexandrines rarely shrieks (except that Madge has discovered her voice will echo off a nearby roof, so she enjoys playing with that of an afternoon, much to my discomfiture! :22_yikes: ) Lots of people will tell you that keeping a pair of birds will lessen the bond with you. All I can say is that I've never found that to be the case and my paired birds are every bit as bonded to me as they are to each other. The sight of poor 'Setta running about her cage and busily occupying herself is sad. I think she deserves a birdie companion, so I hope I can find one fairly soon.

PS. 'Setta screamed a GREAT deal more when she was in her smaller cage. Now, she has a very large cage (2m x 2m x 1m) and thus has lots more room to run, fly, swing and climb. And keep busy in ways other than vocalising!