Adopted a Goffin.... help!

Qckslvr

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Aug 2, 2020
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San Jose
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Sun Conure
My wife and adopted a Goffin, and it has not been as smooth as we hoped LOL


So a little back story. My has wanted a goffin for a while now, and when the opportunity to adopt one came up she could not resist. We are not ignorant to there temperaments. My wife and I did a lot of research, watch the videos of horror, and fun. Plus we ready many topics here on Goffins.



So the back story of our Goffin. He is supposedly 5 years old. He was a breeding bird, and his mate died from heat stroke in SoCal.



Now to our issues. He is afraid of people. He doesn't scream or anything, but if will get up to furthest corner of his cage from wherever you are standing. We have been working with him for a little bit. We started with him sitting a good 5 feet from him. We have been able to get up to 3 feet from him, after that he leaves his perch and climbs the cage. This is the wall we have seem to hit. We will talk with him, be very relaxed, and he will sit on his perch and look at us. We can tell when he is done talking as he will turn around and play with his toys. (He has a couple toys that we change out daily..... He LOVES foraging toys). He also loves apple slices, which he WILL take from our fingers (very cautiously of course) We love this aspect, but know he can't have apple slices every day. The other issue is a strange one.... He won't drink water. Not from a bowl, not from a sippy bottle, not from a bird bath in his cage. He doesn't look dehydrated as his poop is moist. We do feed him lots of vegetables, and he loves legumes. We make sure the legumes are soaked in water for some time. He also loves his organic pellets. Another thing we started is we have a radio with easy listening playing in the room. I am not sure if this is helping or making it worse for us LOL


Any help is appreciated. He is a gorgeous bird, and we have the patience to work with him. We are in this for the long run, but would love to do this in a manner that is educational and not traumatic for the poor guy.


BTW my wife named him John Snow .... this may not be the best thing.
 

wrench13

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How long have you had Jon Snow? It can take days/weeks/months and even years for a parrot to "join the flock", especially if he was a breeding bird in his prior life.

Big thing to remember: Always proceed at the parrots pace, and not the pace of your expectations. We have some extremely competent Cockatoo folks here who will no doubt chime in, but please keep that in mind.

THe fact he takes apple slices from your hands is encouraging, as one of the best ways to 'tame' parrots is thru their bellies - Bribes! Try to find something he loves as much as apples, but that can be given every time you pass his cage - every time. I use slices of pine nuts for my little Amazon Salty; he would plow the back 40 for one!
 

Laurasea

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Aug 2, 2018
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Welcome home John Snow! ( i love the name)

My new baby quaker doesn't have tge extreme background as yours. But I'm trying to build layers of positive association. When he does anything that is positive to him, I try and associate myself. So when he eats I say good birdie, when he plays I say good birdie, or if he takes a bath, or takes a treat, or takes a step towards me....if something spooks him, as soon as I see him relax I say good birdie...

I'm also doing target training. Whats so great about that is they are moving toward you, the brain moving toward you is positive.

The dog whisper does that sort of stuff too.. if you have watched....he waits till tgey relax before moving away.

I also have an article i like on stress in parrots you might like
https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/stress-reduction-for-parrot-companions/
 

Scott

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Aug 21, 2010
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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome John Snow! Assume he was named after the pioneering physician? BBC - History - Historic Figures: John Snow (1813 - 1858)

You are making progress but seem to plateau at three feet - any closer and might be within grabbing distance. He's clearly conflicted whether to fully trust, though accepting food is good sign. Might experiment expanding treat acceptance with bits of almond, walnut, millet, bits of whole-grain bread, cooked whole wheat/veggie pasta such as spiral noodles, small balls of room temperature cooked oatmeal, etc. Excellent bonding/building trust advice here: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Certainly possible for an untamed Goffin to become companion. I have a pair of wild caught breeder Goffins that were separated after roughly 23 years due to male aggression. The female displayed strong interest in people and become almost as tame as her hand-fed offspring. The male wasn't as interested but I feel could have progressed well had he not been interested in my female Citron. They've bonded but no nest box to avoid hybrid babies!

John Snow is young and couldn't have had many breeding seasons. I'd encourage you to work diligently and find special treats as gateway for trust. Birds tend to not drink a lot of water, chances are he's consuming when you aren't watching. Does his bowl remain pristine or are there telltale signs of food contamination?
 

Inger

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The only thing i have to offer is that I have had my bird for about 3.5 years and I have seen her drink from her bowl ONCE. Obviously she drinks when I’m not looking! She will drink from the tap and from the little fountain I bought her, but the cup is super secret drinking only. So as long as John isn’t getting dehydrated (and good work checking his poop!), you can probably set this worry aside. Oh and when he starts eating veggies, they have a high water content as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

micah18mb

New member
Oct 28, 2020
3
0
myrtle beach
Parrots
one Goffins Cockatoo
My wife and adopted a Goffin, and it has not been as smooth as we hoped LOL


So a little back story. My has wanted a goffin for a while now, and when the opportunity to adopt one came up she could not resist. We are not ignorant to there temperaments. My wife and I did a lot of research, watch the videos of horror, and fun. Plus we ready many topics here on Goffins.



So the back story of our Goffin. He is supposedly 5 years old. He was a breeding bird, and his mate died from heat stroke in SoCal.



Now to our issues. He is afraid of people. He doesn't scream or anything, but if will get up to furthest corner of his cage from wherever you are standing. We have been working with him for a little bit. We started with him sitting a good 5 feet from him. We have been able to get up to 3 feet from him, after that he leaves his perch and climbs the cage. This is the wall we have seem to hit. We will talk with him, be very relaxed, and he will sit on his perch and look at us. We can tell when he is done talking as he will turn around and play with his toys. (He has a couple toys that we change out daily..... He LOVES foraging toys). He also loves apple slices, which he WILL take from our fingers (very cautiously of course) We love this aspect, but know he can't have apple slices every day. The other issue is a strange one.... He won't drink water. Not from a bowl, not from a sippy bottle, not from a bird bath in his cage. He doesn't look dehydrated as his poop is moist. We do feed him lots of vegetables, and he loves legumes. We make sure the legumes are soaked in water for some time. He also loves his organic pellets. Another thing we started is we have a radio with easy listening playing in the room. I am not sure if this is helping or making it worse for us LOL


Any help is appreciated. He is a gorgeous bird, and we have the patience to work with him. We are in this for the long run, but would love to do this in a manner that is educational and not traumatic for the poor guy.


BTW my wife named him John Snow .... this may not be the best thing.
hey idk now much with the eating but i adopped a goffin in aug. i went threw the same wierd behavor. i just keep working with him/she slowly now rocky is open to coming to me rocky still clings to his cage but will finally perch around the house.. toys still scar rocky but he/she loves newspaper. i did the music to he/he seams to like it.. idk if this helps but i'm glad to see someone else has been dealing with the birds akwardness. if you find any new tips that work please let me know im new to the group.
 

plumsmum2005

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Nov 18, 2015
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Hi hun I adopted a G2, female a couple of years ago and she didn't seem to drink either. We had a hot summer that year and she looked to be flagging somewhat so I offered water on a teaspoon and she took it. I always made sure there was fresh water in her cage in the same place everyday regardless. You may not see them drink but if they know where it is there is strong poss that they do this as your back is turned. I didn't see mine drink for a good while. If apple is so favoured then you could use this as training treats hun. As long as it has been washed and the main daily diet is veggies/sprouts/pellets with a small percentage as fruit then the apple will not hurt.

I would not swap the toys, I have had toys in a cage for a year before it is played with. I only replace when needed. It can take a bit to find what floats their boat and my G2 loves the wicker pineapples and carefully deconstructs it. (she apparently didn't like toys before ???) She does like to juggle things though, first I've seen of a juggling parrot.


So he's five y/o seems young to be a breeding bird? Always take any stories you have been told with buckets of salt!

To help him you may have to find a nice spot in your room, usually a corner that gives a good view but some comfort too. I have a damaged, really frightened Galah with me atm and he prefers his cage partially covered ie the back, would this help? My girls love the radio and good old Radio 2 is the favourite here in the UK LOL. Try diff stations, music choices and volume levels.



Hope I have been able to give some help hun and wish you luck and happiness with your new boy! Remember it is always two steps forward and one step back with all parrots! :)
 
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Betrisher

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Jun 3, 2013
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Dominic: Galah(RIP: 1981-2018); The Lovies: Four Blue Masked Lovebirds; Barney and Madge (The Beaks): Alexandrines; Miss Rosetta Stone: Little Corella
Have you tried offering sunflower seed, either from your hand or on a long stick?

Most birds love it and will do a lot to get it. Of course, being such a fatty seed, it's not recommended as part of the ongoing diet, but it can be used sparingly as a treat and might have the power to unlock your birdie's shyness. The other (usually) magic treat is peanuts or peanut butter. My Alexandrines just adore licking a thin smear of PB from my finger and they clamour to get it when it's on offer.

A useful alternative would be natural grass seeds (do you have access to grass?). You can either scout for seed heads in your local area or maybe grow a tray/pot of wheat or barley for the purpose. Or, you can purchase sprays of millet from a pet shop. Any long plant-based (and safe) material can be used to bridge the gap between you and your bird.

One thing you might try is sitting just outside John Snow's comfort zone and reading to him. Or singing. Or reciting poetry. Watch carefully but don't stare. As soon as he relaxes, move a little bit closer. Working your way to being able to interact through the cage can take a long time, so saintly patience might be needed. Persevere, though! Your bird *needs* interaction and it will be good for him to learn to relax and bond with you.

Do stay in touch and keep asking questions. :)
 

mica21493

Active member
Dec 12, 2019
138
47
Eastern Pennsylvania
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I second the singing! It's how Little Bird and I bonded and I still sing to her every day. And she dances!! I love it, lol. She is 10-12 years old and I adopted her in December.
 

noodles123

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Jul 11, 2018
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
My cockatoo hates sticks (but that may be rooted in trauma-- not sure...just know her reaction)-- so just read your bird on that one...Anything stick-like near her and she freaks out unless she knows the routine and is give a long time to adjust (sweeping took months...a baguette sent her into a tailspin). New perches were a nightmare for years...

singing (even badly)= a win for most toos. Try playing a variety of music and see what sort of reaction you get. MINE LLLLLOOOOVVVESSSS early 1900s opera (specifically on records). I recently discovered that she also loves "Landslide"...on top of that, she is very into kids music too.."Herman the Worm, by the Learning Station" lol

try to build trust and not push the bird to the point of showing nervous behavior.

ABA is huge and works-- google applied behavior analysis parrots etc... it's used with children, apes and parrots mostly.

How long have you had him (sorry if I missed it). Mine was not a breeder and took 3 months to step up (U2) even though she knew how. She was traumatized by the transition and I am her 4th home. She is 14 I think? I don't think I fully had her trust for a long time--3 m she stepped up, but I feel like I KNEW her around a year...like, really knew her..
 
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gibson2503

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Jul 11, 2013
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Apollo (8 years old Sunday conure), and Ari (7 years old jenday conure) and Cosmo 9 years old goffins cockatoo). All DNA tested females.
In July 2015, we got a G2 named Cosmo from a family two hours drive away. The wife of the family told me the bird was 4 and 1/2 years old at the time and that they got her as a baby. Something about the whole situation with the lady and the bird seemed a little off, like maybe she is the one who didn’t want the bird around anymore. We got the bird home found that she would come to both me and my wife, very cautiously. She was a bit aggressive/afraid when she was with my wife but not with me. She bit my wife a lot at first. Maybe she was afraid of women because of the lady we got her from? Anyway, we gave her lots of time, love, space when she wanted it. She gradually came to really love my wife as well as me.

Give your G2 the time and space he wants. Our experience is that they will come around.
 

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