any advice welcome

I just got a 7 yr old umbrella cockatoo and am not too experienced with them.. I fostered a molluccan many many years ago, but would welcome any and all advice you would have for me..

I have never heard not to touch a cockatoo all over their bodies, and My Lilly loves that and her former owner did that to her too.

I also keep hearing that U2s need a lot of interaction and socialization, but to be careful not to give her TOO MUCH attention in the first 6 months of her being with us.

How much attention is too much?
I try to take her out of her cage as much as I can, and try not to take her out when she is being loud (which is not much at all).

She LOVES to be on me, and being by me seems to not be enough. I dont mind her being on me at all, but is that a healthy thing?

Any advice would greatly help.

also, how do you post (or attach) pictures in your threads?

thanks

Hi, Don't know why no replies in a month but I have some advice. I also have a female U2 named Sophie. She loves to be on me as often as I let her...in the morning when I am putting on my makeup she sits on my shoulder and watches. She has never bitten me so she is allowed on my shoulder. She sometimes nips at my husband but other times wants him to pet her.

Anyway, the reason they say not to hold them too much in the first few months is because they will learn to expect that amount of time and if you ever get too busy to give the large amount of time to them they can feel abandoned and may be upset and act up. Don't worry if you have your bird on you for three hours a day (or whatever), if you know you will always have that amount of time for it. Mine sits on my lap or chest while I watch TV and loves to cuddle like a teddy bear.

The reason they say not to touch them all over their bodies is because they often think of their human in a sexual way if touched all over. My female likes to be rubbed all over her face, body, under the wings, etc. and yes sometimes she will sit there and cluck and if it annoys me enough I stop petting her for a while and just hold her. I really don't mind if my girl thinks of me as her mate. I figure that we keep them from having a real cockatoo mate so to make mine happy I let her think of me as her mate. In the wild these birds mate for like and form very strong bonds like people do. My Sophie is as sweet as can be and a good companion and a best friend to me (besides my husband), and I will be there for her to make her happy. She makes me very happy with all of the love she gives me.
Congratulations on getting your new friend! Lesley

thanks for your reply.. I guess replies dont come as easily for me, because I dont have a lot of time and dont come in this forum very often, so it's understandable. Now that I have had Lilly Pie for a little longer, I am much more familiar with her and know her little perks. I have gotten her a second cage and she sleeps in the living room, and is in my bedroom in her bigger cage with me or my husband during the day. she is out of her cage a lot, sometimes on the top, and sometimes with us. she is potty trained which means we dont have to worry about "poop". If she really needs to go and we forget to put her back in her cage, she will go to the side of the bed (if she is on the bed with us) and poop on the floor, which Im ok with it, better than on the bed, but she prefers to go back to her cage to poop, and will even try to go back by herself if I forget.

she is not noisy at all, which im surprised by, she will only make noises during dusk times, and only if she is left by herself.

the sexual thing I was asking is: when I am holding her, laying in bed watching TV, and petting her, if I put any pressure at all on any part of her body other than her head, she will "pant", like a dog or cat that is feeling hot. If that causes no problems for her, I dont mind it at all, but I would hate to be causing any future problems if I allow for this to happen.

thank you again, and until next time..