New member

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this site and I'm looking for some affirmation about how I did the right thing in rescuing a U2. I've had him home now for about four weeks. He was underweight when I took him to the vet and he lost even more weight before he finally started gaining weight about a week ago. He's a wonderful bird but I'm wondering if he would be better off at a rescue place than with me. I work full time and on the weekends I do go out of the house. I get mixed signals on what I read about how much time I need to spend with him. I spend time with him in the mornings (he is out of the cage long enough for me to weigh him and pet him) and in the evenings he is out of his cage if he wants to be. He's ready to go to bed around 7:30 pm which doesn't leave us much time together. He has plenty of toys to play with (but prefers to just rattle the one clip I can't get off the side of his cage). His cage is 5' x 40" so I think it's big enough for him. He has a play stand. He loves to dance with me and stretch his wings when I stretch his arms. I am currently bird sitting my son's yellow-naped amazon, I have three cats (who run when the amazon starts screaming) and a dog.

I don't want to get rid of him but if I'm not spending enough time with him then I want to do what is best for him.

Some more information.
My U2s name is Dopey - and no I didn't name him. I have a hard time calling him Dopey but I can't seem to think of another name for him right now but several of us are working on it. (Sunny Boy - Sweet Pea - Happy Feet - Lover Boy.) He is between 8 and 9 years of age. Because of a divorce Dopey and his flock were given away to friends. Dopey was going to be given to a rescue but then I said that I would take him. He is really a sweet bird and cuddles with me. He nipped me on the first day but has not bit me since - even at the vets he didn't bite me.

Hi and welcome to the forum!

It's hard to say if Dopey would be fine with you, or if he'd do better at a rescue. If he's not a crazy cockatoo, then the rescue may adopt him out to the best potential home.


If you can, look into foraging activities and learn how to enrich his environment so he has something to do while you are away.

Hi MonicaMc -
Thank you for your reply. I have tried foraging things for him and he seems to get bored rather quickly. He gives up and tries again another day. His favorite activity on his play stand is to climb down and walk across the room to my leg and crawl up my leg and onto my tummy.

If he's not figuring out how to forage, then maybe the foraging is too complex for him right now. Try making foraging simple and easy to accomplish! Once he figures out how to forage easily, you can make things more and more complex!

Since I am trying to get him to gain weight I must admit I make food pretty accessible to him.

I see.


My bourke hen (she's 17-19 years old! about ancient for her species) felt underweight to me after some health complications (she was 44 grams in her youth, down to 35 grams - 20% drop in weight!). It didn't matter what I fed her, or in what quantities, she wouldn't put on weight! I even tried supplements! Didn't have any luck until I was using Red Palm Oil and Coconut Oil (not together!) on her Harrison's HP food.


For a cockatoo, you can do Harrison's High Potency, one of the oils, extra nuts, Harrison's Power Treats, Harrison's Pepper Lifetime.... of course, if he can fly, that's another good way to put on some weight. Muscle weighs more than fat and flight is healthy for them! Flying may also make him hungier because he's burning more calories, thus a higher demand for food.


I don't know what foraging toys you have for Dopey, but you may want to consider some of the types shown on this shop.

FORAGING TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE



Heck, something like this is easy! Still requires a little work, but achievable!


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfn4b5i0TQw"]Cookie Cockatoo & Baffle Cage Large Foraging Toy - YouTube[/ame]



Heck, you can even get a piece of untreated pine wood and drill some holes in it! Then fill the holes with Nutriberries and nuts! Easy and simple!


Someone else made a foraging toy using a loofah.

playstand007.jpg Photo by utahjo2 | Photobucket

Thank you so much for all of your information.
Dopey didn't come with too many toys that I have seen yet. I understand from my son that there are several bins in storage (from the previous owner) of toys. I try to buy one every two weeks. A couple of the new ones have places where I can bury some nuts and treats for him.

Dopey doesn't fly right now he prefers to crawl everywhere. His flight feathers are pretty thin. New feathers are coming in but it is a slow process.

Thank you for the list of Harrison's food. I will look those up today since I have to make a food order in the next day or two.

When you put the oil on the Harrison food did your hen start eating the food then? Dopey doesn't like the Harrison food.

My bourke hen was already eating Harrison's, so it was no big deal to add in the oil. She was first on the High Potency, then the Adult Lifetime, then back on the High Potency and when she still wasn't gaining weight, even with the other foods and supplements she was getting, I added RPO to her pellets. When that mixture ran out, she had gained a few grams so I tried the Coconut Oil next, and she put on even more weight. She's back on the HP without oil now that she's at what I think is a "good weight" for her, but I still have a lot of the HP covered CO pellets left!


You might try feeding larger or smaller sized pellets. Harrison's does have free samples you can try.

Wow - do you mean I can go to the Harrison's web site and order some samples? That would be awesome! I was thinking today that maybe I need to try smaller pellets and then gradually go to the bigger size.

I am really happy to see Dopey gaining weight and to see some nicer feathers coming in. I'd like him to gain about 15 - 15 more grams and then evaluate his weight. He's still not where he was when we left the vets three 1/2 weeks ago. Right now he is only eat Avi-cakes and apples, corn, or beans. He does eat a few sunflower seeds but it isn't every day. I know it sounds crazy but everyday I check his food to see what he is eating. I will be so glad to get him to primarily a pellet diet.

Try sprouts, too?


Harrison's should be willing to send free samples to anyone within the USA. If outside of the USA, it may require finding a supplier of Harrison's or an avian vet that sells Harrison's. A-vets do occasionally carry samples!


Doesn't hurt to ask where-ever you're at, though! Other companies may also give free samples or have a money back guarantee on their products.

I e-mailed to Harrison's and they are going to send me some samples. Thank you so much for your information.

Welcome and I'd have trouble calling him "Dopey", too! I read a post recently where someone changed a rescue's name from Rudy to Ruthie (for obvious reasons) keeping it similar so it was still recognizable to the birdie. Do you remember Dobie Gillis? : - )

No, I wouldn't have watched Dobie Gillis (my parents didn't watch those kind of shows). I have thought of calling him Opie (as in Opie Taylor on Mayberry RFD). But the name is now kind of sticking with me. Every morning I say good-bye to Dopey and it makes me smile. But keep the suggestions coming because nothing has made me change it yet.

Awesome! Maybe Dopey will be interested in a particular size?

If not, well, just might have to try changing the way you present the food!

I hope so. I know it's better for him to be on pellets. They arrived today fine and course. Hope this works.

It sounds like you are already getting attached to Dopey. My U2 was five and came to us with the name Popeye. We really wanted to change it, but he sings a funny little song and says his name constantly so we knew we had to keep it. One of the first foraging games he played was lunch bags with a treat inside with the top twisted between the bars of his cage. I would put new ones up for him every day. He's graduated to more sophisticated foraging now but he still likes the lunch bags.

I am comfortable saying Dopey but yesterday he got out of his cage while I was gone from home so now Houdini works for me .