New Mother to 13 year old Umbrella Cockatoo named Angel

CherylsAngel

New member
Dec 12, 2010
10
0
Jax Florida
Parrots
13 year old Umbrella Cockatoo named Angel
Hi I am Cheryl from Jax Florida,, We just adopted Angel our 13 year old Umbrella Cockatoo for my husband's 50th Birthday...
We are both new to bird handling and have spent alot of time reading and trying to learn all we could before we got her. Well now that we have her we still have lots to learn.
So far we have had her since Friday it is now Sunday Morning. She is adjusting well.. My 3 year old Yorkie well now that is a different story.. She has shown some agression toward Angel so we are keeping them completely seperated for the time being. My yorkie tried to get in the cage the first night we got her (eeeek). The best solution thus far is to keep Angel in our bedroom until we can do more training with my Yorkie to accept her.. I hope the newness wears off and Krissy will do better..
My husband has had Angel out of her cage and introduced her to her new surroundings. She steps up well and has been very gentle so far.. Her talons are very long so we will schedule an appointment first thing Monday to get her feet trimmed and her beak filed and wings clipped..
Now for me I have handled Angel however I am still a bit reluctant to pick her up as I do not want her to sense my nervousness.. The problem is since I am the one home all day every day I am going to be the one working with her. So I have got to get over the nervousness. I am terrified she will bite my finger off or something. I am not afraid of her necessarily I am just worried I will do something wrong and she will bite me.. (I am a wimp when it comes to pain) So any advice as to how to get over this would be greatly appreciated.. Now my husband is not even the least bit afraid of her but he works so it is going to be up to me to handle her..
Then my next concern is how can I get her and my Yorkie ok enough with each other so I can move Angel to my living room where she will be able to interact with all of us?
Those I guess are my first concerns in getting adjusted to her. I am excited and love her so much already I am just a bit apprehensive.
Anyway thank you all for having us and I look forward to meeting everyone and learning all I can..
 

Spiritbird

Banned
Banned
Aug 20, 2009
5,749
Media
10
6
Welcome to our fantastic forum. You have done a wonderful thing to adopt a bird in need. Good that you researched first. You dog is a terrier and doing what terriers do. I think a gradual exposure to the new bird may help. If you keep them separate it will never be fixed. Of course you do not want to scare the bird either. Our companion birds have a unique ability to sense our feelings. If you have a fear of being bitten you just may receive one. For you it will be a gradual exposure also to overcome this fear. Learn what to look for in the birds body language that may indicate a bite coming. Learn what the birds favorite treats are and try to have one in hand. Spend time with the bird, not necessarily one on one but in the same room. Talk, sing or read books to the bird. Offer nice warm foods in the evening like oatmeal. These things will help the bird to trust you and you to trust the bird. Remember most of all to be patient and have fun.

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww15eii.htm

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/reading-your-parrots-body-language.html
 
Last edited:

greycloud

New member
Mar 21, 2010
1,034
1
Baltimore, MD
Parrots
Sammy-Umbrella Too-rescued,
Dexter-CAG-rehomed handicapped,
Sterling-CAG-rehomed retired breeder.
Sunshine-12 yo CAG-adopted
Welcome Cheryl! Congrats on Angel!
Umbrellas are a big bundle to handle for a first bird. It is great you are reading up on parrot ownership and that you came here. Owning a Too or any parrot is a guessing game everyday. Toos are a lot of bird with a big attitude. Yes, they can bite very hard, but they cannot bite your finger off. Due to the shape of their beak they can draw blood and do a lot of damage. I don't want to scare you, just being honest. That being said, my U2 has never bitten me, yet. You will need to learn to feel more comfortable around her. She can definitely sense your nervousness. Spend some time talking with her, praising here, feeding her treats for any positive behavior you see. You will need to learn to read her body language. Feathers fluffed softly over the face, crest down, is a happy relaxed bird. Crest up is a happy, excited bird. Crest up, wins lifted from body and feathers fluffed is a Too that is on alert, excited, and possible will become aggressive. When this occurs it is best to leave Angel alone. Never let her have access to the floor as this can cause aggression in some birds.
The vet appointment is great for nails and if you desire the clipping of wings. The beak should never have to be filed if she has plenty of wood and a pedi-perch to rub her beak on. If she has never had her wings clipped make sure you talk with you vet on how many they clip. No more then 5 and 7 at the very most.
Diet should consist of a very good pellet, fresh veggies, fruits, birdie bread, rice, human grade mixed nuts. U2s need lots of chewing toys and can go through wood in a very short time. They also like foot toys.
As far as your dog is concerned, remember that though yorkies are in the toy group they are really terriers. There is a natural instinct that you cannot remove. She can also be hurt badly by a U2. You will need to keep them separated but let the dog see Angel when she is out. She will be jealous also of the attention that the bird is getting, so it is important to reassure her that she came first and you love her. Give her treats while the bird is out and she is locked away. You will need to enforce the importance of the dog staying away from the cage. Praise her if she listens. Remember, that this dog is new to Angel too and she is feeling stressed that the dog is coming over to her cage. Angel deserves respect as well as the dog. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep them apart! No matter how much your trust either one, they are animals with definite instincts. One is a predator and one is prey, be very careful.
You will need to build a bond with Angel. As I said before, sit and talk with her, sing, read to her. Watch her behavior to you. If you feel uneasy about letting her out while hubs is at work, leave her in her cage for now and just work with her this way. Feed her treats through the bars. In time you will learn to understand her and you will trust each other and you can let her out. You may do better using a perch to have her step up to move her around, instead of your hand.
Above all, it is important to remember that you have only had her a couple days. Her true colors have not come to the surface. It may take weeks or months for that true personality to show. Be patient, give her love and keep reading and coming here!
 

TimL

New member
Oct 27, 2010
6
0
New York
Parrots
Hahns Macaw, Quaker, Parakeet, Finches
Hello Cheryl,
Welcome!
I am by no means an expert on parrots. However I would like to offer my experience so far.
2weeks ago I adopted an abused hahns macaw. He would step up, but always proceeded to bite me after he was on my hand. I recieved 3 good bloody bites. I learned that if I had a toy or treat in the other hand, when he went to bite me, I would use the treat/toy to redirect his attention. Like you, I was getting nervous about recieving a bite and knew he could sense it. The toy really helped! It calmed me and allowed him to relaxe as well. I also limited his time out of the cage to about 10 min, then gradually increased it. Now only 2 weeks later he is acutally preening me! And last night I had him on the floor, which he would never do. I got on the floor with him on my back and allowed him to crawl off when he was comfortable. of course I was laying on the floor playing with a toy, so I think the temptation was overwhelming for him.
The best I can offer is, like everyone says, take it slow. It really works. I am stunned how attached my little guy is getting to me. They are incredibly smart and learn our moods and personalities.
Good luck with your fid.
I would also like to thank everyone on this forum. I have read excellent advice and enjoyed all the stories. This forum encourages me everyday and also helps me realize that I do have the ability to be a good paront.
Tim

BTW, no bites in 4 days
 

Most Reactions

Latest posts

Top