Help! Adopted Male Cockatoo and seems it might have been a huge mistake

[NeverBroken]

He was chewing on the wood paneling so I went over and tried to redirect him to a toy that I was going to fasten on the top of his cage (outside though, he has toys inside and he is out now). Well he proceeded to climb the cage very quickly in what seemed to be an aggressive movement. He came to the top and I am pretty sure he was trying to bite me but I swung the toy in front of him so he got that instead. Did kind of a 'oh, hey, a toy', gave some brief exploratory nibbles on it, then went to go around it towards me again. I stepped back a bit, tried to interest him in the toy, and he flew at my head/face (hard to tell if he was aiming for my face or wanted to be on my head- I'm supposing the former).

This is the second time he has done this, the first time I wasn't sure what his intention was, but this time seemed more aggressive to me. I ducked and he just skimmed my head and landed a few feet away on my dogs crate, then climbed down quickly and started stalking around on the floor. I got out of his way in case he came after my toes or something, he stalked around a bit then climbed back up and into his cage and drank some water. He has now climbed back on top of his cage.

I am trying to be calm and peaceful with him, read him and figure out what he wants. I do realize he is scared, but I guess I'm still kind of worried... what if he's always like this? I don't want to be bitten or attacked, and that feeling is going to make it harder for me to remain calm with him.

I've been reading more and although I am finding helpful information to use with him once his fear lets down a bit, I also keep reading stories that lead me to believe that males are just always unpredictable and possibly aggressive. Many are saying they'd never get a male, or only after he was sexually mature. I'm unfortunately still wondering if I bit off more then I can chew. Would a female be much different?

 

[SandyBee]

Hmmm, not sure about cockatoos or the female question.
But if the bird will fly to attack then you may have to clip his wings.

 

[MonicaMc]

You may not like this suggestion, but if he is in fact acting aggressively and flying to attack (not flying to enjoy interaction), then my suggestion would be to lock him up in his cage! I know, this sounds cruel, but it would only be a temporary thing! I also find it cruel to clip their wings, but clipping their wings doesn't stop a bird from attacking you, it just impedes their ability. If you clip his wings, you may be preventing him from attacking your face, but he may learn to run across the floor to attack your feet. In short, I don't see clipping as a good way to approach this behavior.

In other words, parrots don't bite or attack people because they are flighted! So clipping a parrot is not going to stop them from biting or attacking you! It may calm them down, it may not, but clipping in itself is not the answer.

When he's inside the cage, start working on target training him! Target him to different areas inside the cage and reward him. Keep this behavior up until he has learned it well! Once he understands how to target, you can then work on targeting outside of the cage.


Here's a couple other blog articles from Lara Joseph that you may enjoy reading.

A ?Bird Attacking? Question | Lara Joseph
A Question About an Issue with Nipping | Lara Joseph

 

[NeverBroken]

Thanks Monica, and don't worry about me not liking a suggestion lol. If he belongs in his cage then that is where he will go. He's been sitting on top of his cage for awhile now being quiet, so I've left him be. My dog did just bark and he gave a little squeak a minute later, to which I just said 'Hey buddy' in a sweet voice from my spot in the adjoining room. He hasn't peeped since.

I'm reading the links you gave me now- thanks!

 

[MonicaMc]

I often suggest things that other people don't like nor agree with! I don't go out of my way to disagree, but well.... it just happens that way! lol

I haven't had to deal with a parrot that goes out of their way to attack, but if I had one, that would be what I'd do! I don't like the idea of parrots being stuck in cages, but you have to remember, it's only a temporary thing!



I am curious about the cage top though.... I worry that open top cages could be dangerous to birds, and I'd rather those things be kept permanently closed with locks unless there is a way to keep them open to the point that they can't be moved - even if there is a perch to prop them open with, I still don't feel comfortable with that as the only thing keeping them open.... is it an open top cage or is it a cage with a "veranda" at the top but on the side?

 

[riaria]

Not all males are like that - our male Ducorps is quite lovely I've read a lot of negative stuff about male cockatoos, and I'm sure they are, as a generalisation, more challenging than females. But, there are plenty of challenging females, so it's all very individual and you can't know what an individual is like based one gender, you have to get to know them. The larger cockatoos tend to be more challenging, I think. And, of course, they're bigger so can cause more damage.

It is also impossible to judge what a parrot is like from such a short time with them. Give it time, see how it goes, don't panic yet. It's an incredibly stressful thing for a parrot, to leave the flock and the familiar environment, and to be cast into an unfamiliar situation. Just like you don't know him, he doesn't know you.

I've found that cockatoos often tend to go from one extreme to another; from sweet and cuddly to excited and playful to calm, in no time at all. I've not much experience with birds that fly to attack, but in general, the best way to avoid getting bit is to avoid the situations that lead to bites. So watch his body language, and keep fingers away if he seems excited, regardless of if it's a positive excitement or not.

If you can, try to train him to step up onto a handheld perch, or onto a towel (if you wrap a towel around your hand, it'll protect you from his beak. That way, you can avoid situations that may lead to bites (such as being asked to step up onto a hand).

Our Io was allegedly never really handled before he came to us, and he still won't step up (or rather, he'll step up but strongly dislikes being carried). So, instead he flies to where we ask him to - an excellent way of getting him from room to room, and he'll go in and out of his cage when asked. He's very social and very very cuddly - all in all an amazing little guy!

So, don't give up just yet

Edited to add that Io is most likely past puberty at 8 years old

 

[brianlinkles]

I don't agree at all with Brianlinkles. Stating that all rehomed birds bring baggage is not accurate. Not all of them do. Only the ones that were owned by people who bought them as babies and did not do what they were supposed to do which tells us that buying a baby is not a guarantee of anything. People mess up birds and people unmess them up.

Your bird doesn't sound like a messed up bird to me, it sounds like a very scared bird which saw his familiar world disappear. All my birds came from somewhere or somebody else, a few were treated right but most were not but I treat them all the same at the beginning. One thing I do is never take them out of their cage or put them back in it. For one thing, I don't even open the cage door for the first few days and, when I do I let them come out and back in on their own until the bird has gotten used to me and begins to trust me. Parrots live their entire lives with their family (their flock) and are very leery of strangers so, when you adopt a bird, you are a stranger to him and he will feel extremely threatened by your interaction (and no, all the time you spent with the bird prior bringing him to your home doesn't really count -you were just a visitor to his territory and now he is in yours, a big difference!).

The other thing I do is keep everything as near to what they are used to as possible so I don't move anything in their cage, I feed them the same stuff they were eating and follow the same schedules (this I tweak a bit because I never allow a bird to be exposed to artificial light before sunrise or after sunset as most behavioral problems are usually hormone-related and you can't solve them unless their endocrine system goes back to been in tune with the seasons).

Now, I adopted a 20 or 21 year old Lesser Sulfur male on 8/5 and he is already feeling like he belongs to the point that I started bringing him into the birdroom with me in the mornings so he can start getting used to living there in the future. He steps up, eats his new diet like a champion, kisses me and dances for me like if he had always been here BUT I took it very slowly with him and only took things a small step further only when I saw that he was willing and able to do it. Unfortunately, this is something that you learn with experience so you are going to have to go very slowly and observe/study him a lot as well as do a lot of research on body language so you can learn when to hold them, when to fold them, when to walk away and when to run, as the song goes.

When did I ever say that all rehomed birds bring baggage? I sat here deciding whether or not to respond to this comment but here I am. Parjita, read my comment again, I said "You never know what kind of baggage some rehomed birds bring" I stand by this statement. This is why it is so vital to take everything slow with birds that we rehome. We must find out what sets them off, what they are comfortable with, what they are curious about etc. This is a thread about helping someone with a bird that is scared and acting out not a thread about pointing fingers and "winning" an argument.

 

[NeverBroken]

Monica- the cage is curved on top and it opens on the middle, so both sides come up- like a draw bridge basically. I was told he has not been able to open it yet because he doesn't have the proper leverage, but we will keep an eye on it of course. He can open the front of his cage and there is a lock on that one. I understand what you are saying about having it open, it could easily fall on him or hurt him if he jumped on it and it swung down, so I have been holding it in place as he gets in or out, then closing it while he's out but leaving the front part open so he can go in and out at will. I DO believe this cage is too small for him, but after paying for him, I have to wait a few weeks to have money for a bigger cage- but that is definitely on the horizon!


Riaria- thank you for your advice, I am definitely trying to learn as much about body language as I can, and earlier he crouched at the top of his cage and I stepped back and to the side anticipating him flying at my head again, and he changed his mind it seemed. I have been trying to avoid eye contact as had been mentioned by someone else, as well. I will try the towel to get him to step up, that is a good idea.

 

[SandyBee]

You may not like this suggestion, but if he is in fact acting aggressively and flying to attack (not flying to enjoy interaction), then my suggestion would be to lock him up in his cage! I know, this sounds cruel, but it would only be a temporary thing! I also find it cruel to clip their wings, but clipping their wings doesn't stop a bird from attacking you, it just impedes their ability. If you clip his wings, you may be preventing him from attacking your face, but he may learn to run across the floor to attack your feet. In short, I don't see clipping as a good way to approach this behavior.

In other words, parrots don't bite or attack people because they are flighted! So clipping a parrot is not going to stop them from biting or attacking you! It may calm them down, it may not, but clipping in itself is not the answer.


When he's inside the cage, start working on target training him! Target him to different areas inside the cage and reward him. Keep this behavior up until he has learned it well! Once he understands how to target, you can then work on targeting outside of the cage.


Here's a couple other blog articles from Lara Joseph that you may enjoy reading.

A ?Bird Attacking? Question | Lara Joseph
A Question About an Issue with Nipping | Lara Joseph

I mostly agree too, I hate clipping wings. I also would try and work with the bird first including cage time outs. But safety of the bird and the parront also needs to be considered and for me it would be a last resort.

 

[NeverBroken]

Thanks Sandy. So as to the cage time outs, I've seen a few things written about not punishing them, does this not fall under punishment? Is it something that could just anger them further?

 

[SandyBee]

I have an amazon that has started flying at my hubby, I'm not sure exactly his intention as of yet because when he flies to me he does so to land on my shoulder and with hubby it seems he's trying to chase him away.

What I am trying to do is cage my guy before the attacks happen by watching body language. When I am not successful with that I will cage him after the fact. I don't yell or scream or punish becaus eit is not effective. I say in a stern voice and evil eye that was not nice and he gets a time out. Birds do learn cause and effect.

Use positive re enforcement when he does things you like, eg you walk by cage he doesn't fly at you, give praise and treat.

I have never had a cockatoo so hopefully some owners can help with additional techniques.

 

[NeverBroken]

Thanks Sandy, that explains it some more

 

[SandyBee]

Also I have a cage that opens on the top, I simply don't use it and keep it locked.
I have a playstand right by my amazon's cage that he can go play on. It is on wheels and when we fiirst got him that is how I got him to go to other parts of the house with me because he wouldnt step up.

 

[NeverBroken]

So when I started looking a week ago I had contacted a few people with cockatoo's available for adoption, and I just heard back from another one who has a female that she says has never bitten, goes to anyone, (insert all good things here) etc. I have to admit that with the possibility of a biting attack bird on my hands I'm thinking about whether I should return him and go with the female. I know this sounds horrible... it feels horrible too But I really don't think I could handle an aggressive bird. Reading more on males I see how often they bond to the female owner and attack the husband, or anyone else. My husband has no bird experience and I really don't want to have that situation on our hands.

In all honesty we actually were kind of rushed into this adoption by the owners- I went to see the bird and was there for an hour, all was well as I mentioned in the OP, and I planned on discussing it with hubby and calling the lady the next day. Then she called me an hour later saying they had a family emergency that they had to attend to and had to leave town- would I be able to come get the bird that night? So I agreed and went down and got him last night, and here we are. I know that seems a bit suspicious but she had mentioned the family issue they were having while I was there as was relevant to a conversation we were having, so I wasn't shocked when the situation escalated, and hoped it was just a coincidence, not someone trying to get rid of the bird quickly. It still may have just been a coincidence, but it did rush me into making that quick decision that I'm just not sure of anymore.

*sigh* I just want the bird and our family to be happy. I know it's an adjustment, I know he's scared- but with him attacking me while I feel I'm doing everything correctly I'm just really worried I made a bad decision by agreeing to rush into it without having met other birds or learned more about the possibilities and differences between males and females. And now with a female who supposedly has never bitten and loves everyone being offered to me... I mean, that's the kind of bird I want. I want to give this bird the chance but all I'm reading seems to say there is a good chance he will never be like that.....

Please don't misunderstand me, I am willing to put in the work that a Too needs, I know they are loud, and destroy things, and can be fickle- I can work with all of that. It's just the biting and aggression that are really worrying me. It's already shaken my confidence with this guy, and I'm just so afraid it will get worse.

 

[riaria]

While I hate seeing parrots passed from home to home, there is nothing good that comes from forcing yourself to keep an individual that you don't like. His behaviour WILL most likely improve, but there are no guarantees, and if you feel like you do not want him, then finding him another home is in both your best interests, in my opinion. Yes, you can work on improving the situation. But, it takes a lot of energy and you need to want to do it. In short, it's in every parrot's best interests to be with a flock that accepts them and enjoys their company. It does sound like the previous family might not take him back though, so you might need to find a suitable home yourself if they won't.

But, I need to say this: if what they've said about this female is true (and people who want to get rid of a parrot rarely tell you the negatives and tend to exaggerate the positives), there are absolutely no guarantees that she will behave in the same way when at yours. I'm not sure a cockatoo (or any medium to large parrot) is the right choice for you if you feel that you are not able to cope with that. Everyone has limits, and I imagine that severe aggression can be incredibly difficult to cope with - not to mention that it's difficult to know how you'd react until faced with it. But, the fact remains that with any parrot, and especially perhaps with a cockatoo, you will most likely get bit. Parrots that never ever bite are incredibly rare. And if you get a parrot on the condition that it will never bite and show aggression... I'm not sure that's fair on the parrot. And the larger the parrot, the more physical damage can they inflict. A bite from a small conure hurts something fierce, but they're unlikely to bite down to the bone or break your finger.

I've not yet been bit by Io - but that's mainly because I know when not to push him; I have (so far) successfully avoided such situations by continuously observing his body language. Of course, he's a pretty chilled out dude and not actually aggressive unless pushed, so he's easy to get along with (if he likes you). I guess what I'm saying is that he's lovely, but there's still a high risk of bites, if that makes sense. You need to let the parrot guide your interactions.

Of course, everyone has a different definition of getting bit: is it a bite when it breaks the skin, does a quick nip count as a bite, etc.

Just something to consider.

 

[riaria]

Oh, and also, male parrots only bonding to females and vice versa is a complete myth! It had nothing to do with gender and everything to do with the individual parrot (and, especially, it's previous experiences with people).

 

[Mare Miller]

I'm not sure if anyone's brought this up but to me, it sounds like he is acting cage aggressive. I have a female Goffin's 'too that use to fly at me, aggressively, when I got to close to her cage. I've had her a bit over a year now and she isn't AS bad but will let me know when she doesn't want me near her cage.

I also own a large, male umbrella 'too. In my experience with my toos, they will generally bond with one person. Sassy Goffin's girl chose my husband and Amigo, the U2, chose me. A large aggressive male cockatoo is very scary to be around. I'm the only one who can handle him. He has done some pretty nasty flying attacks on some of the men in my life. Amigo has been with us over 5 yrs now, he's 14yrs. old. He's an amazing bird and I wouldn't give him up for the world...now. I didn't know anything about parrot forums, nor computers, as far as that goes, when Amigo came to us. It was all trial and error.

My best advice would be, learn to read your bird. If you can stick it out with this bird and really learn to know him, it's not easy nor quick, the rewards can be tremendous.

 

[MonicaMc]

Sandy - you say safety of the bird and owner... I agree, which is why I recommended keeping the 'too in his cage and training from inside the cage! (well, human on the outside!) This way, the human can avoid attacks from the bird while still training the bird!

NeverBroken - I have heard of one B&G macaw that managed to open the top of the cage from the inside. Sadly, he got stuck... and it was a gruesome site for his owner to come home to. Before I heard this story, I kept wishing to never hear it! I had hoped to never hear it and even then I didn't like the open top cages! And then I heard that story... the grief, the guilt, the pain... cages are *supposed* to be safe for our feathered companions, but there are so many hidden dangers that we may not even think about!

Thinking about cockatoos escaping reminds me of the following video....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLC0BRIDeK0]Great Escape -Cockatoo Escapes From Inside the Cage - YouTube[/ame]


Just be cautious, and hopefully you can get him a brand new cage soon! Maybe having a larger cage might help him?


The main thing is to never physically punish a bird. Other types of punishment may or may not be effective because birds don't always understand *why* they are being "punished" in the first place! Some birds are smart enough to understand, others they wont.


It's also hard to judge if this too will be a good fit in your home or not right now. It can take months for a parrot to settle in! And months to get to know them, their behaviors and mannerisms, etc. Having two cockatoos is probably out of the question! LOL

Only you can judge whether or not he is good for your home, and if you deem that he would do better in a home with someone that has more experience with cockatoos, then so be it! I know it makes you look bad and feel bad, but you need to do what is in the bird's best interests!

I've been given several small parrots (budgies, grass keets, cockatiels...) and I've rehomed some - for different reasons. I do feel bad rehoming them, but I wasn't interested in having a lot of birds (it just happened! and I couldn't say no...) and I felt that certain birds would do better in a different kind of situation, or maybe I rehomed them for their safety (re: budgie who decided she liked my mitred conure and kept getting into his cage and he hated her! hilarious to watch a bird 9x bigger than a budgie chasing said budgie around the cage - but not good if he got a hold of her!).

I used to think that I'd be happy with just two conures and two cockatiels. At one time, I ended up with around 15 birds! (I currently have 7, and am interested in no more!) I am not a rescue, but people knew I had birds, so they gave me birds... had 4 dropped off at my front door, another 2 dropped off at a friends house... and most of the ones that I rehomed I feel went into great places! The second cockatiel for example, I had him for 6 months before rehoming him, and he went into an aviary situation with other cockatiels. He was an older bird, not a pet, and used to being with a mate until she died. My first cockatiel wasn't interested in him as a mate, and my first conure, which was buddies with my first tiel, didn't like him... so he went into a situation where he could pair up with a female and be safe from a larger parrot! He's actually the one I miss the most because he had the most gorgeous voice! I have yet to hear of another male that can sing like him.



I can't tell you to keep your cockatoo, but I won't say it's best to rehome him! That is for you to decide, and you alone. I would suggest waiting a few weeks at least if you are thinking to give him back or find someone else, but I don't know what the situation is with the other cockatoo, either.

 

[NeverBroken]

Thank you all, I was afraid I would be condemned for just voicing the thought. My dogs and cats are rescues, and I worked at a no-kill animal shelter once and was a dog adoption counselor, so I know how hard it is on the animals to be adopted and sent back- and I never want to be that person. My thinking is I just want to see Buddy in the right home, and have the right bird in our home. As for trying to work it out a bit more, my thoughts are more along the lines of if these people who gave him to me are going to need to re-home him again, wouldn't it be better for him to go back to them now then a few weeks down the road, then get settled with them, then re-homed again... *sigh*

Well we went to meet the other bird, brought hubby with me this time, he hadn't met the last one til we picked him up since it was rushed by the family who had him, and the current bird wants nothing to do with him, acts very afraid. The female we went to see absolutely loved him, the lady who owns him says that she is the same with her husband, but still extremely friendly with the wife and everyone who comes through the house. It is an extended family living there with a mother in law and 4 kids and the bird was totally calm and friendly. She came willingly to both myself and my husband, up on our shoulders dancing and singing, and cuddling up against us. It was just a joy to see and just felt *right*. She comes with a bigger more appropriate sized cage and we're told likes toys but does not need them to be content- she is happy just to hang out on top of her cage (There's a play bar up there) most of the time when she's not interacting with the family.

When I met Buddy yesterday, he was sweet, but definitely not showing the same kind of affection and willingness to be with people as this little girl is. I can see a marked difference in personalities that I just wasn't educated/experienced enough to see yesterday with Buddy. We also have a bit of a hectic household at times with the dogs, and this new bird is in a house with small children running around, older children with friends over, and she is in the main traffic area, so I'm thinking noises and running around in our house should not effect her as much as they may be doing to Buddy as well.

I do though understand and appreciate what was mentioned above, that just because she acts that way there, doesn't mean she'll be exactly the same with us- but I think just knowing she is able to be like that is about the closest we can get to knowing that she could be the right fit... otherwise there's just no way to know. She has never bitten they said, although she does nip beauty marks/moles, and she did on me while I was there- just a little pinch on my neck but you could totally tell it was not aggressive in the least, just a bird picking at something as they do. And as far as that goes, a pinch is no problem with me- a bite on my face or broken finger that needs an emergency room visit is another story.

So it looks like Buddy just does not belong with us- he needs someone more experienced who is not afraid of the possibility of bites and aggression, and who is willing to love him despite it. I just have too much of a fear reaction to those possibilities. I do feel though that I'm going into the adoption of this new bird with SO much more information about Too's and feel I can weather any adjustment issues we have with her. If I start seeing the same behavior with her, then I will stick it out and see it through as I know that she can absolutely be an incredible bird, that the failure is on my end, and I will do everything I need to do to be the best owner for her.

ETA- in the meantime I will definitely secure the top of his cage- I would be devastated to have something happen to him like the story mentioned above- how horrible! Thank you for that advice!

 

[BillsBirds]

Having rescued, rehabilitated, and rehomed many, many birds of all kinds for 45 years, I have learned that there are 2 dynamics involved. First, almost everyone lies (or at least exaggerates) about why they are giving up the bird & it's behavior. Secondly, these are very sensitive & emotional creatures. Changing their flocks (including humans), surroundings and homes has a very disrupting effect on them. So, they behave differently in each situation. Most are very scared. But, a few have been relieved and accepting of a better life. Since you are so nervous about this bird, he'll pick up on that, and be nervous himself. Not knowing why, but, reacting to your emotions, plus the changes. Especially with 'toos, if you are not a confident flock leader, they have nobody to trust and guide them. Only you can know the answers you seek, and only you can make these decisions. As you've said, you did not do enough research, and were rushed into this situation. Please do not get another bird right away, even if you do rehome him. There is a lot to learn and consider. Parrots are not a pastime, they are a lifetime. Good luck with your decision.
You were writing the above as I was writing this. I hope things work out.