Hiding his face

[Siobhan]

Rocky is, as I've read many 'toos are, very affectionate and needy. He would sit on my arm and snuggle all day every day if I had that kind of time. Now that he's brave enough to climb off his cage and onto the couch with me, he prefers to sit on my body and he stuffs his face into my armpit or under my clothes and wiggles his tongue and moves his beak. It reminds me of a kitten or puppy wanting to nurse. So there he is, tail stuck in the air, head buried in me.

 

[Scott]

Aren't they such affectionate companions?! The challenge with a cockatoo is to foster sufficient independence that they also enjoy time with other birds or playing.

 

[Siobhan]

Oh, he also pretends to be a model parrot and will tear up his phone book or the toy that his daddy made for him out of 2x4 and rope. He's also a stinker who pretends he's going to chew on the front door (his cage is where he can reach it when it's open) until one of us says "No, Rocky" and then he goes back up to the top of his cage and tries to look innocent. I think he doesn't really intend to chew up the door, but just wants to know if we're paying attention to what he's doing.