Allee
Well-known member
....is often just crazy! Poppy has been a brown eyed hormonal monster for weeks now. I exhausted all means of keeping the peace weeks ago, my last resort is always covering her cage, I hate to do that, but I have, several times. We all know there is no magic to lower the hormone levels but some tricks do have positive results. For Poppy, it's changing things up a bit, diet, more sleep, and above all a cage makeover and new toys. I took her beloved swing (I was desperate) and replaced it with a hanging woodpile, she went after it, most of the toy is now bare chain where the blocks once were. My mom donated a phone book, Poppy loved that too. My migraines were starting to subside.
I can't blame hormones for all of Poppy's nonsense, I'm sure a lot of her bratty nature is simply due to being a Too. She's also lovable and funny and easily forgiven for naughty behavior, she knows this. Maybe all the wood-chipping and paper shredding she's done lately has effected her appetite, she's notoriously picky about food, but lately she's been ravenous. She's actually eating a lot of her food rather than decorating her cage with it, that's a pleasant change. This is also new for her, Poppy doesn't talk very well or very often other than cockatoo gibberish, occasionally though, she will clearly repeat something she's heard recently. When she does, I usually realize it's something I've said to her several times.
Last night I gave Poppy her treat, sang her bedtime song with her and covered her cage. She climbed down below the cage cover and screamed loudly enough to wake her wild relatives (we are in Texas). I stomped over to her cage and in a stern voice ordered her to climb back up to her perch and go to sleep, she was hanging on the side of her cage, she bounced at me a couple of times and said clearly, "you started it!" I'm still laughing at my clever girl, that's exactly what I tell her when I cover her cage for a time out for screaming. "You started it!" Proof, dealing with hormonal cockatoos may rapidly reduce your I.Q. Should I mention it's always pointless to argue with a Too, you can't win.
More proof that Toos cause a loss of brain power, the first woodpile was a major success, I ordered a similar one only this one came with three huge cowbells. I started to remove them before I gave her the toy but that seemed a little mean spirited. After she climbed to her perch as ordered, we were treated to a symphony of clanging bells.
I can't blame hormones for all of Poppy's nonsense, I'm sure a lot of her bratty nature is simply due to being a Too. She's also lovable and funny and easily forgiven for naughty behavior, she knows this. Maybe all the wood-chipping and paper shredding she's done lately has effected her appetite, she's notoriously picky about food, but lately she's been ravenous. She's actually eating a lot of her food rather than decorating her cage with it, that's a pleasant change. This is also new for her, Poppy doesn't talk very well or very often other than cockatoo gibberish, occasionally though, she will clearly repeat something she's heard recently. When she does, I usually realize it's something I've said to her several times.
Last night I gave Poppy her treat, sang her bedtime song with her and covered her cage. She climbed down below the cage cover and screamed loudly enough to wake her wild relatives (we are in Texas). I stomped over to her cage and in a stern voice ordered her to climb back up to her perch and go to sleep, she was hanging on the side of her cage, she bounced at me a couple of times and said clearly, "you started it!" I'm still laughing at my clever girl, that's exactly what I tell her when I cover her cage for a time out for screaming. "You started it!" Proof, dealing with hormonal cockatoos may rapidly reduce your I.Q. Should I mention it's always pointless to argue with a Too, you can't win.
More proof that Toos cause a loss of brain power, the first woodpile was a major success, I ordered a similar one only this one came with three huge cowbells. I started to remove them before I gave her the toy but that seemed a little mean spirited. After she climbed to her perch as ordered, we were treated to a symphony of clanging bells.