Rescued cockatoo tries to give me food?

[Jwronski]

I recently rescued an 11 year old female umbrella cockatoo named Marshmallow. Her previous owner had passed away, and she was at an animal shelter. I brought her home and acclimated her to her new surroundings, but she’s been doing something a little strange recently. She tries to give me food. I have given her some sliced mango, peanuts, and apple chips, and with all of these, she will hold it in her beak and try to put it in my mouth. She does not try to regurgitate before doing this, but it’s like she’s trying to feed me. Can someone help me understand this behavior? What does it mean?

 

[Kiwibird]

Sounds like a learned behavior, possibly some kind of “trick” taught to her by her prior owners. Or maybe she’s just a really generous bird lol.

Every bird I’ve known, once they get some tasty morsel, you’d have to pry it from their cold dead beak to get it back. Unless of course they want to regurgitate it up for you:20::52: Given this could be a behavior that may potentially trigger “romantic” feelings, I would personally not encourage it. Especially not with a cockatoo.

 

[Jwronski]

This is Marshmallow

 

[noodles123]

Mine attempts to do something like this, but instead of my mouth, she always tries to put it in my eye--- she really likes combining textures (even off of me---so like, a wood chunk + a bit of cloth etc), but she also obsessed with preening my eye, so I dk if it is learned, sexual, something else, or all of the above....But anytime she has anything in her mouth and she is on me (or I am near her while shes is wanting attention), she tries to bring it to my eye, and either touch it to my face/eye, (sometimes dropping it) before attempting to preen my tear-duct area.

Mine is also 11 and a rescue.

I agree--do not encourage it--it could easily get sexual...especially with the mouth and regurgitation potential.

Do not cuddle--- head and neck petting only...No wrapping in towels/blankets or allowing access to shadowy spaces of any sort (yes, they love it, but you will create a monster and possible egg-layer).

 

[Scott]

Welcome, thanks for rescuing Marshmallow. Beautiful bird, concur with the previous comments. Interesting behavior!!