very sudden change

[tlojak41]

Hello everyone. We have a 6 yr old umbrella cockatoo. He has always walked around the rooms and climbed up on to the funiture and spent time with us in the evenings, until the new furniture. My inlaws gave us a couch and recliner, as we needed new and they were redoing their family room. Now, I have a theory. They have a dog and a cat both of which have been on the furniture, (might I add the only ones on the furniture, never saw a human rear end) and i believe homer can smell them and now, he wont come off the dining room chair. We cant get him away from there. We've tried picking him up and bringing him over, one step away and he takes off back for the chair. Also, after having him for almost 6 years, he still goes thrugh spats where he gets aggressive and bites, but not just one of us. He will bite one of us, then goes for a while, then the other. I think I have the whole screaming thing explained through other posts on here. Any ideas or comments on the other two? Thanks.

 

[LoryLover]

I don't think it's the dog/cat scent that is keeping Homer away from the furniture, I think it's the new furniture itself. Parrots are very aware of their surroundings and will be leary of anything new, especially large items like furniture. With Homer on the diningroom chair and in sight of you on the furniture, you can pat the furniture as you are sitting on it and say to Homer, "see, it's okay"... talk to him just like if it was a person who was afraid to sit on the new furniture. He'll understand.

I'm sure that in a week or so he will get over his fear of the new furniture. Don't force him to be on it, but just give him lots of reassurance that the furniture isn't harmful. He'll soon see that nothing bad has happened to you as you use the new furniture. Parrots act this way even about new toys, sometimes a new toy has to be placed in a "safe" spot in the room where the cage is for a while before being put into the cage.