Build a trust with a new galah cockatoo

[Mr1919]

Help!!!! ladies and gents,

I own an African Gray for 2 years and I just brought home a new Galah Cockatoo last week. I got the new parrot from a pet store, however this Berid behavior is soooo wild, according to the store keeper the Berid is 8 months old, she is soooo aggressive and if I approach the cage she will move away from me with inflating her crown and ready to attack. I keep the cage open all the time and she will site on top and only will go in to eat, I just don’t know how to calm her down and how to establish a point of trust, I tried to feed her from my hand but she will throw the food away 😥. All videos online showing people with parrots that in better stage than my galah cockatoo, please need your kind guidance

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and your galah! Your knowledge of an AG will be helpful, but life with a cockatoo is a totally different experience! Sort of like night and day in fact! Do you know if your bird was hand-raised?

Cockatoos can be among the most needy, neurotic, and destructive of parrots. Despite those traits, they can bond extremely closely and are affectionate and entertaining.

Your bird is still new and learning what to expect from you and the environment. First step is establishing trust, leading to strong bond. This thread offers great advice: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Establishing a routine with plenty of sleep is helpful. Also possible sitting on the cage results in "cage aggression," defending territory. Might help to have a playpen or stand separate from the cage. If not hand tame, use a perch to transfer to the stand and offer special treats as reward.

Is she located in same room as your AG?

 

[noodles123]

You need to slow things down a lot and associate yourself with low-stress, positive experiences. You may think that trying to feed a bird from your hand is pleasant, but to a scared bird, that could be a nightmare...so read up on body language and take it slow. If there is any hesitation on the bird's part, don't push. This may mean just walking by the cage and placing a favorite treat in there as discretely as possible...narrate your routine from a far, try to read to the bird etc but don't get in its face. DON'T push contact until the bird is ready. If you can safely do so, allow the bird to come and go from it's cage to the cage-top etc, so it doesn't think it will get locked in every time it returns to the cage. Do not push step-ups yet. Make sure your bird is getting 12 hours of sleep on a schedule each night--very important with cockatoos! When you can touch your bird, keep it to the head and neck only-- "cuddles" are the enemy-- which is why it is a bit of a constant struggle, because what appears to make them happy in the moment will be their undoing. No tents, no huts, no shadowy spaces, no cave-like anything and no nesting materials (e.g., blankets, paper piles etc).

Cockatoos require a ton of patience, boundaries, AND interaction. Mine knew how to step up and it took me 3 months to make that happen---after attempting to force the issue, I realized it would have to be on her time, and it was when the time came.

 

[Betrisher]

The hat raising tells you your bird is afraid, so do try to be a bit more patient. It takes weeks for a bird to settle into a new home and feel safe, so move slowly, try to speak quietly near the cage and keep noise down, especially sudden ones like slamming doors or kids shouting.

Spend as much time as you can just sitting quietly near the cage. Ideally, you could read to your bird in a low, calm voice. See if you can discover what your bird *really* likes to eat and save that for your best treat. Offer treats every time you pass near the cage. A long spray of grass seeds is good, or perhaps you can buy millet sprays from a pet shop? Most parrots love sunflower seeds and those are best kept for treats as they contain a lot of fat.

Here's my favourite video showing how to encourage a bird to step up.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIaDDSeZKnI"]Parrot Training Workshop Live Demo - Step Up Training with a Macaw - YouTube[/ame]

Another thing you might try is target training. This can begin even when your bird is new: all it needs is a treat that your bird really likes and a stick (chopstick?).

Good luck! Please let us know how you get on. Galahs are superb companion parrots and not quite as complicated as some of the larger cockatoos. If you're willing to be patient and spend time with your bird you'll be rewarded with a funny, clever lifelong friend.

 

[noodles123]

The hat raising tells you your bird is afraid, so do try to be a bit more patient. It takes weeks for a bird to settle into a new home and feel safe, so move slowly, try to speak quietly near the cage and keep noise down, especially sudden ones like slamming doors or kids shouting.

Spend as much time as you can just sitting quietly near the cage. Ideally, you could read to your bird in a low, calm voice. See if you can discover what your bird *really* likes to eat and save that for your best treat. Offer treats every time you pass near the cage. A long spray of grass seeds is good, or perhaps you can buy millet sprays from a pet shop? Most parrots love sunflower seeds and those are best kept for treats as they contain a lot of fat.

Here's my favourite video showing how to encourage a bird to step up.

Parrot Training Workshop Live Demo - Step Up Training with a Macaw - YouTube

Another thing you might try is target training. This can begin even when your bird is new: all it needs is a treat that your bird really likes and a stick (chopstick?).

Good luck! Please let us know how you get on. Galahs are superb companion parrots and not quite as complicated as some of the larger cockatoos. If you're willing to be patient and spend time with your bird you'll be rewarded with a funny, clever lifelong friend.

Given the newness, yes, crest raising can be nervousness if trust isn't established, but this is why "toos" are hard to read initially-- they also will raise the crest when happy or excited, or over-stimulated. Generally TRUE fear is indicated by slicked down feathers/elongated posture...but a raised crest in an unfamiliar bird can certainly signal that a bite is imminent unless you have a bond.

 

[Betrisher]

Noodles, Galahs aren't like the big white cockatoos. Their go-to defence mechanism is to make themselves as big as possible. They will raise their hat, floof out their facial feathers and 'blow out' their wings to the side with all feathers erected to show their fear and scare off their enemy.

Rosetta's response is kind of a hybrid between the two. She raises her crest when she's angry or scared, but will also contract her feathers against her body and run for a corner if she's afraid. One of the carpenters who works for us occasionally has an enormous booming laugh and 'Setta's petrified of him. As soon as he turns up, her hat's on standby and she's backing into the corner. I've had to ask him to try and stay away from her or at least not to laugh in her presence. (Which is nigh-on impossible, since she's such a funny creature).

Oddly, she has not the slightest problem with the sound of loud power tools and she *adores* my vacuum cleaner, taking the greatest interest in it and even sticking her foot out to try and touch it as I go by her cage.

LOL! The other day, my son was cleaning out her swimming pool and she reached her foot through the cage divider and got hold of his ear. Owch! She didn't bite, mind, just embedded her pointy claws in it. Time for a trim!

 

[noodles123]

Noodles, Galahs aren't like the big white cockatoos. Their go-to defence mechanism is to make themselves as big as possible. They will raise their hat, floof out their facial feathers and 'blow out' their wings to the side with all feathers erected to show their fear and scare off their enemy.

Rosetta's response is kind of a hybrid between the two. She raises her crest when she's angry or scared, but will also contract her feathers against her body and run for a corner if she's afraid. One of the carpenters who works for us occasionally has an enormous booming laugh and 'Setta's petrified of him. As soon as he turns up, her hat's on standby and she's backing into the corner. I've had to ask him to try and stay away from her or at least not to laugh in her presence. (Which is nigh-on impossible, since she's such a funny creature).

Oddly, she has not the slightest problem with the sound of loud power tools and she *adores* my vacuum cleaner, taking the greatest interest in it and even sticking her foot out to try and touch it as I go by her cage.

LOL! The other day, my son was cleaning out her swimming pool and she reached her foot through the cage divider and got hold of his ear. Owch! She didn't bite, mind, just embedded her pointy claws in it. Time for a trim!

Oh-- hmm...I thought sometimes raised their crests when they were excited too. I have seen them raise their crests when excited about things though/not scared---so maybe it just is a little less common? Or...are you talking about the slicking of the feathers? Noodles will POOF HUGE when she is trying to intimidate something/ freaked by a toy