Cockatoo cuddles

Littleredbeak

Well-known member
May 27, 2020
622
870
Hello! To all those who have cockatoos and/or cockatoo experience, maybe you can help me understand.. I follow a few cockatoo pages and I have found that the owners cuddle their birds touching the birds's body and wings. I always thought you aren't suppose to touch a parrot's body and wings as it triggers a hormonal response. Is this not true for cockatoos?
 

Ria.345

Banned
Banned
Jun 23, 2021
261
834
New York City
Parrots
Sun Conure and Umbrella Cockatoo
Hi! Umbrella cockatoo owner here! That hormonal trigger goes for ALL parrots and to my knowledge, there are no exceptions. It is okay if it is very brief or if you are simply touching their body and wings for medical needs, but it is best to keep the petting areas limited to only the head and feet areas. Especially during hormonal periods or changing seasons where birds are more likely to go through hormone fluxes again!
 
D

Deleted member 42416

Guest
Only heads are good for scritches. No back, wing pits, or bellies. There is a most excellent diagram online:
EA1FEA1A-F02E-4F31-9789-C80473C8F51D.png
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
I break most every "touching" taboo with my Goffins except belly/vent regions. One senior wild-caught, tame female adult and her three adult offspring with no behavioral issues. Been cuddling and touching for 26 years, all well adjusted.
 
D

Deleted member 42416

Guest
My brother and his wife also have no issues petting their gcc on back and under-wings either. Every birby is different! For our Rico the LSSC, the no-no zones are definitely a hormone trigger. Head scritchies are always welcome and asked for😊:
 

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RLS

New member
Jan 6, 2022
3
11
Parrots
Coco (Goffin's cockatoo), Taz (cockatiel), Pumpkin (cockatiel), Argie (cinnamon GCC)
Such a touchy subject at my house. (XD) My husband can't quite understand why you would want a "pet" that you can't cuddle without restraint, but he's getting there. We are all still learning. We've had our first Goffin's cockatoo for about 6 weeks now. Coco is about 5.

He wants head scritches a lot, but I'm not entirely sure that doesn't trigger his hormones. D: He only wants them from my husband mostly. If he will let me, I scratch only his head and neck. My husband is a pushover. Coco has ended up rubbing his body against Donald (my husband) which is why my husband has finally decided to draw a line that Coco is not allowed to cross. Plus he saw the shift in Coco's behavior toward me when Coco set his hormonal sites on him.

The behaviors have slowly started to level off in the last few days since Donald has decided to end the lovin' at a specific point, usually when Coco gets pushy.
 

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