Dirty Cockatoo

[JaxAttack]

Oh dear... I think I might have painted the wrong picture for some of you... If i should guess, Jax spends about 5% of his time outside his cage on the floor, the rest of the time he is playing on his tree, cage and playstand.

I know I do not have experience, but please do not judge me on that alone. I do train him... Otherwise it would not have been possible to take him outside with me without flying away. If I put him somewhere and tell him to wait, he does, and when I am ready I just call and he comes over.

Also I do not leave him alone outside his cage for one minute. My house is obviously painted and I have some things he is not allowed to chew, so I have to watch him.

Here is a pice of us in the garden, and before I get more grief about him sitting on my shoulder, I would just like to point out that I have asked Birdtricks about this. Now you can see what I mean when I say he is a bit dirty against my white dress.

The second pic is just a close up

 

[JaxAttack]

I will take some nice ones this weekend the only ones I have is Jax in action, so very blurred.

 

[Pedro]

Jax is one cute little guy & you can rule out PBFD. He is a picture of health. He is lovely.

No you didn't paint the wrong picture at all I understood every word you were saying. I think your making a wonderful carer for Jax. You have that commonsense i was talking about. I pretty much treat my companions the same especially my SC2.

More pics thank you.

 

[Remy]

He's soooooooo cute!!

 

[MikeyTN]

He's a pretty bird!!! He just needs a good bath to get that dirt off of him. It looks like he's been playing in the dirt or something. As white birds tend to show the dirt quite easily. I see a TON of people have their Cockatoos on their shoulders. BUT it is a individual choice, if you trust him it's all good. As he matures that's when you have to watch him cause he will change a bit. I've seen and heard too many horror stories of people's parrot that they've had for a long time disfigure their face. One of my customer had her Grey since he was a baby and she had him for about 30 years or so, he yank her lip off her face and she had to drive herself to the emergency room while holding her lip to her face while driving. They had to stitch it back up and she has a scar to show it after she's been through several reconstructive surgery. One of the worst bite I got was from a Goffin Cockatoo which is relatively the same size as yours and he tore my finger open to the bone. My second worst bite was from my B&G Macaw that I have now, we've had him for 8 years and he's been very loving towards me until one day during his full maturity hormone this past year when he turned 10 he had my hand torn open pretty good leaving me with a big scar on my left hand. So we're only giving you advice of what we've learned, to follow or not is really up to you. Do we train our birds? Absolutely! But does stuffs happen, oh yea they do....

 

[Pedro]

Mikey yes my friend i do have to agree with you there. I to have had a nasty bite from my eccie hen she wasn't on my shoulder though. I was extremely lucky, i should have had a stitch or two but me being me treated it myself & i don't even have a noticable scar.

We must never under-estimate our parrots because as much as we think they love us there is alway's that ?

 

[Molcan2]

Try not to take any post on here too personal. Its impossible to go off of a few sentences without trying to add to it in some way on any forum. My M2 hates bathing as well, she hates when we mist her or when we try to take her in the shower (one of her previous homes she was sprayed a lot whenever she was 'misbehaving'). What we do with her is we have an actually bird bath now, set up next to her cage and she bathes when ever she wants (usually when we are running the shop vac around her, she loves it). However with your situation, he is young enough, so if you keep taking him in the shower and misting him he will eventually see it as a fun activity. Try to use positive reinforcement, find his favorite treat and only give it to him when you are misting or have him in the shower. Make it super fun to be in the shower, whistle to him and talk to him excitedly. Being so young this approach should work well, hes still figuring out life and his surroundings. Good luck, hope you find something that works. Oh, and he is super cute, welcome to the forum

 

[Molcan2]

Oh, and the shoulder thing is a personnel preference. My M2 is allowed on my shoulder, the U2 I used to have was never allowed up there. It depends on the individual owner and each individual bird. It always has a risk, as everything in life, something can always go wrong. To each his own on that one, just be cautious and astutely aware of the bird/surroundings when hes up there to try to prevent a bite should something upset him.

 

[MikeyTN]

Just want to bring this one right back up, tonight while Java was in my lap getting loving and being as sweet as he can be, even fell asleep in my lap while I'm giving him head rubs. Then all of the sudden he got up and want to come to my face but I didn't allow him to and he lashed out and bit my left hand to bleed and bit me on my left arm then my right arm. Then when I was trying to get him to step up off me cause he wouldn't stop biting he lays down in my lap but I make him get up anyways and he chomp down on my arm again so now I'm bleeding all over my arms and hands. He have not made me bleed like this for over a month when my wounds just healed. You NEVER know what they're gonna do. This goes back to when they're young, he was allowed to do as he pleased in his previous home. So when I told him no, I got attacked. So you see this is the kind of devil I deal with everyday. I NEVER take my eyes off him cause he's very unpredictable!!!! But at the same time like I've been saying before, I think it's hormone season for them right now as he started acting strange and aggressive recently and a friend of mine who have the same issue at the moment and she's got a female U2 that they've had for many years. So for now I'm tired of getting my hands and arms bitten to bleed and scared. Perch training all the way with him, that was how I got him back into his cage was by using a perch. Our other too Dixie can bite hard all of a sudden as well, but she hasn't done that in a long long time. But you just never know. My partner allows her near the face, not me....I warned my partner BUT they've been very attached since day one when I brought her home, it was like love at first sight. She flew away from me right to my partner and that was it. And that's been over 7 years ago. BUT she does nip at my partner every so often as well. They test you, that's part of their nature.

 

[JaxAttack]

Whooooohoooo! Guess who took a mini shower this morning! Just as I thought he will remain a orangy coloured bird forever...
I was in the shower this morning with Jax watching me like a hawk. I did a little dance and sing-song for him and splashed some of the water on him, but he remained just looking at this dancing idiot.
When I finally finished, he did not fly off to my shoulder where he usually sits while I brush my teeth. So my partner climbed in the shower and as we all know what guys are like, did not splash a little water here and there on Jax... he went all out and splashed loads of water in the air and over the railing Jax was standing on. He loved it. Turned around, hung over the railing, flapped his wings and everything all over again. When he had enough he hoped off and I placed him on his cage where he preened himself thank goodness... Not just drying naturally like he use to do.
Next stop, showering perch.
As for the biting when they are near your face, I am acutely aware that they are unpredictable. And will test you. I do try my best to train him, but I know for a fact I am going to get a few bites over the following years. And I accept that fact, because birds are not like dog that has been domesticated for thousands of years. They are wild and have their instincts still firmly in place. Training is the only language we both learn to speak and communicate in.
Thanks for all the help and tips everyone! I hope that this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship between my Too and the shower!
Oh and just a pic of Jax and his daddy playing

 

[roxynoodle]

He is absolutely adorable! And I bet he will soon be showering on a regular basis.

And since he is only the floor playing for a short time, I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

 

[MikeyTN]

Im glad he's enjoying his shower!!! Its hard to get the white feathered birds to come out white again once they get super dirty and stained. Did the dirt all come off? Java hates bath time while Dixie enjoys it. So we're still working on that part....

 

[luvmytooo]

Just want to bring this one right back up, tonight while Java was in my lap getting loving and being as sweet as he can be, even fell asleep in my lap while I'm giving him head rubs. Then all of the sudden he got up and want to come to my face but I didn't allow him to and he lashed out and bit my left hand to bleed and bit me on my left arm then my right arm. Then when I was trying to get him to step up off me cause he wouldn't stop biting he lays down in my lap but I make him get up anyways and he chomp down on my arm again so now I'm bleeding all over my arms and hands. He have not made me bleed like this for over a month when my wounds just healed. You NEVER know what they're gonna do. This goes back to when they're young, he was allowed to do as he pleased in his previous home. So when I told him no, I got attacked. So you see this is the kind of devil I deal with everyday. I NEVER take my eyes off him cause he's very unpredictable!!!! But at the same time like I've been saying before, I think it's hormone season for them right now as he started acting strange and aggressive recently and a friend of mine who have the same issue at the moment and she's got a female U2 that they've had for many years. So for now I'm tired of getting my hands and arms bitten to bleed and scared. Perch training all the way with him, that was how I got him back into his cage was by using a perch. Our other too Dixie can bite hard all of a sudden as well, but she hasn't done that in a long long time. But you just never know. My partner allows her near the face, not me....I warned my partner BUT they've been very attached since day one when I brought her home, it was like love at first sight. She flew away from me right to my partner and that was it. And that's been over 7 years ago. BUT she does nip at my partner every so often as well. They test you, that's part of their nature.

Wow MikeyTN ( got it right this time
I'm sorry that happened to you. How scary for you !
I hope you heal quickly..
Unfortunately that is exactly the type of accident that can occur when they are on your shoulder ! And thank goodness he wasnt !!
Take care

 

[Mare Miller]

OK, can't resist, I have to add my two cents on a dirty, free flight cockatoo. Let him out when it rains! You'll need your video camera for that one, you've never seen a bird more happy!!

Mikey, my husbands falconer's gloves came in about a week ago, they're made of thick leather that come to the shoulder. Due to my dad being ill, I've got to be away at times, up to a week, and rather than keep Amigo locked in his cage, he can now ask Amigo to step up to take him outside or where ever. I've been wearing them around Amigo, they look a little like gorilla hands, and after him getting use to them, he now will hop right on and go for a ride! If he want'ed, he could definitely do a good pinch on you but would not break the skin.

 

[roxynoodle]

Something like that might be nice for me when I have to give Merlin her shots for seizures. She is just terrified of towels, but the vet warned me to use one because while in a seizure she won't know where she is or what is going on and might bite the heck out of me.

 

[Mare Miller]

Ohhh, Roxy, I'm so sorry for you and Merlin having to go through that. These gloves are way too thick for anything as delicate as that. I use to have a pair of leather riding gloves, years ago, that were so soft, you could feel a lot through them and offered mobility of the fingers. You might want to check into something like that.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, I'm more worried about whatever hand is holding her. Yesterday I used an oven mitt, which wasn't so bad. She knew something was on my hand but she didn't go nuts like she does when she knows you have a towel. But, had she bitten me hard I don't think the oven mitt would have helped. I do have some old riding gloves. Not sure if they are thick enough. I will look at one pair of motorcycle gloves I bought that I hate. Those might be better. They are heavy and supposed to be for riding in cold weather but they weren't as warm as I had hoped, and I kept hitting my horn instead of my turn signal, which was annoying to others I'm sure (probably thought I was some kind of nut honking at them).

 

[luvmytooo]

Well, I'm more worried about whatever hand is holding her. Yesterday I used an oven mitt, which wasn't so bad. She knew something was on my hand but she didn't go nuts like she does when she knows you have a towel. But, had she bitten me hard I don't think the oven mitt would have helped. I do have some old riding gloves. Not sure if they are thick enough. I will look at one pair of motorcycle gloves I bought that I hate. Those might be better. They are heavy and supposed to be for riding in cold weather but they weren't as warm as I had hoped, and I kept hitting my horn instead of my turn signal, which was annoying to others I'm sure (probably thought I was some kind of nut honking at them).

Oh , we were in your neck of the woods once ,was that you !? I thought to myself , people are really friendly here

 

[MikeyTN]

Luvmytooo, thanks....my left hand is all bruised up in pain today but its really not that bad actually since i know he can do a lot worse then that. I think he was giving me temper tantrums like a child....

Mare, I've thought of those gloves even before I got Java. The reason for it is that I have extremely sensitive skin where my skin will get wilts from their claws. Which it looked like I've been slicing my arm and wrist....lol

 

[Thingamagigs]

I can't believe people are suggesting never allowing a bird to be on the ground which as a species spends pretty much all day on the ground!
They love to roll around and play with toys on the ground, on their back.
You want to chop off its flight feathers so it can't fly and then prevent it from walking also! What do you want it to do, sit on a stick its whole life? No wonder birds develop behavioural issues!

I don't mean to be rude, but I am rather shocked. There is no way in a million years that I would prevent my corella from skooting and hopping about on the ground as nature intended <3 A diligent owner will be able to curb all resultant behavioural issues and if they aren't experienced enough to then a ground dwelling parrot is not the right choice. The last thing I would recommend for a galah or corella is to never see the ground again :/ Driving about there is always galahs, corellas and sulfur crested cockatoos on the ground on the sides of the roads, in open fields and in big backyards... its a common aussie sight.