Goffins favorite foods?

[Minimaker]

After I swore I wouldn't, I picked up a goffins cockatoo I saw on craigslist yesterday evening. When I let him out he immediately put his "fin" up and bit me a good one lol, so I named him Mako after the shark. This is it, my final bird. I'm maxed out on what I can handle now, and we've decided we don't have the experience for another big macaw and thankfully my husband says he won't let me get one even if I have a moment of weakness.

He has to go to the vet, he's upstairs away from the other birds (different air/heating unit) and we're observing all quarantine rules. He had a filthy cage, one toy made of an actual ratchet tool, and he looks like he's never had a shower in his life. He's a recovering plucker, probably because of his all bird seed diet and lack of showers. He does have most of his feathers but they are rough from over preening and very dirty. I gave him fresh food but he looked at it like he had no idea what to do with it and he won't eat it. I have to find him a new cage, the cage he came with is a hunk of junk. It was so filthy we had to scrub it down with scrub brushes for over 30 minutes. Nasty brown greasy stuff all over it, like a film of brown gunk all over it-I have no idea what that could be. I got that off, but the cage is still deplorable. It'll hold him for now, but it has to go as soon as possible. Any ideas on the proper size cage for a Goffins? Can anyone link me to a decent cage for him that doesn't break the bank?

My other question is, who has a goffins and what is their favorite fresh foods? What are the things that they can't resist? He's not touching what I've got for Sailor and Taz. Hopefully after he settles in more he'll eat better.

I'm posting the photo this way because photobucket is not reducing photos down right now. I've tried to get it smaller and it keeps staying the original size no matter how many times I've tried to reduce and save. Frustrating.
http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums...2-BD5E-4B66-BEA7-92A94EE4422B_zpsw5gc1xdo.jpg

 

[Kiwibird]

Awww I bet once he calms down he'll be so glad you brought him home Mako is a great name for a goffin! You're going to have 'fun' with this one:54: And just wait until he gets a good bath (or maybe a few, depending on how dirty he is). He will be so pure white and soft. Though do be aware, as white birds, cockatoos do show dirt and get stained by food and toys no matter how loved they are

Alfie, my dads, goffin, likes berries a lot. Citrus fruit too. He also prefers his food in a shallow pie dish on the bottom grate of his cage rather than in his food dish (perches are arranged so he doesn't poop in it). Goffin cockatoos are ground feeders in nature so it's a more natural way for him to eat I think Alfie currently has something similar to this:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Superior-PARROT-40X30X68-Cockatoos-Macaws/dp/B00BTYWBGW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1430057940&sr=8-9&keywords=large+parrot+cage"]Amazon.com : KING'S CAGES Superior Line Play Pen for Large Birds SLP 4030 PARROT CAGE 40X30X68 bird cages toy toys Large Cockatoos, Macaws (BLACK/SILVER) : Birdcages : Pet Supplies[/ame]

He's a climber, so he uses the vertical space, and as mentioned, he likes getting down near the ground. Goffins are VERY ACTIVE parrots, so they need a much larger cage than other parrots of similar size. Look for something macaw sized.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Hi Minimaker..

I just acquired a Goffin's last Sunday from a friend. He had to give him up because "Jonesy" didn't get along with his Umbrella buddy,and his owner has some health issues where he can't give Jonesy the attention he needs.
After my friend learned that my TAG passed away a couple weeks ago he was wondering if I'd like to adopt Jonesy.

I have never owned a 'too and said SURE!

Jonesy lives in my TAG's cage..smaller than what you have,and it seems to work ok for him.
As far as food..he eats seed and I am trying to switch him to pellets. He actually took one from me this morning and munched on it. He also has been trying peas and corn niblets and pieces of fruit from a can..no sugar added! in water not syrup. My 'zon will eat anything

His p.o. says he enjoys pasta and chicken bones and people food.
Just keep trying, I know it'll be frustrating,but he/she will come around after learning there is better stuff out there.

Jim

 

[4dugnlee]

Awww...congrats on Mako (awesome name!)! It will probably take a while to get him to eat fresh food. Peanut was on a very bad diet before I got her and it's very difficult to get her to eat much of anything "good" for her. She is eating cooked sweet potato, some regular potato, cooked brown rice mixed with broccoli and carrots, some lean chicken mixed with brown rice, and I think her favorite is cabbage roll casserole (I don't think she knows its a vegetable). She will eat some of the Volkmans soak and simmer bean mix, but not alot of it. I'm going to try the 15 bean mix next. Bless you for rescuing Mako! Oh, and when I got Sassy, her cage was coated in the brown greasy film too (I first thought it was rust). I think maybe is was from her previous owner smoking...but that's just guessing. I scrubbed it off, and it was disgusting! I did end up getting her a new cage from Petco online. I had a $50.00 off coupon code and it was free shipping so it was a great deal and they shipped it fast too. Can't wait to see more pics and updates!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the world of Goffins. I have five, and they are absolutely my favorite parrot!!

Mako is a great name, and a Goffin bite can be intimidating. If he continues you may consider some training - others have posted "pressure training" info.

Not all Goffins enjoy water, and if he doesn't you may consider showering him in the presence of your other birds, as they are truly "flock" creatures. As Kiwibird posted, their beautiful white feathers soil easily, and if Mako is handled frequently, oils from human hands will be a constant challenge.

A large cage filled with plenty of chew toys is helpful. Get the largest one you can reasonably afford within the space available. Some of mine are voracious chewers and can destroy a macaw-sized "block" toy in a few days! They are very active and enjoy flying if you can provide a safe enclosed environment.

Goffins enjoy a variety of foods, but individuals can be picky. I offer mine orange, apple, peas, lima beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, blackeyed peas, cut corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, yams, endamame in the shell, cooked whole-wheat spiral noodles, melon seeds, pomegranite seeds, carrot, banana, pear, etc. Once a week they have a small piece of string cheese and some whole-grain bread. As with water, they are keen observers of others; you may entice the eating of certain foods by doing so yourself and bobbing your head in approval! If they toss out a food, keep offering, as they may impulsively get curious, take a bite, and love it! (it took my female mother Goffin about 25 years to accept string cheese!!)

A Goffin can bring out your "inner child." They enjoy constant motion and play! My vet calls them "parrots on steroids!"

 

[Minimaker]

Alrighty that is a good list of information I can get started with. Thanks everyone. I'll check around the macaw size range of cages and I have several good suggestions on foods. It's obvious he wants love and attention-now that he's settled down he's already enjoying being petted and rubbed. He just doesn't want to be picked up yet. But he rubs his own head while being petted and loves the attention just like I've heard cockatoos do. So glad to have a cuddly bird now. My mac isn't ready and my conure is a hands off bird. He loves me and wants to be on my shoulder all the time but he hates hands still. If I offer my hand he jumps over it and onto my arm to climb up me.

 

[Minimaker]

Today I really got to see the extent of his plucking, on the underside of his wing. Half his flight feathers are gone on one side. You can't see it unless he lifts his wings. It looks like he has half a wing on one side. Yikes. Closed wings he look rough but mostly normal.

You can see how old and worn the cage is, how small. Well that will soon be remedied. The plucking however, that's going to take some work. I need to enlist my husband's help to get a photo of his wing because he'll bite me if I try alone. I gave him a shower because he was dirty and smelled like cooking grease and cigarette smoke, he was not happy with me afterward. I'm going to assume the sticky brown stuff all over the cage was cooking grease because he smelled like a fryer. He had a classic cockatoo tantrum after the shower and threw food out of his bowl by the beak full. Here he is after he calmed down a little, still wet but calmer:

I think it will take more than one to get that off him but I don't want to stress him anymore. I felt like I had to because he kept preening those feathers and I knew he had cigarette smoke in them because I could smell it. It was after the shower when he flapped around that I could see his wing for a moment and see the damage he's done to the underside. Someone told me I should get him one of these:

Do you guys think I should? They come from this place: https://www.facebook.com/ProtectiveParrotPetalsByPam

Any suggestions would be welcome. Anyone going through this at the moment who bought something for their plucker that helped?

 

[Minimaker]

More photos, input requested of anyone who might know what might help this bird as far as products (spray ons that might actually help? best neck cone or ruffle? something added to his diet?), it's for his sake not mine. If anyone has been through healing their own rescued or rehomed birds I would love to hear what worked and what didn't. I care how he feels, and him ripping his feathers out clearly means he's not ok. I'd like to fix this if possible, as anyone else would I'm sure. I'm sure there are worse cases than this. It's isn't bad but it isn't good either.

 

[Anansi]

Hi, Minimaker. Please keep in mind that I have absolutely no experience with plucking, so this is just my two cents. But considering that your 'too came from a home with such awful environmental conditions, maybe you should watch and see if he eases off the plucking now that he's with you before buying him a collar.

That is, unless he's actively and vigorously plucking even now?

But if his condition does indeed turn out to be chronic, then yes, a collar of that sort would be the best thing to do for him.

Hopefully one of the members who is experienced with pluckers will chime in as well.

 

[Minimaker]

Thanks Anansi, he is still rigorously preening his wings while out. Inside the cage he seems interested in the new things around him and the beak tends to be on that stuff. The food she had him on was Walmart's big bird seed mix. No fresh food, I can tell because he is ignoring it like it's foreign to him. I saw him taste a piece of apple yesterday, but he promptly dropped it. The greens he throws out on the floor of the cage. The lady who had him also had cockatiels and seemed very intimidated by him and his size compared to the tiels, also she said she doesn't like that he likes to get right in people's faces.

I hope the new foods I give him help at some point. How often should goffins get showers? I don't want to stress him but I also don't want no showers to be a contributing factor to the plucking.

 

[Kiwibird]

To me, he doesn't look like he was behaviorally plucking. It looks like he might have been trying to desperately get the smoke and grunge off his feathers due to lack of bathing and ended up shredding them instead. Usually when they pluck out of boredom/anger, it starts on the chest and belly and he really doesn't have a lot missing there by the looks of it (and seems patchy all over). I'd see if regular bathing, improved diet, attention and toys doesn't cure it completely. I'd give him a few months, and if it doesn't get worse, I think you have your answer (though I'd suspect it'll take a few molts for him to be in perfect feather again).

 

[Anansi]

Between his diet, the smoking and the grease, he must've been under a terrific amount of stress. Keeping up his mental stimulation with a variety of foraging activities and toys, combined with the even more important improvement of his diet, just might serve to take away the initial cause of his plucking and stave off the behavior.

BUT keep in mind that it may also have become an ingrained behavior that is now habitual and chronic. I'm hoping not, but it's possible.

As for baths, even every day wouldn't be too much. But if stress is a factor, you might want to start out at 2-3 times a week. As you mentioned, itchiness could indeed be a factor in his plucking. So you definitely want to get him used to showering. If he doesn't seem to like it, try experimenting. Some parrots like the water warm, some cool. Some prefer showers, some misters, and some baths. Trial and error is the only way to know for sure.

 

[Allee]

Hey Tara,

Considering Mako's background and from what I see in the photos, it doesn't look like his plucking has progressed to critical so far. I expect the plucking to improve, but don't expect immediate or obvious results, it may take weeks or even months, his damaged feathers will have to molt out and be replaced. It's common for pluckers to go after the new feathers with a vengeance for a while.

I agree with Anansi/Stephen, I wouldn't consider a collar for Mako at this point. Collars are usually reserved for mutilators when their plucking has progressed to life threatening. In minor cases, the collars can actually aggravate the plucking.

Medical conditions and vitamin deficiencies are common root causes for plucking and it isn't too far fetched in Mako's case, since he's a long time seed eater. Scott's list of foods is a great place to start with changing Mako's diet. He isn't going to bury his face in the bowl and beg for a second helping, but if you keep offering, he will come around. Once parrots take the first bite of a new item they will often add it to the list of non toxic edibles, it's those first bites that are tough, be creative until you find the most appealing way to serve the food.

Frequent baths with plain water are extremely helpful for pluckers. Mako, may not like it, but he will learn to tolerate it. Try to find the method he protests to the least and go from there. A fine mist from a spray bottle sprayed above the bird and allowed to fall gently onto the feathers is usually the least offensive method when baths are a new experience. The only spray, if any, I would recommend is, 'Soother', it's an aloe based mist, you can also make your own from 100% aloe juice mixed with three parts water. I use it on my quaker when she has a plucking episode, it immediately relieves the irritated skin. I use it on my non-pluckers during heavy molts and to loosen stubborn feather shafts.

Distraction, distraction, distraction, offer Mako any kind of activity or toy he shows interest or curiosity for. Shreddables, phone books, TV, music, favorite treats hidden for him to work for, a play stand in front of a window...

Good luck, you have a real cutie there, I hope his plucking is only temporary.

 

[labell]

Seeing pics of those poor wings I would wager a guess that at some point someone gave him a super hard clip. Cockatoos, greys and eclectus do not handle hard clips well imo. I think maybe the cut parts were annoying him so he ripped them out. Frequent baths are really going to help not only clean the filth off him but also help with the itching he must be having.

 

[Bandespresso]

I'm so glad you're giving him a good home! What a cutie patootie!!!

Keep offering him food just change the presentations. Try smaller pieces, bigger pieces, sprinkled in seed, microwaved, frozen, add some chili peppers, mix in some peanut butter and baby food (Espresso's favorite), or try berries...all the goffins I know LOVE berries and frequently scare us when they are covered in blackberry juice. It's all about finding something that will pique their interest enough to get a couple bites in. Espresso is absurdly picky and will only eat food that has been microwaved from frozen for exactly 40 seconds and smothered in baby food and with a touch of peanut or almond butter. Also, in the morning when they first wake up is the best time to try new foods.

As far as the plucking goes, don't stress unless it becomes a habit. Just keep a close eye on him, keep his stress level low, and give him lots of toys and distractions. Cockatoos are prone to self-mutilation on top of plucking so nip it in the bud as soon as you see it become an issue. The only cockatoo I have ever considered adopting ever is a self-mutilating goffins...they really are special little babies filled to the brim with attitude! I still might adopt her in the future when I am in my own place again . She is such a precious little nugget! Here is her in her downgraded collar; she usually has to wear a saucer around it so she can't reach her buns.

 

[Minimaker]

Oh my gosh, poor darling! That is exactly what I am afraid of with this one. I'll look for aloe juice if I can find it in this rinky dink country place. I was shocked to even see a goffins on craigslist anywhere near me. We had to drive two hours to get him, but I think it'll be ok eventually if we can get him straightened out. That place was so dark and musty, it felt just like a cave. He loves the light I think, I put him in the brightest room upstairs. A soon as I can get a cage in I'll get him a full spectrum light. He loves music, he was dancing last night with my kids and it was completely hilarious. He's quite a dancer. But it must have been too much excitement for him because afterward he started getting nippy towards them. I have to remember baby steps and keep things more calm for his sake until he settles in.

One more thing, is this stuff any good or would you say to stay away from products like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/371207647426?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Kings Cages Pluck No More Parrot Bird Cage Toy Toys Calming Homeopathic Natural | eBay

Just curious, it's from Kings Cages so I wondered if it might be good. Aren't they reputable? Would they sell something not good for birds?

Anyway, he's going to the vet in a couple days so we'll see what she says about his general health other than the plucking.

Thanks guys, you are as always a lot of help. This should be the end of questions for now. The rest will be up to time/figuring out what works, and his vet to sort out.

 

[Allee]

Personally, I wouldn't use anything other than plain water or aloe.

I can tell you, there is a plethora of products on the market that are not only not good for your pet, they can be extremely harmful both short and long term.

 

[Minimaker]

Ok, I had to ask if there might be anything useful. Honestly the only thing that made me want to try is the horrible way he smells. I figured plain water wasn't going to cut it. He still smells like grease something awful. He took a dip in his water bowl today and the smell coming off him made me gag. It made me wonder if a bird shampoo might help get that off, even if it was only used once or twice just to loosen the grease up.

 

[Bandespresso]

The only thing i would ever use beyond water and aloe and only under extreme circumstances is plain diluted dawn dish soap And only if you can rinse him very very well. I would suggest asking your av what they think...sometimes they can bathe him for you.

 

[Minimaker]

K thanks guys, I'll look for aloe. Maybe it's around here somewhere.