New Mollucan carer.

[sadbradley]

Hi there, I have just adopted a Corella Cockatoo from a friend that is leaving the island to go to the UK. She is 12 yrs old and has lived with my friend for all her life.
She did live inside with my friend but I now have her on our balcony from our lounge. The door is open all through the day so she is still very much part of every day life in our house.
I have only had her for two days now.
I cover her with a blanket at night as she has been kept inside so may feel a chill and have been putting her to sleep at around 7pm when the sun goes down.
She has been OK at going to sleep at night and only wakes when I take her cover off in the morning around 9pm.
She has been fed on a seed diet for all of her life and I have heard that this isn't too good so am looking into changing that. I have already introduced a lot of different fruits and veggies, none of which she seems to like....
At the moment she has an annoying thing that she has started to do, rub her beak on the bars of the cage so it vibrated and makes a very lound noise..
I'm sure it is because she is nervous and misses my friend.
I have put lots of new toys in her cage with her.
She does love to be petted and loves to dance to music.
Any help on looking after her would be very much appreciated.
Thanks Selina

 

[Hochimama]

Wao .. Moluccan is a beautiful pet to have ~~ share some pictures with us ~~ ^^

She needs toys and some attention.. maybe bring her out for a walk too if possible ~~ ^^

 

[wenz2712]

Hello and welcome to the forum Yes we would love to see some pics.

 

[DawL]

Hey there. I am new here, but I may be able to give you some advice with your M2. As far as the seed diet goes, I would definitely work on changing that ASAP. I dont know what kind of pellets you have where you live, if any, but if you can, I recommend getting Harrison's or Roudybush pellets. Mix in a small amount of pellets in with her seed at a time, increasing the amount gradually until there is no seed, and only pellets. This will be a long process, but persistence is KEY here. Make sure she gets plenty of fresh veggies, and fruits. Also, you can make her birdie bread. She may really enjoy it.

I recommend you find one thing that she really likes, and instead of giving it to her in her bowl, use it as a treat right now. For example, grapes. Give her all of her other things, but when you are interacting with her, give her a grape. When you walk by her cage, occasionally give her a grape. You want her to associate you with GOOD things. Eventually she will come to know that being around you means good things will happen.

Have you spent time with her? If it were me, I would leave the cage open, and let her come out when SHE is ready. Do not force the issue. Sit by her cage and talk quietly to her. When she starts to come out on her own, and seems to be a bit more comfortable, start asking her to step up. Spend plenty of time with her.

As far as her makng the noise in her cage...she may very well want out. Toos' are notorious for making a lot of noise when they would like to be out, or want some attention. When she is making this noise, ignore her....when she is NOT doing it, go open her cage and give her a grape. You dont want her to think that the louder she is, the more she will get to come out. Just use a lot of positive reinforcement with her, and more than anything...GIVE HER TIME...she will eventually come around

 

[henpecked]

Wow an M2 !! this your first bird ?, if it is you've certainly jumped in the deep end.Lots of cockatoo people here, try starting a thread in the Cockatoo section and read some of the info there.Like Dawl said she needs to be on a good pellet diet,several members in the UK who might help you with that. Good Luck PS did i mention we love Pics and stories, LOL

 

[sadbradley]

Thanks for all your input, I will get some photo's posted on here. At the moment she's sat on my knee. She's a very affectionate bird but I cannot have her out all the time as I also have two dogs. :-( But when I'm on the computer which is daily she can sit with me. I have bought some pellet food for her which I have mixed with her seed and I have put lots of different fruits and veggies in another bowl. She chucks the pellets out and also the fruit and veggies... Do I need to get her any calcium suppliment too? I have seen some on ebay that I can add to her water as I have put in a cuttle fish but she doesn't seem to touch that either. I am very lucky to have been given this beautiful bird to take care of and I want to do every thing I can to enrich her life. Thank you for any help you can give me.
I also have 14 Zebra finches and 2 lovebirds. But they are nothing like this gorgeous bird.
Our house is slowly becoming a zoo as I keep being told by my husband...lol...but my daughter and I love our animals.

 

[sadbradley]

I have just added a photo of Luna onto here. I think I've done it right..

 

[DawL]

Thanks for all your input, I will get some photo's posted on here. At the moment she's sat on my knee. She's a very affectionate bird but I cannot have her out all the time as I also have two dogs. :-( But when I'm on the computer which is daily she can sit with me. I have bought some pellet food for her which I have mixed with her seed and I have put lots of different fruits and veggies in another bowl. She chucks the pellets out and also the fruit and veggies... Do I need to get her any calcium suppliment too? I have seen some on ebay that I can add to her water as I have put in a cuttle fish but she doesn't seem to touch that either. I am very lucky to have been given this beautiful bird to take care of and I want to do every thing I can to enrich her life. Thank you for any help you can give me.
I also have 14 Zebra finches and 2 lovebirds. But they are nothing like this gorgeous bird.
Our house is slowly becoming a zoo as I keep being told by my husband...lol...but my daughter and I love our animals.

Hey! Glad she got to get out and spend some time with you! As far as her throwing her food goes, that is perfectly normal. Just keep giving it to her. Also try eating it in front of her, and making a BIG deal about it... that may peak her interest. Another thing you can try is getting her a foraging toy (or making one) or a skewer, and put her fruits and veggies on there. You may have to order them online, and I am sure someone from the UK can help you find a great website.

As far as the supplements go...if it were me, and my bird, I would not give any kind of supplement without first seeing an avian vet. Until you have seen one, you have no idea what kind of real health the bird may be in, and I wouldn't recommend giving anything to a bird without being under the supervision of a good avian vet.

You have definitely taken the plunge her getting an M2, but with time you will feel more comfortable, and it will be second nature to you

 

[lene1949]

I have just added a photo of Luna onto here. I think I've done it right..

Luna is a shortbilled corella, or bare eyed cockatoo... They are lovely birds and much easier to get along with than a mollucan...

 

[MikeyTN]

Luna is definitely not a Moluccan like it was mentioned above. Just basically try to convert her to pellets first and worry about fruits and veggies later. They tend to be picky eaters! It took us a long time to get ours to accept fruits and veggies. Just be patient, don't just rush it as Cockatoos are emotional birds...

 

[StRiNgROCk]

Well Guys,
Use it as a treat right now. For example, grapes. Give her all of her other things, but when you are interacting with her, give her a grapeI recommend you find one thing that she really likes, and instead of giving it to her in her bowl, use it as a treat right now...

 

[MikeyTN]

Well Guys,
Use it as a treat right now. For example, grapes. Give her all of her other things, but when you are interacting with her, give her a grapeI recommend you find one thing that she really likes, and instead of giving it to her in her bowl, use it as a treat right now...

Cockatoos can be so picky, they'll throw it at ya or somewhere if they don't want it! The poster can TRY to use it as a treat, but it's not a guarantee. It took us a very long time to get ours used to eating it. Basically once she's gotten used to us pretty good, she takes whatever we're eating.

 

[sadbradley]

Luna is definitely not a Moluccan like it was mentioned above. Just basically try to convert her to pellets first and worry about fruits and veggies later. They tend to be picky eaters! It took us a long time to get ours to accept fruits and veggies. Just be patient, don't just rush it as Cockatoos are emotional birds...

Sorry about that I have just seen that I was very wrong in calling her a Mollucan as she is a Corella. Thank you for sorting that out for me I am learning more each day..