ShreddedOakAviary
New member
- Jul 13, 2011
- 591
- 5
- Parrots
- M2's, U2's, G2's, RB2's, VOS, RLA's, BFA's, DYHA's, Dusky Pionus, Blue and Green Quakers, Meyers Parrots, VOS, GW Macaw's, Harlequin Macaws, Tiels, YNA, TAG's, CAG's, Blue Crown Conures, Red sided Ecl
I get a lot of questions on some techniques to keeping cockatoos happy while preventing a lot of common behavioral problems. I find that it varies just a bit between types of cockatoos, but the same principles apply. So I'll sum up some of what we tell new owners starting with a handled baby...
1. Pet a cockatoo only around the head and neck, and very occasionally under the wings. Avoid petting down the back or around the tail... why? Because pressure on the back and pulling or moving the tail will sexually stimulate a 'too. This will over time teach the bird that you and humans are to be thought of as potential mates.... imagine the level of frustration that can cause in a bird with such an obsessive nature.
2. As with a dog you should not encourage food begging behavior. It is ideal to make sure your bird is fed a healthy diet of veggies and legumes in the morning within an hour of wake up time. Feeding treats can be at any time of day. I also recommend that abuts should not be able to see when its owners are eating... why? Because it is not fair for the bird to watch you eat, but you certainly don't want to train it to expect food whenever it sees you with food. This can and will often lead to screaming during meal times over the years... Imagine you or someone who owns that bird having a baby and trying to feed an infant with a screaming cockatoo in the background.
3. Lots of toys changed out daily. Get a large group of toys and never leave more than (maybe their favorite) and switch them out with others after feeding (never before bedtime, always earlier in the day).
4. No peanuts... period. I've done enough studies on 'toos here to know that both peanuts and sunflower seeds seem to cause a marked increase in aggression among not only male cockatoos, but male cockatiels as well.
5. NEVER yell at a cockatoo.
6. NEVER notice bad behaviors... if your bird is plucking or making noise don't even look at them... cockatoos are very observant... ever had one study how exactly you open their cage?
7. No matter how cute you think it is, bouncing with their crest up almost always means an impending bite... overstimulated 'toos should not be trusted, and your goal should be to be very careful and let them display, but be cautious.
8. NO COCKATOO SHOULD EVER BE TRUSTED WITH SMALL CHILDREN.
9. Teach them physical tricks and give them physical puzzles to solve. Cockatoos have an amazing talent for mechanics. I teach all our 'toos property) a few simple tricks... like "big bounce" which is useful to help an overly excited bird to burn some energy. I also teach "little bounce", "high five", "bang/play dead", and they like those puzzle baby toys.
10. Allow for morning and evening display screaming, and just live with it.
11. Never leave a cockatoo out of a cage unsupervised...
12. Don't clip their wings unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. I've noticed most cockatoos will shred the remaining wing feathers once they have been trimmed.
13. Make sure your cockatoo will happily entertain itself for at least 8 hours without attention.
There is so much more, but those are the basics off of the top of my head.
1. Pet a cockatoo only around the head and neck, and very occasionally under the wings. Avoid petting down the back or around the tail... why? Because pressure on the back and pulling or moving the tail will sexually stimulate a 'too. This will over time teach the bird that you and humans are to be thought of as potential mates.... imagine the level of frustration that can cause in a bird with such an obsessive nature.
2. As with a dog you should not encourage food begging behavior. It is ideal to make sure your bird is fed a healthy diet of veggies and legumes in the morning within an hour of wake up time. Feeding treats can be at any time of day. I also recommend that abuts should not be able to see when its owners are eating... why? Because it is not fair for the bird to watch you eat, but you certainly don't want to train it to expect food whenever it sees you with food. This can and will often lead to screaming during meal times over the years... Imagine you or someone who owns that bird having a baby and trying to feed an infant with a screaming cockatoo in the background.
3. Lots of toys changed out daily. Get a large group of toys and never leave more than (maybe their favorite) and switch them out with others after feeding (never before bedtime, always earlier in the day).
4. No peanuts... period. I've done enough studies on 'toos here to know that both peanuts and sunflower seeds seem to cause a marked increase in aggression among not only male cockatoos, but male cockatiels as well.
5. NEVER yell at a cockatoo.
6. NEVER notice bad behaviors... if your bird is plucking or making noise don't even look at them... cockatoos are very observant... ever had one study how exactly you open their cage?
7. No matter how cute you think it is, bouncing with their crest up almost always means an impending bite... overstimulated 'toos should not be trusted, and your goal should be to be very careful and let them display, but be cautious.
8. NO COCKATOO SHOULD EVER BE TRUSTED WITH SMALL CHILDREN.
9. Teach them physical tricks and give them physical puzzles to solve. Cockatoos have an amazing talent for mechanics. I teach all our 'toos property) a few simple tricks... like "big bounce" which is useful to help an overly excited bird to burn some energy. I also teach "little bounce", "high five", "bang/play dead", and they like those puzzle baby toys.
10. Allow for morning and evening display screaming, and just live with it.
11. Never leave a cockatoo out of a cage unsupervised...
12. Don't clip their wings unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. I've noticed most cockatoos will shred the remaining wing feathers once they have been trimmed.
13. Make sure your cockatoo will happily entertain itself for at least 8 hours without attention.
There is so much more, but those are the basics off of the top of my head.
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