Advice please - this is long

[sunshine.within]

OK so here we are in full on crisis with Bianca.

Back story - Bianca is 40 years old and was abused by a previous owner(s). When I met her she belonged to a friend who rescued her from an abusive environment, but who also neglected her for years. She dwelled in a large outdoor cage where she’d see some trees, the sky, the odd squirrel and the lady who fed her three times a week. This was her life for a few years.

My husband and I moved to the area where this friend lived and were guests in his home for a few months. I felt bad that Bianca would never be let out so I befriended her and she started to become attached to me. After a few weeks we asked our friend if we could adopt her and he agreed.

Present - Now we have our own place but Bianca went through the move with just my husband because I was in Europe for two months. Meaning, she didn’t interact with me for two whole months and got accustomed to her new life and home with my husband.

To expand on the situation I will also mention that her set up is not ideal and temporary. She only has her travel carrier because we’re waiting for the darn aviary to show up here. She goes everywhere with him/us but is generally lacking the = mentally stimulating activities she was accustomed to when she was living at our friend’s place. I made her interested in playing and she finally got to the point of showing herself a good time, so much that she would march back into her cage all by herself.

Aside from this, as long as she was living with just my husband these past few weeks she would sit quietly on her travel carrier or her perch, not throw tantrums and generally behaving like a star.

Now I’ve been back for a week and things are spiraling out of control!!!!

I will admit that we don’t know what we’re doing, as we’ve never had a parrot before, so we are probably making a lot of mistakes with her. We’re on the hunt for a good trainer who can teach us how to train her to do some basic things. And, as you know, we’re waiting for her aviary, which we will set up with lots of activities for her to do.

Her new behavior includes

- chasing after my feet
- chasing after my husband’s feet
- screaming (never heard her become vocal ever before)
- being nervous and agitated
- looking very hormonal
- appearing frustrated and miserable when we’re trying to do everything to make her happy

She is still a sweet girl so when she is calm she will doze off quietly, cuddle, behave and so on...

I wonder if maybe she’s in heat? Or maybe just crazy jealous of my husband and territorial now that I’m back...

I’d really appreciate your expert advice!



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[ParrotGenie]

OK so here we are in full on crisis with Bianca.

Back story - Bianca is 40 years old and was abused by a previous owner(s). When I met her she belonged to a friend who rescued her from an abusive environment, but who also neglected her for years. She dwelled in a large outdoor cage where she’d see some trees, the sky, the odd squirrel and the lady who fed her three times a week. This was her life for a few years.

My husband and I moved to the area where this friend lived and were guests in his home for a few months. I felt bad that Bianca would never be let out so I befriended her and she started to become attached to me. After a few weeks we asked our friend if we could adopt her and he agreed.

Present - Now we have our own place but Bianca went through the move with just my husband because I was in Europe for two months. Meaning, she didn’t interact with me for two whole months and got accustomed to her new life and home with my husband.

To expand on the situation I will also mention that her set up is not ideal and temporary. She only has her travel carrier because we’re waiting for the darn aviary to show up here. She goes everywhere with him/us but is generally lacking the = mentally stimulating activities she was accustomed to when she was living at our friend’s place. I made her interested in playing and she finally got to the point of showing herself a good time, so much that she would march back into her cage all by herself.

Aside from this, as long as she was living with just my husband these past few weeks she would sit quietly on her travel carrier or her perch, not throw tantrums and generally behaving like a star.

Now I’ve been back for a week and things are spiraling out of control!!!!

I will admit that we don’t know what we’re doing, as we’ve never had a parrot before, so we are probably making a lot of mistakes with her. We’re on the hunt for a good trainer who can teach us how to train her to do some basic things. And, as you know, we’re waiting for her aviary, which we will set up with lots of activities for her to do.

Her new behavior includes

- chasing after my feet
- chasing after my husband’s feet
- screaming (never heard her become vocal ever before)
- being nervous and agitated
- looking very hormonal
- appearing frustrated and miserable when we’re trying to do everything to make her happy

She is still a sweet girl so when she is calm she will doze off quietly, cuddle, behave and so on...

I wonder if maybe she’s in heat? Or maybe just crazy jealous of my husband and territorial now that I’m back...

I’d really appreciate your expert advice!



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Where are you located at?

 

[sunshine.within]

We’re in Southern California but will move back to NYC in the spring


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[noodles123]

OK so here we are in full on crisis with Bianca.

Back story - Bianca is 40 years old and was abused by a previous owner(s). When I met her she belonged to a friend who rescued her from an abusive environment, but who also neglected her for years. She dwelled in a large outdoor cage where she’d see some trees, the sky, the odd squirrel and the lady who fed her three times a week. This was her life for a few years.

My husband and I moved to the area where this friend lived and were guests in his home for a few months. I felt bad that Bianca would never be let out so I befriended her and she started to become attached to me. After a few weeks we asked our friend if we could adopt her and he agreed.

Present - Now we have our own place but Bianca went through the move with just my husband because I was in Europe for two months. Meaning, she didn’t interact with me for two whole months and got accustomed to her new life and home with my husband.

To expand on the situation I will also mention that her set up is not ideal and temporary. She only has her travel carrier because we’re waiting for the darn aviary to show up here. She goes everywhere with him/us but is generally lacking the = mentally stimulating activities she was accustomed to when she was living at our friend’s place. I made her interested in playing and she finally got to the point of showing herself a good time, so much that she would march back into her cage all by herself.

Aside from this, as long as she was living with just my husband these past few weeks she would sit quietly on her travel carrier or her perch, not throw tantrums and generally behaving like a star.

Now I’ve been back for a week and things are spiraling out of control!!!!

I will admit that we don’t know what we’re doing, as we’ve never had a parrot before, so we are probably making a lot of mistakes with her. We’re on the hunt for a good trainer who can teach us how to train her to do some basic things. And, as you know, we’re waiting for her aviary, which we will set up with lots of activities for her to do.

Her new behavior includes

- chasing after my feet
- chasing after my husband’s feet
- screaming (never heard her become vocal ever before)
- being nervous and agitated
- looking very hormonal
- appearing frustrated and miserable when we’re trying to do everything to make her happy

She is still a sweet girl so when she is calm she will doze off quietly, cuddle, behave and so on...

I wonder if maybe she’s in heat? Or maybe just crazy jealous of my husband and territorial now that I’m back...

I’d really appreciate your expert advice!



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She is probably mad at you and upset by her routine change--she will take time to get over it...she is also probably hormonal. In her mind, you left her and she didn't like it--she probably over-bonded with you and then you left, so she transferred that to your husband (if I had to guess).
Never ever cuddle or pet anywhere but the head/neck (even if it seems innocent) because it can amplify situations like this if she perceives either of you as her mate (I know they are cuddle-babies but it is so important not to indulge this)
....remember that honeymoon I discussed in previous posts lol? They can get like this---all hope isn't lost, but you will have to be consistent and patient.
Screaming, chasing etc are all hormonal behaviors, so she could be jealous as well.
Again, no dark spaces, no cuddles, no pillows, no blankets, no full-body chest hugs etc. These all send the wrong message and these birds want a mate badly.
Time will heal this wound, but do not allow her to regard either of you as her cuddle buddy. Any cuddling (for the most part) is sexual to a cockatoo. Make sure that your husband and you are on the same page. If she chases you, he should leave the room. He should also probably back off a bit and allow you to rebuild trust. If needed, you should wear padded socks and put her back on her cage top etc if this continues...or ignore her completely. Aside from re-building trust, waiting and removing hormonal triggers (and allowing your husband to give her some space/step back), ABA is helpful. I will post a link in a second.

 

[ParrotGenie]

It is typical behavior issues you are dealing with. You have to remember she is 40 years old, so she has some bad habits from lack of attention and ETC. It will take some time to work these behavior issues out.

- chasing after my feet
- chasing after my husband’s feet
- screaming (never heard her become vocal ever before)

As far as the screaming best way to work that out is to let her scream and don't pick her up, or pay any attention to her as you don't want to award the behavior. You have to let everyone in your family know this and follow as well and will take a few time for her to realize screaming not going to get her what she wants. Then you have to award her when she quiet. It worked for my 28 year old umbrellas cockatoo and now she rarely scream unless it to call Cooper my other U2 over and ETC. Same thing pretty much applies to chasing feet and biting, don't show a reaction and don't get upset and put her in time out on the floor another room works best. I usually avoid cage as they consider it safe space and maybe where they want to go. Birds in general hate being on the floor, or I put her on a chair, or couch for a few minutes. She get it after a few times chasing feet is a NO NO. You do have to award her when she behaves and enforce what you want her to do. Never pet below the head as wings and under wings as they consider this foreplay and will become aggressive. It is likely mostly hormonal behaviors. Just pet her head and don't cuddle her and pet below the head and especially under the wing.

There is a lot more to caring for a parrot, like stuff not to use around her like non-stick pans hair dryers and heaters that can contain PTFE/Teflon. Then stuff that contain chemical like candles and hairsprays and ETC, that bad for them. Please refer to the threads below as they explain, this is important for parrot ownership.

http://www.parrotforums.com/cockatoos/17694-owning-cockatoo.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/4430-parrot-safe-products.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/8769-so-you-want-get-parrot-first-time.html

 

[noodles123]

Here is the link to some ABA stuff (ABC charting) that I just posted for another member...It seriously is invaluable and I know it is long, but despite the fact that it is slow-going, it WORKS with cockatoos (as long as you avoid cuddles etc)
http://www.parrotforums.com/cockatiels/79289-frustrated-tiel.html

 

[ChristaNL]

Well, I can tell you to do a lot of reading here about too's.
(But you probably already have done so, but the stories here of people about their toos and other birds are probably the best I've found sofar.)

You decided to adopt a special needs child with a canopener attached to its face and hormonal tempertantrums as well as the normal ones.
You are very brave&loving people.

Are you (DNA-proof) sure she IS as she?

Anything she does that gets a strong reaction from you guys will be seen as encouragement - so that wil probably explain the footchasing.
(No-one enjoys being bitten in the toes, so humans will react strongly - in a funny way for a parrot)
and the screaming (for a bit, although screaming is quite normal at some times since it is a form of communication, some birds are consistently louder than others) but once again: if you react to it ... its encouragement...

Being nervous, agitated, frustrated/ miserable are (unfortunately) common enough 'emotions'/'behaviours' that a caged bird that needs to be active/ kept busy almost all waking hours will display (and too's will demand to be in direct contact with a human a LOT).

You've read about "touch only the non-sexy-zones" (head, beak and neck) -plze plze plze stick to those.
Toos are wonderfull and cudly and soft and it is oh so tempting to treat them like feathered teddybears... wel don't! They will love it, but it will also get them horny as hell and as a result impossible to live with.
Hormonal birds are no fun and the larger ones can do serious damage (to human flesh) when frustrated.

I hope your aviary will arrive soon
She will have more options to blow of some steam, and you can teach her to play etc. (selfemployed birds are great)

 

[sunshine.within]

Thank you so much guys, for the advice and the links!

Bianca was a little calmer today, so that’s good.

I will let her express herself while trying not to give in every time she calls out to me/us. I am desperately looking forward to when we will have the aviary so that she can be independent and can be left alone.

We don’t really cuddle but in the morning, for example, she will climb down her perch and up on our bed for an extra couple of hours of sleep. We won’t pet her but she will press herself against my neck, so I don’t know if that considered cuddling.

You know, she just might be acting up because she’s upset that I left for so long!




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[sunshine.within]

Oh and Christa, yes she’s a girl as confirmed by the tests.


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[Betrisher]

G'day sunshine.within! Your Bianca sounds rather like my Rosetta, so I can understand how taken aback you must have been to see the sweet, fluffy little cocky turn into a ravening monster with no warning! It can be scary (I was petrified of 'Setta for the first few weeks!).

Here are a few things I've discovered in getting to know my Corella. Maybe they'll help you in dealing with your cocky?

i) Don't underestimate the power of fear in a bird. If she's afraid, she will go ballistic without warning and oftentimes you just can't pinpoint exactly what it is she's afraid of.

Just yesterday, I finished making a new rope toy for 'Setta and she nearly *died* when I showed it to her! You'd think I was dangling a cobra in front of her! So she took off, flying randomly everywhere and eventually landed on top of a doll, teetering there for a moment, then falling. Not a great experience for her (or me). Or the doll (bad hair day).

ii) Safe places. Even though your bird has been home for quite a few weeks, it might be she doesn't know which places are safe for her.

I took 'Setta round the rooms she's allowed in and gently touched her bill to the windows and mirrors to show her they're hard. Then, I showed her which places she can stand on safely by putting a few sunflower seeds there and letting her hop off my arm and perch there. This made a big difference, because now she knows where she can land after she's had a fright (even the sound of branches brushing our tin roof sends her into a flat spin).

iii) Perhaps she can't fly very well? A bird always kept in a cage for long periods is highly unlikely to be able to fly effectively. More than that, she probably can't alight very well either. This means that when she flies onto you, she'll grab for anything she can and she'll grab with both feet (eight claws) and her beak. She'll be far more concerned about landing safely than about what she does to your flesh!

This was huge with Rosetta when she first came. We all thought she was attacking our heads and eyes, but all she was doing was trying to land on the nearest high spot (ie. someone's head). She's still very clumsy about landing and taking off and when she alights on me, she grabs hold for all she's worth. She no longer uses her beak, so I consider that progress.

iv) Hormones. This is a word that should be struck from the language. There is nothing you can do about hormones (well - there is, but it's pretty last-ditch stuff and I wouldn't consider it myself). Hens are more likely to suffer from the effects of 'spring fever' than males. They feel broody and begin to show behaviours connected with mating and nesting. They will rub themselves (either their beaks or wings or bottoms) on various surfaces and make crooning or low screeching noises (the noises are a dead give-away). They will try to snuggle into confined or dark places.

Rosetta's main aim in life is to dive into my Bottomless Pit - my cleavage - and bury her head there. This is not a little disconcerting and I fear the day she manages to achieve her objective and bite while down there! Eeuww!

If you go along with these behaviours and rub or 'scritch' your bird under its wings, on its back or around its body, you are effectively turning it on. The lack of - ah - completion is what turns our lovely fluffy companions into ravening monsters! How would you feel after a day's worth of foreplay and then - nuthin'?

Rosetta's previous owners had given in to every one of her desires and when she arrived here she was beside herself! It has taken many weeks to get her to a stage where we have a nodding respect. It's going to take much longer to build a real trust. I'm just glad she wound up with me instead of being tossed around from owner to owner until someone set her free.

Gaining the trust of a bird who has been seriously misunderstood is so very rewarding and it seems you're anxious to be Bianca's best friend. Good on you! If you'll take a deep breath and remind yourself each day that she comes to you with a lifetime of baggage and can't help being confused, you'll do well with her.

v) The feet thing. I don't know what it is about human feet that fascinates birds! Maybe they think they're dear little worms or some kind of fruity growth? Whatever. The answer is clear, though: always wear shoes and remember to tuck your laces down beside your socks (otherwise, your shoelaces will wind up with soft, fluffy ends instead of aglets).

When 'Setta goes for my shoes, I say 'Uh Uh Uh!' sharply and use my target stick to target her away from them. Sometimes, this doesn't work, so then I just have to pick her up bodily and put her on the table or somewhere out of eye-shot of my feet. Distraction is *always* the best way to go. Like cats, birds don't take to discipline or scolding very well and will often take your excited state and loud voice as a bit of fun 'yahooing'.

Do stay in touch with us, won't you? We'd love to hear of Bianca's progress, even if it's two steps forward, one step back. It takes quite a bit of time to make changes for a parrot with baggage and sometimes it takes a bit of creative lateral thinking too. If you stick with it, though, Bianca will benefit in many ways and be a much happier little lady than when she first came home.

Rosetta sends a happy skraark to her new friend, Bianca!

 

[noodles123]

I'm glad she is doing better today. I have to emphasize though, it has been my experience that beds and U2s= nesting situations...something about them juts puts them in that mindset...beds, and people's laps (among other things lol)-it isn't even obvious usually (but it does seem to have an impact over time).
If the room were well lit and she were standing on someones back (while that person did something like watch TV while laying on the bed) then that wouldn't be an issue...but if she is touching the covers directly, I would try to prevent that.
If she is pressing against your neck while you are in bed, yes that is cuddling and it is within the context of a nest-like situation.

If you were standing up and she did this for like 5 seconds or something every couple of days, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but that kind of daily, prolonged affection is definitely a trigger for them (because in the wild, they wouldn't do that kind of a thing with flock members--while they likely would with mates).

I know it sucks because they are so dang cute.

 

[sunshine.within]

G'day sunshine.within! Your Bianca sounds rather like my Rosetta, so I can understand how taken aback you must have been to see the sweet, fluffy little cocky turn into a ravening monster with no warning! It can be scary (I was petrified of 'Setta for the first few weeks!).

Here are a few things I've discovered in getting to know my Corella. Maybe they'll help you in dealing with your cocky?

i) Don't underestimate the power of fear in a bird. If she's afraid, she will go ballistic without warning and oftentimes you just can't pinpoint exactly what it is she's afraid of.

Just yesterday, I finished making a new rope toy for 'Setta and she nearly *died* when I showed it to her! You'd think I was dangling a cobra in front of her! So she took off, flying randomly everywhere and eventually landed on top of a doll, teetering there for a moment, then falling. Not a great experience for her (or me). Or the doll (bad hair day).

ii) Safe places. Even though your bird has been home for quite a few weeks, it might be she doesn't know which places are safe for her.

I took 'Setta round the rooms she's allowed in and gently touched her bill to the windows and mirrors to show her they're hard. Then, I showed her which places she can stand on safely by putting a few sunflower seeds there and letting her hop off my arm and perch there. This made a big difference, because now she knows where she can land after she's had a fright (even the sound of branches brushing our tin roof sends her into a flat spin).

iii) Perhaps she can't fly very well? A bird always kept in a cage for long periods is highly unlikely to be able to fly effectively. More than that, she probably can't alight very well either. This means that when she flies onto you, she'll grab for anything she can and she'll grab with both feet (eight claws) and her beak. She'll be far more concerned about landing safely than about what she does to your flesh!

This was huge with Rosetta when she first came. We all thought she was attacking our heads and eyes, but all she was doing was trying to land on the nearest high spot (ie. someone's head). She's still very clumsy about landing and taking off and when she alights on me, she grabs hold for all she's worth. She no longer uses her beak, so I consider that progress.

iv) Hormones. This is a word that should be struck from the language. There is nothing you can do about hormones (well - there is, but it's pretty last-ditch stuff and I wouldn't consider it myself). Hens are more likely to suffer from the effects of 'spring fever' than males. They feel broody and begin to show behaviours connected with mating and nesting. They will rub themselves (either their beaks or wings or bottoms) on various surfaces and make crooning or low screeching noises (the noises are a dead give-away). They will try to snuggle into confined or dark places.

Rosetta's main aim in life is to dive into my Bottomless Pit - my cleavage - and bury her head there. This is not a little disconcerting and I fear the day she manages to achieve her objective and bite while down there! Eeuww!

If you go along with these behaviours and rub or 'scritch' your bird under its wings, on its back or around its body, you are effectively turning it on. The lack of - ah - completion is what turns our lovely fluffy companions into ravening monsters! How would you feel after a day's worth of foreplay and then - nuthin'?

Rosetta's previous owners had given in to every one of her desires and when she arrived here she was beside herself! It has taken many weeks to get her to a stage where we have a nodding respect. It's going to take much longer to build a real trust. I'm just glad she wound up with me instead of being tossed around from owner to owner until someone set her free.

Gaining the trust of a bird who has been seriously misunderstood is so very rewarding and it seems you're anxious to be Bianca's best friend. Good on you! If you'll take a deep breath and remind yourself each day that she comes to you with a lifetime of baggage and can't help being confused, you'll do well with her.

v) The feet thing. I don't know what it is about human feet that fascinates birds! Maybe they think they're dear little worms or some kind of fruity growth? Whatever. The answer is clear, though: always wear shoes and remember to tuck your laces down beside your socks (otherwise, your shoelaces will wind up with soft, fluffy ends instead of aglets).

When 'Setta goes for my shoes, I say 'Uh Uh Uh!' sharply and use my target stick to target her away from them. Sometimes, this doesn't work, so then I just have to pick her up bodily and put her on the table or somewhere out of eye-shot of my feet. Distraction is *always* the best way to go. Like cats, birds don't take to discipline or scolding very well and will often take your excited state and loud voice as a bit of fun 'yahooing'.

Do stay in touch with us, won't you? We'd love to hear of Bianca's progress, even if it's two steps forward, one step back. It takes quite a bit of time to make changes for a parrot with baggage and sometimes it takes a bit of creative lateral thinking too. If you stick with it, though, Bianca will benefit in many ways and be a much happier little lady than when she first came home.

Rosetta sends a happy skraark to her new friend, Bianca!

Thank you so much Betrisher!

We’re trying to tackle every issue one by one and some progress seems to have been made already.

Bianca can’t fly so I think that she feels especially exposed when she’s on the ground, so for now we are NOT allowing her on the floor at all.

I was just at the vet this morning and they suggested to spray or mist her to calm down her hormonal flashes, and, of course, to give her plenty of activity options.
As a last resort, they said that there’s an implant that they can insert which releases something to shut down her hormones. It would last a few months. I’m not sure I want her to go through surgery for this. She doesn’t seem to be suffering from hormonal waves that much. Hopefully just playing and having a place place of her own will do the trick.

Speaking of which, w’re still waiting for the darn aviary. We actually got part of it yesterday and then realized that some pieces were missing. Super frustrating!!! Apparently this thing comes in three boxes and the last one will arrive today. Uggghhhhh.

So anyway, Bianca seems calmer and I think that all the changes she just went through really did a number on her.

She went from having no family to having two parents. From having no place inside the home to being inside and with either one of us all the time. From her former home to our current one. From having no human interaction to going places full of people... and so on. All things considered, she really could be flying off the handle.


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[sunshine.within]

I'm glad she is doing better today. I have to emphasize though, it has been my experience that beds and U2s= nesting situations...something about them juts puts them in that mindset...beds, and people's laps (among other things lol)-it isn't even obvious usually (but it does seem to have an impact over time).
If the room were well lit and she were standing on someones back (while that person did something like watch TV while laying on the bed) then that wouldn't be an issue...but if she is touching the covers directly, I would try to prevent that.
If she is pressing against your neck while you are in bed, yes that is cuddling and it is within the context of a nest-like situation.

If you were standing up and she did this for like 5 seconds or something every couple of days, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but that kind of daily, prolonged affection is definitely a trigger for them (because in the wild, they wouldn't do that kind of a thing with flock members--while they likely would with mates).

I know it sucks because they are so dang cute.

You know, Noodles, I think I should stop letting her on the bed. It seems to me that she’s becoming territorial about it.


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