Aggressive Goffin Cockatoo

[lindak3229]

Good afternoon. This is my first time being involved in a forum. I have a Goffin Cockatoo, whose name is Malcomb. I have had Malcomb for 21 years. I am at least his third owner, so I have no idea of his actual age. He was a neglect case, missing 85% of his feathers when I got him. We bonded quickly. He does not talk. He has typical mood swings, but I got used to that. He gets aggressive in the Spring, which I assume is breeding season. He eats pellet food (on seed when I got him). I give him fresh vegetables as treats 2-3 times weekly. He gets pecans, non-salted pistachios, English walnuts and non-salted peanuts as treats daily. He was in a cockatiel cage when I got him. I bought a used California King cage. I know about rotating/replacing toys so he doesn't get bored and start plucking. He stays in his cage when I'm not home. I turn him out when I get home. He stays out all night until I leave the next morning.

Over the past 4-5 months, he has decided he hates me. My work schedule, etc. has not changed. Nothing new. His cage is next to a window, where it has always been. He has always had a mirror in his cage. He loves his baby in the mirror. I cannot figure out what is going on. He acts like he wants to play, but then he ends up biting me or attacking. He has bitten me on my head, my neck, every finger I have. When he attacks, he always comes after my face. I turn my head, which causes the bites on my head and neck. Last night, I simply walked into the room where his cage is. He flogged me - came right into my face. I turned, but he got my inner ear and bottom lobe. That's the first time he's gotten that close to my face. I'm not a newbie. He normally comes out of his little moods, but not now. If this keeps up, I may need a blood transfusion . Any ideas? I need help!

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Don’t react to biting. Worse thing you can do to him is give him a short time out for a very hard bite.
Target training is very helpful here, try it, it’s amazing for aggressive birds.

 

[StormyPica]

I would also suggest more veggies in his diet, although if you can't manage that, your current diet is fine!

 

[Ria.345]

Good afternoon. This is my first time being involved in a forum. I have a Goffin Cockatoo, whose name is Malcomb. I have had Malcomb for 21 years. I am at least his third owner, so I have no idea of his actual age. He was a neglect case, missing 85% of his feathers when I got him. We bonded quickly. He does not talk. He has typical mood swings, but I got used to that. He gets aggressive in the Spring, which I assume is breeding season. He eats pellet food (on seed when I got him). I give him fresh vegetables as treats 2-3 times weekly. He gets pecans, non-salted pistachios, English walnuts and non-salted peanuts as treats daily. He was in a cockatiel cage when I got him. I bought a used California King cage. I know about rotating/replacing toys so he doesn't get bored and start plucking. He stays in his cage when I'm not home. I turn him out when I get home. He stays out all night until I leave the next morning.

Over the past 4-5 months, he has decided he hates me. My work schedule, etc. has not changed. Nothing new. His cage is next to a window, where it has always been. He has always had a mirror in his cage. He loves his baby in the mirror. I cannot figure out what is going on. He acts like he wants to play, but then he ends up biting me or attacking. He has bitten me on my head, my neck, every finger I have. When he attacks, he always comes after my face. I turn my head, which causes the bites on my head and neck. Last night, I simply walked into the room where his cage is. He flogged me - came right into my face. I turned, but he got my inner ear and bottom lobe. That's the first time he's gotten that close to my face. I'm not a newbie. He normally comes out of his little moods, but not now. If this keeps up, I may need a blood transfusion . Any ideas? I need help!

Definitely take advice mentioned above and please remove the mirror. Mirrors can be psychologically damaging to birds since they don’t notice their own reflection and think the mirror is their mate, acting out to people who have anything to do with that said “mate”.

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Malcomb! My experience with flock of five Goffin's is overwhelmingly positive and loving with exception of male patriarch. He just doesn't like people but responds to hand feeding and is definitely not fearful. Agree with previous advice of removing mirror, increasing veggie intake, and minimizing bite response.

I'll humbly share a bit of controversial but functional advice. One of my hand-tamed and sweetest Goffin's became aggressive with mood swings. Took her (thought to be him at the time but that's a story for another day!) to avian-certified vet for well-check assessment. All appeared well so his theory was a moderate wing clip to mitigate hostile tendencies. Worked like a charm with almost immediate results. This was a one-off aberration, no setbacks a decade or so later! Cannot guarantee success for Malcomb with admittedly circumstantial evidence clip.

 

[wrench13]

Hi and welcome to our forums! All good things to try above, I will just add my perspective.

Take a really close look at anything that might have changed coinciding with the behavioral change. Could be as subtle as a change in hair color , eye shadow, favorite shirt, new glasses - anything. These can trigger some crazy new behavior. With a parrot you ahve had for so long, even a tiny change might be the reason; they get so used to their person being the same, day in day out!

If he is bonded to you, you can try 'shunning' to get the message that biting is not acceptable across to him. Shunning works like this - If he bites you, a firm "NO BITE" (not yelled at him but firmly) and then IMMEDIATELY put him on a nearby chair back and then turn your back to him, with zero eye contact, NONE, and no talking to him or about him, for a minute or a bit more. Any longer and the lesson will be lost and he will not make the connection. THis is how parrots in the wild chastise an unruly member of the flock. In order for this to work it has to be done every time he bites and everyone in the household has to do it. And - do NOT put him back into his cage; use the handy chairback. WHy? Because putting him back into his cage can teach him to bite when he wants to go back to his cage. A chairback is a neutral place and is usualy right at hand when the bite occurs.

Good advice on the diet above - nuts and seeds have a lot of proteins (in addition to a lot of fats) and if he is like most companion parrots, there is not a lot of opportunity to expend all that energy from the proteins. Same thing with fruits and high sugar foods like corn. You get a parrot that is amped up and no way to expend all that energy.

Last comments - change occurs SLOWLY with parrots, so eliminating this behavior may take a long time; be patient. And be consistent - nothing screws up behavior modification like inconsistency, the parrot will get confused and may even get worse!

Good luck and I hope you stick with us!

 

[Laurasea]

welcome to you! Sorry this trouble is what led to you joining us.

Lots if people already giving you great advice @

Because sometimes behavior changes can be due to pain ( arthritis) or illness . Getting him to the avian vet fir a check up is a good start.

Getting them foraging can be fun for both of you. You can do together start simple use the nuts as a motivation.

And sometimes something happens that breaks their trust, either known by you or unknown. And starting over and rebuilding trust can be very helpful. I once had my green cheek so mad at me she also would fly to me to attack. A million hellos and treats later we git past it. And close attention to body language to avoid bites.

 

[miki]

Good afternoon. This is my first time being involved in a forum. I have a Goffin Cockatoo, whose name is Malcomb. I have had Malcomb for 21 years. I am at least his third owner, so I have no idea of his actual age. He was a neglect case, missing 85% of his feathers when I got him. We bonded quickly. He does not talk. He has typical mood swings, but I got used to that. He gets aggressive in the Spring, which I assume is breeding season. He eats pellet food (on seed when I got him). I give him fresh vegetables as treats 2-3 times weekly. He gets pecans, non-salted pistachios, English walnuts and non-salted peanuts as treats daily. He was in a cockatiel cage when I got him. I bought a used California King cage. I know about rotating/replacing toys so he doesn't get bored and start plucking. He stays in his cage when I'm not home. I turn him out when I get home. He stays out all night until I leave the next morning.

Over the past 4-5 months, he has decided he hates me. My work schedule, etc. has not changed. Nothing new. His cage is next to a window, where it has always been. He has always had a mirror in his cage. He loves his baby in the mirror. I cannot figure out what is going on. He acts like he wants to play, but then he ends up biting me or attacking. He has bitten me on my head, my neck, every finger I have. When he attacks, he always comes after my face. I turn my head, which causes the bites on my head and neck. Last night, I simply walked into the room where his cage is. He flogged me - came right into my face. I turned, but he got my inner ear and bottom lobe. That's the first time he's gotten that close to my face. I'm not a newbie. He normally comes out of his little moods, but not now. If this keeps up, I may need a blood transfusion . Any ideas? I need help!

Sorry that this has been happening with your cockatoo! Cockatoos, even the smaller ones, are known for biting and aggression. Have you thought of hiring a consultant for some help with this situation? Just wondering. Good luck, and keep us all posted.

 

[Scott]

Any updates for you and Malcomb?

 

[lindak3229]

Good morning everyone. I'm so sorry for just getting back to the forum. Very hectic at work. I don't have internet at home so I have to do after work everyday before I leave office.

Anyway, I appreciate all the advice. I have tried to adhere to all the advice given. I've increased vegetables and decreased nuts in his diet. He loves to tear up things so I put boxes in his cage, which he totally destroys and then I put another. He has not flown into my face for an attack lately; however, he still tries to bite when I give him treats. So no handfeeding yet. I cannot clip his wings because I have dogs in the house. I can't take the risk of him getting on the floor and not being able to get away from them. I'm doing the "no bite" and ignore him method. One person said not to react to his biting. This rascal doesn't just bite, he bites and hangs on. He literally will not turn loose once he latches on. I have to physically knock him off or sling him off of me. He typically lands in the floor and then heads for his cage. I have noticed he doesn't try to bite me as much when I trim his beak. Thanks for all the advice. Have a great day!

 

[Scott]

Good morning everyone. I'm so sorry for just getting back to the forum. Very hectic at work. I don't have internet at home so I have to do after work everyday before I leave office.

Anyway, I appreciate all the advice. I have tried to adhere to all the advice given. I've increased vegetables and decreased nuts in his diet. He loves to tear up things so I put boxes in his cage, which he totally destroys and then I put another. He has not flown into my face for an attack lately; however, he still tries to bite when I give him treats. So no handfeeding yet. I cannot clip his wings because I have dogs in the house. I can't take the risk of him getting on the floor and not being able to get away from them. I'm doing the "no bite" and ignore him method. One person said not to react to his biting. This rascal doesn't just bite, he bites and hangs on. He literally will not turn loose once he latches on. I have to physically knock him off or sling him off of me. He typically lands in the floor and then heads for his cage. I have noticed he doesn't try to bite me as much when I trim his beak. Thanks for all the advice. Have a great day! View attachment 38198

Wonderful update, making progress! Definitely unclipped with dogs in home! Have you tried giving treats through cage bars for your protection? Goal is to teach acceptance leading to one-to-one feeding without interface. Interestingly, my most aggressive male Goffin's will gently accept a treat by hand, but all other closeness risks nasty bite! Unfortunately grab-and-hold biting a species trait.