Alarm Call?

[jaimmorr]

So, I just got home from dinner and let Ricco out of his cage. He ALWAYS says "Hey, Ricco!" about 4-5 times as soon as I get home. Well, today he didn't and I thought that was odd, but no big deal. Then I came in from letting the dogs out and when I sat down on the couch he started doing his alarm call that I've only heard a couple times. He would not stop for anything. I tried to calm him down, but he just kept going and going. I finally just sat down and ignored him and he stopped eventually. Should I be worried?

Also: Dear anyone considering getting a Cockatoo,

I have the smallest of the Cockatoos (a G2) and he is deafening. LOL. I have no idea how that tiny body makes the loudest noises! Granted, he is a LOT quieter than a U2!

Sincerely, bleeding ears.

 

[jaimmorr]

Bump? He's acting fine today, but I'm just wondering.

 

[Ginkai]

Think back. Was there anything different about you or the house when he went off? Toos.are very sensitive and can react to very small things.

 

[Molcan2]

Rome hasn't alarmed called. She will sound off on occasion but very rarely (if shes in the house when it happens it is beyond deafening). Rocco on the other hand. Roc has a very loud obnoxious alarm call that doesn't stop for anything. If he is alarmed everyone knows it and he is very particular about changes in his environment. They are kept out on our back porch, if someone walks out there through the house he is fine, if someone walks into the backyard by using the gate he alarm calls and it takes him a little to settle down.

 

[jaimmorr]

The only thing I can think of is that my mom just bought a new outdoor chair for the backyard and had just put it out there. But I don't even know if he could see that from his cage... Hmm. That may have been it. He seems just fine today, though.

 

[Molcan2]

Thats enough to cause a problem in their eyes.

 

[ShreddedOakAviary]

Moe (an umbrella cockatoo) was a pet of mine long before I had an aviary. He use to do that randomly... it took me forever to realize what was driving him to do it.... spiders.... if he saw a spider and even if it disappeared under his cage he would do his endless alarm call until he got tired. So my point is that it could have been something as small as an insect.

 

[KBEquine]

Cookie has only been here for about 6 weeks, so I am no expert, but -

I heard Cookie's alarm call on the way home (Cookie's cage was in the backseat of the car, there was a breeze that caught a piece of paper and fluttered it against Cookie's cage). The "alarm" stopped when I grabbed the paper & reassured Cookie . . .

Cookie's toenails are pretty long & there is 1 red concrete perch in the cage. Cookie sits on it to eat. So I figured a 2nd concrete perch (a green one) could help (he also has natural wood perches - and HAD a rope perch, until he ate it). Wrong. Took me a few minutes to realize he wasn't screaming for no reason, he was doing his alarm call. I removed the offending green perch & he was immediately quiet.

I also have heard the alarm call when he saw children playing in the front yard (yeah, they scare me too, sometimes) when we had our annual picnic. And when he sees a deer crossing the yard . . . well, it could be a cockatoo-eating deer . . .

When Goose-the-greenwing arrived, he came with an 'owner's manual' and one of the entries said that Goose never screams without reason - if he screams, you NEED to find out why. Well, that's counter-intuitive if you have been been told to ignore the screaming to extinguish it. But for both Goose & Cookie - neither of whom screams without reason - it makes sense.

[And both screams are loud enough to make your ears bleed, so I'm glad they're both reasonably quiet guys.]

P.S. - Does anyone else's cockatoo meow like a cat when it is going to sleep? A sleepy "mew" seems to be Cookie's contented sound (that & the 'grinding beak' thing.)

 

[Mare Miller]

Do not be alarmed by alarm calls. In your birds mind, it is important to them, you need to cope and deal with it. Amigo, being an outside bird, only does this when he feels like there is something threatening in his territory. He is alerting his flock to the potential danger.

You may be sitting watching tv but he hears something that you don't. These birds are so more sensitive than we are.

 

[Sarahtheumbrella]

Agreed. Sarah can only take two people at most coming into a house when she is in her outside of her cage. She will scream ahhh-ahhh-ahhh for about five minutes until the people leave (covering their ears and crying ) Snd whenever there is too much going on for her to be able to check out everything. Plus some things tend to scare her...for example large hats.

Ypur goffin may have detected something different about you, or possible saw a litttle bird smash into a window(this really happens)...lots of small things can tick a cockatoo of.