Beak scratching

[lkclark1458]

PLEASE HELP! NEW COCKATOO owners here!
We were given a yellow umbrella?? cockatoo from our grandson as he didn't have time to spend with him after he got him from a friend of the family. Any way we have had him going on two months now. He has been recently scratching his beak on the right side with his claw. I understand rubbing up on stuff with is beak but this is different. Do I need to be concerned about this? Also when we got him he didn't have many feathers on his body. Was told they kept him in a room by himself and mostly covered up all the time. We keep him in the front room but you get out of his sight he starts to scream! Working on that as much as possible. What kind of treats do I need to get to help train him not to do this? I read that you can yell at them but they don't understand this. I tell him to be a good boy and that seems to help some. When he's a bad boy I point my finger at him and say "BAD BOY" and he backs off squeaking some.
Also he has a tendency to stick feathers that he has plucked out in his beak acting like he has something stuck in the tip of his beak. Can they get something stuck in there? Do I need to be concerned about this also? I've seen him pick his feet with a feather and I've read up on this that he could be picking dead skin off his feet.
He seems to be really afraid of my husband and our daughter could this be from medicine they take or what? Also he likes to attack one of our grandsons and one of the girlfriends. What would cause this?
Just any important information I need to know about this fellow please let me know as I've never had one. Also have been sneezing and coughing sense he has arrived in our house any suggestions of what allergy medicine that I can take to help with this??
Thank you very much for you time and concern on this and will be looking forward to talking to you all about concerns we have on our "BABY" as this was his name from the first owners of him.
lkclark1458

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome!

Do you know for sure what species of cockatoo you have? If not, if you could post a photo maybe we could tell you. It would be helpful to know the age of your bird.

Two months may seem like a long time, but for a larger Too, it really isn't. Sometimes it takes months for a Too to adjust to a new home, and Baby has changed homes twice recently.

All birds are noisy to some extent, Toos raise the bar. Screaming is a natural behavior for them and even happy, well adjusted birds scream sometimes. Morning and evening flock calls are a given. If you scream back, most Toos will see this as a reward or a game and will scream louder and more often. If your bird has been covered for long periods of time, covering his cage may not be an affective way to deal with the screaming. I would suggest distracting Baby with activities such as soft wood toys, puzzles, foraging toys, music, positive reinforcement training, etc. As strange as it may sound, the best and most effective way to deal with screaming is to absolutely ignore it, do not respond at all. After he has been quiet for a full three to five minutes, interact with him again.

Plucking is a common problem with cockatoos and can escalate to self mutilation if the problem isn't addressed. The longer they pluck, the more habitual the behavior becomes. It's a complicated issue and there are multiple reasons for it. A good place to start is a thorough examination and blood panel by a certified avian vet. A good vet will take everything into consideration and try to pinpoint the underlying cause or causes for your bird's plucking. After any and all medical conditions are ruled out, the vet can help you choose a healthy diet as well. As for screaming, changing the birds routine and giving him enrichment activities will distract him from plucking. If you can help this bird to stop plucking you will be doing him a great service, their average life span is about eighty years. That's a long time for a bird to pluck.

As I'm sure you've realized, Toos produce powder. An air purifier would probably make a big difference and help with your allergies. Frequent mist baths, or showers will help with the powder and also improve your bird's feather condition. I wipe down my Toos cage bars with a damp cloth on a daily basis.

According to your bird's past experience he may have trust issues, causing him to act aggressively toward strangers or people he doesn't know well. Most Toos start out with a gentle, friendly personality, but if pushed they are capable of doing a lot of damage. Until you know your bird and can predict his behavior, it's safer to not allow visitors to handle the bird.

I suggest you read everything you can find about Toos, to better understand your new family member. I hope that helps. I wish you and Baby the very best.