Can I rename my cockatoo?

[Nleam]

I adopted a 33 year old bare eyed cockatoo about 2 weeks ago. I am his third owner and I was told that Nigel is his original name. So far, we have been calling him Nigel but if possible, I may want to change it. So, how attached do cockatoos get to their name? If I do rename him, what is the easiest way to go about that? His previous owner said he knows his name but I haven’t been able to tell if he does or not because he is so new.
Thank you,
NL

 

[SailBoat]

Sorry that your Thread has been missed, sadly this can happen from time to time! With my Post, this will get your Thread back on the board and with hope, one of our Cockatoo folks will spot it.

Well, I look at it from the view point that this intelligent creature with the understanding of a 3 - 4 year old human has already lost two homes, so why not loose what little else s/he has in this World, i.e. her/his name. Yes sarcasm, but so very true... Can you do this, yes. Should you? Well that is a question that you need to answer, since you are now the third owner.

IMHO, I wouldn't, but that is just me!

 

[Laurasea]

I personally like to re name and give them a fresh mental start....
Sure there can be some parrots that are attached to their name, so then changing it might be nit best
Yiu could use his name plus the name you want to change it to, so if you wee going to name him Snow, I would call him Nigel Snow, then slowly use Nigel less and really praise when he responds to Snow....

My Quaker was called A different name when I got her, I called her that fir a little but, but she didn’t seem to have an attachment to it , so I called her Penny which was what I wanted to name her, and really made over the name and her when I used it , fir me within a couple of days she really responded to the new name, and when I said the old name no response... but lol she has never spoken either name....

Thank yiu for taking in a re home!! Picture please!

 

[Nleam]

Thank you for the advice. I haven’t even decided on a name for him yet, if I do try to rename him. I almost think he looks like a Nigel. Here is a photo on him on his way home.

 

[SailBoat]

Oh, he is a real head turner, one can almost hear the hearts breaking out there!

 

[Laurasea]

He is very handsome and seems to have a certain poise !

 

[Inger]

What a handsome Nigel!


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[fiddlejen]

IF IF you rename him then I strongly recommend you follow Laurasea's plan, FIRST simply Add the new name (Nigel-Bob, etc) and then slowly drop the old name -- and making a big deal and happiness of the new name...

... however I have to agree with others, in your picture he really does look like a Nigel!

 

[Scott]

Love that face, he's sort of smiling!

Agree with the progressive technique of name change.

 

[Betrisher]

My corella came to me with the horrendous name of 'Houdini' - commemorating her brilliant ability to open things and release herself from being confined. Uglee!

I renamed her 'Miss Rosetta Stone' and she has answered to that name (ie. 'Rosetta' or 'Setta') from about the third day she owned it. Cockatoos really are intelligent and they know when you're addressing them. I don't believe they have an existentialist crisis when you rename them: they just adjust!

PS. Reminds me of my first day at school. My family and friends all called me 'Trisha', but the nuns insisted on 'Patricia' from day one. It was 'Patricia' for thirteen years and then reverted to 'Trisha' without missing a beat.

 

[Nleam]

Thank you again for the advice. He is a pretty cute little guy.

 

[noodles123]

I left my bird's name the same...she knew it..it was hers...didn't feel right changing it.