Cockatoo cuddles

[Littleredbeak]

Hello! To all those who have cockatoos and/or cockatoo experience, maybe you can help me understand.. I follow a few cockatoo pages and I have found that the owners cuddle their birds touching the birds's body and wings. I always thought you aren't suppose to touch a parrot's body and wings as it triggers a hormonal response. Is this not true for cockatoos?

 

[Ria.345]

Hi! Umbrella cockatoo owner here! That hormonal trigger goes for ALL parrots and to my knowledge, there are no exceptions. It is okay if it is very brief or if you are simply touching their body and wings for medical needs, but it is best to keep the petting areas limited to only the head and feet areas. Especially during hormonal periods or changing seasons where birds are more likely to go through hormone fluxes again!

 

[wrench13]

Yep, that agrees with all i know about parrots. Fondle them below the neck and you are just stirring the pot.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

Only heads are good for scritches. No back, wing pits, or bellies. There is a most excellent diagram online:

 

[Scott]

I break most every "touching" taboo with my Goffins except belly/vent regions. One senior wild-caught, tame female adult and her three adult offspring with no behavioral issues. Been cuddling and touching for 26 years, all well adjusted.

 

[Deleted member 42416]

My brother and his wife also have no issues petting their gcc on back and under-wings either. Every birby is different! For our Rico the LSSC, the no-no zones are definitely a hormone trigger. Head scritchies are always welcome and asked for:

 

[RLS]

Such a touchy subject at my house. (XD) My husband can't quite understand why you would want a "pet" that you can't cuddle without restraint, but he's getting there. We are all still learning. We've had our first Goffin's cockatoo for about 6 weeks now. Coco is about 5.

He wants head scritches a lot, but I'm not entirely sure that doesn't trigger his hormones. D: He only wants them from my husband mostly. If he will let me, I scratch only his head and neck. My husband is a pushover. Coco has ended up rubbing his body against Donald (my husband) which is why my husband has finally decided to draw a line that Coco is not allowed to cross. Plus he saw the shift in Coco's behavior toward me when Coco set his hormonal sites on him.

The behaviors have slowly started to level off in the last few days since Donald has decided to end the lovin' at a specific point, usually when Coco gets pushy.