Goffin's Cockatoo

[KatherineI]

He's adorable!!! I'm so excited for Saturday to get here!!

 

[jaimmorr]

I know, me too!!!

 

[luvmytooo]

OMG !!!! That is the most adorable little face !!! Sooooooo cute
You must get him !!!!! As was said before , he great care you are going to give this little
guy will get him back to better health in no time
Sorry i tuned in late to this post , I know exactly how you feel , lolol..
Saturday just won't come quick enough
I would take him in a heartbeat !

 

[jaimmorr]

Omg..... IT'S TOMORROW! One more day!

Thanks, luvmytooo! I can't wait to go meet him! I really am hoping he likes me. Really, really hoping!

If he doesn't REALLY like me, should I still take him? I want to have a special bond with my bird and if he doesn't act like he REALLY likes me, will I ever have it? I don't want to get wrapped up in his cuteness and just take him even though he is being indifferent towards me. You know what I mean?

Ohh, I'm getting so anxious!!

 

[luvmytooo]

Omg..... IT'S TOMORROW! One more day!

Thanks, luvmytooo! I can't wait to go meet him! I really am hoping he likes me. Really, really hoping!

If he doesn't REALLY like me, should I still take him? I want to have a special bond with my bird and if he doesn't act like he REALLY likes me, will I ever have it? I don't want to get wrapped up in his cuteness and just take him even though he is being indifferent towards me. You know what I mean?

Ohh, I'm getting so anxious!!

lololol. i know exactly how you feel
Just take it slow and spend some time with him. Sit , relax and let him come to you , talk to him , maybe offer a treat if the owner agrees and see how it goes . thats pretty much all you can do. But I'm sure he will like you.
Whats not to like ? A really nice lady who will talk sweet nothings to him all day and give him the best care he could possibly get
if you act all nervous , which you probably will be , i was a wreck when i went to meet Stella , lolol , he will pick up on that immediately and not want to go to you right away. I would stand near him so he sees you and talk to the owner about him , once you calm down , then approach him or let him approach you.
This is what i did with Stella and she came home with me
I was hesitant to take home a bird like Stella if she wasn't thrilled with me , for a number of reasons , but mostly because i like to cuddle or at least be able to have some sort of hands on with my birds. I personally find it much more rewarding . Good luck and let us know how it goes and take more pictures for gosh sakes !!! lololol.
Like I said before , I would take him in a heart beat , but I'm a pushover for a Goffin

 

[GiosMom]

Omg..... IT'S TOMORROW! One more day!

Thanks, luvmytooo! I can't wait to go meet him! I really am hoping he likes me. Really, really hoping!

If he doesn't REALLY like me, should I still take him? I want to have a special bond with my bird and if he doesn't act like he REALLY likes me, will I ever have it? I don't want to get wrapped up in his cuteness and just take him even though he is being indifferent towards me. You know what I mean?

Ohh, I'm getting so anxious!!

He is going to LOVE YOUUUUU! Just like the rest of us!

 

[Mare Miller]

Ricco sounds perfect for you and you for him! We are thoroughly enjoying our addition of Sassy. After finding so many goffin fans, here, on parrotforum, I had a feeling she would be a good fit for us...and she is! Good luck! (did you say how old he is?)

Gosh! Somehow I totally missed the second page, with photos! He is ADORABLE!

 

[jaimmorr]

Thanks everyone for the support! You guys are great.

luvmytooo - Thank you for the tips! I will definitely be sure to follow your guidance

I hope so, Giosmom, thanks!

MareMiller - Aw, I really hope so! He is 8 years old.

 

[KatherineI]

Omg..... IT'S TOMORROW! One more day!

Thanks, luvmytooo! I can't wait to go meet him! I really am hoping he likes me. Really, really hoping!

If he doesn't REALLY like me, should I still take him? I want to have a special bond with my bird and if he doesn't act like he REALLY likes me, will I ever have it? I don't want to get wrapped up in his cuteness and just take him even though he is being indifferent towards me. You know what I mean?

Ohh, I'm getting so anxious!!

I tried responding to this earlier, but I really hate typing on my phone!

Anyway, In regards to your question, let me tell you and Sugar. Sugar's initial reaction to me was "okay, you seem friendly enough. You seem to like me. Oh hey, you gave me treats! Oh, now head rubs? awesome. But I'm still gonna act shy." The second meeting, when we decided to commit to giving her a home, she wasn't a whole lot better, but slightly more enthusiastic. By the 4th time, she could tell my voice and started calling to me because she couldn't see me. After that, if she could see me, she would clamor for me, and if she heard me but couldn't see me, she'd call to me. When Hubs would visit her on his own, she would look for me for a good ten minutes before she finally accepted that I wasn't coming with him and settled down for some attention.

It wasn't really until after I got her home that it was 100% apparently that I was her "person". Don't get me wrong, she enjoys the company of people period, but she will gladly leave anyone else to be with me. So Ricco may not act super duper excited and he may still really really like you. The question you have to ask yourself is; based on the behavior you see displayed when you meet him, how much do you like him? Are you willing to work with any unseen bad behaviors? Etc etc etc.

You have to decide what behaviors you do see you can tolerate, what you can't tolerate and whether it's something that can be worked out.

Good luck tomorrow!!

 

[RescueMe]

so, so, so, sososososososooooooooooooo???? How did things go? We are all waiting to hear.

 

[jaimmorr]

Thanks SO much everyone... Really, I can't thank you guys enough.

That makes a lot of sense, Katherine. I think I'm just going to go with my gut here. (Except right now my gut is saying "Get it over with already!" I'm so nervous!)

RescueMe - Haven't gone yet hahahaha. Tomorrow at 5pm. I should be home around 8pm and can fill you all in then!!


Wish me luck, guys... Next time I post I will know if I'm finally getting my baby or not! Cross your fingers for me

 

[KatherineI]

OKay... I'm tingling with anticipation either way. How'd it go?!?!

 

[luvmytooo]

OKay... I'm tingling with anticipation either way. How'd it go?!?!

Me too , me too !!!

 

[Mare Miller]

OKay... I'm tingling with anticipation either way. How'd it go?!?!

Me too , me too !!!

Me three!!

 

[Mozzie]

Me four!!!

 

[jaimmorr]

HI, everyone! So sorry I'm late, we got back a little later than expected and then when we got home we discovered that one of our dogs had pooped and peed TWICE in our house... Which she never does. I had asked my mother (who lives right next door) to let them out a few times while we were gone... Well, obviously she didn't at all.

Anyway, the moment you've all been waiting for!

I am officially a PARRONT! Ricco will be coming home June 30th!!!

When we got there, we walked up and introduced ourselves. She asked if my partner (female) and I were a couple and we told her yes. She said, "Oh, my daughter is gay, too!" LOL so I guess that was good! She took us back to her "bird room" and introduced us to Ricco. He was in his (tiny) cage and had his crest up all excited. We were talking to him and stuff, but since there were so many birds in there (she breeds Quakers) we couldn't really hear each other talk. She took him out of the cage, though I noticed he doesn't step up reliably, he did it eventually. She held him on her hand and bobbed up and down and he danced for us. Then she said, "Can you say Ricco?" And he said, "Ricco!" and bobbed up and down. Oh, it was so cute.

She took him out to his outside stand and set him down on it. After talking with her a bit, (thanks, luvmytooo!) I asked her if she thought he would let me step him up. She said, "Oh, maybe. He doesn't usually take to strangers very fast. Might have to give it some time." I got a little disappointed, but I tried anyway and after testing my fingers with his beak, he stepped right up on my hand and then fluttered to my chest, and climbed up my shoulder! He sat on my shoulder for awhile and she said, "Out of curiosity, I'm going to try to get him off of you." She tried, and he wasn't having it. LOL. Finally, I got him to step down and my partner got to hold him for a little while, although he nipped her a good one on her finger. He didn't bite me at all. The whole time we were there he stepped right up for me and sat on my shoulder!

I fell in love with him, I really did. And for a first time meeting, I think it went pretty darn well!

Now, for the few "bad" things:

1. His feathers didn't look too bad to me in person. She said he rubs up against a certain toy and that's why his feathers are like that??

2. He has a problem with stepping up/down. This can be trained, obviously, so I'm not too concerned about it. As soon as he steps up, which he will do pretty reliably if he's on someone's hand, but not in his cage and not on his playstand it seems, he will go right up to your shoulder and stay there. If you try to get him down, he'll just go to the other shoulder or down your back!

3. His droppings seemed very watery to me, although I only saw one. Not sure what this could be an indicator of, but I do plan on getting him checked out by an Avian Vet as soon as I bring him home.

4. He wouldn't drink any water. We were there for about an hour and he was outside in the sun the whole time and he was panting, but when offered water, he wouldn't drink. Something to be concerned about or was he just nervous? (Also: He drinks out of a bottle in his cage and she was offering him a dish, so maybe that's why?)

5. His grip didn't seem very strong. He fell off his playstand once, pretty hard, and broke a blood feather... I felt so sorry for him. She clipped his wings while I was there, too. Anyway, I didn't notice a lack of grip when he was on my hand, but he didn't grip very hard when on my shoulder and he kept slightly falling off his playstand and having to flap his wings to get back on. Or perhaps he was just playing? Should I be concerned about this or not?


So, there you have it, folks! I finally get to bring my baby home. I have to wait three weeks because I wanted some time to prepare and she will be out of town in two weeks But that's alright! I can't wait to get him here!

 

[Mozzie]

Yay!! Congrats!!! It sounds like it went great!!! You will make a GREAT parront. I would just get him checked out by a vet like you are planning. I bet he is just fine though! They can have kinda watery poops if they have been eating fruit. It doesn't always mean something is wrong. He probably just didn't drink the water because he was nervous. I am so excited for you!!!!!!!!!

 

[GiosMom]

Congrats pumpkin! Soo sooo happy xoxo glad you had a great day!

 

[luvmytooo]

Woo hoo !!! Congrats . I bet you won't be able to think about nothing else now , lol
In regards to Ricco's grip , what did his nails look like ? If his nails are short , he may not be able to grip well. And , if too long , it could be painful for him because his nails are cutting into his feet when gripping so he tries to balance more then grip. JMO.
Maybe someone else knows more about it and will post.
I just hope it's to neurological .....what did the owner say about this ?
I would definatley question it and see what she says. You really want to know exactly what your getting into and since this woman is Ricco's first momma , you should be able to get his whole history , unlike a rescue with not much of a backround to go by.

He sounds wonderful and it looks like he's taken to you and it's only your first visit, lol..
Make sure the both of you handle him daily so he learns that you , your partner and him will be one happy flock . But you know all is already , lol.

Why not write down your concerns about Ricco and see if you can talk to a avian vet about him before you bring him home ? Just a thought...

Welcome to the wonderful world of Goffins . lolol. It's one amazing ride

 

[Mare Miller]

Yay!! I've become a major Goffin's fan since bringing Sassy home. Sounds like he likes you and I agree with luvmytoo, be sure you both handle him daily. Sassy will come to both my husband and myself and after living with just Amigo, for so many years,,,my husband has finally embraced my reason for loving birds, they are truly special creatures!