Help with an aggressive cockatoo

[ddrowe]

I recently got a sulfur crested cockatoo. The first week or so at the house he was as nice as he could be. Cuddle up with you when you sat down. Last week he has gotten aggressive. He will chase my son into his room and if Dylan doesn't leave (go to his room) the bird will bite his foot or leg.

He is good with my wife unless she puts him in his cage as a punishment for attacking my son. The he charges me from the cage and takes his head and pushes back open the door and so forth and bites at me through the cage.

He is an awesome bird, but I dont know what to do. We cant leave him in the cage all the time. But my son should not fear him either.

Any advise, thoughts, help would be greatly appreciated.

David

 

[Betrisher]

Our Galah will chase anyone in bare feet if he makes it to the floor. So, we never ever allow him on the floor (unless of course, he has an unscheduled crash landing, which is different...).

The first thing is to make sure everyone wears stout shoes for a while. Your cocky needs to learn that chasing and biting human feets is not a fun game. Probably, the reason he chases and bites your son is that he runs away. You're going to have to teach your son to stand his ground while you or another adult picks the bird up and removes it. Better even if your son could do it himself, but I don't know how big he is.

No, your son should not fear the bird, but a healthy respect won't hurt either. If he's under, say, twelve years of age, he has no place handling a new cocky. A lot of damage can be done to an adult, let alone a child! Let cocky settle in for a few weeks before you expect too much from him and during that time, always be sure to move quietly and slowly around him. Don't have too many people in the room with him when you let him out of his cage. My Beaks go stir-crazy even now when there's a roomful of people and will still bite aggressively for no reason other than the general hubbub overstimulates them.

Why don't you allow, say, a daily twenty minutes of quiet bonding time with cocky where you just sit with him, feed him a few treats and speak quietly to him? If he's being too aggro, then sit beside his cage and speak or read to him, poking treats through the bars. Eventually (after a few days), you might coax him out of the cage to sit on or near you while you continue to speak to him and feed him treats. Once he's comfortable, you might start teaching him to step up.

It's probably best not to allow him the freedom of the floor for quite a while yet. If he ventures away from his cage-top or perch (wherever his designated spot is), then quietly and calmly put him back before he chases anyone and bites them. If he chases your son, teach him (the son, not the cocky) to stand and face him and put a newspaper or something in front of his legs so cocky can't bite him. On no account ever wave anything or strike the bird with anything! All you need is a plan where your son can escape safely and calmly and the bird doesn't win.

Keep us informed of your progress with cocky - he's probably just testing his new environment, so what you do now will set the tone for how things proceed in the future. Hasten slowly and you should be fine!

 

[ddrowe]

Thank you.. My son and daughter are almost 15. He bit her when she tried to get between the bird and my son. Its just odd how he was super sweet and calm until the 3rd week. We will give it a try and let you know.

Thanks

 

[lilibet]

Betrisher, how do you keep Dominic off the floor? Is he flighted? We're having similar issues to ddrowe with our 14 week old galah, who is clipped and has discovered that chasing the children's hands and feet is immense fun. I can't imagine how she could have out-of-cage time without making it to the floor. She's been with us since she was 2 weeks old so there are no adjustment issues here. My children are 5, 7 and 8 - too young to stand their ground or cope with the odd bite.

 

[Betrisher]

Dominic has always been flighted, but can't fly very well owing to having been confined in a too-small cage. He loves to get down on the floor and fossick about, but with our elderly dog in possession of the floor space, that's not possible. I'm not prepared to deny Alice (who is deaf and nearly blind) her rightful place at my feet. So, Dommie is just never allowed on the floor. If he lands there, whoever's in charge of him at the time picks him up and puts him back on the kitchen counter or the top of his cage.

At only 14 weeks, your Galah is still a baby and learning boundaries. I think you should keep your kids quite away from her for now, especially since she's learned to have such fun at their expense. Work with her quietly on your own and start teaching her things like 'step up' and how to come to her name. If you focus her mind on learning, the unwanted behaviour should fade pretty quickly.

If she spends most of her time out of her cage (and therefore has access to your kids), then you'll need to make her play area far more interesting than the floor. It's easy in our Dommie's case, because his Major Purpose in Life is turning cardboard into confetti. I just fill up his rummage basket with old cereal boxes and cartons and anything else he might like to chew. He spends hours and hours making gallons of confetti, which I shovel up from time to time. LOL! You might want to organise a heap of chewy toys for your bird (and I do mean cheap, as these guys go through wood and paper and cardboard like there's no tomorrow)? You don't say whether she plays on her cage top or whether she has a playgym. We made a very inexpensive playgym from pvc pipe and the addition of a very basic cargo net has made it accessible to Dominic (who is not very mobile). He likes to sidle around the playgym, which is suspended above our back door and he gets a kick out of being above everyone else. He usually goes up there around 11am for a short nap, then comes down for a light lunch with me.

Another suggestion I'd make is to divert the unwanted behaviour before it starts. If birdy (what's her name?) looks as though she's even thinking on chasing the kids, start an exciting fun game with her before she gets going. Keep her mind off the chasing behaviour if you can. Is it possible for your kids to wear really stout shoes for a while? I'd never suggest they stand still and allow themselves to be bitten, but at least they'd have a bit of protection if push comes to shove.

I know Galah bites are unpleasant: I'm sporting a few scars of my own ATM. If you handle your baby girl calmly and quietly during her formative months, she ought to outgrow this and become a much more mellow grown-up. Since you have three kids, that sort of constitutes a crowd all on its own, doesn't it? I really think their visits with birdie ought to be short and sweet for the next little while as you socialise her gently. I hope other Galah owners will chime in with this as it's been many years since I raised a baby and practices have changed a lot since then.

Best of luck with her and keep us updated with your progress, won't you?

 

[lilibet]

Thanks. Her name is Imogen. She's a sweetheart most of the time but she is definitely testing her boundaries at the moment. Most days she gets two periods out of the cage, about an hour in the morning and again in the late afternoon. The rest of the day she's on the front patio watching the world go by. She's always supervised, but I don't have time to just sit with her for more than a couple of minutes.

There is a perch and tray that fits on top of her cage but I can't get her to stay there, even with food and toys up there. She spends most of her time out foraging on the floor and poking her head into dark spaces. The children have learnt to put their Lego away when it's time for her to come out. She has lots of paperbark and gumnuts and foot toys, and I have a phone book ready to hang in her cage.

I'm sure it will get easier once the children are back at school and she can have more time out of the cage without them around. I'm intending to start clicker training with her but it's awkward with small people popping in and out of the room, so I haven't tried yet.

 

[Sungazer]

The big problem is that there is a lot of difference between a Galah bite and a Cocky bite. With a Galah you can afford to take a few risks or two and a few bites with a Cocky no way. Keep covered up while handling the bird good leather gloves under a pair of oven mits. Keep the steel cap shoes on or like wise. The problem is that you really do often need to take a few bites so that the bird learns that biting is not the answer. Good luck and be careful. I have a female ecky which has a samller but similar bite and she is a pain. never really know when she will bite often when trying to put her back in her cage sometimes when getting her out sometimes when even just putting food in her cage. She obviously has a territorial behavior toward her cage but she chooses when to act it out.

 

[MikeyTN]

Again with boundaries issues! They need to be taught with boundaries so they should not be allowed to roam about. Need to stay on play stand and if on the floor you need to pick them up off the floor. They need to learn what not to do. When you allow them to start it is very hard to stop them from doing so without getting bit. I know it's not a simple task especially with a cockatoo cause I had the same issue with a umbrella cockatoo. But my lesser sulphur crested I have taught quite well and she's very well behaved.

 

[lk15953]

I'm having the same issues with my too. She was so genital when we first got her home and now she wants to kill me so her and my hubby can be happy together. She will only come out of her cage when he is home and then she wants to attack me. I am the only one who feeds her and gives her treats but, she is being very difficult. sometime when she bits she hangs on and I can't get her off me. She has even flown at me. This occurs when hubby is home. Soon as he walks in the door she starts screaming, and climbing down her cage. Please, Help. I Love my little Tinker.

 

[MonicaMc]

lk15953, it may help to start target training your cockatoo and finding activities that you two can do together while your husband isn't home. It could be something as simple as playing with a ball, dancing or some other thing the two of you do together. The longer you have to reinforce this and create a history of reinforcement, the easier it may become to interact with your 'too while your hubby is home.

Your too may not come to prefer you over your husband, but you can certainly get to a point that the two of you are in the same room and your too is not acting aggressively towards anyone.


One owner was having a similar issue, except her 'too was running across the floor to attack her. She was able to change this behavior by playing 'toss' with him whenever she came into the room and playing it in other areas, too. She once had to jump up on the counters to avoid him attacking her feet, and now they play ball together!

An Unexpected and Enjoyable Encounter | Lara Joseph

 

[MikeyTN]

You surely can try what Monica suggested! But the fly attack can be very dangerous. If all else fails I would suggest you to think about clipping to prevent the danger. That would be something for you to think about.

 

[lk15953]

I took tink outside today, she was a complete different bird. she really enjoyed herself.and right now we are sitting here together. I have spent hours and hours of reading to her and handling her going right back in after she has bitten me (you can tell when they calm down) and that is when you do your best. My hubby no longer feeds her or gives her any toys. he spends a little time with her alone but mostly I spend the greater part of the day with her. when she behaves well i give her treats or if she is misbehaving she doesn't get treats.She has her moods, and I really pay attention to those moods. She still is chasing my feet, but I make sure I always have shoes on, and I give her bad looks and say NO to her when she does it. It is helping...just alot... alot... of patients. I cant get her to go after a ball when she is focused on my feet..because she is so focused on my feet...I guess its going to take time and I do have that she is very worth it.

 

[MonicaMc]

Find something that she really likes to play with. It could be a ball or another toy. Instead of trying to distract her when she's already on the floor and going after your feet, try to set her up for success. Maybe try having her on a table and teaching her on the table to play with and interact with the toys. Build up a history of reinforcement. Try this in different areas and without your husband around.


Once you build that up well, then once she's on the floor, it may help to distract her before she goes after feet. It can take some time.


You might also try experimenting with different kinds of balls. Hard, plastic balls. Wiffle balls. Soft, spongy balls. Balls with bells in them. Anything she might take an interest in! And if she does, make a big deal about it! Encourage her through voice to have fun with the ball!

 

[ChasUGC]

I think its all part of the fun of having our feathered friends. Remember, they are not human beings. They can be trained and maybe you should seek the help of a professional bird trainer. The Cocky probably realizes that the children are a challenge for your attention. It is all very cute and innocent. The Cocky is probably establishing his dominance over the kids. If the children are patient and if you work with all of them together, the Cocky will eventually realize that the children are good mates too. He is just being a parrot, who is just trying to fit in with his mates.

I had a girlfriend, and in the beginning my Cockatoo was fierce with her and would draw blood. But, she didn't stop trying to win him over. Eventually, he would lower his head to let her scratch him, and then he would nip her lightly and actually laugh about it. Yes, the Cockatoo would laugh, chuckle like a human being. Then, he would say "bad cockatoo". We would all say it, and he would start repeating it and bobbing his head. He would say, "bad, bad, bad". Eventually, the nipping stopped too, and they became friends. It's all a process, with our feathered children. When the kids grow up, the Cocky will probably be their favorite pet. He just wants love and attention. He is alone in this world and he wants a flock. We are his flock now.

I use to love when my Lesser would climb down the cage and waddle over to me on the computer and scratch my leg. I thought I had a dog for awhile there. Sometimes, I would stand up and the Cockatoo was on his cage and my shoe laces were untied.
They can be such fun, but mischievous like any pet.

 

[Birdman666]

I disagree with some of this advice. I absolutely would clip the wings.

SC2's can get spoiled bird syndrome, and disregard "the rules" real easy. This is NOT aggression, this is Too spoiled bird syndrome!!! It is starting. Stop it now, before it gets bad!

My solution to this is simple, and bound to be controversial. You don't punish a bird by putting it back in its cage. That isn't punishment.

If the bird is running around biting feet, you grab a large pillow or a cushion off the couch. Something bigger than the bird. You put it down on the floor, and you make the chase-R, the chase-E... You back his little feathered butt up into a corner, and make him sit there a minute - TRAPPED AND FEELING VULNERABLE - and make him think about the wisdom of what he just did. Let him get a sense of just how much bigger you are than him. Take his little birdie ego down a notch. YOU are not in charge bird. WE ARE! HE DOESN'T GET OFF THE FLOOR TIL HE STEPS UP NICE. NO BITING! IF HE BITES, HE GETS DROPPED TO THE FLOOR AND GOES BACK TO THE CORNER.

Anyone who gets chased, immediately does this. This will no longer be a fun game for him to play...

I guarantee the behavior will stop!

The command I use when doing this one is: "Knock it off!"

If they chase, you don't run. You can't have a bird amputating toes, or chasing people around the room, or dive bombing them.

Dive bombers get clipped. Chasers get chased themselves. They get flight privileges back when those behaviors stop, and not before...

 

[U2gal]

I disagree with some of this advice. I absolutely would clip the wings.

SC2's can get spoiled bird syndrome, and disregard "the rules" real easy. This is NOT aggression, this is Too spoiled bird syndrome!!! It is starting. Stop it now, before it gets bad!

My solution to this is simple, and bound to be controversial. You don't punish a bird by putting it back in its cage. That isn't punishment.

If the bird is running around biting feet, you grab a large pillow or a cushion off the couch. Something bigger than the bird. You put it down on the floor, and you make the chase-R, the chase-E... You back his little feathered butt up into a corner, and make him sit there a minute - TRAPPED AND FEELING VULNERABLE - and make him think about the wisdom of what he just did. Let him get a sense of just how much bigger you are than him. Take his little birdie ego down a notch. YOU are not in charge bird. WE ARE! HE DOESN'T GET OFF THE FLOOR TIL HE STEPS UP NICE. NO BITING! IF HE BITES, HE GETS DROPPED TO THE FLOOR AND GOES BACK TO THE CORNER.

Anyone who gets chased, immediately does this. This will no longer be a fun game for him to play...

I guarantee the behavior will stop!

The command I use when doing this one is: "Knock it off!"

If they chase, you don't run. You can't have a bird amputating toes, or chasing people around the room, or dive bombing them.

Dive bombers get clipped. Chasers get chased themselves. They get flight privileges back when those behaviors stop, and not before...

I hope this was a joke, a very bad joke as it was not funny and very unhelpful for cockatoo owners seeking advice.

You do not fight fire with fire. You do not pour gasoline onto fire to put out a fire.

If this was not a joke and was serious advice, I suggest you rethinking your "training" methods. Read up in positive reinforcement training. It works much better than abuse and punishment will ever work on an animal.

 

[thekarens]

I disagree with some of this advice. I absolutely would clip the wings.

SC2's can get spoiled bird syndrome, and disregard "the rules" real easy. This is NOT aggression, this is Too spoiled bird syndrome!!! It is starting. Stop it now, before it gets bad!

My solution to this is simple, and bound to be controversial. You don't punish a bird by putting it back in its cage. That isn't punishment.

If the bird is running around biting feet, you grab a large pillow or a cushion off the couch. Something bigger than the bird. You put it down on the floor, and you make the chase-R, the chase-E... You back his little feathered butt up into a corner, and make him sit there a minute - TRAPPED AND FEELING VULNERABLE - and make him think about the wisdom of what he just did. Let him get a sense of just how much bigger you are than him. Take his little birdie ego down a notch. YOU are not in charge bird. WE ARE! HE DOESN'T GET OFF THE FLOOR TIL HE STEPS UP NICE. NO BITING! IF HE BITES, HE GETS DROPPED TO THE FLOOR AND GOES BACK TO THE CORNER.

Anyone who gets chased, immediately does this. This will no longer be a fun game for him to play...

I guarantee the behavior will stop!

The command I use when doing this one is: "Knock it off!"

If they chase, you don't run. You can't have a bird amputating toes, or chasing people around the room, or dive bombing them.

Dive bombers get clipped. Chasers get chased themselves. They get flight privileges back when those behaviors stop, and not before...

I hope this was a joke, a very bad joke as it was not funny and very unhelpful for cockatoo owners seeking advice.

You do not fight fire with fire. You do not pour gasoline onto fire to put out a fire.

If this was not a joke and was serious advice, I suggest you rethinking your "training" methods. Read up in positive reinforcement training. It works much better than abuse and punishment will ever work on an animal.

Like raising children, everyone has their own methods. There's no "one way" to successfully train parrots.

 

[U2gal]

I disagree with some of this advice. I absolutely would clip the wings.

SC2's can get spoiled bird syndrome, and disregard "the rules" real easy. This is NOT aggression, this is Too spoiled bird syndrome!!! It is starting. Stop it now, before it gets bad!

My solution to this is simple, and bound to be controversial. You don't punish a bird by putting it back in its cage. That isn't punishment.

If the bird is running around biting feet, you grab a large pillow or a cushion off the couch. Something bigger than the bird. You put it down on the floor, and you make the chase-R, the chase-E... You back his little feathered butt up into a corner, and make him sit there a minute - TRAPPED AND FEELING VULNERABLE - and make him think about the wisdom of what he just did. Let him get a sense of just how much bigger you are than him. Take his little birdie ego down a notch. YOU are not in charge bird. WE ARE! HE DOESN'T GET OFF THE FLOOR TIL HE STEPS UP NICE. NO BITING! IF HE BITES, HE GETS DROPPED TO THE FLOOR AND GOES BACK TO THE CORNER.

Anyone who gets chased, immediately does this. This will no longer be a fun game for him to play...

I guarantee the behavior will stop!

The command I use when doing this one is: "Knock it off!"

If they chase, you don't run. You can't have a bird amputating toes, or chasing people around the room, or dive bombing them.

Dive bombers get clipped. Chasers get chased themselves. They get flight privileges back when those behaviors stop, and not before...

I hope this was a joke, a very bad joke as it was not funny and very unhelpful for cockatoo owners seeking advice.

You do not fight fire with fire. You do not pour gasoline onto fire to put out a fire.

If this was not a joke and was serious advice, I suggest you rethinking your "training" methods. Read up in positive reinforcement training. It works much better than abuse and punishment will ever work on an animal.

Like raising children, everyone has their own methods. There's no "one way" to successfully train parrots.

Fighting fire with fire with a cockatoo just doesnt work. It doesnt build a relationship or establish trust. Bullying a bird into submitting is not right. No one would suggest the same for a child.

There is nothing wrong with different methods of correct taining. But when its abusive or using punishment, its wrong.

Us bird owners should be suggesting positive training methods that not only work but establish a relationship with our parrots not doing the exact opposite.

 

[thekarens]

I hope this was a joke, a very bad joke as it was not funny and very unhelpful for cockatoo owners seeking advice.

You do not fight fire with fire. You do not pour gasoline onto fire to put out a fire.

If this was not a joke and was serious advice, I suggest you rethinking your "training" methods. Read up in positive reinforcement training. It works much better than abuse and punishment will ever work on an animal.

Like raising children, everyone has their own methods. There's no "one way" to successfully train parrots.

Fighting fire with fire with a cockatoo just doesnt work. It doesnt build a relationship or establish trust. Bullying a bird into submitting is not right. No one would suggest the same for a child.

There is nothing wrong with different methods of correct taining. But when its abusive or using punishment, its wrong.

Us bird owners should be suggesting positive training methods that not only work but establish a relationship with our parrots not doing the exact opposite.

All I know is he has many successful years working in a rescue and well adjusted parrots. As we say, proof is in the pudding.

 

[Birdman666]

I disagree with some of this advice. I absolutely would clip the wings.

SC2's can get spoiled bird syndrome, and disregard "the rules" real easy. This is NOT aggression, this is Too spoiled bird syndrome!!! It is starting. Stop it now, before it gets bad!

My solution to this is simple, and bound to be controversial. You don't punish a bird by putting it back in its cage. That isn't punishment.

If the bird is running around biting feet, you grab a large pillow or a cushion off the couch. Something bigger than the bird. You put it down on the floor, and you make the chase-R, the chase-E... You back his little feathered butt up into a corner, and make him sit there a minute - TRAPPED AND FEELING VULNERABLE - and make him think about the wisdom of what he just did. Let him get a sense of just how much bigger you are than him. Take his little birdie ego down a notch. YOU are not in charge bird. WE ARE! HE DOESN'T GET OFF THE FLOOR TIL HE STEPS UP NICE. NO BITING! IF HE BITES, HE GETS DROPPED TO THE FLOOR AND GOES BACK TO THE CORNER.

Anyone who gets chased, immediately does this. This will no longer be a fun game for him to play...

I guarantee the behavior will stop!

The command I use when doing this one is: "Knock it off!"

If they chase, you don't run. You can't have a bird amputating toes, or chasing people around the room, or dive bombing them.

Dive bombers get clipped. Chasers get chased themselves. They get flight privileges back when those behaviors stop, and not before...

I hope this was a joke, a very bad joke as it was not funny and very unhelpful for cockatoo owners seeking advice.

You do not fight fire with fire. You do not pour gasoline onto fire to put out a fire.

If this was not a joke and was serious advice, I suggest you rethinking your "training" methods. Read up in positive reinforcement training. It works much better than abuse and punishment will ever work on an animal.

There's no gasoline involved here. And you don't positively reinforce negative behaviors. (You "accidentally" train the bird to bite, to scream, to chase, when he gets the "happy- be a good boy and stop biting junior's toes" treatment when misbehaving.) You positively reinforce the good ones. LIKE WHEN THE BIRD STEPS UP NICE AFTER HAVING TO BACK HIS BUTT INTO THE CORNER FOR BITING JUNIOR'S TOES. He gets praised, and then gets a treat and/or scritches. All is forgiven. We don't do stuff like that. THAT is the positive.

Next time he goes to chase, just pick up a pillow, and watch him stop dead in his tracks... little light bulb comes on behind those black eyes. This is how we modify the really bad behaviors.

THIS WAS NOT A JOKE, AND I REHABBED OVER 350 OUT OF CONTROL BITERS FOR THREE DIFFERENT RESCUES IN THE PAST DECADE.

YOU'RE NOT "PUNISHING" THE BIRD. YOU ARE PREVENTING THE BIRD FROM ATTACKING YOU OR ANYONE ELSE, AND LETTING HIM KNOW IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS THAT THERE ARE BOUNDARIES, AND THAT CERTAIN THINGS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED BY HIS HUMAN FLOCK... It doesn't harm a bird to put him on the floor. It doesn't harm a bird to stop him from biting people. All you are doing is making sure he cannot do that... This isn't punishment. Punishment does not work. I agree 100% with that statement.

With "punishment" the bird doesn't associate the "bad behavior" with your reaction to it. With this HIS BAD BEHAVIOR TRIGGERED AN IMMEDIATE REACTION FROM YOU THAT HE DID NOT LIKE... I was aggressive, that human thing is capable of, and willing to, defend itself. In fact, I'm lucky he/she is nice to me, or I'd probably be TOO STEW right now. Remind me not to piss him/her off!

BUT, If the bird THINKS he is in charge, and makes the rules, HE'S RIGHT!!

If he thinks he can get away with it, he will try it.

If he tries it, and it works, he will not only keep doing it, but each time he gets away with it, you have reinforced it...

If he knows he will not get away with it, and his little feathered butt is liable to be backed into a corner, he will not do it anymore.

It is no longer a fun game.

And SC2's can be the biggest too manipulators and tantrum throwers out there.

IN THE WILD, IF ONE BIRD ATTACKED ANOTHER BIRD, THE OTHER BIRDS IN THE FLOCK WOULD MASS AND DRIVE HIS LITTLE FEATHERED BUTT OFF... THAT IS HOW THEY LEARN.

As I said, this method is controversial, and intelligent minds can disagree. The object isn't to bully the bird. The object is to react to his aggression, and stop it in a way that hurts no one, but leaves a lasting impression on the bird. "NOTE TO SELF: THAT DID NOT GO AS PLANNED! WHAT WAS I THINKING?! THOSE THINGS LOOK SO MUCH BIGGER WHEN YOU ARE STANDING EYE TO EYE ON A TREE BRANCH, BUT ACTUALLY, WHEN YOU LOOK UP AT THEM FROM THE FLOOR THEY ARE MUCH, MUCH BIGGER THAN ME."

In the wild, parrots do not go out and pick fights with things that are much bigger than them. They might try and drive off a predator if they had a nest or flock mates to protect, but they wouldn't seek them out and bully them. This is a "captive bird" phenomenon. AND IT'S BECAUSE "THEY CAN." IF THEY KNOW THEY CAN'T, THEY DON'T.