Iris’s obsession

[Dubai]

Hello everybody,
How you’ve been?
So far I’m doing better with Iris.
I make sure to never force her to do anything, I also paused training until she gets used to the new environment.
She became less anxious, and more willing to get out of the cage and explore the place.

Her bitting habit improved a bit, but is still a problem.. it bothers me less now because I understand that she still needs time to fully trust me.
What worries me is that she’s obsessed over getting petted all the time. Whenever she sees me she would tilt her head down and beg for a head scratch. After petting her she would bite my hand if I stop and sometimes she would start screaming when I walk away. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cute to pet a bird and I like to see them enjoy my company. But I just want to make sure if it’s a normal cockatoo behavior? And if there’s nothing wrong with it?

It would be great if you’d tell me the behaviors that I should worry about so that I don’t worry over normal things.

Also, I’m thinking to trim her wings. Because when she flies around my house she tends to hurt herself. Will depriving her from flying make her sad? And is it too soon to do so?




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[Laurasea]

Hello. Sweet picture. Who's the other little guy in the pic? I don't believe in wing trims....others will have different views. Her cage looks small, so I hope you have her out and about most the time. She may just need more attention than you are providing if she is begging for attention and screaming when you stop, of course they are smart enough to manipulate you !! Get her doing more activities, train her to flight recall (in home!) Train her to fly to certain spots. I'm sure the Cockatoos care givers will weigh in with excellent advice!

 

[Owlet]

if she's flying around the house and hurting herself then it is in her best interest to clip her wings until maybe she knows her environment better or you can train her to fly better / more cautiously. I believe it's really important to allow birds their nature to fly, but if they're just hurting themselves it's okay to take a step back and correct some potential issues.

 

[Siobhan]

I had a cockatiel (RIP, Johnny) who loved head scritches so much that I once made up my mind to pet his head until HE wanted to stop and it took 30 solid minutes of petting before he'd had enough. LOL Tiels are just small cockatoos, so I'd say it's normal and a good thing for your bird to want you to pet her.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hmm, screaming for attention is a bad one... you should definitely adress that.
Do not ever encourage this behaviour by paying attention or even worse reward it with scritches etc.. :28:
Screaming = your are going to be ignored/ invisible. Period.


It's a battle anyway- and you need to backslide only once and you get to start afresh.

(I am back to square one with Sunny as well- had someone over who did not respect the rule "if the macaw screams DO NOT LOOK at her!" and he will be back again tomorrow... so my progress wil probably be gone again.)

But... you need to keep trying because well, eardrums, neighbours etc.etc..

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I’d agree that her cage looks way too small, so I hope that it’s either a temporary cage or just a sleep cage and she’s out most of the time.

Like Siobhan’s cockatiel Johnny, Ducky loves head scratches. She bows her head and holds it down, and if I don’t pet her, she walks over to me and bumps her head into my hand. I’m actually petting Ducky as I type this, lol. Cockatiels really are miniature cockatoos!

As to wing clipping, I don’t normally believe in it. Birds are designed to fly and they are much happier and healthier when allowed to do so. However, if your bird is a bad flier and hurting herself, I would reconsider. Perhaps clipping the first two or three flight feathers, enough to slow her down and prevent her from flying around your house uncontrollably but still allow her to fly across a room, would be a smart idea. You can better train her during that time when she’s clipped so when her feathers grow back, she’ll fly with more accuracy and stop flying into things.

 

[Laurasea]

Hello everybody,
How you’ve been?
So far I’m doing better with Iris.
I make sure to never force her to do anything, I also paused training until she gets used to the new environment.
She became less anxious, and more willing to get out of the cage and explore the place.

Her bitting habit improved a bit, but is still a problem.. it bothers me less now because I understand that she still needs time to fully trust me.
What worries me is that she’s obsessed over getting petted all the time. Whenever she sees me she would tilt her head down and beg for a head scratch. After petting her she would bite my hand if I stop and sometimes she would start screaming when I walk away. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s cute to pet a bird and I like to see them enjoy my company. But I just want to make sure if it’s a normal cockatoo behavior? And if there’s nothing wrong with it?

It would be great if you’d tell me the behaviors that I should worry about so that I don’t worry over normal things.

Also, I’m thinking to trim her wings. Because when she flies around my house she tends to hurt herself. Will depriving her from flying make her sad? And is it too soon to do so?




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The second bird in this photo, does need a cage probably five times bigger, and a variety of different perches made of different wood and diameter. This helps with behavior and screaming, and health. Same for the lovely Iris. I don't know how hard it is to get the right size cages there? But it's worth the Hassel and pays off in better behavior and happier birds. You can make your own toys too lots of threads on DIY, mine love cardboard!

 

[Scott]

Iris is a beauty, looks to be in excellent feather! Cockatoos thrive on attention - positive and negative. The kindest approach for a happy relationship is to teach her self-entertainment and a bit of independence. A significantly larger cage filled with various toys and ample reward for entrance will make her domain inviting and rewarding. The key is to spend enough time with a cockatoo so they look forward to alone time and play.

I've found adult Goffins to be masterful fliers. May take time to learn the layout, but they are strong and incredibly agile birds. A brief period of virtual hover and quick directional change is a hallmark. That said, balancing freedom with safety is critical! A light clip may be beneficial with a fixed trial period. When they re-grow, she may be fine.

 

[Dubai]

Hello. Sweet picture. Who's the other little guy in the pic? I don't believe in wing trims....others will have different views. Her cage looks small, so I hope you have her out and about most the time. She may just need more attention than you are providing if she is begging for attention and screaming when you stop, of course they are smart enough to manipulate you !! Get her doing more activities, train her to flight recall (in home!) Train her to fly to certain spots. I'm sure the Cockatoos care givers will weigh in with excellent advice!

The other parrot is my brother’s, her name is kiwi [emoji4]


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[Kiwibird]

Cockatoos tend to fall on the "difficult behavior" end of the parrot spectrum. Your best bet is to accept Iris for who she is, not who you want her to be. Siobhan, who posted above, is an excellent example of a cockatoo owner who's accepted their difficult too' for what he is. Reading some of their threads/posts may provide you some insight and comfort. Scott, f course, is probably the most knowledgeable cockatoo owner on this forum and is a great resource too.

I grew up with a goffins cockatoo. He is hands down the loudest bird in his size range I've EVER heard and apparently screams primarily just to hear the sound of his own voice. Despite being in the same loving home his entire life (he's around 40), he still inflicts serious bites a few times a year on both my parents. He is also a masterful flier and escape artist. VERY intelligent bird. I think one of the biggest challenges with cockatoos is keeping them occupied with takes that challenge and stimulate them mentally. If that is achieved, then they typically behave better in other areas too, like biting and screaming, though those are just things one accepts to a certain degree as part of parrot ownership.

 

[Scott]

Cockatoos tend to fall on the "difficult behavior" end of the parrot spectrum. Your best bet is to accept Iris for who she is, not who you want her to be. Siobhan, who posted above, is an excellent example of a cockatoo owner who's accepted their difficult too' for what he is. Reading some of their threads/posts may provide you some insight and comfort. Scott, f course, is probably the most knowledgeable cockatoo owner on this forum and is a great resource too.

I grew up with a goffins cockatoo. He is hands down the loudest bird in his size range I've EVER heard and apparently screams primarily just to hear the sound of his own voice. Despite being in the same loving home his entire life (he's around 40), he still inflicts serious bites a few times a year on both my parents. He is also a masterful flier and escape artist. VERY intelligent bird. I think one of the biggest challenges with cockatoos is keeping them occupied with takes that challenge and stimulate them mentally. If that is achieved, then they typically behave better in other areas too, like biting and screaming, though those are just things one accepts to a certain degree as part of parrot ownership.

Very well said, and from experience, April! Cockatoos are among the most re-homed parrots. We must temper our expectations as the price of admission to these intelligent and spirited creatures! Parrots are not domesticated in the manner of dogs, and are one or just a few generations removed from the wild.

 

[Siobhan]

Definitely agree with the screaming comment. They do it sometimes just to hear themselves scream. LOL Brats. However, it can really grate on the nerves, especially if nothing seems to convince them to stop, and there are days when nothing will. Want me to hold you? <SCREEEEEEM> Food? <SCREEEEEEEM> Go sit on the porch? <SCREEEEEEM> How about I open a vein? <SCREEEEEEEEEM>

 

[Dubai]

Thank you all guys for your replies, that helped a lot
One more thing,
Last weekend I got her and kiwi a big perch stand and some toys but they don’t seem to like them yet.
This weekend I’m getting them a huge cage because her cage looks old. Is it fine to keep them together in the same cage? Or is it better to keep them separated?


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[FlyBirdiesFly]

DO NOT PUT THEM IN THE SAME CAGE. These two birds are completely different species, and the cockatoo is much bigger and more powerful than the Indian Ringneck. You should never house birds that don’t 100% like each other, not just tolerate each other, in the same cage. You never know how two birds are going to act together in one cage, even if they get along fine outside the cage. The cockatoo might try to defend its territory (which is what birds do when there’s an invader in their cage), and because they’re both in an enclosed space and the other bird can’t get away, the ringneck could end up severely injured or killed. DON’T DO IT!

 

[Siobhan]

I agree. Each bird should have his/her own cage, even birds that get along and are the same species. It's just best for each to have a space of their own. I had two budgies sharing a cage, and with budgies that's actually preferable (if they get along) because they're very social, but they're the only ones among parrots. And even my budgies had days when they should have been separated (Benjy, the survivor, is a bit of a brat. No, he didn't hurt the other budgie; she died of a stroke).

 

[Scott]

Most definitely separate cages, please! Size differentials may be acceptable outside the cage and in neutral territory such as playstand - and only when actively supervised. Inside a cage may bring out territoriality leading to awful consequences.

 

[Laurasea]

Thank you all guys for your replies, that helped a lot
One more thing,
Last weekend I got her and kiwi a big perch stand and some toys but they don’t seem to like them yet.
This weekend I’m getting them a huge cage because her cage looks old. Is it fine to keep them together in the same cage? Or is it better to keep them separated?


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That's great that you are upgrading the cage. They will get used to the new play stand many birds are very scared of new things. Give her time looking at the new cage abd making the transfer I really upset my Quaker when I just put her in the new large cage, caused a but of a set back in our relationship, and some bites