AustinMatties
New member
Hello everyone, I have been signed up for this site however I have not really used it. I currently am owner and friend of a Goffins cockatoo and a double-yellow headed Amazon.
My cockatoo [Teko] plucks his feathers and has ever since I got him. I have had him for around a year and we absolutely love each other. He has never bit me and has very rarely bit anyone else. He cuddles up to me and is pretty much attached to me at the hip. I have him in a floor model cage that is 34wide, 24deep, 50 tall and he has plenty of toys hanging for him to shred and play with as well as a "boing" which he loves to play around on. My problem with him is the plucking. My vet said that he thought we should wait until he goes through a molt and then see how he does once his new feathers come in however he has not molted in the year that I have had him. The owners that I got him from obviously didn't give him the needed attention or care. I was told that he was bought at a bird trade show and has been very heavily smoked around causing his feathers to become "dingy". I bring him into the bathroom while I shower and he perches and enjoys some of the humidity from the water and he sometimes asks to put his head into the water. He refuses any fruits and veggies that I offer to him and he has been offered very frequently and many different types. I am going to try a birdie "mash" for him in the coming week.
The DYHA [Coby] is the newest addition to my home. Teko seems to be doing very well with the new bird around but is [healthily] afraid. The amazon has a MASSIVE cage with [included] wood perches and not much else. I have since given him some of my "backup" toys and plan to get him some rope perches and a pedi perch etc. with the next few paychecks. He has been fed a poor quality seed mix [from Wal-Mart] in a large cheap plastic container. I am weaning him off of it and onto ZuPreem pellets. Luckily he seems more acceptable to fruits and veggies and my hope is that Teko will observe him eating them and do the same himself. My problem with Coby is that he will step-up onto my hand but first attacks it. It's not an attack like get away as he will step forward and onto my hand instead of attempting to retreat or move away. I believe this is because his past owners were somewhat afraid of him and they allowed him to bite when he got onto their hands. I have been using leather "driving type" gloves when handling him and he has no fear of the gloves. He is still new to my home so I've been working very little with him on the handling however when I open his cage he almost immediately climbs out and onto his play perch. After that he climbs down and off of the play perch to go over to Teko's cage. This I don't allow as he climbs to the top and to the sides and makes Teko run to the other side of his cage causing him stress and fear. Teko shows no problems with the new bird being in my home, only when Coby climbs on his cage (understandable).
Coby also climbs and moves VERY slowly. I believe this to be because he is grossly overweight due to his all seed diet and being fed eggs practically every morning along with all of the unhealthy foods that his previous owners fed him.
I know to give him time but he will come down to me and over to me and will step up (after biting) and then is fine once on my hand/arm. He only bites from his cage/perch/teko's cage/ occasionally the floor. As you can probably imagine, when he goes onto my cockatoo's cage I have to handle him to move him away, and without fail every time I let him out he makes his way over there. He also does not talk (or very rarely) when I or others are in the room with him however he will talk when I am eating (occasionally) or when there are people/conversations outside of the room and out of sight.
Contrastingly, Teko talks talks and talks.
Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
My cockatoo [Teko] plucks his feathers and has ever since I got him. I have had him for around a year and we absolutely love each other. He has never bit me and has very rarely bit anyone else. He cuddles up to me and is pretty much attached to me at the hip. I have him in a floor model cage that is 34wide, 24deep, 50 tall and he has plenty of toys hanging for him to shred and play with as well as a "boing" which he loves to play around on. My problem with him is the plucking. My vet said that he thought we should wait until he goes through a molt and then see how he does once his new feathers come in however he has not molted in the year that I have had him. The owners that I got him from obviously didn't give him the needed attention or care. I was told that he was bought at a bird trade show and has been very heavily smoked around causing his feathers to become "dingy". I bring him into the bathroom while I shower and he perches and enjoys some of the humidity from the water and he sometimes asks to put his head into the water. He refuses any fruits and veggies that I offer to him and he has been offered very frequently and many different types. I am going to try a birdie "mash" for him in the coming week.
The DYHA [Coby] is the newest addition to my home. Teko seems to be doing very well with the new bird around but is [healthily] afraid. The amazon has a MASSIVE cage with [included] wood perches and not much else. I have since given him some of my "backup" toys and plan to get him some rope perches and a pedi perch etc. with the next few paychecks. He has been fed a poor quality seed mix [from Wal-Mart] in a large cheap plastic container. I am weaning him off of it and onto ZuPreem pellets. Luckily he seems more acceptable to fruits and veggies and my hope is that Teko will observe him eating them and do the same himself. My problem with Coby is that he will step-up onto my hand but first attacks it. It's not an attack like get away as he will step forward and onto my hand instead of attempting to retreat or move away. I believe this is because his past owners were somewhat afraid of him and they allowed him to bite when he got onto their hands. I have been using leather "driving type" gloves when handling him and he has no fear of the gloves. He is still new to my home so I've been working very little with him on the handling however when I open his cage he almost immediately climbs out and onto his play perch. After that he climbs down and off of the play perch to go over to Teko's cage. This I don't allow as he climbs to the top and to the sides and makes Teko run to the other side of his cage causing him stress and fear. Teko shows no problems with the new bird being in my home, only when Coby climbs on his cage (understandable).
Coby also climbs and moves VERY slowly. I believe this to be because he is grossly overweight due to his all seed diet and being fed eggs practically every morning along with all of the unhealthy foods that his previous owners fed him.
I know to give him time but he will come down to me and over to me and will step up (after biting) and then is fine once on my hand/arm. He only bites from his cage/perch/teko's cage/ occasionally the floor. As you can probably imagine, when he goes onto my cockatoo's cage I have to handle him to move him away, and without fail every time I let him out he makes his way over there. He also does not talk (or very rarely) when I or others are in the room with him however he will talk when I am eating (occasionally) or when there are people/conversations outside of the room and out of sight.
Contrastingly, Teko talks talks and talks.
Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
