My Goffin is terrified =( please help!

[aprilmuffin]

I have had my Goffin cockatoo for five years now. She is my only non-rescue bird, since I had wanted the experience of having a baby that would recognize me as her mother (instead of my mom). I wanted to raise her in a healthy, ideal environment so she would not have fear, behavior issues, or health concerns as my rescues have had. She has been a perfect little girl for five years. She has never bitten me or anyone that holds her, except my mom and my younger brother, who I believe she is jealous of since I spend a lot of time with them. However, she does not exhibit out of control aggressive behavior.

These last two days her behavior has changed. She is normal with every person in my household except me. She is all of the sudden terrified of me and I can't figure out why. Two nights ago I told her goodnight, she gave me a kiss and said, "I love you" as she normally does every night. The next morning she refused to get anywhere near me. She even started hyperventilating when I stood close to her cage. This has never happened before and it is scaring me. I am wondering if it has something to do with her reaching maturity but nevertheless, it is bizarre. I haven't been able to hold my baby girl in two days and I miss her terribly. I would really appreciate if anyone has any knowledge of this or advice on how I can alter this strange behavior. Thank you.

 

[parrotqueen]

Wow, that is scary. I understand exactly how you feel.

I want to ask you a few questions, to see if something you or your family does that is making her this way.

1. Does she get a good night sleep? Birds act completely different if they don't sleep well, they can become more shy and reclusive. Or, they can become very irritable and want to be left alone.

2. Is there a major event that happened recently? Did you move her cage, or another object into the room? Birds don't handle change well, and they can get very stressed if something changes.

3. Does you or your family make quick movements around her? Birds don't typically do too well around the swift movements of younger children, nor do they like aggressive petting/interaction from anyone.

4. Are you stressed out about something? Birds can pick up on their owner's stress, it's true!

If you can answer these questions, maybe I can help you.

 

[antoinette]

Hi welcome to a wonderful forum.
Not familiar with Goffin's....
Below is a link I'm sure will assist you
http://www.goffinscockatoo.com/goffin-cockatoos-behavior-training.html

Keep us updated
Good luck

 

[parrotqueen]

Now that I think about it, it could also be hormonal. Hormones affect birds quite a bit. Keep in mind that it's almost springtime.

I know by research and experience, my boys aren't so friendly when they're hormonal.

 

[aprilmuffin]

Thank you so much for your reply. I have been working and caring for parrots since I was seven years old. I have witnessed a lot of abnormal bird behavior through an internship at a zoo, and working at an animal sanctuary and avian pet store. I am also a junior in college studying avian behavior. However, I was never prepared for my own Goffin (whom I see as my child more than a bird) to turn on me so suddenly.

She does usually get a good night sleep. She has two cages, one in the living room and a smaller one in my room, where she sleeps at night most of the time. For the last three nights, I kept her in her day cage since my allergies have been acting up. Therefore, I was unable to monitor whether she slept well or not, but she does appear to be taking quite a few naps today. However, she is acting friendly towards my other family members.

Nothing too abnormal has happened recently. I have been spending more time with a friend of mine, but that is all that has been different.

All of my family members are experienced handling birds and other animals. Muffin (my Goffin) often likes to swing upside down and lay on her back when we are holding her, but we are all gentle with her. She enjoys doing tricks, but she is never forced and my family believes in only positive reinforcement. We are a quiet family, with the exception of the other birds making noise and the dogs barking on occasion.

I wasn't stressed until she started flailing away from me. Now I am worried and upset. She actually came close to me earlier this afternoon and cuddled in my arms for about 5 minutes. Then all of the sudden, she flipped out again, got as far as possible away from me, and again she started hyperventilating. =(

Yes, I do think hormones are a possibility. My macaw gets hormonal in the springtime too, but at least she is a little more predictable and it's just a bit of grouchiness. I am afraid of how long Muffin's odd behavior will persist and whether she will go back to normal after this "phase" is over. It is an awful feeling not being able to hold her or play with her. Do you have any suggestions of what I can do for her?

 

[parrotqueen]

Just keep your interaction calm, and let her come out only if she decides to. If she never comes out and you're worried about getting a perch potato, just buy more destructible toys and hide food in the crevices of the cage. You can buy some nice playtops for the cage, and just let them play on that.

I also suggest letting her have "floor time" with a few interesting and parrot-safe objects on the ground. This certainly helps keep my boys busy, all the while keeping the mood calm for them. Let her have nap time daily as well.

 

[Spiritbird]

Parrot PMS sounds like your behavior change diagnosis.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

So this all started when you stopped letting her sleep in her cage in your room?

That's a pretty significant change for a bird.

Have you had her into a vet recently? Birds are often good at hiding illness - if she was sick that would explain her behavior.

What's her hyperventilating like? Is it anything like what your allergies do to you?

 

[aprilmuffin]

Yes, it began the next morning after I let her sleep in her day time cage. However, she's slept in that cage numerous times before and didn't seem to be affected by it. She has not been to a vet for almost a year, but she is exhibiting normal behaviors otherwise. And no, my allergies just cause my eyes to swell up and my nose to run. Her hyperventilating is like an out of breath pant from flapping her wings rapidly and frantically in fear. =( It breaks my heart to see her afraid of me when she has always loved me above anyone else. I appreciate all your ideas/suggestions.

 

[parrotqueen]

This breaks my heart, as I used to think that Pineapple didn't like me. So, I feel your pain. I'm very sorry that she is so fearful of you, I hope she gets over this. I'm sure if you wait it out, she'll get used to her daytime cage.

Please keep us updated.

 

[logan-x]

Hello,
Sorry to hear about your problem. They seem to react to strange things, like one time all my birds where squawking louder , more like alarming, jumping off the stands for a day or so. I had to look what changes in the house that caused this problem, and it was a sweeper broom my wife just got to clean seed up. They were terrified of it. So now I hide it and I use it when they are up. Animals seem to use more senses than we do, color, sight and smell, maybe something as simple as the changing of your perfume could cause this fight or flight reaction. Maybe relook at all the changes you have made since this started and try to change them back if possible. It’s something with you, so that it where I would start. When we get a new bird and it is scared, my wife and daughter and I pick the bird up and keep passing it back and forth . this seems strange but say a bird likes me and is scared of the wife, by us staying close and passing it back and forth shows the other person is no threat to them, and seems to calm them down. I hope we had some answers for you , please keep us informed.


Logan

 

[aprilmuffin]

Thank you for all your ideas and support. I am very happy to say that Muffin is almost back to normal. It seems her main fear was focussed on a larger than usual bird bite cut on my thumb. I believe her odd behavior was a mix of spring hormones, being kept in her day cage, and a bizarre reaction to a new and unfamiliar mark on my hand. I was able to hold her and cuddle her today until she accidentally stepped on that stupid cut and it opened back up a bit, causing her to notice it and flip out again. Oh well, at least I can hold her and she seems to be getting back to being herself. =D

 

[parrotqueen]

Yay for Muffin! I'm so glad things are working out for you now, what a relief that must be.

Yes, birds are funny critters. My finches don't like it when I pull my hair into a ponytail.

 

[Fistycakes]

This is exactly the same as what my Hawkhead is doing right now. All the sudden terrified, hyperventilating, etc. and only acts like that towards me!?!? Had her practically from hatch. It's making me very sad.

How old is your Goff? Maybe it's a puberty/separating from parent thing, seeing as how they're only freaked out by us.