New Cockatoo in the family

[Liandralithe]

We just got a new cockatoo at home. We had done the necessary research and preparation before adopting 5 year old umbrella cockatoo Katrina from an owner who had to move cross country.
In the beginning she was very sweet and friendly and did not make a lot of noise. Of course, no biting either, but I believe that was only the honeymoon phase. We've owned her a week now and she has bitten both my mom and dad. At first I didn't believe it since she has only used her beak as an extra hand with me but after seeing the "pinch marks" I now believe she has actually started biting. I am the primary caretaker just so you know. I don't mind the screaming, our house is noisy anyways, but if she bites then she will be ignored by the family and I want to insure she doesn't become a one-person bird.

Now for the biting incident: My mom was sitting on the floor doing nothing. I put Katrina on the floor next to her, and she goes straight for the face but got the arm instead since my mom blocked. I want to stop this before it becomes a habit.

Behaviors I noticed: sexual? she raises her tail and starts panting sometimes if you approach her as if you are going to pet her, don't even need to be touching her for this behavior.

 

[MikeyTN]

First of all don't ever put them on the floor! They tend to go full territorial when on the floor. It doesn't matter how much you read about them, they attack suddenly! I take it the bird is attached to you?

 

[Liandralithe]

if by attached, Katrina tries to get in my face and cuddle constantly, then i suppose so. Though it gets annoying after the first 3 seconds and I push her away, just enough so I don't have a mouthful of feathers. though she seems to like guys better... didn't stop her from biting my dad though.

 

[MikeyTN]

She sound like a one person bird so it doesn't matter if there's another guy in the room they will attack as long as their partner is there which would be you!

 

[Liandralithe]

I wasn't there when my dad got bit though! And before we were sitting in the car together (it wasn't moving) and she was going from my shoulder to his just fine with no fuss or fight.

 

[Liandralithe]

My whole family was together last night, including my cousin and his family. Katrina went up to pretty much everyone she could reach aka those sitting on the floor and cuddled with them. Now I am thinking its only my mom and dad she hates because they jerk around her and generally act terrified of her presence.
Any tips to solve this problem?

 

[U2gal]

I recommend Barbara Heidenreich's Parrot Problem Solver.

I think you all are taking it too fast for her. Slow it down alittle. Let her be on a playstand and observe the family and their interactions. Limit cuddling. And allow everyone to offer treats and food in the mean time.

 

[U2gal]

Also I recommend a full vet check workup to see if this could be related to any medical issue.

Also what size is her cage and what is her diet consist of? It can often shock people that medical issues, cage size and diet can often be leading rolls in behavioral issues.

 

[CaitlinBird]

I feel U2gal hit it square on the head. Take things much much slower with her and don't expect anything. I got my Moluccan, Jojo, a couple weeks ago and have taken things very slowly with him. These are very powerful wild animals that we need to respect, seeing what Jojo can crack with his beak has made me realize that!

When I say I'm taking things slow with Jojo I mean he wasn't let out of the cage until he was target trained IN the cage. He had his first day out yesterday! Start target training your bird too. It's helpful in an innumerable number of situations and can help him bond with your family members too.

 

[SoCalWendy]

I recommend Barbara Heidenreich's Parrot Problem Solver.

I think you all are taking it too fast for her. Slow it down alittle. Let her be on a playstand and observe the family and their interactions. Limit cuddling. And allow everyone to offer treats and food in the mean time.

I'm glad you mentioned Barbara, I was going to, then read your post. Couldn't agree with you more.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

My sun conure was sort of a 'one person bird' and with her it generally worked best for her to not HAVE to be near anyone but me. She did learn to be friendly and generally trusting of other people and enjoyed their company but there was no way they could have handled her without a bite. She would give kisses or stand on a shoulder if she got to know someone, but they still could not handle her or pet her, period. So with her i basically had to learn which situations could cause her to bite and we avoided those situations.
Georgie also did this rubbing up against me, up in my face thing when she was younger and i used to say no and put her back on her perch and discourage it. It eventually did stop.
I agree with the other suggestions to take it a little slower, observe the bird's reactions, etc and then shape your actions around that. It may take a little time but sounds like overall you have a good bird with a few 'growing pains' and adjustment issues.