Please help umbrella cockatoo 'issues'

[Araura_cockatoo]

Hi my name is Liam and I am a new member to this forum,my dilemma is I rescued a 3 and a half year old female umbrella cockatoo today and she is untame as she was isolated, I quickly noticed that she smis very defensive of her space (most likely due to stress of moving around to a strange environment and past experiences as the owners were quite "firm" ) so i know it will take time to get her to calm down to the point of being stroked and not flying away from me when i enter the room, but I was wondering could any of you suggest some ideas on how to get her calmed down.
she has a full free range of my bedroom with various hanging parrot toys and stands and appears to be calm and ready for bed as she is grinding her beak but any ideas are greatly appreciated.
thanks liam

 

[Kiwibird]

Cage free and untrained several year old parrot you just brought home today?! You NEED a cage ASAP (like tonight if possible, tomorrow morning first thing at latest) before something bad happens! I understand large parrot cages typically must be ordered online these days, so go get a large dog crate and set it up as a makeshift cage then order a real cage tonight. She should sleep in the carrier you brought her home in tonight for safety. It is a wonderful goal to strive for a bird to be 'free range' (my own bird is) but it is something that must happen naturally, typically over YEARS. She could be injured if she spooks during the night and lands in your bed or hits a wall in a dark, unfamiliar environment. And when you leave for school or work, she is liable to destroy anything that can be chewed in your room, not just the toys you provided for her. They have to learn what they can and can't chew and don't automatically understand the difference between your desk or nightstand or windowsill and a parrot toy. For immediate calming, I'd just start talking to her, maybe read a book out loud, in a calm, soothing voice. Maintain a respectful distance.

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

I second the need for a cage as soon as possible, even a makeshift one while you wait for an online order to be delivered. In addition to the safety measures that April has already mentioned, it may also help her calm down and feel safer. My birds are pretty free-range when I am home, but they still choose to spend a good deal of time during the day in their cages when they nap or are just chilling because it is their "safe space". So when they nap and their guard is let down, they prefer to be inside the safety of their cage. A bird that is in a new environment without the benefit of that "safe space" is going to feel like she must always be on guard because nowhere is safe. I hope this makes sense.

 

[Scott]

Welcome Liam! Best advice has been rendered - large cage stocked with plentiful toys. Cockatoos are voracious chewers that know no boundaries unless carefully taught and supervised until you know her well.

Umbrellas are extraordinarily sensitive and intelligent. There will be a "honeymoon" period until she feels comfortable and safe.

A few popular threads:
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/cockatoos/17694-owning-cockatoo.html

Beak grinding and full display of the small feathers surrounding the lower beak is a sign of contentment - often noted before bed time!

Please ask any and all questions, you are bound to have many!

 

[Boozieshome]

Of course, I have only months of experience, but I would like to share anyway. I brought home 2 cockatoos to join my amazon last September. I was told the "female" (not a female) was mean and wild. She was wild, no question about it. I tried to close her cage on her and she opened it before I could take a step. She (I keep saying "she") screamed to the high heavens until 4 o'clock in the morning when I closed her cage and secured it with a lock. She grabbed it and slammed it over and over again. I finally compromised with her and let her out, and she has not been locked up since.

Of course, she has a room of her, and her "mates" own to climb around and go crazy, but she and I reached a mutually beneficial agreement. She clearly had never been tamed, and she did not engage. Over the course of the last few months, she and I (and especially my wife) have come to engage, and bond. Because it has been difficult, her opening up has been so very rewarding. She is just... awesome.

Birds obviously need to be protected from themselves, for the reasons above. Bonnie (the "female" above) is a handful, and we must protect her from herself. That said, we are lucky enough that we can put her in a room, not a cage. We tried that. It did not work. At. All.

 

[Boozieshome]

I would take in 50 parrots if I could and bask in the glorious madness.

 

[Siobhan]

My 'too is out of his cage all day, even when we're at work, but it is a good thing to have a sturdy and large cage in case you have to confine your baby for some reason, for her safety, for example. Birds tend to regard their cages like we regard our bedrooms, as personal space where they keep their stuff, and as long as they get lots of out of cage time, and attention from their human, they don't mind being in the cage sometimes. I have one bird who spends most of her time in her cage of her own volition. The door's standing wide open, but she wants to hang out in there with her stuff.

 

[Kiwibird]

My 'too is out of his cage all day, even when we're at work, but it is a good thing to have a sturdy and large cage in case you have to confine your baby for some reason, for her safety, for example. Birds tend to regard their cages like we regard our bedrooms, as personal space where they keep their stuff, and as long as they get lots of out of cage time, and attention from their human, they don't mind being in the cage sometimes. I have one bird who spends most of her time in her cage of her own volition. The door's standing wide open, but she wants to hang out in there with her stuff.

Very well put!

I also experience this with my 'free range' parrot. Kiwi is free to come and go as he pleases during the day but I'd say he spends as much time in his cage as out. He even closes his door after himself, presumably because he feels safer (he uses the little 'breeder door' on the side of his cage to come and go, not the big one).

I will say to the OP- even if your bird does eventually reach a point of being 'free range', I still strongly suggest locking them in their cage at night. Kiwi is free all day, but at bedtime I do lock it up and put a cover on. I'd hate for him to spook during the night and hit a wall or somehow end up on the floor and I step on him while still a tad groggy and fishing for the lights at 4am when I wake up...

 

[eagle18]

Please don't spoil her or invite her to do things that you will not be able to tolerate in the future. Being loose in your bedroom is going to get real old, fast.


I personally think all living creatures need their own space and there should be boundaries set in place very early on. Cockatoos are very destructive and will not see the difference between a wooden chew toy or wooden antique furniture. She will destroy things of value and you will end up resenting her.

She needs a cage to get away from it all just like you need your bedroom or study.

She doesn't like a cage? What bird does?

 

[Scott]

I would take in 50 parrots if I could and bask in the glorious madness.

Me too, love the sentiment!!

 

[Araura_cockatoo]

thank you everyone for your advice I haven't been able to reply due to my emails and logging in issues but now I'm sorted,araura has somewhat calmed down she lets me handfeed her and she doesn't just drop it anymore, she came with a large dog cage not big enough though so that is left in the room although she prefers to sleep on my conures cage player and. I have noticed she grinds her beak every so often usually whilst I'm reading and it's time for bed and she only hisses when something (usually my conure) spooks her

 

[Araura_cockatoo]

also she seems to enjoy monkeynuts as a treat and banging on different surfaces with her feet she is fed a mixture of fruit and veg and seeds and pellets in separate bowls. also I will be getting a large cage for her on friday

 

[Scott]

Let us know how she transitions to a cage! You may have to "bribe" her initially and reward good behavior both in and out of the cage.

 

[Kiwibird]

S glad to hear she has a temporary setup to keep her contained when not supervised. I'm sure she'll adapt to a cage and can still be out whenever you're home to supervise until she has been trained and can be trusted

P.S. I wouldn't let her interact with your conure. The size difference is just too dangerous. One bite from a U2, even a playful or warning one, could kill your conure.

 

[Araura_cockatoo]

yes I will try that thank you I brought dome coconut and other fruits and things as treats for her

 

[Araura_cockatoo]

S glad to hear she has a temporary setup to keep her contained when not supervised. I'm sure she'll adapt to a cage and can still be out whenever you're home to supervise until she has been trained and can be trusted

P.S. I wouldn't let her interact with your conure. The size difference is just too dangerous. One bite from a U2, even a playful or warning one, could kill your conure.

also the conure never interacts with her when the conure is out I let him play down stairs with his stand whilst I observe the Cockatoo as it's a very trustworthy bird haha he sits with me eating my tea whilst typing this