Still adjusting

[Siobhan]

On Sunday, Rocky bit my husband pretty badly. This is the third time he's bitten him. The first was bad. The second was bad, but not compared to the first one. This one was bad. All three times, we were mystified by what had set Rocky off. After the first bite, Hubby tried to find ways to interact with Rocky without picking him up. He pets him while Rocky's on the cage or on me. He offers treats. He makes toys for him. Rocky's fine with all of this. But on Sunday, Hubby decided to try to pick him up, asked him if he wanted to step up and he did want to, but as soon as he did, chomp. Then Rocky was on edge and testy all day and bit me, too, but not as bad. He just left a bruise on me, while he left a bloody hole on Hubby.

We had just about decided we were not cut out for having a cockatoo and I even contacted a rescue about taking him, but after watching Rocky sit in his cage all day on Monday (his choice; the door was unlatched and he could have come out if he wanted to), we thought maybe we ought to give him yet another chance. It's only been three months. He's had numerous homes before us and probably has trouble trusting people. Maybe we did do something wrong and weren't aware of it. This morning, Rocky was as sweet as could be, very quiet and gentle. I picked him up and gave him a morning snuggle. I kissed him and he kissed me back (he puts his beak against me and sticks his tongue out). I don't know. The other parrots have moods and Clyde bites me almost every day for something, but he's a Quaker and even though the bites hurt, he can't do lasting damage. Rocky could.

 

[riddick07]

What kind of schedule and boundaries have you set for him?

You show an umbrella hesitation you are going to have trouble. Allowing him to decide when he comes out or in...trouble. If he wants to come out he steps up inside the cage and you put him somewhere that is not the cage. Don't let him play on the cage when it is out time. If you go to ask him to step up in the cage and he doesn't do it...make him. I know some people might not agree but an umbrella who thinks he can control everything is an out of control one.

Also, does he like you more than anyone else? If so try not to interact with him as much and when your husband is playing with him leave the room. If he likes you more try not to take him out of the cage as often and have the husband take him out. So the husband becomes more a positive and useful figure.

 

[Siobhan]

Those things might be what you'd do with a regular 'too who'd had a regular life. Rocky has been abused. We are still learning what the triggers are that scare him. One thing that terrifies him is carrying things. Setting up the TV trays for dinner. Moving a folding chair. I brought home a new broom yesterday and that terrified him, and I tried to get it past him without his having to see it (unsuccessfully). He bit me yesterday when the garbage truck came. I don't know why that scared him but that was his body language -- fear, not aggression. He wanted me to take him back to his cage and I didn't respond quickly enough and the bite was "hurry UP!" If you drop something, even something light that doesn't make noise (such as one of the dogs' plush squeaky toys) he's terrified. Being out of sight of his cage terrifies him. I don't know if that's because it's the only constant in his life or if someone took him away from his cage to abuse him in the past.

My relationship with all my animals, birds, dogs and even the leopard gecko, is not built on dominance. I am not going to make a terrified, previously abused bird do things that cause a fear reaction. Our job as his caretakers is to learn as best we can what terrifies him, though we'll never know why, and either make those things not terrifying or remove those things from his life. He's becoming accustomed to the TV trays. We move slowly and reassure him when we bring them out and put them away. If I'm using a broom and not just carrying it, he backs into a corner but he doesn't freak out anymore, as long as I keep talking to him, even if I just say nonsense things like "Mommy's going to clean up your mess now."

 

[riddick07]

I have a cockatoo scared of his own shadow. If you look at him a second too long he starts twitching then runs. But he knows that biting is no and that when I say he comes out he is coming out. Unfortunately, if you don't push his boundaries chances are he is never going to not be afraid because he hasn't learned he doesn't have to be. And I've only worked with umbrellas that are rescues.

If he is scared of the broom then you leave it across the room where he can see it but it isn't close and slowly move it closer and closer to him as he gets comfortable with each distance. Only through conditioning will he learn not to be afraid of it. Maybe it takes months or a year but eventually the broom won't scare him as much. Occasionally, make a loud noise in the house...play music a little louder than you would normally. Don't do all these things at once but the only way to learn to not be afraid is if he is shown to no longer be scared.

My cockatoos been hit, starved, locked in closets, bounced around at least 7-14 homes, he plucks, he mutilates, he is terrified, he is aggressive with anyone that is not me and if the aggression doesn't work he hides, he likes to try to eat little kids before they can touch his cage...

It is not a dominance thing but it is a boundary thing. If he won't step up onto your arm in the cage you work on making it happen. If he shows aggression or even fear biting while on top of a cage someone is going to lose an eye.

By the way...I'm not telling you to accelerate through getting him out. If he shows fear in the cage it'll have to be slower getting him out of there. I'm working with a terrified moluccan at the shelter right now. He hangs off the back of the cage and shakes but you can reach in and touch him. He runs around but as long as you are persistent he eventually calms a little and will sit for a bit of petting while hanging off the back of the cage.

 

[Siobhan]

I can reach in and get him. I can do almost anything to him, even pull his wings out (which are mutilated) and look at them; cut his toenails; preen his pinfeathers; move his toys or take them out and put different ones in. In his most recent home, the abuse came from the man of the house who unfortunately bore a resemblance to my husband. Rocky is fine with him as long as Hubby doesn't try to have him step up. He is fearful of men in general and okay with women in general.

 

[riddick07]

Does he ever bite you when near the husband? If not then you take him closer and closer to him. Sit next to your husband have him hand treats to him slowly, if he goes for the hand then have a bowl next to the bird that your husband can drop treats into, have toys that he can drop next to him or hand him if he isn't scared of that. If he is scared of toys then you have to hand them to him yourself to start to condition him to being handed objects.

In the end, sometimes birds will not take to anyone else but one person. If that happens your husband will need to be prepared for being attacked and flying attacks too. Once this bird isn't scared he will probably show that you are his and no one elses if he hasn't started already.

 

[Ripstied]

What kind of schedule and boundaries have you set for him?

You show an umbrella hesitation you are going to have trouble. Allowing him to decide when he comes out or in...trouble. If he wants to come out he steps up inside the cage and you put him somewhere that is not the cage. Don't let him play on the cage when it is out time. If you go to ask him to step up in the cage and he doesn't do it...make him. I know some people might not agree but an umbrella who thinks he can control everything is an out of control one.


I've been out of town for a few weeks where I adopted 1.5 year old cockatoo. She's been sleeping in a smaller travel Wingabago and on a java tree all day. Just got to my home last night where Kili saw her new huge cage that's been set up waiting for her. She LOVES it! She immediately started climbing all over it then we filled one of her dishes with food and she climbed right in! When she finished eating she climbed out and to the top again. For a non-rescue, behaved U2, is it alright to leave the door open and let her climb around as she likes? I thought I would put her Java tree next to cage so she has a lot of space to climb around between cage and tree.

 

[riddick07]

Just watch her the second she shows you attitude about it then she lost the privilege to play on it. Some cockatoos are exceptional birds just like any other type of parrot. I like female cockatoos more than the males in general since the males have more moments of being ruled by hormones/attitude. We do have one female umbrella that if you let climb to the top of the cage you need to watch your face, grab a towel, and get her to step up off of it. If that doesn't work you just towel her to get her off She used to be a bit better about it but then she was adopted and the people allowed her to have her bad habits and she came back with even more attitude then ever.

Chances are you are going through the honeymoon phase with her too They like to make you love them then try tearing up you furniture and telling you what they like and don't Though she sounds like a sweetheart! Bah I tried finding the video of Nina one of our rescue umbrellas but I can't find it at the moment! She's our exceptional shelter umbrella. Sure she tests you to see if she can bully you at first but we take her to all the expos and little kids can hold her....I'd smuggle her home if she wasn't such a loud mouth in a home setting or a cockatoo

 

[Siobhan]

Rocky isn't food motivated at all. He will share my dinner but I have to hand him bites. He's not interested in treats. Toys are anything he finds interesting. He likes toilet paper and paper towel rolls, magazines, junk mail, old phone books, anything made of wood, Hubby's ball caps, dog toys ... but nothing holds his interest for long. Yesterday when I left for work, I said "Give mama kisses" and he bent down (he was on top of his cage) and put his beak against my face and tickled me with his tongue. I had meant, I'm going to kiss YOU, but I'll take it.

 

[riddick07]

Rocky isn't food motivated at all. He will share my dinner but I have to hand him bites. He's not interested in treats. Toys are anything he finds interesting. He likes toilet paper and paper towel rolls, magazines, junk mail, old phone books, anything made of wood, Hubby's ball caps, dog toys ... but nothing holds his interest for long. Yesterday when I left for work, I said "Give mama kisses" and he bent down (he was on top of his cage) and put his beak against my face and tickled me with his tongue. I had meant, I'm going to kiss YOU, but I'll take it.

You've been chosen by this cockatoo congratulations...your husband has obviously not been. That is the biggest reason that I would not let this bird up high or encourage any kind of territorial issues.

My Amazon Kelly has an amazing bond with me and I can do anything with him and put him anywhere and I won't have a single issue. The problem is that given the opportunity he will tear anyone else a new one. If I were to put him up high he is guaranteed to drop onto someone and rip/tear until he is thrown off. I have pictures of what he will do to someone through a leather glove and a sweatshirt and it ain't pretty.

Ultimately the decision is yours I just hope this bird is an exception to the general male umbrella rule for your husbands sake at the very least. Good luck with him he sounds like he has a lot of potential.

 

[Siobhan]

Rocky can't fly. He'd like to, but somebody gave him a horrible wing clip and he shredded his wings and tail, and continues to do so as fast as new feathers come in. I've worked on the pinfeathers on his head and he's getting new feathers on his chest, which was thin and had a bald spot, and if he keeps his wings folded he looks pretty good, but when he opens his wings, you can see what a mess they are.

Yesterday, he played with Hubby for over an hour with no problems at all. They have a game they play, where Rocky gets on the floor and charges, and Bill holds up a towel, which Rocky will attack, but then Bill pets him and afterward Rocky waddles back to his cage. It IS a game; Rocky's body language during this is entirely different from Rocky when he's upset and agitated.