What is he doing? Goffins cockatoo

[mica21493]

When I take little bird out, he constantly nibbles on me, especially my fingers and shirt.
He drags his beak (not a beak cleaning motion) all over my arms, hands, and shirt, sometimes turns a half circle while doing it. Sometimes he gets kind of rough with the scraping and bops his beak on me.
He also makes chewing motions with his beak when he is not otherwise nibbling or dragging his beak.
I don’t really mind any of this but if it’s breeding behavior I want to discourage it if I can.

 

[noodles123]

Sounds like possible territory claiming thing--my bird (Umbrella Cockatoo) does this to my dad with whom she is VERY sexually interested. She occasionally does it to my sister and me (like 1-2 x a year) but it is almost always reserved for him (and she sees him far less frequently)...She is OBSESSED with him (and I/my bird do not live with him either--she lives with me happily in a totally separate house, far away from him haha!
I used to think it was just playful, but years of watching her do it only to my dad makes me think otherwise. I am loved by her, but he is LOVED by her...in a weird way lol. I would take a chill-pill as far as any petting is concerned and only spend time with her in well-lit areas...

 

[mica21493]

I was wondering if it was odd, lol, I didn’t have much luck googling it. He does the mouth chewing thing with my husband but not the rest.

 

[noodles123]

Mine (umbrella cockatoo) does the "mouth chewing thing" with others (myself and other "favorites" included)---we call it "chompy chompy" and it is also semi- sexual (so people know to stop touching her when it happens, or at least touch less)--- but I think the beak rubbing is next-level lol! <--- and not necessarily in a linear fashion!!!
The most obviously active/sexual thing is like a twitching eye/vibrating body, but all of these are precursors and your husband could easily cross a line faster than others, as he is clearly her "love interest"...Mine may"chomp" with up to 3 people who she loves, but the beat rub is like a special thing reserved for him.

 

[Betrisher]

My Corella, Rosetta, does all of the above and I'm quite sure it's courtship behaviour. She's highly, highly hormonal and has many forms of ritualised behaviours which she does exclusively in front of me. If I'm not present, she just chills. This leads me to believe she thinks of me as her 'mate' and so I have to be very careful not to give signals, such as petting or scratching her anywhere other than the top of her head.

 

[Scott]

I see a fair amount of the "beak tracing" with occasional tapping motion. All very transient, easy to distract from the behavior.

 

[mica21493]

Hi! Little Bird’s 30 day quarantine is over and I wanted to give everyone an update. He has moved to the living room. It was a rough few nights with him calling at night and not eating well and losing a few grams of body weight which gave me some grey hair
I adore the little guy though my husband can no longer handle him at all. If he even gets near the cage, little bird strikes the cage bars. He did not do this when a female friend came over and I am wondering if it’s a male/female thing. We'll figure it out, we have a lot to work on eventually but we're taking it slow. And he has finally started shredding and making toothpicks out of all his toys.

 

[Scott]

Seems he had a rough transition to new location, loss of a few grams ought not be a problem.

Goffins need not be one-person birds. While he may naturally gravitate towards females, your husband ought be safe. Has he worked to build trust, perhaps aided by a favorite treat? http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

They are voracious chewers! I buy long untreated 2 x 4s from Home Depot and have them cut into one-foot sections. Drill a hole, hang from stainless steel chain, watch them transform into tooth picks! One of mine takes chunks of wood and jams them between cage bars.

 

[mica21493]

Lol, I just told my husband we have to get wood from lowes and do that or we'll go broke buying toys!
I honestly wish my husband would take the time to do that but he has no interest. He is really not a bird person at all though he is supportive of me and my love for them.
Yeah, he seems to transition rough. He is a very nervous bird and scared of everything new and it seems to effect is eating very badly. Hopefully he won't have more transitions any time soon!

 

[Scott]

I mentioned Home Depot only because they are the only big-box store in my area to cut lumber into useable sections. Our Lowe's will not because of "safety issues." If you are handy with a drill, a simple hole at mid-section is all that is needed to string. Perhaps your husband can be enticed to do a batch of a dozen or more sections, that'll hold you for a while. (Maybe a batch of brownies??!!)

Some cockatoos are very shy eaters and prefer solitude. Do you actually see him eat or does he prefer being alone with food? Might try to condition him with fresh fruits and veggies. Prepare two bowls, one for him and one for you. Begin to eat and make "Mmmmm" sounds, bob your head showing enjoyment. Parrots are flock eaters, and you are a member.

 

[mica21493]

Oh gosh, no worries, I mentioned lowes just because they are the closest to us. Home depot is much further and those are the only choices since the lumber mill near us closed. Hahaha, yeah brownies would work
I have been eating around him a lot and offering lots of food and making yummy noises. He will eat scrambled eggs and he has been touching new foods so I'm hopeful.
He seems odd to me in his eating habits even when he is gaining/maintaining weight. (When he is losing weight, I rarely see him eat). He doesn't want breakfast. My macaw dives in as soon as I feed him and I was hoping little bird would be encouraged to eat then. He really doesn't seem to start eating until the afternoon and evening. In the evening he really goes to town and gets a full crop, not something I'm used to seeing in an adult bird but I've never had one with feathers chewed to the point I can see the crop. I'm wondering if maybe he had a different sleep/wake schedule at his old home. He is a little night owl. I start dimming lights around 7pm and he is usually put to bed around 9pm even though he is still being quite active in his cage. My macaw will be making night night sounds and little bird will be loudly squawking once I cover him up and head to bed. I wake him around 8am to give breakfast and clean cages.