Understanding The Umbrella Cockatoo
Needs. We all got them. Once you understand what we cockatoos need, we're easy to get along with! #1 The need for attention We cockatoos love attention! We need interaction to feel secure, happy, and of sound mind. We will go to great lengths like you would not believe for attention. Good and bad. We should have at least a couple hours out of our cage a day, and at least a half an hour of direct interaction with the family. Our cage should be placed someplace like, say, in the living room, where we can see everything going on and feel like we're part of the family. That way people going by can stop and visit and there's always something going on to watch. (We're very nosey, you know) Constant attention, however, can be spoiling, and you'll soon find out why we're called velcro birds if you don't teach your cockatoo to spend some time playing on it's own. #2 The need to chew Fish gotta swim, cockatoos gotta chew. And chew. And chew. Anything we can get a hold of will be chewed to smithereens. This obsession comes from the fact that our beaks are constantly growing. We need to chew to wear them down, as well as entertain ourselves. A cockatoo owner must be prepared to supply plenty of toys for us to demolish. Without toys THAT CAN BE CHEWED AND DESTROYED, many cockatoos divert to feather chewing and or plucking. The result can be a bird bald everywhere but it's head. Not a pretty picture. Safe woods, leather, nuts, clean cardboard tubes and paper, even dried bagels make for good chewing. Just be sure anything you give your cockatoo is safe to eat and poses no threat of tangling up your feathered friend. #3 The need to scream Being flock animals, we have a real need to communicate with others to keep in touch. Nothing does this quite like a good, loud voice. So being, we often use screams to communicate even with our human flocks. Screaming is natural behavior used for communication, and even sometimes to sing along to a good song on the radio. It can mean several things, but is most often used to get someone's attention, especially if a cockatoo is all alone. It also is used just to cut loose some energy. A good cockatoo owner must learn what their featherhead is screaming about. Sometimes something is wrong and it warrants swift attention, while other times the cockatoo is just trying to be manipulative. (Never let your cockatoo boss you around into coming at it's beck and call, or that's just what it will do. We aren't stupid, you know!) Incessant attention screaming can be signs of a problem, either physically or emotionally. Have your friend checked out thoroughly by your avian vet, and also consider it's surroundings. Is your 'too bored, all alone most of the time? Is something scaring the cockatoo? Perhaps something it can see even outside the window? Did you recently change something in it's surroundings? Give your friend a new toy or cage, or move it's cage, or even moved something in it's environment like a chair or clock? If your cockatoo recently started screaming this is something to seriously consider. We get all ruffled over the silliest things sometimes, even something as silly as cage color. Yes, cage color matters to some of us, and we'll give you an ear full if we're not happy! Nervous screamers may appreciate a cover over part of the cage as a place to hide and feel safe. #4 The need for companionship As I've said, we cockatoos are very emotional birds. We become very attached to the ones we love, and expect it to be for life. We need to know we have people around us that care. We even usually have one special person in our life that, if raised by hand, we see as our mate. We become very attached to that person, and can even go so far as to drive other potential 'rivals' away from them. (Who cares if they're married, anyway! Not a cockatoo problem.) We also take losing a loved one very hard, and can even become severely depressed. This said, please be true to your 'too. Make sure to spend time every day with your cockatoo one on one, and include it in as many activities as you can. Think of your cockatoo as a new member of the family, with nearly all rights and privileges there of. When you pass by, offer a few kind words. That kind of stuff means the world to us cockatoos! #5 The need to be a 'too We are not dogs. We do not always come when called. We are not status symbols. We're not for sitting around looking pretty (Although we are pretty) in a cage all the time. We are a living bundle of love that wants to be with our family. We are intelligent, self-thinking, emotional birds. So being, we need to be allowed to be ourselves, but with some guiding rules and routines. As I mentioned, we're smart birds. When we know what you want, we usually aim to please. But we expect you to understand us, too. Give us proper toys to play with and teach us to play with them, and we won't look at the dining room table legs as much. Maybe... Teach us a good time to scream and carry on, and we won't pick 10 o'clock to have a shout out. Teach us when it's time to go back in the cage and when it's time to come out, and we'll be able to relax. We'll know what's going on in the world. But always remember we cockatoos have certain inalienable rights that must be honored for us to enjoy life with our human flocks. We, too, will try to respect the fact that not everyone was blessed by being born a cockatoo, and do our best to understand you. 10 Steps To Avoid "Unwanted Cockatoo Syndrome" Taken from Bird Talk, "The Good, The Bad, The Cockatoo Aug. 2002, Written by Rebecca Sweat #1 One of the most important steps you can take to avoid the "unwanted cockatoo syndrome" is to buy a baby cockatoo that has been raised to be independent and taught rules for living with a human "flock." #2 Educate yourself about cockatoos- before you make the decision to buy one. Realistically assess your lifestyle, personality and household situation. Find out what you need to know about caring for a cockatoo, and understand the potential problems you might face. "If you have an idea of what's going to happen, you can be prepared for these situations," McElroy said. "People who buy a cockatoo knowing what they're getting into- even if they don't believe it could possibly be that bad- usually do a much better job with the bird, and there aren't any major surprises." #3 Because cockatoos are needy, McElroy believes they often do better with people who are less needy. "People who love the independence of macaws and Amazons usually do beautifully with cockatoos," she said. "So many people buy them because they want this super cuddly teddy bear, but they don't teach the cockatoo anything else." #4 Once you've decided a cockatoo is for you, choose the largest cage you can afford. McElroy recommends a minimum 24-inch-deep by 36-inch-wide cage for one of the smaller cockatoo species, such as Goffin's, and a minimum 30-inch-deep by 48-inch-wide cage for the larger cockatoo species like umbrellas and Moluccans. "If you have them in a very large enclosure with lots of ways to exercise," said Foster, "they can take out their frustrations by ripping and shredding and bouncing around inside their cage where they have lots of room- rather than you trying to resolve the issue when they get out of their cage, and they're chasing you around the room." This is especially helpful when you're dealing with a hormonally charged male cockatoo, she said. #5 Cockatoos need to feel part of a flock. So put the cage in your family or living room or other high-traffic part of the home, where the cockatoo can be a part of daily activity. Don't put you cockatoo in a room by itself where it will feel isolated (unless it is a separate, for-sleeping -only-cage). #6 Supply your cockatoo with a wide variety of good-quality parrot toys, and teach it to play with them. "Cockatoos love to play with their toys if they know how to do so," Karras said. Show your bird what the toys do. Play with the toys yourself, and then see if your bird will follow your lead. Your cockatoo must learn how to amuse itself, so that it doesn't always need you around to be happy. #7 Feed your cockatoo a proper died. Most veterinarians generally recommend a fortified pellet-base diet, supplemented with cooked or raw vegetables, as well as some fruit, seeds and nuts. Be careful about feeding foods high in sugar or carbohydrates. "Diet has a huge impact on behavior," Foster said. "If you're feeding a cockatoo a diet that's high in carbohydrates or sugar, even natural sugar, the bird is probably going to be a lot more vocal and hyperactive- especially if it does not have enough outlets for exercise to burn up that energy it's getting from the food it's eating." #8 Plan on at least 15 to 20 minutes of rigorous exercise with your cockatoo everyday. Take your cockatoo outside for walks on a harness and leash. Play a game of toss, fetch and catch with your cockatoo using a soft, lightweight object such as a Koosh ball or soft, stuffed toy. Teach your cockatoo to play basketball using a birdie-sized Nerf basketball hoop. "When cockatoos get in enough exercise, they're easier to live with because they don't have all this excess energy to use up by screaming and carrying on- and then they're more content to just relax in their cage," Karras said. #9 Karras also suggests cockatoos be taught a designated time when it is OK to scream, and then plan to have this "scream session" for the same time everyday. "Cockatoos have a real need to be raucous," she said. By having regular scream sessions, "your cockatoo learns that it is OK to make noise at a certain time. He's able to get rid of excess energy, and you have control of the screaming." A good time to do this is between 3 and 7 PM- before you are ready to wind down and relax in the evening. To teach a scream session to your cockatoo, wait for when the bird begins to vocalize. Make sure it is within the time range when you want to encourage vocalizing. "Before the bird is actually in a full fledged scream and is just being vocal, put on some music that you know the bird likes, and literally blast it and get the bird going. The bird will start dancing and showing off and then start to scream," Karras explained. "Play a song two or three times in a row, and then switch over to softer music and then lower it and then start talking the bird down and telling it that now it's going to be quiet time and to settle down." At that point you can give it some fresh food. #10 Finally, establish limits and boundaries for your cockatoo. Be consistent in enforcing those rules. "You have to have enough spine to be willing to take a cuddly Moluccan cockatoo off your lap and put it on a T-stand, and make it spend some time on its own away from you," Speer said. Firm parenting abilities are very important. If your cockatoo hops off its cage, walks across the floor, invites itself onto your lap and you start scratching it on the head, you are, in effect, rewarding it for doing something it never should have done. If your cockatoo screams because it wants to be let out of its cage and you cave in and let it out, you are teaching it that screaming is the way to get what it wants. "If you are easily manipulated, you're going to have problems with your cockatoo," Speer said. Your cockatoo needs rules, and it needs you and everyone else in your household to follow through on them. "In the absence of rules, cockatoos make up their own rules- and that's when they get into trouble," Speer said. Taken From "The Good The Bad The Cockatoo" |
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