Cockatoo Behavior

Question
QUESTION: I have a cockatoo which im not sure how old it is. He is very nice and steps up and everything. However, he wont leave me alone. he wonts to be out of the cage all the time and being petted. Plus if u put him next to you after a hile hell bite, he seems to have a thing towards all fabrics hell attack the fabric and sometimes me. Sometimes when i hold him on my finger hell grab with one hand and kick back with the next one as if hes trying to dig. do you have any ideas?

ANSWER: This is what cockatoos do. They are often called "the velcro bird" because they truly need to be around their owner nearly all the time.
 
His biting is probably out of frustration or over-stimulation.

We have our birds out of cage for no less than 7 hours a day every day, but I realize this isn't always possible for others.  The 'average' out of cage time for bird owners at last report was approximately 4 hours a day with some very specific time.  'Toos like to just cuddle, but they are remarkably smart and need to learn things.  Try some puzzles, even the kind for very young children.  Just a puzzle of colors, shapes with big pieces.  There are teaching toys you can find at any one of many bird sites too (one I like is Drs. Foster and Smith - they are very reasonably priced).

Take a look at many more ideas when it comes to bird care at my own site (no ulterior motives, all info is free)

 www.4AnimalCare.org

Meanwhile, keep up the good work with your 'too!


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: another thing i wanted to ask u is that his two of his toenails are missing. i purchased another cockato who was missing half a foot is this common or what?
plus what do u think of his tendency o attack all types of fabric?

ANSWER: In some cases of parental stress, a chick might have part of their toes or even feet 'preened' right off.

This is more frequent in people who over-breed or who are new, inexperienced breeders.

There might be an illness in one or both parents.  

Before you get any new bird, it would be prudent to see the parents or at least have a 30-day warranty for health.  This is soon going to be a law, but until then get it writing that the bird's health is guarenteed to be sound.  Then take the bird to you vet right away to have it checked out and to be sure with a DNA/genetic evaluation.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for the quick and helpful answers, bt soory im going to bother u somemore. Im sorry but i didnt get your answer to his fabric tendencies. Plus when is mating season for cockatoos and what are the signs. As i mentioned earlier hell stand and my hand with one finger and kick backwards as if he is digging. is this a sign of mating or what. Thanks in advance

Answer
I'm sorry, forgot about the fabric issue.  I've found similar activity in all of the larger parrots.  My macaws are fabric chewers and one of my Cockatoo rescue homes has just learned to live with it as well.  We've opted to give the birds something safe to chew on - fabrics that don't shred in a lot of strings like cotton T-shirts.

The mating season is typically when daylight hours begin to lengthen.  Signs are not definitive and can show year 'round.  Males will sometimes masturbate on perches or objects in their cage; females will do the same thing. Males approach the perch or object frontward, while females will back up to them.  
 
 Males often get more aggressive, so discouraging the behavior is important and this can be done by keeping their daylight/nighttime hours equal, or adding an hour to the nighttime hours.  

 I have more about this at my site
      www.4AnimalCare.org


As for the foot kicking, I've seen it in many 'toos and can't explain it.  It seems to be something they enjoy doing, I'm sure there's some deeper meaning to it in nature, but I just don't know.