How to get a mishave Cockatoo to behave

Question
We just got a Cockatoo, he/she is 3 years old.  The first night that we had him he was friendly and great. that was Monday night.  Yesterday I got him out in the morning and he was still a sweetheart.  But then got him out in the afternoon and he comes to me friendly but then he start to lunge at my face and tried to bite me, and of course I jerk back from him which was probably a mistake.  I have always wanted a Cockatoo, and I use to have a quaker parrot.  I think my biggest problem is that I have never had a large brid and this is my first.  So I'll take any advice that I can get.  He's name is Sunshine.  I just need to know what to do in this situation.  Thanks Jane


Answer
HI Jane,

This bird most likely was given up because of these behavioral issues. The reason you might not have seen the bad behavior the first day or two is because the bird was feeling insecure and was on his/her best behavior. Get as much information from the previous caregiver as you can. This will help you figure out what is causing your bird's aggressive behavior. When did the bird start being aggressive (what age)? Is it at certain times of the year? Is the bird aggressive towards men vs. women? Is the bird aggressive in the cage, but ok once away from his/her cage? How much out of cage time does the bird get? Is Sunshine allowed to come in and out of the cage as s/he pleases? Has Sunshine been taught to step up onto a hand-held perch? etc... etc...

Get as much information as you possibly can about your bird's history. This will be extremely helpful to your bird's progress. Find out the bird's medical and diet history too. Has the bird ever been seen by a vet, if so... why and when? What has the bird been eating?.  

Cockatoos are extremely hard birds to keep happy and out of trouble. They are probably the hardest parrot to work with. But, if you have a lot of time and patience they can make great pets.

I would HIGHLY recommend you purchase "The Beak Book" by Sally Blanchard. The book is entirely about biting and aggressive behavior in birds. She also has a website at: www.companionparrot.com which is really helpful (they even have some free online articles, but also links to buy back issues of her magazine which might have some very useful artilces for you).

Here are some other online articles that should help:

http://www.parrothouse.com/jdoss1.html

http://www.parrothouse.com/sf4.html

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/spring.html

http://www3.upatsix.com/liz/articles/socialization.html

www.mytoos.com

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww60eiii.htm

I hope this helps. And good luck with Sunshine.

-Maggie