Goffins Cockatoo

Question
Hi Maggie

I have little bit of a problem. My girlfriend has recently moved in with me (that's not the problem ;-) bringing with her a Goffin's cockatoo called Gizmo. Gizmo is 21 years old and my GF has had her for about 8 years.

When she was living at her own place Gizmo liked to play with me and was very affectionate. This hasn't really changed but if anything now she is too affectionate.

We don't heep her in the cage usually - she sits on top of it. Quite often she will climb down and walk into the lounge where we are sitting and climb onto the sofa for some attention.

This used to be fine - we would play with her for a bit and then put her back on the cage where she would sit quietly. Recently she has started to sqwawk a lot (i.e. very loudly and repetetively once every second or so) once she goes back to the cage. She will also fly around the apartment (although we do need to get her clipped). If I leave the room so she can't see me for a few seconds she starts sqwaking.

The sqwaking can go on for hours and I have left the apartment before now to get away from it ! Covering the cage up does not always help.

Although the bird seems to want to come to me all the time the incessant noise becomes much worse when my girlfriend is not there. It seems like Gizmo is pushing the limits and seeing what she can get away with but I don't really know how to show her that's not the way to behave.

Also, if she gets too excited she will sometimes give me a bite - nothing serious and it doesn't seem to be agressive as she goes straight back to wanting attention. Not really sure what that means.

Don't know if there's anything I can do but any suggestions would be welcome.

(Bear in mind that this is a strange bird that seems to want to crawl up the sleeves of my dressing gown and try and have sex with me . . ;-) Very peculiar !)

Thanks

Mike

Answer
Hi Mike,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you (I've been in bed sick the last few days and am just now starting to recover).

What your Goffin's is doing is very typical. Gizmo is in charge of her life, and doing a poor job of it (as Parrot behavioralist Sally Blanchard would say).

First off, get Gizmo's wings trimmed. This will help put you in more control. Also, never give her attention if she crawls off of her playstand. This will reward her for getting off of her cage/playstand and will greatly encourage her to do this in the future. When she gets off of her cage, put her back on her cage. Do not reward her in any way (through baby-talk, petting, affection, etc...)

Covering the cage is also not a good solution to trying to correct screaming behavior. It looks like you have already determined that the reason she screams is because she wants attention. If this is true, then my recommendation would be (of course) to ignore her when she is loud. Turn your back to her, or walk out of the room. Do not reward her in any way (getting very emotional... even if it is negative emotion... is a reward for a parrot). A simple "no" in a firm voice should do it if you feel the need to correct her. However, birds do scream for many other reasons. Go to the very end of my response for articles on cockatoo vocalizations.

It is also critical that you approach her and give her lots of praise when she is quiet and playing nicely on her cage.  I would also recommend getting a seperate playstand for her (not just the top of her cage). It is critical for birds to move around with you... like they would with a true flock. And always keeping her on her cage when she can't be on you is only going to encourage the behavior she is showing.

You can check out these websites for playstands:

http://www.jchobbitats.com

http://www.featherfantasy.com/productlist.asp?SubCatID=128&SubCatName=Manzanita  (or just go to: www.featherfantasy.com)

Also, to help you further... here are articles about screaming behavior in parrots:

http://www.parrothouse.com/sf5.html

http://www.parrothouse.com/sf7.html

http://www.parrothouse.com/sf8.html

http://www.parrothouse.com/sf12.html

I hope this helps.

-Maggie