Goffin Cockatoo questions.

[iamwhoiam]

Good to have padlocks handy with a Goffin's.

 

[PenderRedHed]

Hi Colt! In wanting a Goffin's Cockatoo, you're choosing a really fun, cuddly, beautiful bird to join your flock. They are super intelligent, comical, fun-loving, birds that have earned the nickname "velcro birds" because they love nothing better than to be with you. Mine is 9 years old, a male, whose name is Baby (when I got him, I was told he was a female, but DNA later showed that he was indeed a male). He's a lot of company to me, kind of like having a three-year-old, and I dearly love him. I'd never consider giving him up, not for anything in the world. He's extremely tame and very social, and he hasn't yet met anyone he doesn't like. However, I would be remiss if I didn't warn you about the negative side of owning a cockatoo, as well as the positives.

Cockatoos are very loud. If you live in an apartment, this is definitely not the bird for you. They can also be very destructive, stubborn, and are spoiled very easily. Baby has chewed the tops of all my wood dining room chairs, the corner of a shelving unit in my living room, my curtains, many of my magazines, my mail, and a $20 bill. He's now working on destroying the third venetian blind that I've replaced in one of my windows and has bitten holes in two others. You can't leave anything around for him to pick up, and I have to watch him every minute he's out of his cage. I don't dare leave him out of the cage when I go out. He occasionally terrorizes my two small dogs and doesn't at all like the idea that I have another bird (a Solomon Island Eclectus). He tolerates the Eckie as long as he's not getting too much attention from me while Baby is wanting cuddling. And did I mention loud? LOL! I've actually gotten him to cut out a lot of screaming by ignoring the screaming and only responding to him talking, but it took quite a while to do this. Baby also likes to try to take the screws, etc. out of his cage, and his toys don't last very long before they have to be replaced. Parrots are also very messy. I change Baby's water at least 3-4 times a day, as he likes to dip some of his food in water before he eats it. There's always seed on my living room floor, and I change the papers in his cage every night, and sometimes twice a day. Besides his poop, anything he doesn't like in his food bowl also gets tossed onto the cage floor.

I've retired, so am home with my birds most of the time. They receive all the attention and interaction they want. If I worked full-time, I don't know that I would have taken on the responsibility of the birds, as they really need a good amount of time out of their cages. A cockatoo is not a bird that you can feed, water, and leave in the cage all the time (really, no bird is). Without attention and interaction, he will resort to feather picking and possibly even self-mutilating. I haven't gone on family vacations because I can't find any bird people to watch my two while I'm gone. They're not fond of change, so I would never subject them to boarding at a vet or at anyone else's home.

I feed my cockatoo fresh fruit and veggies, Zupreem nut-flavored pellets, and a bit of Volkman seed in the evening. I also give some almonds, walnuts, or pecans in limited amounts. I add flax seed and chia seed to his veggies. He especially loves jalepeno peppers, corn, apples, and blueberries. Once a week, I hard-boil an egg and break it all up (shell included) and give him some of that. He also eats some of my meals with me, depending what they are and whether they're OK for him to eat.

I'm not telling you all this to change your mind about getting a cockatoo, but I do want to let you know what you're getting into before you get one. So many end up in shelters because the owner didn't realize all the responsibility there is to owning a parrot. My two birds are relatively young (9 and 6 years old) and have already had three homes each before they came to me. They bond with people and then find themselves in another home. It's not fair to them. My home is their last until I pass away and, since they will outlive me, I named someone in my will that will take them both.

To sum it all up, you have to be a bird person to take on the responsibility. And if you are, your cockatoo's negative issues will all be worth the love, affection, and bond you will have with your beautiful bird.

 

[M_Riddly]

I feed them raw. In the bag sometimes too. Lol. My bird likes to chew bags so it adds a sort of foreaging aspect to it if he has to figure out how to pull them out of the small holes he chews in the bag. My bird seems to prefer crunchy juicy foods and not mushy ones. I don't know if that's just him or all goffins. Leo HATES bananas and actually had a grudge against them because he accidentally chomped some banana with his bite of lettuce and it ruined his bite of lettuce. Anyone else find their bird doesn't like things like grapes and bananas?

 

[iamwhoiam]

None of my birds will eat grapes or bananas. They also won't eat berries or broccoli.

 

[M_Riddly]

Ok. So it isn't just Leo. I tried feeding him them because I saw all these cute videos of people feeding their birds banana and them loving it. Same with grapes and tons of other squishy foods. Hmmm.... oh well. Cereal is a major hit with Leo I found. Granola too.

 

[JLcribber]

5-10 years is a good period to wait. Because by then you’ll be older, wiser and understand fully that ones “vision” of owning a cockatoo (or any large parrot) is nothing like the “reality” of them owning you 24/7/365 for the next 40+ years.

Be careful what you wish for.

 

[cassiesdad]

As much as you prepare to be owned by a 'too, everything changes when they get home. You must be flexible in your thinking and willing to to be open to new situations and adapt to them.
It also helps to have a good sense of humor...sometimes it's better to laugh than to cry...if you know what I mean...

 

[Colt Frost]

Good to have padlocks handy with a Goffin's.

I was wondering how people kept them in lol

Hi Colt! In wanting a Goffin's Cockatoo, you're choosing a really fun, cuddly, beautiful bird to join your flock. They are super intelligent, comical, fun-loving, birds that have earned the nickname "velcro birds" because they love nothing better than to be with you. Mine is 9 years old, a male, whose name is Baby (when I got him, I was told he was a female, but DNA later showed that he was indeed a male). He's a lot of company to me, kind of like having a three-year-old, and I dearly love him. I'd never consider giving him up, not for anything in the world. He's extremely tame and very social, and he hasn't yet met anyone he doesn't like. However, I would be remiss if I didn't warn you about the negative side of owning a cockatoo, as well as the positives.

Cockatoos are very loud. If you live in an apartment, this is definitely not the bird for you. They can also be very destructive, stubborn, and are spoiled very easily. Baby has chewed the tops of all my wood dining room chairs, the corner of a shelving unit in my living room, my curtains, many of my magazines, my mail, and a $20 bill. He's now working on destroying the third venetian blind that I've replaced in one of my windows and has bitten holes in two others. You can't leave anything around for him to pick up, and I have to watch him every minute he's out of his cage. I don't dare leave him out of the cage when I go out. He occasionally terrorizes my two small dogs and doesn't at all like the idea that I have another bird (a Solomon Island Eclectus). He tolerates the Eckie as long as he's not getting too much attention from me while Baby is wanting cuddling. And did I mention loud? LOL! I've actually gotten him to cut out a lot of screaming by ignoring the screaming and only responding to him talking, but it took quite a while to do this. Baby also likes to try to take the screws, etc. out of his cage, and his toys don't last very long before they have to be replaced. Parrots are also very messy. I change Baby's water at least 3-4 times a day, as he likes to dip some of his food in water before he eats it. There's always seed on my living room floor, and I change the papers in his cage every night, and sometimes twice a day. Besides his poop, anything he doesn't like in his food bowl also gets tossed onto the cage floor.

I've retired, so am home with my birds most of the time. They receive all the attention and interaction they want. If I worked full-time, I don't know that I would have taken on the responsibility of the birds, as they really need a good amount of time out of their cages. A cockatoo is not a bird that you can feed, water, and leave in the cage all the time (really, no bird is). Without attention and interaction, he will resort to feather picking and possibly even self-mutilating. I haven't gone on family vacations because I can't find any bird people to watch my two while I'm gone. They're not fond of change, so I would never subject them to boarding at a vet or at anyone else's home.

I feed my cockatoo fresh fruit and veggies, Zupreem nut-flavored pellets, and a bit of Volkman seed in the evening. I also give some almonds, walnuts, or pecans in limited amounts. I add flax seed and chia seed to his veggies. He especially loves jalepeno peppers, corn, apples, and blueberries. Once a week, I hard-boil an egg and break it all up (shell included) and give him some of that. He also eats some of my meals with me, depending what they are and whether they're OK for him to eat.

I'm not telling you all this to change your mind about getting a cockatoo, but I do want to let you know what you're getting into before you get one. So many end up in shelters because the owner didn't realize all the responsibility there is to owning a parrot. My two birds are relatively young (9 and 6 years old) and have already had three homes each before they came to me. They bond with people and then find themselves in another home. It's not fair to them. My home is their last until I pass away and, since they will outlive me, I named someone in my will that will take them both.

To sum it all up, you have to be a bird person to take on the responsibility. And if you are, your cockatoo's negative issues will all be worth the love, affection, and bond you will have with your beautiful bird.

Thank you so much for all this information! My family used to have a cockatiel when I was younger, and he destroyed everything lol. I remember he use to especially love to chew on the boarding above the dish cabinets we had.

5-10 years is a good period to wait. Because by then you’ll be older, wiser and understand fully that ones “vision” of owning a cockatoo (or any large parrot) is nothing like the “reality” of them owning you 24/7/365 for the next 40+ years.

Be careful what you wish for.

That's what I was thinking for waiting that long. So I have time to dwell on it and think of every way my life will change if a get a bird lol.

 

[M_Riddly]

Hey to all the other goffin owners of older birds, and by older I mean just not babies. Do goffins scream for joy??? Mine hasn't done that so far. He just sort of attempts to talk when he gets riled up. The only "screams" he does are contact calls to me when I walk out of the room and the typical "no! Don't put me to bed in my cage away from you!!!" Screams. Also in the morning if I am taking too long to get him out and he knows I'm up. His attempts at words are so adorable. I've always loved the voices of cockatoos. They sound so happy and they seem to have a lot of inflections in their babbaling. So does anyone have a goffin that screams for joy??? Did I just get lucky or is this pretty normal for a goffin???

 

[JLcribber]

How old is he and how long have you had him?

 

[cassiesdad]

I'd say screaming for joy is a given for most 'toos...Milton does it all the time...and Cassie did it, too!

 

[M_Riddly]

Not too long. But he seems to like to talk better??? If that makes any sense. Almost like he is proud he is talking even though everyone can tell it's gibberish. He loves to do it to his mirror image and run around with his wings out and crest up. He is young as well so maybe he will grow into it??? He just seems to reserve screaming for "mom has left me all alone!" moments.

 

[M_Riddly]

I mean, being a goffin too, his scream isn't bad at all. It's NOTHING compared to an umbrella. I was unfortunate the other day when I took Leo to get his nails done to have stood too close to an umbrella too when they turned on the dremmel. That bird had some lungs. Wow. Much louder than a macaw.

 

[JLcribber]

Not too long.

Wait for it. Once the "honeymoon" is over (anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months) the real bird will start showing up.

 

[M_Riddly]

Gotcha. Thanks for the advice!

 

[cassiesdad]

But he seems to like to talk better??? If that makes any sense. Almost like he is proud he is talking even though everyone can tell it's gibberish. He loves to do it to his mirror image and run around with his wings out and crest up.

I think 'toos can take pride in things they do. Milton is so proud when he throws his bowl out of his cage, when he poops OFF the newspaper on the floor...even when he hangs upside down by one claw off of your hand...

 

[iamwhoiam]

Keno generally screams when the lights are turned off at bedtime but only for about 15 mins. Sometimes, though, she screams because something is "off" in the bird room (I call this her warning scream.), because she wants attention, because she is playing and is happy, or she is responding to the other 'too's or the YNA's screams. If the dogs are barking too much she might also scream.
Sometimes the gibberish is just the 'too practice new words and phrases. Keno has different voices and one of them is sort of creepy. It's hard to describe but it sounds very raspy and weird.

 

[sunnysmom]

My goffin definitely initially talked more than screamed when we first got him. Now he screams more than talks. LOL. He screams to get up in the morning. When he doesnt' want to go to bed. When he wants me to come to him. When he hears a strange noise. And because he wants to. LoL. My new favorite is he now screams when I sing to him (not because my singing is bad- which it actually is, LOL)- but because I think he thinks he's "singing" with me. It's pretty funny. And then he'll start his dance moves. (At some point during this, my fiancé leaves the room. He doesn't think it's as fun as Elvis and I do.)

 

[Colt Frost]

My goffin definitely initially talked more than screamed when we first got him. Now he screams more than talks. LOL. He screams to get up in the morning. When he doesnt' want to go to bed. When he wants me to come to him. When he hears a strange noise. And because he wants to. LoL. My new favorite is he now screams when I sing to him (not because my singing is bad- which it actually is, LOL)- but because I think he thinks he's "singing" with me. It's pretty funny. And then he'll start his dance moves. (At some point during this, my fiancé leaves the room. He doesn't think it's as fun as Elvis and I do.)

How do you deal with the screaming behavior? I was reading that you ignore them when they scream, and then give them attention when they're quiet/talking. I'm pretty sure someone mentioned it in this thread somewhere too. What if they scream while they're with you, is that telling them it's ok?

 

[sunnysmom]

How do you deal with the screaming behavior? I was reading that you ignore them when they scream, and then give them attention when they're quiet/talking. I'm pretty sure someone mentioned it in this thread somewhere too. What if they scream while they're with you, is that telling them it's ok?

It really depends why they're screaming. In the mornings, most birds scream. I don't think there's much to do about that. Elvis quiet downs as soon as I uncover him in the mornings. If he's screaming because he's scared or startled, I tell him it's okay. If he contact calls, I answer back. If he's screaming because we're playing and he's having fun, I just let him. But if it's that annoying I'm not getting what I want or having some type of birdie tantrum, yes, it's best just to ignore it. It's sometimes hard to do because you really want them to just stop. But you don't want them to learn that they get what they want by screaming whether it's attention, out of the cage, etc.