Umbrella Cockatoo Cage Issues

[Bokkapooh]

I also found, if you take out their grate and tray bottom, and climb inside the cage while your 'too was on the outside(on top of it) or away from the cage and be in there yourself and have your 'too come to YOU. It is another way for them to get over their fear, as they see you in it too. And often times will want to join you and be in it. And once your at that point, you can try and snuggle/cuddle her inside the cage on/in your lap

 

[thebirdnerds]

I also found, if you take out their grate and tray bottom, and climb inside the cage while your 'too was on the outside(on top of it) or away from the cage and be in there yourself and have your 'too come to YOU. It is another way for them to get over their fear, as they see you in it too. And often times will want to join you and be in it. And once your at that point, you can try and snuggle/cuddle her inside the cage on/in your lap

I was thinking about doing that, she was just on top of her cage a second ago, I don't know if she would come in the cage or not with me in it but I KNOW she would not attack me. She does not attack she is just afraid of me in the cage. Thats a good idea however, lol I would NEVER do that with my EKKIE she gets a little temperamental in the cage but she is also trying to nest right now with a shredded toy hahaha. Little moody. Thank you for the advice, I usually advert my eyes as well because she will run from me if I watch her like a predator.

 

[M.C Bird Rescue]

Hi Jen,
Keeping in mind Marie lived in that horribly small cage, now lives in a castle. LOL. I would just give her more time to fully trust you. I do like the idea that someone posted about the stick with the pop bottle. That sounds like it could work with a lot of the birds here, and in the future.
My 2 cents, give her more time. She may never want you in her cage. She has suffered a lot of neglect and abuse over the year. She has found you, and you love her. She may never be what you want from her, you know that. Look at Tiki. She may never be more than what she is now. Just appreciate her for who she is, they are all just so different. Give her time, she may come around in the moths to come.
Good Job in all that you have accomplished so far. I remember when you brought her home. She was a mess, I know what you want from her. She may be that baby in months to come.
Crystal

 

[thebirdnerds]

I feel that she needs more time too. I know that I haven't had her that long but I wanted advice so I know I'm not teacher her bad behaviors in the future.
If in the long run I still can get her to come out of the cage when I want her too, it won't matter to me. I will still love her and if she just wont get over that I will understand. After all, her cage is her safe haven.

***Good News--I noticed Marie was eating the pellets out of her food. I was feeding her Brown's Macaw Big Bites, mixed with Zupreem, Kaytee, and Pretty Bird pellets and some Roudybush. She started eating the Zupreem pellets out of her food and the last 3 days I have her on an all pellet diet!!!!! The home before her was feeding her a sun flower seed, peanut, and what ever other crap food was mixed in the 25 lb bag the the previous home had for her. Its the kind that you buy in bulk in a white bag labled "parrot food" in the like bulk food supply stores. But anyways, she is eating the pellets as we speak!!!

 

[Bokkapooh]

My 2 cents, give her more time.

I agree.

 

[M.C Bird Rescue]

Have you tried handling Marie in the dark?

I also have to say, incase of an emmergency, your going to have to towel her, it would be for th ebest. But I wouldnt force that issue until there was in emmergency or when you have to take her to the vet. Or when you take her to the vet have her come out by HERSELF and come to you.[/QUOTE]


I do not recommend trying to handle Marie in the dark. Dim light is ok since they are ready to roost in the wild at that time and are much more settled. Dim light, like at sunset is the best. Dark would frighten her and cause her to bite more than likely.
I wouldnt try that with Tiki. Good Luck Jen. hahahahaha

 

[Bokkapooh]

I do not recommend trying to handle Marie in the dark. Dim light is ok since they are ready to roost in the wild at that time and are much more settled. Dim light, like at sunset is the best. Dark would frighten her and cause her to bite more than likely.
I wouldnt try that with Tiki. Good Luck Jen. hahahahaha

Replying to the bolded red. I disagree. Ive always handled my birds in the dark. I find it greatly useful when trust building. Ive never had a problem, and had most of my success in behavioral (aggressive and fearful) burds. I never played with them and made them do tricks,etc, in the dark. But touched them and preened them in the dark. I cuddled them whil eon my arm in the dark. It was very comforting to Louie, and all of my birds This was the first thing I was able to do to Louie WILLINGLY. He was such a very very very skiitish Umbie due to his past. He was VERY fearful when near/on/around his or any cage for that matter.

It took over a year for us to finally handle him somewhat comfortably in the light and it was on HIS terms and he had to come to US. Before that I was able to just step him up and cuddle him in the dark, and only ion the dark. Unless he came to me in the daylight. But he wouldnt ever step up, just come running to me to go underneath the bed covers, that was his safety zone.

 

[thebirdnerds]

Thank you for the advice, however I don't know if that will work for Marie. I walked into my room when it was dark just to get my purse and she was very afraid and started hissing. I also have a chair next to the cage and sometimes when I am on the computer late at night I will turn the light off so its just me and the birds in the dark. Marie, gets very nervous, she has hissed, and hissed, and she starts swaying with the "I'm afraid, dance". I am really glad that worked for your bird though.

 

[Bokkapooh]

Well atleast you know then

 

[M.C Bird Rescue]

EVERY bird is different, in my experience with these types of situations is to just allow her to settle in at dusk, then try. Dark I still do not recommend as the vision is limited in the dark, they are prey animals. I am glad it worked with your birds, with the case of Marie or Tiki I would not try this technique. But hey, everyone wants to get bitten every so often. I am a glutten for punishment taking on some of these sad cases! hahahahahaha. Like today..blood all over me..that darn Caique!

 

[thebirdnerds]

LOL hahahaha yes I would LOVE to keep all my digits please!! HAHA LOL
I'm going with no darkness, haha maybe dim light thats where I get most progress with her. At night time

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Well I am having an unusual issue with my Umbrella Cockatoo. I have had her since August. She was a rescue that ended up staying. She has a little unusual behavioral cage thing and I am not really sure how to help her through it. ​

Marie's History:
When I got Marie she was not very socialized. I worked with her until I can handle her no problem. I can cuddle her and she is just the perfect example of a perfect Umbie. However, she has always had a slight cage fear/aggression issue that I can not get her over it.
She was in a very small cage when surrendered. I put her into a larger cage, then I recently got her a double macaw cage. She has been like this with all the larger cages that she has been in.

Her behavior and what I have tried:
Marie is very afraid in the cage. The only way I can get her out is to open the door and let her come out when she feels like it execpt which is fine. However, in an emergency or getting her to the vet this can be a problem. She is very afraid of towels so I can not towel her. She will vomit out of fear, and this is due to her previous abuse. I have a chair next to the cage and I have sat next to the cage for hours letting her get used to me near her cage. She does not lunge at me in her cage however she looks very nervous while I am putting toys in. If I offer my hand for her to step up she will bite as she is afraid, she does not look aggressive when she bites and neither is her body language. I have offered her a dowel and she will step onto it outside the cage but I have seen her snap one in half. I have also offered her treats and she will only go so far to take the treat as she is not very food motivated.

Her behavioral cage problem is not an issue to me and I can live with it, however, I would like to get her to where I can step her up anytime, especially if there is a vet appt. or an emergancy. If you can think of anything that I have not already tried I am all ears.

I would clicker train her to step onto a stick. If she is afraid in the cage, then train her to step up outside of the cage. Find her highest value reward then present the stick, and click and treat for looking at it. Hide it while she eats and then present it again, then click and treat for moving towards it. Take your time and build this up slowly. Then start having her step up and click and treat when she does it. Have her step back down and do it again. Get her totally comfortable with stepping up from outside. Then, maybe try it from on top of her cage or near her cage. Take your time and build it up slowly. If she bites you have gone too far.

I think I would also put her back into a smaller cage and slowly build up to the larger one. She might feel more secure in a smaller one.

You might want to get the book The Bird School by Ann Castro and I would also check out Good Bird, Inc.

Vicki

 

[thebirdnerds]

I would clicker train her to step onto a stick. If she is afraid in the cage, then train her to step up outside of the cage. Find her highest value reward then present the stick, and click and treat for looking at it. Hide it while she eats and then present it again, then click and treat for moving towards it. Take your time and build this up slowly. Then start having her step up and click and treat when she does it. Have her step back down and do it again. Get her totally comfortable with stepping up from outside. Then, maybe try it from on top of her cage or near her cage. Take your time and build it up slowly. If she bites you have gone too far.

I think I would also put her back into a smaller cage and slowly build up to the larger one. She might feel more secure in a smaller one.

You might want to get the book The Bird School by Ann Castro and I would also check out Good Bird, Inc.

Vicki

I will check that book out, I did try clicker training for about 2 weeks and she was not understanding that the clicker means treat. She was not responding to that at all. Any treat ideas? I was only getting her to respond to grapes, in little pieces.

 

[Hendryx]

My advice in this situation may not be of much help if you can't do it but I will tell you anyway lol...

Some too's just are not cage birds bottom line..I have a too here that will not go in a cage and if put into one will sit looking terrified for as long as she is in it..and thats cruel and unfair,so she just dosn't get caged...ever.

A room that you could turn into an umbie space would be ideal..somewhere where she can feel that she is not behind bars,and somewhere where you can go in and sit without intimidating her..this will solve all your problems as it has for me and my birds situation..

Hope you can do this for her as it is what she needs in my opinion..big hugs..

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I will check that book out, I did try clicker training for about 2 weeks and she was not understanding that the clicker means treat. She was not responding to that at all. Any treat ideas? I was only getting her to respond to grapes, in little pieces.

If she wasn't understanding the click equalled treat than either 1) she was too afraid and her emotional state trumped the clicker (which is what I think was happening), 2) the value of the reinforcer (treat) was not high enough or 3) the timing was not good enough for her to make an association. Try different reinforcers including ones that you can deliver from something other than your hand or at a distance (for example when training Aldabra Tortoises at the zoo, we used long carrot spears so that they could chomp them and not our hands

Vicki

 

[JLcribber]

The "timing" is very important when clicker training. Extremely important. Doing it wrong makes the problem worse.

If you want to clicker train properly you should join the yahoo clicker group. They have step by step articles and you can get feedback from the group. (and it's free )

Yahoo Groups. Bird-click. (Clicker Training)

Personally I agree with Bridie that TOOs are not good cage birds but I already gave my opinion of that above. I still recommend finding a way to get rid of the cage also.

Instead of trying to "train" the behavior out of her it's better IMO to just understand the behavior and "change the antecedent".

 

[BraveheartDogs]

The "timing" is very important when clicker training. Extremely important. Doing it wrong makes the problem worse.

If you want to clicker train properly you should join the yahoo clicker group. They have step by step articles and you can get feedback from the group. (and it's free )

Yahoo Groups. Bird-click. (Clicker Training)

Personally I agree with Bridie that TOOs are not good cage birds but I already gave my opinion of that above. I still recommend finding a way to get rid of the cage also.

Instead of trying to "train" the behavior out of her it's better IMO to just understand the behavior and "change the antecedent".

Yes, timing is important. I am on the bird click group, it can helpful. The most important thing is mechanical skills, mechanical skills, mechanical skills. Can you tell that I think mechanical skills are important? If you are going to marker train effectively you have to develop training chops.

I do not have cockatoos but I find this fascinating (because I am a behavior geek). Why aren't they good cage birds and what makes you say this? Is it because there is a higher percentage of behavioral problems having to do with the cage or with toos kept in a cage? (Two separate questions 1) issues associated with the cage itself and 2) non cage issues with toos who live in a cage). Also, how could someone go about preparing a non-cage environment? John, I have seen the pictures of where you keep your birds, it's very cool. Are those dog ex pens attached to the walls? How do you prevent them from eating through the walls and ceiling? It would be cool if those of you who keep your cockatoos in a cage free environment could give some tips on ways to prepare/set up a cage free bird room for birds that could be extremely destructive.

One of the things I love about this forum is this "think tanking" and problem solving when someone is having an issue.

Vicki

 

[Bokkapooh]

EVERY bird is different, in my experience with these types of situations is to just allow her to settle in at dusk, then try. Dark I still do not recommend as the vision is limited in the dark, they are prey animals. I am glad it worked with your birds, with the case of Marie or Tiki I would not try this technique. But hey, everyone wants to get bitten every so often. I am a glutten for punishment taking on some of these sad cases! hahahahahaha. Like today..blood all over me..that darn Caique!

Replying to the bolded red. I disagree. Sure they are prey animals, but they typically huddle together with their mates and close relatives. But this is what I have done with all the birds I have worked with and my own. But everyone has their own way and techniques to work with animals. I try and get down and "personal" with all the birds Im around and come in contact with as I connect when Im more on their level then my own..

 

[Bokkapooh]

Some too's just are not cage birds bottom line..I have a too here that will not go in a cage and if put into one will sit looking terrified for as long as she is in it..and thats cruel and unfair,so she just dosn't get caged...ever.

A room that you could turn into an umbie space would be ideal..somewhere where she can feel that she is not behind bars,and somewhere where you can go in and sit without intimidating her..this will solve all your problems as it has for me and my birds situation..

Hope you can do this for her as it is what she needs in my opinion..big hugs..

I totally agree! Cage-free would be very good for this cockatoo if you can try it out.

 

[thebirdnerds]

If she wasn't understanding the click equalled treat than either 1) she was too afraid and her emotional state trumped the clicker (which is what I think was happening), 2) the value of the reinforcer (treat) was not high enough or 3) the timing was not good enough for her to make an association. Try different reinforcers including ones that you can deliver from something other than your hand or at a distance (for example when training Aldabra Tortoises at the zoo, we used long carrot spears so that they could chomp them and not our hands

Vicki

Good Idea!!!! Carrot spears would work probably better as she is afraid of the tiny stick too. I think that the fear thing was happening cuz she LOVES grapes. Thank you for the imput!