adopted a moluccan. he acts completely different around my dad

[moluccan326]

Hi my name is Rachael and I just adopted a moluccan cockatoo the other day. The lady who had him said she had divorced her husband and was moving to a smaller trailer and started working 2 jobs and didn't have time or space for him anymore. He is 6 years old. Saturday we picked him up and we played with him all morning. Me and my boyfriend both had to be at work at 2 and my dad had to be at a bowling thing at 130. They both left around 115 and I left at 130. Of course once he was put in his cage he started going crazy. I assumed being left alone in a new place was hard on him. My dad came home a couple hours later and spent all day with him. We didn't come home until 930 and 10 that night and he was covered for bed but was screeching and making horrible noises. Again I figured first night at his new home. Once he finally got quiet he didn't make any noises until we uncovered him the next morning. My dad opened his cage door and let him come out. He wouldn't come off of the cage for anyone but my dad. I had my arm in front of him not touching him just saying step up and he reached down and bit my arm and just latched on. My arm is still swollen from that. He came down from his cage and I didn't really mess with him. Just sat on the couch. Then when I got up and tried to walk anywhere he chased me and went after my ankles. And apparently while I was at work my boyfriend and dad and one of our friends was home with him and he chased my friend and bit his ankle. Tonight (as in Sunday)he did very well going to bed by 8 and was quiet until we uncovered him the next morning. So yesterday my dad was at work and me and my boyfriend were home. We let him out. My boyfriend would pick him up no prob but I just gave him his space because I didn't want to get bit again. I just talked very nice to him and pet his head when he walked over to me. Eventually he came over and lifted his foot showing he wanted me to pick him up so I did. I gave him a treat when I put him down. He was very behaved all day. Only occasionally making loud noises and played and was very friendly. He loves to laugh with us. Then, my dad gets home and suddenly he's a completely different bird. He's making every loud annoying screech he knows how to do. When I was kneeling down to pick something up he comes over and pecks my ankle and when I get up to walk away he starts chasing me again. He bit my boyfriend when he was just petting his head. Why is he doing this when my dad is around and how can we stop this? Did my dad spoil him too much when he was with him all day Saturday? Again today he's being quiet and behaved while my dad is at work. Really want to work with him.
Thanks for any advice. And by the way sorry it took such a long story to build up to the point.

 

[danadear]

I don't have an M2 and I am sure more experienced folks will chime in. It sounds like the has decided that your father is his chosen one and he trying to drive all others away when his chosen one is near. Try not to take it personally. What to do about it? Hmmm..not sure. I have seen recommendations for the one that is not the favored one (YOU) be the only one to give the bird their favorite treats. Make all interactions positive. Your dad should not give him his favorite treats. Let your dad be the one to put him up also.

it's hard not to get your feelings hurt I know. He hasn't been there long so maybe he thinks your father is someone from a previous home? Maybe the guy from the other house?

 

[lupe]

Hi Rachael, and welcome to AA...did the former owners give you some background on his
routine? fav toys, treats? sounds to me like he is testing the waters. We have much
more experienced too people here, I'm sure they will chime in soon. As Dana said above,
sometimes they just pick a fav person.

 

[Wayne361]

There is a reason why 2's are the most rehomed type of parrot. My first thought was that you didnt give the bird time to settle into his new home before you started handling him. I would think he would need more time to settle in before feeling comfortable. Not sure if this is part of the issue but definately a good idea to let a new parrot settle into new surroundings before being handled.
To address your problem you are inadvertantly rewarding the parrot by running away/reacting to his chasing. It is very fun for the bird and you are his amusement. Sorry if that sounded harsh but its the reality. You musnt (sp) enforce this behaviour or else it will be VERY VERY hard to rectify and the 2 will look forward to chasing you and biting to get the reaction you are giving him.
What I would do is go back to square one in terms of taming....take a hands off approach to handling the bird for the next while. Let the bird settle into his new home. Start the taming process without directly handling the bird. Start by sitting beside his cage talking to him....give him the odd treat etc. You need to bond and show you are not a threat. Thats where I would start off. Target training through cage bars will also help immensely IMO.
A buddy of mine has a 2 and he stated that you cant show fear or he will OWN you.
Maybe others with direct 2 experience can chime in here and give you some more 2 specific advice.

Good luck,

Wayne

 

[Wayne361]

I also just realized you said the bird was 6 years old. I might be wrong but I think this is right about the time that they hit sexual maturity or close. Totally different topic but 2's going through sexual maturity combined with new environment might prove a bit of a challenge. I really hope others can help. In the meantime I would research as much info on the web and other boards to get a handle on things early on.

 

[moluccan326]

Hi Rachael, and welcome to AA...did the former owners give you some background on his
routine? fav toys, treats? sounds to me like he is testing the waters. We have much
more experienced too people here, I'm sure they will chime in soon. As Dana said above,
sometimes they just pick a fav person.

I was wondering about that. I did read that. The background information I was given on him is that I'm his 4th home. He used to be in a petting zoo before she got him. The first person gave him away soon after they got him because they allowed him to have free roam of the house for 10 hours while nobody was there so he destroyed their house. Like gee I wonder why he destroyed your house. So that's how the petting zoo got him. She told me he didn't really like toys. She said anything she put in the cage he just tore off and threw to the bottom of thecage. She said the only toy he liked was this little kiddy toy grill that talks and sizzles. It seems more like he hates it because he tried to tear off its eyebrows and eyes and attacks it. So I don't bring that out anymore haha. She said his favorite treats were popcorn and peanut butter. My dad slightly resembles the lady's husband he's just taller than him. So maybe that's why he picked my dad as the favorite. And my dad spent all day with him Saturday while we were at work. Right now I'll continue to give him treats and build trust while my dad is gone and should I stay away while my dad's at work or try to give him treats? Really don't want to get bit again! That was very painful lol

 

[moluccan326]

Wow I didn't have time to respond to the other ones before there were 2 more replies lol. Yea I read this was when sexual maturity hit. And as to the chasing. Instead of running should I just stand still? What if he bites my ankle? This morning I sat in the living room with him for 2 hours talking to him and whistling with him before we let him out. Then we didn't try to get him to step up just let him come over when he wanted to and we pet him when he did. Just letting him get used to us more. Am I doing this right? This is the first big parrot I've owned. I've had smaller birds but this is the first big parrot.

 

[lupe]

I was wondering about that. I did read that. The background information I was given on him is that I'm his 4th home. He used to be in a petting zoo before she got him. The first person gave him away soon after they got him because they allowed him to have free roam of the house for 10 hours while nobody was there so he destroyed their house. Like gee I wonder why he destroyed your house. So that's how the petting zoo got him. She told me he didn't really like toys. She said anything she put in the cage he just tore off and threw to the bottom of thecage. She said the only toy he liked was this little kiddy toy grill that talks and sizzles. It seems more like he hates it because he tried to tear off its eyebrows and eyes and attacks it. So I don't bring that out anymore haha. She said his favorite treats were popcorn and peanut butter. My dad slightly resembles the lady's husband he's just taller than him. So maybe that's why he picked my dad as the favorite. And my dad spent all day with him Saturday while we were at work. Right now I'll continue to give him treats and build trust while my dad is gone and should I stay away while my dad's at work or try to give him treats? Really don't want to get bit again! That was very painful lol

His fourth home! yites, poor guy he has had alot of adjusting to do in quiet a short time.
As far as toys goes, well, all toos tear, chew and destroy toys. That's actually a positive thing.
Give him plenty of safe wood to chew. Most probably Wayne is correct in the fact that he
also might be hormonal at this time. I too, would have patience and not handle him so much
let him adjust to the sounds, peoples voices and your basic daily routine. Is he in a LARGE
cage? What I did with my U2 at the beginning was open up his cage & let him come out when
he wanted to. Is he flighted? I cant explain why he has chosen your dad...these guys have a mind
of there own....but with time, I'm sure he will relate to everyone in the household. Sorry you
got bit! That's another thing...reading his body language is probably THE most important lesson
to be learned. Dont move to fast around him and let him come around...poor guy, he's probably
wondering how long will I be here for......Please hang around & let the more experienced
too folks come around and give you more advise....Dont show fear, but have a very healthy
respect for that beak.. as you already know...

 

[lupe]

Wow I didn't have time to respond to the other ones before there were 2 more replies lol. Yea I read this was when sexual maturity hit. And as to the chasing. Instead of running should I just stand still? What if he bites my ankle? This morning I sat in the living room with him for 2 hours talking to him and whistling with him before we let him out. Then we didn't try to get him to step up just let him come over when he wanted to and we pet him when he did. Just letting him get used to us more. Am I doing this right? This is the first big parrot I've owned. I've had smaller birds but this is the first big parrot.

See there ya go...he should not be able to get to your ankles. That is something
you have to catch before he gets into chase mode, it shouldnt get that far. If for example,
he is climbing down from his cage (dont know if he is flighted)? and is walking towards
you, have a perch ready for him to climb on, or have him step up onto your hand...you
call it as you read him. THEN give him a treat...only reward positive and ignore negative..
others may not agree with me...but this has worked for me & my U2

 

[Theresa]

If you have a bird that chases and tries to bite while on the floor, don't let him on the floor.
Corkey will occasionally chase Mark when on the floor, I simply remove him from the floor.

 

[moluccan326]

This is a response to the past few replies.
His wing aren't clipped but she told me he chooses not to fly. I haven't seen him try to fly since I've had him. And yes I feel bad for this being his 4th home which is why I refuse to give up and send him to yet another home. I'm going to continue being patient and giving him time to come out of the cage when he wants (which is usually as soon as I open the door). The cage is pretty large. It's 60" tall and 46" wide. I plan on getting him another one soon though. It seems to be the same cage he's had his whole life. It's rusty and paint is peeling off everywhere. And yesterday when he started to chase me my dad picked him up and put him in the cage. And when he attacks the toy grill that's a good thing and I should let him?

 

[moluccan326]

Oh and we did discover he likes rock music. He gets really happy and starts talking and dancing when we play it. At least I hope I'm right that I'm interpreting that as liking it lol he gets into some other types if music but seems really interested in rock music. Not like screaming crazy rock music but just normal good rock music.

 

[lupe]

This is a response to the past few replies.
His wing aren't clipped but she told me he chooses not to fly. I haven't seen him try to fly since I've had him. And yes I feel bad for this being his 4th home which is why I refuse to give up and send him to yet another home. I'm going to continue being patient and giving him time to come out of the cage when he wants (which is usually as soon as I open the door). The cage is pretty large. It's 60" tall and 46" wide. I plan on getting him another one soon though. It seems to be the same cage he's had his whole life. It's rusty and paint is peeling off everywhere. And yesterday when he started to chase me my dad picked him up and put him in the cage. And when he attacks the toy grill that's a good thing and I should let him?

Oh my! rust and paint peeling off..? that really isnt good at all hon. That could be deadly if
ingested by him. Those are my cage dimensions due to I live in an apt. and it suites Elvis
just fine, though M2's are slightly larger.

In my opionion what your dad did, picking him up & placing him in his cage was at that point
the only thing you could do. So he isn't clipped and still wont fly? well, I was given great advise
when my U2 started flying and I wanted him to fly to me when called. I placed him on a t-stand
with no access to climbing down and with a couple of weeks of training he got the idea and now
flies all over my apt.. as far as the toy grill goes, if it's safe for him to chew and "attack" as
you put it, then by all means...let em attack away.. my boy has tons of toys. The ones he likes
the best are the ones he "attacks" more frequently because they are a challenge to him.
Rachel, you have your heart in the right place. He (what's his name)? is one very lucky M2 to
have landed in a home that cares about him....dont overwhelm yourself....btw: I would
advise a vet check to rule out any physical issues. That's what I did after about 2-3wks after
Elvis was home.

 

[moluccan326]

His name is scooter. And the only things he really knows how to say is hi scooter and he loves to laugh with us. So when he's really happy he says hi scooter over and over and laughs a lot. But when he's upset and wants attention he does some awful high pitched noises. Some sound like he's copying a smoke detector, another sounds like that annoying alarm clock noise like eh eh eh eh eh idk kind of hard to describe typing lol. And I dont even know what this other horrible noise is. I read somewhere your supposed to leave the room and not reappear until he's quiet. So I've been doing that. It seems to be working because he's usually quiet except a few occasional screeches that I think he's just doing bcuz he's happy. Unless my dad is around. Then the noises are uncontrollable. Especially if he lifts his leg wanting to be picked up and he doesn't pick him up right away. That's what happened yesterday. Told my dad to stop giving him attention to make him stop because it's only making it worse.

 

[lupe]

His name is scooter. And the only things he really knows how to say is hi scooter and he loves to laugh with us. So when he's really happy he says hi scooter over and over and laughs a lot. But when he's upset and wants attention he does some awful high pitched noises. Some sound like he's copying a smoke detector, another sounds like that annoying alarm clock noise like eh eh eh eh eh idk kind of hard to describe typing lol. And I dont even know what this other horrible noise is. I read somewhere your supposed to leave the room and not reappear until he's quiet. So I've been doing that. It seems to be working because he's usually quiet except a few occasional screeches that I think he's just doing bcuz he's happy. Unless my dad is around. Then the noises are uncontrollable. Especially if he lifts his leg wanting to be picked up and he doesn't pick him up right away. That's what happened yesterday. Told my dad to stop giving him attention to make him stop because it's only making it worse.

That's funny! there so freaking adorable..but I'm partial to toos..Elvis will make
squaking noises if I'm in his vicinity and I can live with that. However, when my oldest
daughter comes over (the crush of his life)..IF he is in his cage..he will get very, very
loud until she acknowledges him. At this early point in your relationship, the priority is
making Scooter feel comfortable, not worrying about favorites. That will fall into place.
Just love him, make sure he is vet checked, on a healthy diet, plenty of toys and wood,
& it would be nice if you encourage him to fly. This has helped my U2 expand his mental
horizons and is much healthier looking also. BTW: that he gets quiet when you leave the
room is a good thing! your doing a wonderful job...I would love to see a pic of Scooter.And

please continue to ask questions on here. I am not the most experienced with toos. Many
more will also give you extremely great advise and tips..

 

[lupe]

Oh and we did discover he likes rock music. He gets really happy and starts talking and dancing when we play it. At least I hope I'm right that I'm interpreting that as liking it lol he gets into some other types if music but seems really interested in rock music. Not like screaming crazy rock music but just normal good rock music.

..oh yea, & they are the best dancers ever..mine loves when I play especially rock-n-roll music
but will dance and frolic with any musichave fun with that.....just be mindfull that he doesnt
get TOO excited... & if he does dont let him on your hand. There likes kids..they can get outta hand..

 

[moluccan326]

I'm ok with the squaking every now and then to show he's happy. It's loud but only lasts a few seconds. But there are sometimes when he will not stop doing the horrible ones until he's noticed. And that's when I try to leave the room so he realizes that's not going to get him attention. She told me she would just cover his cage when he did it but my way seems to be working more effectively lol. I love him already. Despite him biting me I do lol. He's so much fun. Just going to keep giving him his space and letting him get used to us.
As to how he acts when my dad is home.. does anyone know if I should stay around him and keep trying to get him to come to me when he's home? Or should I leave him alone?

It won't let me upload a pic from my phone so when I get home from work I will from my computer.

 

[moluccan326]

..oh yea, & they are the best dancers ever..mine loves when I play especially rock-n-roll music
but will dance and frolic with any musichave fun with that.....just be mindfull that he doesnt
get TOO excited... & if he does dont let him on your hand. There likes kids..they can get outta hand..

Ok lol I'll remember that. You can tell he hasn't been introduced to music much. You can tell he is trying to dance but hasn't learned enough yet lol. Yesterday my boyfriend(Tyler) got him to kind of head bang by doing it in front of him and he started copying it. But besides that he just jumps around flaring up those pretty head feathers. And I can tell his happy flaring not angry lol

 

[lupe]

I'm ok with the squaking every now and then to show he's happy. It's loud but only lasts a few seconds. But there are sometimes when he will not stop doing the horrible ones until he's noticed. And that's when I try to leave the room so he realizes that's not going to get him attention. She told me she would just cover his cage when he did it but my way seems to be working more effectively lol. I love him already. Despite him biting me I do lol. He's so much fun. Just going to keep giving him his space and letting him get used to us.
As to how he acts when my dad is home.. does anyone know if I should stay around him and keep trying to get him to come to me when he's home? Or should I leave him alone?

It won't let me upload a pic from my phone so when I get home from work I will from my computer.

Yes, I agree with you 100% ....walk away, dont cover him. Especially when walking away works..
Ya know, sometimes even with people...we try too hard....let Scooter become comfy with his surroundings,
& dont force yourself upon him. With this in mind, comes once again....body language. Belive me he will
let you know if he wants to be touched or left alone. Let him come to you. You and you family have
to gain HIS respect and trust first. He sounds like he really is social though, which is to your advantage.
Sometimes it can be confusing. For example, my U2 will flare up wings up, crest up, beak open, and
beaking down. ...when this happens I dont immediately try to touch him, but talk him down from it
with soft words and baby talk...for me, this works. Then he will deflate.. and becomes submissive.
It's funny cuz he does this when I tell him "NO". It's his way to retaliate... Also, the too you
have now, might not be the same too within say....a couple of months...he is testing to see who
is who in the rank of his flock.

 

[lupe]

Ok lol I'll remember that. You can tell he hasn't been introduced to music much. You can tell he is trying to dance but hasn't learned enough yet lol. Yesterday my boyfriend(Tyler) got him to kind of head bang by doing it in front of him and he started copying it. But besides that he just jumps around flaring up those pretty head feathers. And I can tell his happy flaring not angry lol

Ya see, you can tell it's happy flaring..good job!