Cockatoo hide head spreaded under wing

[UCY]

Hi!

i hv a 6 month old cockatoo, who had moved in with us just yesterday! Currently we’re trying to create a bond with him as he isn’t as trusting as when we had our 3 years old cockatoo(named Yuki) when he was 1.. we’ve been giving him his seeds that the pet store gave him and we’re also introducing biscuits/pellets and fruits! Shiro, our 6 month old cockatoo, hardly speaks (maybe because he’s still quite young), and gives very soft hisses, especially to our cat.. we noticed that he is uncomfortable around our cat, unlike Yuki (as Yuki “bullies” our cat >.<) so we’re trying our best to keep them separated while we try to earn his trust.

Shiro loves being pat but he doesnt wanna perch//follow any of us.. when we tried that, he would panic and climb up in the cage.. he doesnt scream, he doesnt bite, he mumbles a little and he is quite sleepy even during the day, which was everything i wasnt expecting from a cockatoo but every living being has different personalities The thing is, he did this thing where he hid his head under his wing.. and his wings were shivering too.. i figured maybe its because he’s anxious and stressed out due to the sudden change in the environment..? Any advice or suggestion as to the body language he’s been giving?

btw sorry title’s suppose to be cockatoo hiding head under spread wing

 

[macawpower58]

It sounds to me like your new bird is terrified and traumatized.
Try and give him some space for a while to settle in and realize he's safe.
Keep the cat away, your new bird sees it as a predator which is making his terror worse.
Go slow, be patient and understanding.
The hissing and hiding are fear.
New place, new people, new animals.
He will adjust and calm down in time.

Also 6 months is not even (or barely) weaned, are you still handfeeding?
If not, I'm guessing he was force weaned, another reason for his behavior.

 

[UCY]

It sounds to me like your new bird is terrified and traumatized.
Try and give him some space for a while to settle in and realize he's safe.
Keep the cat away, your new bird sees it as a predator which is making his terror worse.
Go slow, be patient and understanding.
The hissing and hiding are fear.
New place, new people, new animals.
He will adjust and calm down in time.

Also 6 months is not even (or barely) weaned, are you still handfeeding?
If not, I'm guessing he was force weaned, another reason for his behavior.

Apparently the shop already gave him solid food! Im surprise as u are! What do u recommend?

 

[macawpower58]

There's several ways to comfort force weaned birds.

The easiest is to cook some veggies/eggs/beans/pasta, anything that is bird safe and healthy, and feed the warmed softened food to him by hand. This is what the parents would be doing, except of course by regurgitation.
Do this before the offered pellets, and cut up produce that is the normal meal. This comforts the baby and allows the edge to come off the hunger, and baby is comforted enough to begin foraging and trying the new offerings.

If you are an experienced hand feeder, you could also make some formula and see if that is accepted.
You can use a spoon to offer it, you do not need a syringe. Make sure the temperature and thickness is correct for an older baby. If this worries you, I'd go the first route.

 

[tka]

One day is nothing for a clever, emotionally complex bird. This baby has just been removed from everything that was familiar and comforting and is now in a completely new environment: new people, new birds, a frightening predator, a different routine... He's terrified.

Take things very slow and gently. Don't expect him to step up and follow you - remember, you are still complete strangers to him and he doesn't have any reason to trust you. Sit quietly next to the cage and read to him without making eye contact. Staring at a bird will make them nervous because our eyes are at the front of our heads like a predator - they think they're about you get pounced on and eaten. Work out if he has any favourite treats and offer them to him - you can drop these into his food bowl if he's scared of your hands.

Keep the cat away. The cat is a predator and is clearly terrifying this baby.

Building a relationship with a bird takes time, patience and understanding. Lower your expectations and don't compare Shiro to Yuri. Let Shiro develop his own, unique relationship with you.

 

[UCY]

There's several ways to comfort force weaned birds.

The easiest is to cook some veggies/eggs/beans/pasta, anything that is bird safe and healthy, and feed the warmed softened food to him by hand. This is what the parents would be doing, except of course by regurgitation.
Do this before the offered pellets, and cut up produce that is the normal meal. This comforts the baby and allows the edge to come off the hunger, and baby is comforted enough to begin foraging and trying the new offerings.

If you are an experienced hand feeder, you could also make some formula and see if that is accepted.
You can use a spoon to offer it, you do not need a syringe. Make sure the temperature and thickness is correct for an older baby. If this worries you, I'd go the first route.

Yeap we have hand fed formulas to many birds before! Usually with a sterile rubber tube attached to the syringe for safety..

we have green peas and pastas which we can also give with fully boiled egg, is that ok?

we came up with a plan to wake him up as usual.. we’ve been giving him 13 hours in the dark, normally i would wake Yuki up after 12 hours of sleep but because Shiro seems sleepy in the day i figured we’ll let him sleep a little bit more.. as for water, like our previous cockatoo we wld always provide warm water and change it each time he drinks from the bowl.. as for food, we’ll provide warn green peas, pasta and boiled egg, fruits while we get the formula..

we’ll come back every 2 hours to feed him whilst letting him have his space, we’ll definitely keep our cat away for sure until he’s settled down with us probably a few months from now but we’re ok with that!

 

[macawpower58]

Make sure the pasta is veggie pasta.
You really do not need to feed every two hours as he's a much older baby.
See what he likes, small warm peas may be loved. Some scrambled eggs (no butter) are usually also liked.
Warmed mashed sweet potato is another great thing.
Just experiment with different foods, different sizes and constancy (chopped vs mashed).
Try a small warm feeding before the main meals, which are normally 2-3 per day.
Does he he bob if you place your fingers on the sides of his beak? (just curious)

Keep us updated!

What type of Too is he? I can't quite tell from your photo.

 

[UCY]

There's several ways to comfort force weaned birds.

The easiest is to cook some veggies/eggs/beans/pasta, anything that is bird safe and healthy, and feed the warmed softened food to him by hand. This is what the parents would be doing, except of course by regurgitation.
Do this before the offered pellets, and cut up produce that is the normal meal. This comforts the baby and allows the edge to come off the hunger, and baby is comforted enough to begin foraging and trying the new offerings.

If you are an experienced hand feeder, you could also make some formula and see if that is accepted.
You can use a spoon to offer it, you do not need a syringe. Make sure the temperature and thickness is correct for an older baby. If this worries you, I'd go the first route.

By the way, he allows us to pat him like he LOVES it but he panics when we touched his feet.. is there a possibility that this fear is due to when the breeder or whoever before us inserted the ring through his feet?? Could this be a possibility too? We are planning to remove the ring that connects to a chain which we will NEVER use because that looks torturous and would cause pain to his feet.. and also when i noticed him scratching his eye or nose it was going back and forth like it was going to hit him somewhere.. we’re definitely taking that out once he trusts us but wont be soon tho is there a chance that when these people who inserted the ring might hv caused a certain kind of fear?

 

[UCY]

One day is nothing for a clever, emotionally complex bird. This baby has just been removed from everything that was familiar and comforting and is now in a completely new environment: new people, new birds, a frightening predator, a different routine... He's terrified.

Take things very slow and gently. Don't expect him to step up and follow you - remember, you are still complete strangers to him and he doesn't have any reason to trust you. Sit quietly next to the cage and read to him without making eye contact. Staring at a bird will make them nervous because our eyes are at the front of our heads like a predator - they think they're about you get pounced on and eaten. Work out if he has any favourite treats and offer them to him - you can drop these into his food bowl if he's scared of your hands.

Keep the cat away. The cat is a predator and is clearly terrifying this baby.

Building a relationship with a bird takes time, patience and understanding. Lower your expectations and don't compare Shiro to Yuri. Let Shiro develop his own, unique relationship with you.

Will try that, thankyou for the advice!

 

[UCY]

Make sure the pasta is veggie pasta.
You really do not need to feed every two hours as he's a much older baby.
Just try a small warm feeding before the main meals, which are normally 2-3 per day.
Does he he bob if you place your fingers on the sides of his beak? (just curious)

Keep us updated!

What type of Too is he? I can't quite tell from your photo.

Alright will definitely do that!

no actually! When i pat him or somewhat stroke under his beak (not the throat but the sides) he would place his head on my hand! he wld be extremely calm! Which i find that kind of odd.. because he loves when he’s being pat but panics when we touched his feet...

he’s an umbrella cockatoo!

 

[macawpower58]

You may never know why he doesn't like his feet touched.
He may have been grabbed by his legs, or there may not really be a reason.
The placement of the ring may have caused him fear, but you'll probably never know.
Just respect his fears and back off doing things that stress him.
I agree, have the ring taken on his leg.

 

[UCY]

You may never know why he doesn't like his feet touched.
He may have been grabbed by his legs, or there may not really be a reason.
The placement of the ring may have caused him fear, but you'll probably never know.
Just respect his fears and back off doing things that stress him.
I agree, have the ring taken on his leg.

alright this is definitely good to know, provides us with better understanding we’ll definitely give him time and space!

yeah definitely will take it off.. shouldnt have been there in the first place!

 

[Toy]

I got my U2 at age 7 months. Even tho they had her on solid foods the breeder suggested I continue to hand feed her moist pellets. I was actually told to use weaning sticks (Zupreem), which are oversized pellets. I hand fed her 3-4 times a day, around 10 weaning sticks each feeding. She also had pellets & a little seed mix in her cage. I hand fed her until she was at least 10 months old. Some take longer than others, some regress. Don't rush weaning.

At 6 months of age your U2 is still a baby. He needs time to adjust to his new home & life. I'd suggest cooked veggies ( mixed like peas, carrots, corn is good), cooked sweet potatoes (mashed or in chunks, potaotes should always be cooked first) scrambled eggs (do not use any oil or butter, just cook plain or microwave). My U2 loves corn. I often will cook it on the cob & cut it in to wheels (slices about 1-1.5 inches wide). Back off the seeds & offer more veggies & pellets, a little fruit. As he gets a little older you can offer in shell nuts like almonds. No more than one or two a day at best.

I'd get that leg chain cut off ASAP. All of my parrots love their feet rubbed. It's something you should work at, as it makes it much easier when they need nails trimmed. Try wrapping your bird in a towel, which is also something you need to teach your bird to accept, as many vets will do it. Then gently rub the feet. My U2 loves towels & as soon as you hold one down she runs right into it. Make a game out of it.

As for the cat. Cat saliva can be deadly to birds. Their mouth contains tons of nasty bacteria that can make a bird very sick or kill it. You should not allow them to come into contact with each other ever.

U2's aren't the best talkers. Mine says a few words plain & the rest are gibberish.

 

[UCY]

Im definitely cooking for him those! Hahah theres actually loads of great advices, sth i wld never had thought of honestly.. nvr experienced sth like this as the birds ive got werent from young..

yeah we gotta get the leg ring out it looks quite tight its actually “fitting” right now and his legs are quite huge.. but we have to gain his trust now, thats definitely our main focus.. we’ve actually done this before with our previous U2 and it wasnt as difficult as the leg ring for the chain isnt as tight.. but this one is quite fitting we’ll have to use a few cloth to ensure his feet wldnt get injured in the process of removing it..

my previous U2 talks, ALOT! Yes on the gibberish part but he LOVES to play and say “peekaboo”, “i love you”, “happy birth” but never managed to say the “day” and a whole load more! HAHA i guess they actually learn words if u keep saying it to them in proper contect and action every day

thankyou for the advice!

 

[UCY]

Make sure the pasta is veggie pasta.
You really do not need to feed every two hours as he's a much older baby.
See what he likes, small warm peas may be loved. Some scrambled eggs (no butter) are usually also liked.
Warmed mashed sweet potato is another great thing.
Just experiment with different foods, different sizes and constancy (chopped vs mashed).
Try a small warm feeding before the main meals, which are normally 2-3 per day.
Does he he bob if you place your fingers on the sides of his beak? (just curious)

Keep us updated!

What type of Too is he? I can't quite tell from your photo.

Hi! So an update,,

He’s been doing absolutely well, our of everything we gave, Green Peas are his favourite he’s been mumbling more, playing with the toys we got for him too! There were times he attempted to come out by climbing out of the cage but usually retreats once he reaches the door.. there was Also another time where he flew out of the cage by accident.. sth must hv spooked him to fly out so we put him back into the cage as he still wasnt ready yet..

Sth i noticed was the amount of feather found at the bottom of his cage in ONE night.. is this unusual for 6 month old U2...?

 

[macawpower58]

Are the feathers a one time thing, or are you seeing this many daily?
After a fright, they can drop some, or stress can make them start to over preen.
I doubt he's molting as young as six months, and some do look like they might be snipped off.
Watch and see if it's happening regularly.
Hopefully others will check it out and have some ideas.

@sunnysmom
@JLcribber

 

[sunnysmom]

I don't have baby too experience but I agree that some of the feathers look snipped not melted. Is he with your other cockatoo?

@Toy. @tka

 

[UCY]

Are the feathers a one time thing, or are you seeing this many daily?
After a fright, they can drop some, or stress can make them start to over preen.
I doubt he's molting as young as six months, and some do look like they might be snipped off.
Watch and see if it's happening regularly.
Hopefully others will check it out and have some ideas.

@sunnysmom
@JLcribber

This just happened.. he had a bald spot around his keel area nearer to the crop when we were just abt to get him from the shop.. today past few days there werent really much feathers and he was doing quite well he’s been playing etc.. we’re gonna see if theres still loads of feathers on the ground by tonite and if there isnt, we’ll check the next morning to confirm when its likely to happen

 

[UCY]

I don't have baby too experience but I agree that some of the feathers look snipped not melted. Is he with your other cockatoo?

@Toy. @tka

Seems like it.. his chest area has lesser feathers now compared to yesterday.. yesterday was just bald spot around the keel area near the crop which was also what we notice when we got him from the shop..

No he isnt.. our previous cockatoo actually passed away last month.. we only hv just this other cockatoo..

 

[JLcribber]

Your bird is not plucking (its not really even weaned). It's doesn't even have adult feathers yet. There are many tracts of bare skin on all parrots. The crop and keel being one of them. You're going to see lots of feathers for quite a while.