General Questions

[jerv163]

Hello!

About 2 weeks ago I came into (full time) possession of an Umbrella Cockatoo in his mid-twenties. This bird belonged to my parents since he was a baby, so I've known him my whole life, just not been his primary caregiver. In the past few months, a lot of changes happened at my parents' house. My grandparents no longer live there and these were the people who spent all day everyday with him. After they were gone, he spent a lot of time alone as my parents still work full time. I decided to assume care of him, but it took some time to coordinate a move to my house.

Since coming to live with my family, I have noticed a lot of his negative behaviors (incessant screaming, food throwing, etc.) have stopped. He seems so much calmer and happier having more attention. I do have some concerns though.
- He will not "forage" for any food. At all. Is this because he got used to the high priority foods handed to him? Should I be concerned? I've tried placing food in foraging toys for him and he refuses to touch the toy at all. And then quite frankly, gets grumpy when he hasn't eaten a walnut all day because he didn't want to work for it.
- His feathers are very scraggly. They are all there and intact, but he looks like he could use a bath and some preening. Should I try to shower him? How does one go about this?
- He comes out of the cage and loves to cuddle, but as soon as you do something he is iffy about, his first instinct it to try to bite. Which let's be honest, that's a big beak. Is there anything I can do to discourage this?

For those of you who made it this far, thanks for hanging in there with me!
I appreciate any/ all advice!

 

[Toy]

He (what's his name?) needs more time to settle in. He's gone thru a major change in his life. This can take weeks or even months. Take things slow & give him time to adjust. Talk to him & keep commands consistent, so as not to confuse him. Explain things to him. The what, why & how. Parrots like to know what you want, why & how.

You may need to teach him how to forage. Make a game out of it. Act excited, etc. Parrots love silly fun things. Think of him as a human toddler.

U2's LOVE to cuddle (it's why they are called "Velcro birds"), but it's not a good idea, as it can lead to increased hormones & mating desires. You should only pet the head, neck & feet. Mine loves her bald spot on her head rubbed. You can also help him preen those pin crest feathers by gently rubbing them between your fingers.

Yes he does look like he could use a good shower. I shower my U2 & CAG in the bathtub using a table perch & a handheld shower set on gentle spray. Lukewarm water. Try to lift his wings to give him a good rinse on the underside too. Mine lift wings on command. I start with wings up & sides, then back, chest & feet, under tail, under crest, a quick spray across the face a few times. It may take time to get a routine, since he's new to your home. Try to shower earlier in the day, so he is dry before evening.

U2's are powder birds, so you should consider getting a good air purifier with a HEPA filter & no ozone. We run 2 large ones 24/7 as my U2 & CAG are both powder birds.

 

[jerv163]

He (what's his name?) needs more time to settle in. He's gone thru a major change in his life. This can take weeks or even months. Take things slow & give him time to adjust. Talk to him & keep commands consistent, so as not to confuse him. Explain things to him. The what, why & how. Parrots like to know what you want, why & how.

You may need to teach him how to forage. Make a game out of it. Act excited, etc. Parrots love silly fun things. Think of him as a human toddler.

U2's LOVE to cuddle (it's why they are called "Velcro birds"), but it's not a good idea, as it can lead to increased hormones & mating desires. You should only pet the head, neck & feet. Mine loves her bald spot on her head rubbed. You can also help him preen those pin crest feathers by gently rubbing them between your fingers.

Yes he does look like he could use a good shower. I shower my U2 & CAG in the bathtub using a table perch & a handheld shower set on gentle spray. Lukewarm water. Try to lift his wings to give him a good rinse on the underside too. Mine lift wings on command. I start with wings up & sides, then back, chest & feet, under tail, under crest, a quick spray across the face a few times. It may take time to get a routine, since he's new to your home. Try to shower earlier in the day, so he is dry before evening.

U2's are powder birds, so you should consider getting a good air purifier with a HEPA filter & no ozone. We run 2 large ones 24/7 as my U2 & CAG are both powder birds.

Hi!
His name is Kasper
I probably just need to give him time for all the things. I am just antsy to give him a better quality of life and for him to enjoy us!
Thank you so much for your response! It's full of great info!

 

[sunnysmom]

Like Toy said, he may not know how to forage. You may have to show him. In the meantime, make sure he has other toys to keep him busy. Also as was said, you want to minimize snuggling. You don't want him to see you as his mate. That leads to all sorts of other problems. You might want to look into target training with him. That's a good bonding experience and provides mental stimulation for him. If he likes walnuts, you can use a piece of walnut as your training treat. I usually use a spray bottle and mist my birds for baths. So you can experiment with how he likes to "bathe". Different birds like different things.

 

[Respect]

Often times when birds are brought into a new environment, there’s a period of time where they act differently as they adjust to their surroundings. So, be prepared for the chance that his “undesirable” behaviors return — hopefully this won’t be the case now that he is being given a higher standard of care, but it’s good to keep in mind! This “adjustment” period might also explain your other concerns.

Parrots who are new to foraging just might not know how to use foraging toys. Starting off really simple will make it easier to teach the basics. Obviously my green cheek conure is a lot smaller than an umbrella cockatoo, so it’s not exactly the same; but one of his favorite ways to forage is in a tray filled with crinkle paper and toy parts that I hide treats under. Nothing too complicated — all he has to do is push the parts around to find and get to the treats. You can also try showing Kasper how to play with the foraging toys yourself — demonstrate getting treats out in front of him, and act super excited to show him how fun it is! Some toys may also just not be appealing to a particular bird; many have their own preferences when it comes to the colors and materials (just like humans do)

Every individual has their own preference when it comes to bathing. Some common ways I’ve seen with bigger birds are spray mister bottles, shower perches, and in a large kitchen sink with the faucet running. Sometimes the sound of running water or other white noise can help in initiating a bathing response.

It can take several months for a bird to get used to a new routine, so you might just need to wait for him to settle in and get more comfortable. In time I’m sure you’ll also come to know his body language and what he does and doesn’t like so as to avoid biting in the first place.

Wishing you lots of luck, Kasper is an absolutely gorgeous birdie!