Candice - 2010-04-18 My 18 yr old male umbrella is becoming more & more addicted to my presence. I am trying to incorporate a "self directed play" time into his afternoons, but the screeching is really getting to me. Any suggestions?
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mamie owens - 2011-07-21 Find a channel on your radio that your bird feels comfortable with and leave it there. This will fill the void when you are away. Then when you are at home share that same radio station in your quiet time with your bird this should help and control his fustrations.
Derrick - 2011-08-03 I find that a bit contrary. Birds have a very small brain but are still smart enough to associate a particular radio with "parent time" and if parent isn't there,they will spend most of their time trying to get their attention if the owner is home or not.
Darlene - 2011-07-12 We have a 15 year cockatoo and she is litteraly mean and turns on anyone who handles her. We are our wits end cuz she screams constantly. We put her out on our screen porch and she hollers out there too. I guess I need some training tips on her or need to find someone that can give her obviously more attention than we can. We have other birds and she gets to hollering and disrupts all the others. Help what can I do.....
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Charlie Roche - 2011-07-12 The more you try and isolate the cockatoo, the more she is going to scream. They are extremely social in the wild and when removed from the flock, they panic and scream. If she is in the home and around the other birds, is she content playing and just talking to them? A older couple had a cockatoor and they said bird would scream every night when they ate dinner. I asked if the bird ate with them. They said NO. I said you are eating in front of a 3 year old without feeding the child. Feed the cockatoo and let him be with you when you eat dinner. They called me and said that worked. Your cockatoo is totally dependent on you but this doesn';t mean you have to give her attention 24/7. But you can't just put her away> You can have a perch close to where you have your activities and as long as she can see you, she should be fine. The more you try and keep her in her cage and you are home, the more she is going to holler. She just needs to see you and know that she has not been isolated from the flock. The flock will isolate sick birds in order to protect themselves. Think of a 3 year old child left behind. Does she play well when outside her cage on a play pen or perch? I need to know more about what you mean when you say "turns"? Does she get mad when you try and put her back in the cage? Does she get mad when you try and pet her? Tell me more. Please? I will try to help. Other options are possibly someone who knows about Cockatoos or possibly a breeder. In any case, give me more info on the behaviors and I will try and help.
mamie owens - 2011-07-21 Darlene. Have you tried music with your bird? This has helped my Izzy with that problem. Izzy was extremely mean and would bite anyone that tried to handle him, he has gotten much better. When all is quiet in the house I talk to him and constantly uses his name in every sentence, this has made him easier to handle and control. when you bird does well always reward her.
Derrick - 2011-08-03 I have a Moluccan x Umbrella of about 25 years old. He is a male and I am his primary caregiver. I'm somewhat new to the avian behaviors,but I do know this. The more time you spend with them the more they love you. I feed my bird what I eat (but not nearly as much in proportion) along with his semiseed diet,fresh fruits picked off a pear tree, and try to generally give him at LEAST a few hours per day.
I've also noticed when they feed,they get drowsy if the food is warm-hot. If its steaming it's probably a bit too hot. Warm meals do WONDERS.
If the companion sees a lot of arguing or hitting or hears a lot of screaming,they will also get really hyped and it takes a while for mine to cool off, after a few a-holes and go away etc.
B.ISMAIL SHAKEEL - 2009-02-25 I'd like to have a bird like this.
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mamie owens - 2011-07-21 I have a 14 year old male, that I am interested in adopting out to the right family. please reply to this email address.
James Lawrence - 2011-08-02 Hello. I read your posting and was interested in your bird. My wife, daughter and myself have owned birds in the past but have always wanted a larger type bird. My wife is a stay at home mom and my daughter is a bit of a home body so he/she will hardly ever be alone. Are you still considering adopting your bird.
Pat Mier - 2010-07-05 My cockatoo is 12 years old, she surprised us one day we found a small egg in sidney's cage. It happened twice. Anyway that was about 8 month's ago. She now has a red something coming out of her bottom, sometimes it's about the size of a small egg and then other times it's not even noticeable, Can you please tell me what you think it might be?
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Terry Dorland - 2010-07-23 My vet says it is related to sexual behavior in that she is trying to attract a male. If the sac extrudes too much and too often he says that it may not retract and have to be surgically put back in place. Don't go wild with this info, see your vet, all birds like people are different and require different remedies. I freaked out when I saw it on my Too but I'm calm about it now.
petloverstuart - 2011-06-21 It's a rupture that your bird has. I found when I bred birds this hapened occasionally. Put 2 t-spoons of cod liver oil to aprx, 4 pint of seed and shake well. It's a good idea to do this all the time as its good for the bird.
cheryl - 2011-07-08 Hi, please contact me about your bird. What you are describing can be a very serious problem. I need to ask you a few questions though before I alarm you. Please contact me. I run a parrot sanctuary and answer questions at no charge.
robin - 2010-11-11 Hi, my husband brought home a utoo about 3 mos ago, this bird loves him so much, she will let me pet her and feed her, even let me break and fluff her crest feathers, BUT! If I try to get her to step up see if she will get on me, she will bite me so hard it draws blood and leaves a mark for weeks. Anybody know why she would be so sweet and then so nasty?
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Dave - 2011-03-14 If your bird is in the cage when you try to get it to step up, they might see your hand as an invasion of their "space". Perhaps the bird needs to get out of its cage first, on its own, and will be friendlier to any overtures. Another possibility is that your bird, a female, prefers males; she might prefer your husband over you, and perhaps doesn't trust you as much. And, since your husband brought her home, she probably sees him as the object of most of her affections.
Anonymous - 2011-05-04 She has fallen in love with your husband.
KS - 2010-03-08 I was given an 8 yr old , male cockatoo...first experience..bless his soul, I can't help but love him but they can be challenging at times.....lol.....They get mad at you & it's like having a spouse mad.....but it sure is quiet...Always a great challenge
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Jeannie - 2010-04-23 What part of Kansas are you from, I am from there until a year ago, I moved to NC, I have an umbrella cockatoo.
Carl Mote - 2010-05-04 I was told that an umbrella cockatoo is like having a chronic two year old child with a bad temper. That is soooo true but if you love your bird and correct him without abuse like a two year old child. I used a little squirt bottle that did both spray a mist or spray a jet stream and used the jet stream and sprayed directly on a foot. That taught him the term no eventually. Remember a chronic two year old child. But the love you get back is unexplainable.
Akil - 2010-08-17 I want to sell my Cockatoo I leave in wisconsin do you know any on interested in it? You can email me I just bought for my daughter who is 6 years old but she want parakeet.
margie - 2010-09-13 How much are you asking for him?
Harmony - 2010-11-20 It is true, these are wonderful birds but you must be prepared for a lifetime commitment and many behavior challenges. These birds can be very sweet but will also bite you HARD if they are scared or upset. Their screeching can be very difficult to live with. They should not be bred for sale because it is not fair to them. They are very loving, especially in the first 3 years of their life - but so often people give them up because they were not prepared for the reality of owning a parrot. Parrots are loud and somewhat dangerous and need LOTS OF ATTENTION. If you are not prepared to take care of a 3 year old child for up to 80 years DO NOT GET A COCKATOO! They are incredibly sensitive and when they are passed from home to home it is like torture to them! Be honest with yourself, if you do not have the patience for the mess, the expense, the noise and the time involved DO NOT GET ONE. I have an 8 year old. By the time I got him at 3 years old he had already had 3 other homes. He is the sweetest creature I've ever known and I love him with all of my heart - and am therefore in it for the long haul but I assure you, had I known how much work, noise and danger I would deal with I wouldn't do it again. He has never hurt me personally - (I'm his "person") but I have to be very careful when other people come in our home - he will fly at their faces and could cause serious damage!
Libbie - 2011-04-22 I have a wonderful Umbrella Cockatoo with only one leg. He broke it the day I brought him home. Got caught in the bird cage and out of excitement he broke it. Had to be amputated. He does great without it. Now, pictures of cockatoos always show how smooth their feathers lay all the way to the tip of the tail. My bird, Q-Tip, has unneat feathers around the tips of his wings and tail. Can you tell me what causes that? He can groom himself all over but his feathers just look tattered.
Anonymous - 2011-04-15 I have a 9 or 10 year old umbrella cockatoo. She has laid 2 eggs. This is normal she does it once or twice a year. However, this time I would like for her to have a baby. I would like to get one fertile cockatoo egg she can lay on. Does anyone have any ideas. I live in Kansas.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-04-15 It is not unusual for a cockatoo (or other birds) to lay eggs without a mate. Obviously, the eggs will not be fertile. It is also not unusal to place fertile eggs under another parrot that is known to sit eggs real well. You don't need an umbrella cockatoo egg. However, there is no assurance that your Umbrella will sit the egg. They lay them but they may not wish to sit them. If they do sit them, they may not wish to feed them. So you could acquire a fertile egg and your Umbrella may not sit it and probably won't feed it so you would have to hand feed it around the clock every two hours for about a week, then 3 - 4 times a day for another 6 or so weeks. That is quite a commitment. In any case, if you want to check it out, see if there are any breeders in the area and ask if they will sell you a fertile egg. I would not recommend this. It is difficult to do. Your umbrella may not accept another egg. It could be a very expensive proposition with no reward for you or your Umbrella. Why not just invest the money and buy a baby Umbrella cockatoo (or another parrot) that your Cockatoo can be friends with. You would have to hand feed it but there is a better chance of success - by a whole lot.
matt - 2010-03-26 Help please, yesterday I brought home a 16 year old female umbrella cockatoo. She is the sweetest bird, but because of her past situation she does chew her feathers and screams a little. But the main problem is my 10 month old african gray started freaking out today, I think it is because of the new bird. We have a 10 month old quaker and he is fine and the gray has been fine with him. Not sure if i will be able to keep the cockatoo if it is just going to stress out my gray. I don't want him to start any bad behaviors because he is stressed. I figure I will give it a couple more days and then have to make a decision. I would greatly appreciate any advice. I really love the cockatoo she is so sweet and entertaining.
RITA - 2009-07-28 Any advice? We purchased a 2yr old Umbrella Cockatoo two months ago, we named him Nikos. he acts like he hates us, he shivers and hovers whenever we come near his cage. However, he will let us feed him bananas and peanuts by hand. He spends most of his day doing laps up, down and around his cage. We give him plenty of toys and talk to him everyday. He won't let us come near him, so we've never held or touched him. He just hovers in the back corner of his cage. What should we do? i wanted a friendly, outgoing , loving cockatoo, not a frightened, aloof one.
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Konstantina - 2010-03-14 I was baby-sitting my now "Baby" umbrella cockatoo, female 25 years old. This bird is so smart but also very sneaky. Once they learn to bite... that's it. You have to make it trust you. Gradually, little by little every day go closer and closer and stay still each time until you see all it's puffed feathers relax, then leave. Repeat this every day. At one point, when it's comfortable you being next to it then extend your hand (let your palm drop down so the bird sees the top of your hand), and stay still until you see it's feathers relax and are not puffed up anymore. Do the same thing the next day but closer until one day it will touch with it's beak your hand which shows that it has accepted you. It takes alooooot of patience with these birds. Note: You have to let IT come to you when IT wants and not you force yourself to IT. My bird always stayed in the cage and now it's always in the living room on the top of the couch. LOL and it I don't take it in the living room, oh God it doesn't take a no for an answer...it comes down the cage and walks to the living room. This is our fault because we let it get away with it. I hope this was helpful. I am at home all day so it's hard, it wants constantly my attention but if you're not there it finds things to do. Oh! I never lock it's cage, only when we have dinner because it walks to the table, what can you do it's an extremely social bird.
Trinity Mom - 2010-04-23 Poor Nikos may have been in an abusive situation or may have been neglected. Has he come around yet for you? It takes a lot of time, love and patience. They are incredible birds! Best of luck.
The two Umbrella Cockatoos pictured here are still babies under 3 months old, and still needing to be handfed twice per day!
My 18 yr old male umbrella is becoming more & more addicted to my presence. I am trying to incorporate a "self directed play" time into his afternoons, but the screeching is really getting to me. Any suggestions?
Find a channel on your radio that your bird feels comfortable with and leave
it there. This will fill the void when you are away. Then when you are at home
share that same radio station in your quiet time with your bird this should
help and control his fustrations.
I find that a bit contrary. Birds have a very small brain but are still smart enough to associate a particular radio with "parent time" and if parent isn't there,they will spend most of their time trying to get their attention if the owner is home or not.
We have a 15 year cockatoo and she is litteraly mean and turns on anyone who handles her. We are our wits end cuz she screams constantly. We put her out on our screen porch and she hollers out there too. I guess I need some training tips on her or need to find someone that can give her obviously more attention than we can. We have other birds and she gets to hollering and disrupts all the others. Help what can I do.....
The more you try and isolate the cockatoo, the more she is going to scream. They are extremely social in the wild and when removed from the flock, they panic and scream. If she is in the home and around the other birds, is she content playing and just talking to them? A older couple had a cockatoor and they said bird would scream every night when they ate dinner. I asked if the bird ate with them. They said NO. I said you are eating in front of a 3 year old without feeding the child. Feed the cockatoo and let him be with you when you eat dinner. They called me and said that worked. Your cockatoo is totally dependent on you but this doesn';t mean you have to give her attention 24/7. But you can't just put her away> You can have a perch close to where you have your activities and as long as she can see you, she should be fine. The more you try and keep her in her cage and you are home, the more she is going to holler. She just needs to see you and know that she has not been isolated from the flock. The flock will isolate sick birds in order to protect themselves. Think of a 3 year old child left behind.
Does she play well when outside her cage on a play pen or perch? I need to know more about what you mean when you say "turns"? Does she get mad when you try and put her back in the cage? Does she get mad when you try and pet her? Tell me more. Please? I will try to help.
Other options are possibly someone who knows about Cockatoos or possibly a breeder.
In any case, give me more info on the behaviors and I will try and help.
Darlene. Have you tried music with your bird? This has helped my Izzy
with that problem. Izzy was extremely mean and would bite anyone that
tried to handle him, he has gotten much better. When all is quiet in the house I talk to him and constantly uses his name in every sentence, this
has made him easier to handle and control. when you bird does well always
reward her.
I have a Moluccan x Umbrella of about 25 years old. He is a male and I am his primary caregiver. I'm somewhat new to the avian behaviors,but I do know this. The more time you spend with them the more they love you. I feed my bird what I eat (but not nearly as much in proportion) along with his semiseed diet,fresh fruits picked off a pear tree, and try to generally give him at LEAST a few hours per day.
I've also noticed when they feed,they get drowsy if the food is warm-hot. If its steaming it's probably a bit too hot. Warm meals do WONDERS.
If the companion sees a lot of arguing or hitting or hears a lot of screaming,they will also get really hyped and it takes a while for mine to cool off, after a few a-holes and go away etc.
I'd like to have a bird like this.
I have a 14 year old male, that I am interested in adopting out to the right family. please reply to this email address.
Hello. I read your posting and was interested in your bird. My wife, daughter and myself have owned birds in the past but have always wanted a larger type bird. My wife is a stay at home mom and my daughter is a bit of a home body so he/she will hardly ever be alone. Are you still considering adopting your bird.
My cockatoo is 12 years old, she surprised us one day we found a small egg in sidney's cage. It happened twice. Anyway that was about 8 month's ago. She now has a red something coming out of her bottom, sometimes it's about the size of a small egg and then other times it's not even noticeable, Can you please tell me what you think it might be?
My vet says it is related to sexual behavior in that she is trying to attract a male. If the sac extrudes too much and too often he says that it may not retract and have to be surgically put back in place. Don't go wild with this info, see your vet, all birds like people are different and require different remedies. I freaked out when I saw it on my Too but I'm calm about it now.
It's a rupture that your bird has. I found when I bred birds this hapened occasionally. Put 2 t-spoons of cod liver oil to aprx, 4 pint of seed and shake well. It's a good idea to do this all the time as its good for the bird.
Hi, please contact me about your bird. What you are describing can be a very serious problem. I need to ask you a few questions though before I alarm you.
Please contact me. I run a parrot sanctuary and answer questions at no charge.
Hi, my husband brought home a utoo about 3 mos ago, this bird loves him so much, she will let me pet her and feed her, even let me break and fluff her crest feathers, BUT! If I try to get her to step up see if she will get on me, she will bite me so hard it draws blood and leaves a mark for weeks. Anybody know why she would be so sweet and then so nasty?
If your bird is in the cage when you try to get it to step up, they might see your hand as an invasion of their "space". Perhaps the bird needs to get out of its cage first, on its own, and will be friendlier to any overtures. Another possibility is that your bird, a female, prefers males; she might prefer your husband over you, and perhaps doesn't trust you as much. And, since your husband brought her home, she probably sees him as the object of most of her affections.
She has fallen in love with your husband.
I was given an 8 yr old , male cockatoo...first experience..bless his soul, I can't help but love him but they can be challenging at times.....lol.....They get mad at you & it's like having a spouse mad.....but it sure is quiet...Always a great challenge
What part of Kansas are you from, I am from there until a year ago, I moved to NC, I have an umbrella cockatoo.
I was told that an umbrella cockatoo is like having a chronic two year old child with a bad temper. That is soooo true but if you love your bird and correct him without abuse like a two year old child. I used a little squirt bottle that did both spray a mist or spray a jet stream and used the jet stream and sprayed directly on a foot. That taught him the term no eventually. Remember a chronic two year old child. But the love you get back is unexplainable.
I want to sell my Cockatoo I leave in wisconsin do you know any on interested in it? You can email me I just bought for my daughter who is 6 years old but she want parakeet.
How much are you asking for him?
It is true, these are wonderful birds but you must be prepared for a lifetime commitment and many behavior challenges. These birds can be very sweet but will also bite you HARD if they are scared or upset. Their screeching can be very difficult to live with. They should not be bred for sale because it is not fair to them. They are very loving, especially in the first 3 years of their life - but so often people give them up because they were not prepared for the reality of owning a parrot. Parrots are loud and somewhat dangerous and need LOTS OF ATTENTION. If you are not prepared to take care of a 3 year old child for up to 80 years DO NOT GET A COCKATOO! They are incredibly sensitive and when they are passed from home to home it is like torture to them! Be honest with yourself, if you do not have the patience for the mess, the expense, the noise and the time involved DO NOT GET ONE. I have an 8 year old. By the time I got him at 3 years old he had already had 3 other homes. He is the sweetest creature I've ever known and I love him with all of my heart - and am therefore in it for the long haul but I assure you, had I known how much work, noise and danger I would deal with I wouldn't do it again. He has never hurt me personally - (I'm his "person") but I have to be very careful when other people come in our home - he will fly at their faces and could cause serious damage!
I have a wonderful Umbrella Cockatoo with only one leg. He broke it the day I brought him home. Got caught in the bird cage and out of excitement he broke it. Had to be amputated. He does great without it. Now, pictures of cockatoos always show how smooth their feathers lay all the way to the tip of the tail. My bird, Q-Tip, has unneat feathers around the tips of his wings and tail. Can you tell me what causes that? He can groom himself all over but his feathers just look tattered.
I have a 9 or 10 year old umbrella cockatoo. She has laid 2 eggs. This is normal she does it once or twice a year. However, this time I would like for her to have a baby. I would like to get one fertile cockatoo egg she can lay on. Does anyone have any ideas. I live in Kansas.
It is not unusual for a cockatoo (or other birds) to lay eggs without a mate. Obviously, the eggs will not be fertile. It is also not unusal to place fertile eggs under another parrot that is known to sit eggs real well. You don't need an umbrella cockatoo egg.
However, there is no assurance that your Umbrella will sit the egg. They lay them but they may not wish to sit them. If they do sit them, they may not wish to feed them. So you could acquire a fertile egg and your Umbrella may not sit it and probably won't feed it so you would have to hand feed it around the clock every two hours for about a week, then 3 - 4 times a day for another 6 or so weeks.
That is quite a commitment.
In any case, if you want to check it out, see if there are any breeders in the area and ask if they will sell you a fertile egg.
I would not recommend this. It is difficult to do. Your umbrella may not accept another egg. It could be a very expensive proposition with no reward for you or your Umbrella.
Why not just invest the money and buy a baby Umbrella cockatoo (or another parrot) that your Cockatoo can be friends with. You would have to hand feed it but there is a better chance of success - by a whole lot.
Help please, yesterday I brought home a 16 year old female umbrella cockatoo. She is the sweetest bird, but because of her past situation she does chew her feathers and screams a little. But the main problem is my 10 month old african gray started freaking out today, I think it is because of the new bird. We have a 10 month old quaker and he is fine and the gray has been fine with him. Not sure if i will be able to keep the cockatoo if it is just going to stress out my gray. I don't want him to start any bad behaviors because he is stressed. I figure I will give it a couple more days and then have to make a decision. I would greatly appreciate any advice. I really love the cockatoo she is so sweet and entertaining.
Any advice? We purchased a 2yr old Umbrella Cockatoo two months ago, we named him Nikos. he acts like he hates us, he shivers and hovers whenever we come near his cage. However, he will let us feed him bananas and peanuts by hand. He spends most of his day doing laps up, down and around his cage. We give him plenty of toys and talk to him everyday. He won't let us come near him, so we've never held or touched him. He just hovers in the back corner of his cage. What should we do? i wanted a friendly, outgoing , loving cockatoo, not a frightened, aloof one.
I was baby-sitting my now "Baby" umbrella cockatoo, female 25 years old. This bird is so smart but also very sneaky. Once they learn to bite... that's it. You have to make it trust you. Gradually, little by little every day go closer and closer and stay still each time until you see all it's puffed feathers relax, then leave. Repeat this every day. At one point, when it's comfortable you being next to it then extend your hand (let your palm drop down so the bird sees the top of your hand), and stay still until you see it's feathers relax and are not puffed up anymore. Do the same thing the next day but closer until one day it will touch with it's beak your hand which shows that it has accepted you. It takes alooooot of patience with these birds. Note: You have to let IT come to you when IT wants and not you force yourself to IT. My bird always stayed in the cage and now it's always in the living room on the top of the couch. LOL and it I don't take it in the living room, oh God it doesn't take a no for an answer...it comes down the cage and walks to the living room. This is our fault because we let it get away with it.
I hope this was helpful.
I am at home all day so it's hard, it wants constantly my attention but if you're not there it finds things to do.
Oh! I never lock it's cage, only when we have dinner because it walks to the table, what can you do it's an extremely social bird.
Poor Nikos may have been in an abusive situation or may have been neglected. Has he come around yet for you? It takes a lot of time, love and patience. They are incredible birds! Best of luck.
I'm glad I have an umbrella cockatoo.