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Umbrella Cockatoo rescue rehabilitation advice

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Umbrella Cockatoo rescue rehabilitation advice

Postby Peetypie » Thu Oct 27, 2016 7:25 pm

I volunteer for a local parrot rescue as a foster home. We rescued a male Umbrella Cockatoo from a neglectful home and have had him for 3 weeks. I have experience with large parrots but not cockatoos. Cocoa was relinquished due to excessive screaming and has been through at least 2 homes. His first home was neglectful and abusive. He came to us terrified of all men but tolerant of women. We assume he was abused by a man. Cocoa was fully flighted and a danger to himself due to his new surroundings at our home(He flew into a window on his first day at our home). Our Vet recommended a wing trim. After the wing trim, Cocoa will not step up or leave his cage. He will perch on top of his cage only.We think he feels insecure as a result of not being able to fly. He is still terrified of men but now accepts my husband and prefers him over myself! Does anybody have any recommendations on training him to step up? The Vet warned us of the possibility of sudden aggression as he is a male and will can inflict major trauma if he bites. He has not lunged at my husband or myself but does display and scream at all other men. We hope to rehabilitate him and adopt him out to a loving family in the next few months. He is very affectionate and loves head scratches and will rest his head against our chests while perched on his cage door and on top of his cage. I leave his cage door open most of the day while supervised. He is now out of isolation and is around our own birds.
Peetypie
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Re: Umbrella Cockatoo rescue rehabilitation advice

Postby liz » Fri Oct 28, 2016 5:17 am

With his wings clipped he feels vunerable. You have taken away his ability to fly to escape from predators. You are now the predators so you have to go back to his original training to reduce his fear.
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liz
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Re: Umbrella Cockatoo rescue rehabilitation advice

Postby Peetypie » Fri Oct 28, 2016 1:40 pm

Thank you Liz for your reply and advice,

Coca has never stepped up from his cage from the beginning. We were not given much information from his owner at the time of surrender. He only stepped up once he was away from his cage.Our Avian Vet is one of the few in the state who completed a fellowship in Avian medicine and has 25 years experience.Cocoa was a danger to himself while fully flighted. She recommended a wing trim to aid in his rehabilitation and taming. Fully flighted birds are at risk for injury especially concussions when not in a framiliar environment. Prior to the trim he would fly into walls, windows and furniture. We had no choice. My sun conure and Grey are fully flighted but are comfortable with their surroundings and completely hand tame.Cocoa willingly comes out of his cage to the drop down door and demands our affection. He has never displayed and screamed bloody murder other than when strange men come into the house. I think his abuse from a man created his insecurities. I am going to try to target and stick train him. He is very intelligent and is not easily manipulated. A male umbrella Cockatoo along with male Mollucan cockatoos are a real challenge to train due to their historical nature of sudden unprovoked aggression and ability to inflict severe bite injuries. We will only place him with an owner who has large bird experience and is able to spend quality time with him daily.
Peetypie
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Umbrella Cockatoo rescue rehabilitation advice

Postby Pajarita » Fri Oct 28, 2016 1:55 pm

Welcome to the forum! I am sorry you find yourself in a predicament but I guess that by now you realized that clipping him was the wrong thing to do. I don't know if you are aware of this, if you are, just skip over it but I feel I should mention it because I have found that most people are not aware of the fact that avian vets don't study parrot nutrition or behavior so asking them advice on these two subjects is pretty useless unless they have had multiple birds for years and have learned from their own hands-on experience. This is a beef I have against some AVs, namely, giving advice on things they know nothing about and which can backfire as it did to you.

Liz is correct, he feels terribly vulnerable without the ability to get away from danger and no longer trusts you because he is blaming you for it. Unfortunately, it's not a matter of training because there is nothing to teach him, he already knows how to step up, he is simply choosing not to do it. The only thing you can do now is wait him out and comfort him as much as you can as well as not insisting on his stepping up - ask him once and, if he doesn't do it, wait 5 minutes and ask again, if he still doesn't do it, don't ask him again until much, much later (I am talking hours and hours) BUT, if he does, praise him profusely and give him a reward. You could also try putting a ladder (a thick rope with knots in measured intervals will work) going from his cage to the floor so he can climb up and down as he pleases - that will give him a measure of control over his movements (something you took away when you clipped him).

Sorry I can't be of more help to you. I realize that now his adoption prospects have been derailed as it will be kind of hard to adopt out an abused bird which doesn't want to step up and screams like a maniac... I would have loved to be of more help to you but, like I said before, this is not fixed with training, he just needs to regain his trust in humans and confidence in himself so the prescription is a long-termed one: love, patience, super consistency in the routines (this also comforts them and gives them a measure of control over their own lives) and hope he can overcome still one more hurdle.

PS I just finished reading your reply to Liz and have to disagree with you on the 'danger to himself' been flighted. The only times a bird flies into a wall is when he freaks out, knowing or not the environment has nothing to do with it because they can see the obstacle better than us as they have a 'shortcut' between the eyes and the brain allowing them to 'figure out' what the eyes see much faster than mammals - and this is an adaptation nature gave them precisely because their mode of transportation is flying and their reflexes have to be immediate so as to avoid crashing!). They can fly into windows but this is also easily avoided by putting something in front or on them (like curtains, shades, decals, etc).
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