Sweet Cockatoo - Vicious nightmare

[Grisgris]

I brought home a 20 year old Cockatoo last week. The Bird Farm I got her from knew nothing about her, or perhaps I should say, nothing they were willing to tell me about her. In the first three days of having her I learned she LOVES to be pet and is willing to circumvent any obstacle to gain a lap. Any lap will do, she's not picky. Once in a lap, she demands to have her head scratched and stroked softly until she is falling asleep. Sounds awesome, right? Nope.

She has become my nightmare. While in my lap (or anyone else's) she expects total stillness. If I move, I get attacked. Lord forbid I need to actually get up to go to bed or answer the phone. The first attack was mild compared to the two that followed. I got a bruised knee. Not enough to prevent me from loving her and trying again. The next day, she was on the couch, marching back and forth. I made the mistake of not reading the signs and foolishly sat down. My back now has a bruise the size of a half dollar. She seems to "claim" everything in her path.

The last attack was the worst. She crawled into my lap, had all the scratching and loving she could hope for, and 30 minutes later I had the nerve to decide it was time for me to go to bed. While getting up I was so horribly attacked, that I now have punctures in my forearm where her beak penetrated so deeply that her upper and lower mandibles touched inside of my flesh. She was trying to rip my skin off. She wouldn't let go and I was standing there with her hanging off my arm by her beak. By the time she un-wedged her beak from my skin I was a bloody mess.

Through it all, I'd like to think I maintained all the composure I could humanly muster under the circumstances. Without screaming, fighting back, or freaking out, I somehow managed to get her back into her cage. Then I promptly threw up while applying pressure, then fainted. Yup, it was that bad. That happened three days ago and I have not allowed her to get too close to me, while off her cage, or anyone else since then. I am happy to pet her while she is perched on her cage door, but that's it. No more lap!

My question is, what happened? She was so happy one second, and a vicious animal the next. Her eyes were soft and almond shaped, and she seemed to be a happy and docile little sweetie. The next second, POW!

I have no intention of re-homing her, but I'm afraid she will not be a very happy girl if I can't trust her to be in my lap. It's clear someone has worked with her in the past, but stepping up is an issue and biting is an even bigger issue. What do I do about this? Start from scratch with touch training? HELP!

[Michael]

That's what happens when you're dealing with an animal that is smarter than the people around it. The bird understands reinforcement and punishment! Do you?

[Nir]

your in a tough spot. my guess is that if you dont give him scractches that he will non stop scream. and if u do then you will surely get a bite near the end. i cant be of much help here..

but what i would do is give him scratches as the treat.and stop giving him scratches in your lap where he can attack you. Basically start clicker training and his treat will be him getting a small scratch.

but ya thats all i got as far as advice. maybe this way he wont take scratches for granted. If he bites just leave him right away. maybe that will teach him that every time he bites you will leave and this is opposite of what he wants.

disclaimer.. i have 0 personal experiences with cockatoos.

[Cockatielsongs]

I'd say start from scratch, pushing further will make it a hundred times harder to start again. I understand the painful and difficulties of taming a cockatoo as with all birds. Take it slow and I would absolutely avoid petting her for now. She could just be correcting you, maybe you petted her the wrong way, some birds bite when petted 'the wrong way'

I own a cockatoo as well and I understand, they really do test you boundaries dont they

[pennyandrocky]

i think it's too soon to be having him in your lap plus it's breeding season for cockatoos bad timing for buying. study his body language i know from the moment i let mya out in the morning whether it's going to be a good or bad day. if you're bitten give him and yourself a minute to calm down then go right back for a head scratch don't let him think he's intimidating you. what's his diet like? is he flighted? if he's clipped you might want to think about letting his wings grow out. mya hasn't broke skin since her flights came in. if you haven't already go to mytoos.com it helped me prepare before i went through with mya's adoption.

[cml]

I am so sorry for you, I know the attacks and bites are hard to deal with. Ive been through biting, which I inadvertently reinforced by doing a few things wrong.
It can be dealt with though, but its gonna take time and some blood to get through it. I am sure that with determination you will though .

First, stop having your bird in your lap altogether, its only going to be counterproductive. Infact, dont allow your bird on you at all, except on your hands. Shoulders, head, and lap is generally a bad idea.

Now you've removed a situation in which biting is likely to occur. This is good, because thats what the reversing biting process is all about; prevention. Start learning your birds body language, and avoid stuff that will make it bite you.

Instead, start training and make interaction with you an all positive experience. Clicker training is awesome and Michael's guides on his blog: trainedparrot.com are great.

There will be setbacks, you will have bruises and bloody wounds, but its possible to work through. Stitch almost never bites anymore, and he is the sweetest little bird ever, well almost anyway ^^ (if he does bite, its me doing something wrong).

Work with prevention, and dont use punishments, as they are very counterproductive. Stay on the forums, and ask if you need help, we are all here to help you . Good luck!

[Grisgris]

Thank you everyone, for your suggestions and support. Your comments were helpful, insightful, and constructive. I will take your advice and start from scratch with her and begin target / clicker training.

That's what happens when you're dealing with an animal that is smarter than the people around it. The bird understands reinforcement and punishment! Do you?

Michael. Keep in mind that people who are reaching out to you and others on this blog are doing so to learn, and as a direct result, do the right thing for their feathered friends. To have such a response by the “expert” is truly disheartening. Perhaps inspiring others through sharing your knowledge would feel more rewarding. Insulting those who ask for help will not earn you the respect I am sure you deserve, nor encourage them to ask for help again. It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice. Shame on you.

[Michael]

If you actually wanted to learn, you'd get over yourself and reread what I wrote and really think about what it means. It's the key to understanding your problem. If you'd rather argue, then I'm not wasting any more time trying to help you.

[wdlodge]

[quote="Michael"]That's what happens when you're dealing with an animal that is smarter than the people around it. The bird understands reinforcement and punishment! Do you?

Are you here to help or to criticize?

[wdlodge]

If you actually wanted to learn, you'd get over yourself and reread what I wrote and really think about what it means. It's the key to understanding your problem. If you'd rather argue, then I'm not wasting any more time trying to help you.

You are so rude... I think you need to get over yourself and help people, rather than criticize.