cockatoos can be pet under wings

[pennyandrocky]

i have been told it's wrong to pet my cockatoo under her wings by som on this forum. so i went on cockatoo websites and talked with about 20 people with cockatoos including the woman who runs the rescue where i adopted mya,she hs 5 of her own and has been rescueing for about 30 yrs.not only do they all say it's okay they encourage it.i've had mya for 10 months and always pet under wings she likes it i like it and it has not turned her into a hormonal monster.

[mtaylor1021]

I don't think there's anything wrong with petting under the wings, but most birds don't like it or find it a sensitive spot. If your bird seems to like it, then go for it.

[pennyandrocky]

i was told it was wrong by some members on here,but thanks.

[Michael]

A better questions is... why would you do it??? The bird can and will preen itself there better than you can. The only place it needs to be preened by others is on the head. In the wild, birds never preen each other anywhere but the head. I think it's good for a parrot to be tame enough to be able to touch anywhere, however, it is neither necessary nor a good idea to make a practice out of it.

[pennyandrocky]

why would i? because she likes it and i do too.how much expeience do you have with toos? because like i said i've gone onto websites devoted to them and they encourage petting under wings, i also spoke to 20 people some rescuers with decades of experiance,people who have adopted as well.i don't force it on her she comes up to me with her wings up.as for flocks not doing it in the wild i've never seen them bowl or hold out a wing say bang and have another fall over pretending to be dead but it's fun to see yours do it.why is it a bad idea?

[Michael]

Would you beat off your dog?

[pennyandrocky]

no i would not. i don't feel i'm beating off my bird either nobody feels there is anything sexual about it.if she's getting sexually excited from this where is the hormonal monster eveyone warned me about? why is this recommended on cockatoo websites, by the rescuers,foster homes,and people who have adopted/purchased them? are they all into beasiality?

[Michael]

As far as I remember, the females tend to get stimulated on the back and outside wings. Males gets stimulated under the wings and belly area. There may be some universal places as well. Encouraging sexual relations with the parrot is not good for many reasons. It could encourage egg laying, aggression towards owner, aggression towards others, etc. You may be getting away with it because under the wings on a female probably isn't the spot. On the other hand if you stroke her back, it may stimulate her. Another damn good reason not to encourage this kind of relation is that if the bird ever needs to be rehomed for any reason, it will be a lot more problematic cause it really sees you as a mate rather than a friend.

It doesn't matter that "this recommended on cockatoo websites, by the rescuers,foster homes,and people who have adopted/purchased them." Most sites, rescues, breeders, stores, vets, etc encourage clipping. They also encourage flooding and other stupid approaches to breaking parrots. Just because it's the way most have followed for a long time doesn't make it right. It's better to take a science minded approach and specifically look at works and what doesn't, why, and its impacts/harm on the bird. My experience is based on reading tons of parrot info from various sources, talking to hundreds of owners online, working with my own parrots, studying ornithology and psitticine psychology, and experimenting to see what approaches work. I'm not saying to just blindly listen to what I'm saying but I'm also suggesting not doing that from others either. Look into the reasons, test your birds reaction, think about what kind of touching encourages regurgitation and avoid it. See what kind of touching is enjoyed but does not involve anything sexual. It is possible that under the wings does not do it, but make damn sure. And if it is, then don't do it. It's unnecessary and inappropriate. Just because you enjoy it and the parrot enjoys it in a sexual way does NOT justify it.

[Rokisha]

After reading your posts michael I'm going to stick with just petting joe around the head, to be on the safe side ya know.

[Michael]

After reading your posts michael I'm going to stick with just petting joe around the head, to be on the safe side ya know.

I can't speak from experience about Cockatoos (just for general understanding of avian anatomy) but when it comes to Senegal Parrots, I can tell you for damn sure that it's NOT a good idea to stimulate them in a manner that can be considered sexual. Even excessive head petting can develop into this. Basically when the parrot begins drooping wings, doing a dance, trying to regurgitate by bobbing its head, etc, you've cross the line. Don't go this far next time. The more you encourage them to like you, the more they will dislike everyone else and be aggressive toward them. Not a good thing to encourage because you never know who might have to handle that parrot down the line. Also they can get aggressive if they think you're putting the moves on them and then not following through. Just best to steer clear of this and especially in hormonal season.