New to forum.

[lcbarsnest]

Hello to you all. I'm in desperate need of advice. I recently adopted an Umbrella cockatoo. His/her name is Tiki. We bonded right away. He/she had me at hello. I scrambled for information about how to care for this beautiful bird and took alot of advice. However, I think I
over did it. Tiki will still give me kisses all the time but will not willingly come to me anymore.

I noticed Tiki was going after his wings alot and felt maybe he needed a bath. I saw a video on
birds that like the bathtub. Apparently not Tiki. He cuddles up to me when I can get him to come to me. I absolutely love this bird and will not give up on him. Will he ever forgive me for trying to do what I thought was best? I believe I did too much too soon.

Suggestion? Constructive criticism? Please? This has put me into tears.

Thank you.[/color]

[liz]

Welcome to the forum. Most everyone comes into the forum when they need help, then stay as family.

How old is Tiki?
How long have you had him?
Where did he come from?

Some birds prefer misting. Some like shower perches and others just want their own tub of water to use when they are ready.

If you are worried that his skin is dry on his wings - just mist the wings only.

Calm down.

[Shelby]

Welcome! Don't worry - bathing is great for birds! Also, some species of birds, like cockatiels, are very dusty and the dust aggravates their owner's allergies. Just DON'T use soap. It's not good for their skin. Water alone works great.

Different birds have different preferences when it comes to bathing. Some like a small dish of water to splash in. Others like to sit in the sink and run back and forth under a small stream from the faucet. Others like to join you in the shower and enjoy the mist. (There are perches you can buy that attach to the wall of the shower/tub with a suction cup.) My mom had a budgie that liked getting gently hosed down by the sprayer on the kitchen faucet. My friend's cockatiel likes to perch on your finger while you spritz him with a spray bottle. (Make sure that it has never been used for household cleaners and is only filled with clean water.) Very few birds like getting sprayed horizontally. Most of the birds I've met/heard about like water in a dish, a gentle vertical stream, or a mist.

Some birds don't like water at first but if you persistently try different methods of bathing and offer lots of treats, they will grow to enjoy it. When giving baths, make sure that the water is not cold and the room is free of drafts. Don't bathe your bird just before bed because the air often gets cooler at night and your bird might get chilled and become sick.

Good luck and keep us updated!

[lcbarsnest]

Tiki moved in on September 16th. I got him from a bird rescue. He is about 10 yrs old from what I understand.

I tried the misting thing on him too but he seems scared of that as well. I just don't know anything about the previous owner and what they did or did not do with him. All I heard was they were afraid of him (so I can only assume he didn't get much interaction). He is so sweet. When I lean into the cage he automatically will kiss me. He just does not want me to take him out anymore. He use to lean up on the cage so I could tickle, tickle him, but he won't allow me to do that anymore. He will allow me to give him treats however. Hmmmmmm. I love holding him, as he is so cuddly. He buries his head in my neck. He even has makeup on top of his head.

I sure appreciate the input you all gave me. I'm still learning. I do plan to bring him to the vet for a check up soon. Hopefully I can get some questions answered about the feathers he seems bothered by.

Thank you for the good advice.

[evaleen]

these are a few things u could try to do:

(applicable if u know the primary,secondary and tertiary favorite treats that your bird enjoys)
each time u aproach, hold a tertiary treat in your hand that tiki can clearly see.
if he comes to you on his own for the treat, then pass that to him through the bars and talk to him lovingly without atempting to open the cage.(keep that treat really small, so that it still has more apetite to accept more treats)(if he dosnt come to accept the treat on his own, dont give/show him the treat)
then after 5 or 10mins, show tiki his primary treat and open the cage,
posibility 1:
he should come for the treat himself. let him hav just a little nibble then coax him to step up (still showing him the treat). after he steps up, walk a few steps away from the cage and praise it while presenting it finaly with the long awaited treat.
posibility2:
if he doesn't come to take the treat by himself, then dont worry! wait patiently at the open cage door. if he stilll dosnt come over, then dont show him the treat.
get him to step up and bring him out of the cage. allow for a small nibble on the primary treat.
then take a few steps away from the cage, and then offer him the full reward.

if u do this each time, he'l become more excited each time u come for him. and eventually he'l come hopping on his own to greet u when u come! good luck! hope that helped!

[Shelby]

Michael (who made this site) has written a long and informative article on target training and how to use it to get your bird to step up:
http://www.theparrotforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=227

Basically target training is when you train your bird to touch the end of a stick to get a treat. Once they can do this, you can teach them tricks and behaviors with the stick. You can put the stick where you want your bird to go and they will come to it to touch it and get their reward. Definitely give target training a try! I know of many bird owners whose relationships with their birds have improved once they start training them.

[liz]

Tiki had to be at the rescue for at least a month or they would not adopt him out. Contact them before they forget and talk to his main care giver about his personality.

They only adopt out healthy birds that don't bite. They are socialized at the shelter if they were not before. See what they can tell you.