New home - New parents - New Everything!!!

[Goffin-Goof]

First and foremost... Hello, and I'm glad I found your forum
This is my first post, and it will probably turn into a short novel before I finally hit the "Submit" button... so please bear with me.

My wife and I have previously owned a Green Cheek Conure named Batman, but that was a decade ago. A friend of the family is growing old (aren't we all?), and was having issues taking care of her 30 plus birds. My wife and I were asked if we would like to inherit a Goffin Cockatoo. We obviously jumped at the chance; provided we got along with the bird.
Long story short... our Goffin, Meisha, is an absolute babydoll!


About Meisha:
She is approximately 20 years old, and has only been with one (previous) owner since birth.
She was raised in a home with three other large parrots (Golden Macaw's and African Greys); as well as 20 or more Cockatiels in an aviary type setting (cages open most of the time, and birds are free to roam).
She has never seen a dog ... and we have two older dogs (who could careless about Meisha).
She is very comfortable with people; even strangers. Just about anyone is able to pet her, but she is very reluctant to get on, or up on your hand.

We have had Meisha for 6 days now and she (we) have adapted very well to eachother... but we (parents) have some concerns.
Cage location:
Meisha loves to be touched and played with.... UNLESS she is in sight of her cage.
If she can see, or fly-to her cage she doesn't want too much to do with us. Is this normal for her breed, or is just an adjustment thing that will get better with time and affection?
She is totally content on her own, on top of the cage. So, we are trying to find a place in our home to leave her cage, and take her to a seperate room for play time.
Should she be near windows?
Should her cage be in a busy area (living room), or should it be somewhere quiet (spare bedroom)?
I'm sure I'll come up with some more ridiculously simple questions, but for now I won't overwhelm you, or myself.

We look forward to your feedback and input

[pchela]

First, congratulations. Goffins can be adorable!

Is the cage her original cage from the old house? If so, I'm sure she finds it comforting... she's in a new environment after 20 years and is bound to be scared and uneasy. Her cage is her comfort zone. It doesn't have anything to do with her being a Goffins Cockatoo. Does she exhibit any aggression when on or in her cage?

There is a lot of information on this site regarding positive reinforcement training and there is one specifically for getting a bird to step up on your hand. If she's okay with being pet, you should be able to get her to step up fairly easily with a bit of patience and work.

The cage should be in a calm, quiet spot. Don't put her near a window.. this can lead to her feeling insecure. Put the back of the cage against a wall so she has some security. Some birds like to be in the busiest room of the house and some like a quiet room.. this is something you'll have to learn about her and gauge for yourselves, but for now, a calm, quiet place would probably be best. Do you have a place where she can see the living area but set apart enough for it to be a calm place? She might like to be able to keep an eye on you. I'd suggest getting a separate playstand that she can hang out on in the living room (or where ever you hang out most) If she likes to look out the window, the playstand can be put by a window.

Just keep in mind that this is a huge change for her and she's probably very nervous. With some training and love, she should be just fine. Also, you are in the honeymoon period... she's nervous and not displaying her true nature. Give her a month or more and her true personality (the good and the bad) will start coming out.

She's adorable. I notice in the photo that she looks like she plucks her chest? Is that the case or am I seeing it wrong?

[Goffin-Goof]

First, congratulations. Goffins can be adorable!

Is the cage her original cage from the old house?

No. The cage that came with Meisha is a cage that was used as a spare... but not her primary cage.

Does she exhibit any aggression when on or in her cage?

I don't think she has an aggressive bone in her body.
She is off-putting, or not willing ... when we try and "step-up" from the cage top.
She is very reluctant to step-up from inside the cage as well.
She doesn't bite, but she mouths our fingers, and more or less pushes our hand away from her feet/underside.

If she's okay with being pet, you should be able to get her to step up fairly easily with a bit of patience and work.

She absolutely loves to be petted and touched - regardless of her location. In side the cage, on top of the cage, on our bed... it makes no difference. She's more than willing to drop her head and let you do your thing.
She's not at all shy, or timid with people... unless they're wearing the color red.
If we take her to a room that her cage is NOT in... she will step-up and play with either, or both of us for hours. Bring the cage into that same room with her; and we become invisible. She will allow us to pet her while she's on top of the cage, but she is extremely hesitant to leave the cage.

The cage should be in a calm, quiet spot. Don't put her near a window.. this can lead to her feeling insecure. Put the back of the cage against a wall so she has some security. Some birds like to be in the busiest room of the house and some like a quiet room.. this is something you'll have to learn about her and gauge for yourselves, but for now, a calm, quiet place would probably be best. Do you have a place where she can see the living area but set apart enough for it to be a calm place? She might like to be able to keep an eye on you. I'd suggest getting a separate playstand that she can hang out on in the living room (or where ever you hang out most) If she likes to look out the window, the playstand can be put by a window.

As I said we have only had her for a week or so, and we're trying to not move her around too much; to keep stress to a minimum.
We have tried her in the living room and in our bedroom, and she seems to be happier and more active in the living room.
The living spot was near (at) a window, and she would hang on top of her cage and dance (repeatedly squat and bob her head)... and it appeared to us that she was havin' a blast

Just keep in mind that this is a huge change for her and she's probably very nervous. With some training and love, she should be just fine. Also, you are in the honeymoon period... she's nervous and not displaying her true nature. Give her a month or more and her true personality (the good and the bad) will start coming out.

She's adorable. I notice in the photo that she looks like she plucks her chest? Is that the case or am I seeing it wrong?

She was doing some plucking, and that was part of the reason that the previous owners family made the decision to find a new home for her. The plucking, as we were told comes from short-term neglect, and lack of attention. I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not in my original post, but the previous owner had approx. 30 birds and was starting to have difficulty dealing with her avian friends. The bird had a visit as the vet the same day that we took possession of her, and she was given a clean bill of health.

I'm sure, as you said... time is all it will take.
We, as newly-weds (LOL)... just want to make sure we're doing everything in the best interest of Meisha.

thanks for your input

[pchela]

It sounds to me like you are doing everything you can for Meisha. It may be that she just needs to learn the step up command a little better which of course, just takes time and patience with a little training.

If you feel that she enjoys having her cage near the window then go for it... maybe just make sure that there is a spot against the wall so if she does feel insecure, she has a safe place to retreat.

I'm so happy that this little 20 year old Goffin's has found a loving home!

-if the plucking is from neglect (poor thing) then I'm sure all of the love and attention she's getting now will counter that. Hopefully, she'll be fully feathered in no time!

There are lots of knowledgeable people here who love to help out so please don't hesitate to ask any questions, no matter how stupid you may think they are! And welcome to the forum!