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How do you get cockatoo to play

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How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Sissy B » Thu Dec 08, 2016 8:57 am

Sorry if this is in wrong section. How do I get my cockatoo to play I try to get him on the floor to play with balls blocks boxes you name it all he does is go back to his cage. The only things he likes to do is sit on his cage, walk across my love seat and cuddle. Oh yeah chase my husband attack his shoes and bite him. I talk to him all the time and he looks at me like are you crazy or something momma. Any suggestions would be a great help he doesn't even like the perch we mad for him to play on or train on.
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
Sissy B
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 22
Location: Cap Vincent, NY
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Umbrella cockatoo 2 yrs old and a blue fronted Amazon (rescued) who is 32 yrs old
Flight: No

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby DrA » Fri Jan 06, 2017 7:24 pm

Hi Sissy: I would not encourage your cockatoo to play on the floor if you can help it. It can create some really bad behaviors and on top of that, your baby could start destroying your home. I have one too that eats a part of my house almost every day. I am working on keeping him in his cage to do the playing. When you take him out, spend time with him so that he looks at the time out of his cage as a special time with his person. Hope this helps. Dr.. A
DrA
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 5
Types of Birds Owned: Umbrella - male
Umbrella - female
Mobrella - female
Cockateil - female
Cockateil - female
Flight: No

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Bird woman » Fri Jan 06, 2017 9:12 pm

Well first this is a die hard cockatoo owner that has much experience teaching too's how to play. First off neither of these two posts birds are flighted as stated in your info. Which presents a problem in itself if not allowed on the floor. These birds are usually very hi energy and if only given a cage to play in could get very bored and develope some bad habits. All of my too's run crazy from daybreak till dusk with me in constant supervision. I have found that interactive baby toys at toys r us are wonderful and keep them busy and interested for hours. Balls that roll and sing by there selves would give Elvis something to go after instead of hubbys feet. The supply in the baby section of interactive baby proof / bird proof is endless. I have one old hen when she came she was cranky and a frump muffin and just sat around. This bird was abused , kept as a breeder in a small cage and didn't know how to fly. Well a few paper bags , cardboard boxes and lots of flight training on a soft bed and she is now active and on the go :P rattling a paper bag crunching noises paper gets most birds excited but careful sometimes mine get a little tooo excited and I get caught in the cross fire. Her favorite toy is the baby ball that sings and will roll on its own and sing and say push me. Also all of my birds have a night time toy in there cages they can play lullabies with soft lights. An unflighted bird is not going to get enough exercise if only left to there cage and when off just cuddles which they can never get enough of. Riki the rescue now flys up on her perch , the couch the bar when she's watching me cook and runs amuck like a crazy bird on the floor with the others. Nothing like a bird that is comfortable doing both. Cockatoos are chewers and I have several chew stations all around with colored blocks , logs hanging stuff I even have a chair that is made out of raw edible wood they can chew and think there getting away with something. Use your imagination get down on the floor and remember when you were 4. :lol: oh and maybe Elvis would like a pair of your husbands shoes / I have one that loves to beat up my husbands hats so she gets her own and terrorizes it for hours. I guess she thinks his head is in it ( whatever works ) bird woman
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Bird woman
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 869
Location: Southern , Oregon
Number of Birds Owned: 10
Types of Birds Owned: 2 mollucans, 2 LSC'S, 2 macaws, 1 bare-eye, 1 grey, 1 goffin and max the quaker
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby liz » Sat Jan 07, 2017 7:45 am

DrA wrote:Hi Sissy: I would not encourage your cockatoo to play on the floor if you can help it. It can create some really bad behaviors and on top of that, your baby could start destroying your home. I have one too that eats a part of my house almost every day. I am working on keeping him in his cage to do the playing. When you take him out, spend time with him so that he looks at the time out of his cage as a special time with his person. Hope this helps. Dr.. A



It is not just Toos. Rainbow is a pedestrian who has never flown. He is rough on baseboard or anything else he can reach. He once chewed a hole in the wall behind the toilet. Myrtle is a flyer. She takes care of chewing anything Rainbow can't reach.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Bird woman » Sat Jan 07, 2017 12:23 pm

Birdies do what they know to do :D I never get mad although they get scolded from time to time and they really most of the time know exactly what there not suppose to do. I've got some really sneeky ones. But it is what it is and I fix as fast as they can chew and just try to interest them in other chewable objects :lol:
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Bird woman
Amazon
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 869
Location: Southern , Oregon
Number of Birds Owned: 10
Types of Birds Owned: 2 mollucans, 2 LSC'S, 2 macaws, 1 bare-eye, 1 grey, 1 goffin and max the quaker
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Loriusgarrulus » Sat Jan 07, 2017 1:23 pm

liz wrote:
DrA wrote:Hi Sissy: I would not encourage your cockatoo to play on the floor if you can help it. It can create some really bad behaviors and on top of that, your baby could start destroying your home. I have one too that eats a part of my house almost every day. I am working on keeping him in his cage to do the playing. When you take him out, spend time with him so that he looks at the time out of his cage as a special time with his person. Hope this helps. Dr.. A



It is not just Toos. Rainbow is a pedestrian who has never flown. He is rough on baseboard or anything else he can reach. He once chewed a hole in the wall behind the toilet. Myrtle is a flyer. She takes care of chewing anything Rainbow can't reach.

We have ceramic tile floors with tile skirting boards, so fairly non chewable untill they reach the plaster above. This happened with our old GSD when a puppy who got through the plaster down to the brickwork above her basket. Despite various anti chew sprays and even horse cribbox grease. OH replastered once she grew out of it. Unfortunatley parrots never grow out of making matchwood out of wood work.
Wooden picture frames get replaced with metal ones once the pictures were in danger of the glass falling out.
Growing Old Disgracefully
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Loriusgarrulus
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 180
Location: Cheshire. United Kingdom
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow backed chattering lory: Kanga
Blackheaded caique: Tupi
Yellow thighed caique: Karo
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Pajarita » Sat Jan 07, 2017 3:32 pm

Sissy, how long have you had your too, my dear? Because, for example, my Linus, a male LSC2 that came to me plucked and shy to the point that he did not even mkde a single peep or move from a perch in his cage, took a while to 'open up' and start feeling at home but he is now a good screamer that 'travels' all over the birdroom and which has designated a corner to be his own where he chews all day long to his heart content. Which brings me to the chewing... that is, without a single doubt, the activity that toos enjoy the most - they simply love love love chewing wood! And I do not discourage it because I believe that behaviors that are natural to them should not be repressed in any way. What I did was put untreated white pine boards all around the floor (covering the baseboard) as well as around the doors and windows (covering all the moldings) in the birdroom and, when he goes through them, my husband simply replaces them (he just did his corner yesterday, as a matter of fact). This is his corner:


Image
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Loriusgarrulus » Sat Jan 07, 2017 4:27 pm

I love the scallopped edge on the skirting board.
I find ours do that to the hazel logs and branches I bring in for them once they have whittled the bark off except for Kanga as lories don't go in for carpentry. :lol:
The greys don't seem to be as big a wood whittler as Toos are and branches last them a while.
Growing Old Disgracefully
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Loriusgarrulus
Conure
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 180
Location: Cheshire. United Kingdom
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Yellow backed chattering lory: Kanga
Blackheaded caique: Tupi
Yellow thighed caique: Karo
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Pajarita » Sun Jan 08, 2017 1:07 pm

That 'scalloped' edge disappeared a long time ago - he chewed the board all the way down until there was nothing (my husband has already put new boards there three times since that picture was taken).

Birdwoman has trouble posting pictures so here are a couple of examples of what she calls the 'chewing areas':

Image

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Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: How do you get cockatoo to play

Postby Sissy B » Sat Jan 28, 2017 10:34 pm

Oh you all full of such great advice. I have only had Elvis for a short time but he seems to be coming around a little more he really loves to perch on the door of his cage. When he hears my husband's voice he prepares to go after him and chase him around the living room. He also loves to bite Troy. Troy will hold Elvis let him cuddle around his arms then Elvis starts clicking and the out of the blue bites Troy. That is the one thing I sure do home stops soon Troy likes Elvis but keeps away from him. Troy even trys playing with him at times. But this is an amazing group and love all the advice you all give. Thank you
Thank you Elvis and Irish Blue's momma
Sissy
Sissy B
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 22
Location: Cap Vincent, NY
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Umbrella cockatoo 2 yrs old and a blue fronted Amazon (rescued) who is 32 yrs old
Flight: No

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