houston, we could possibly have a huge problem..

[Fawn]

i know i haven't been around in a week or so, so some of you might not remember me.

i've noticed some new behavior with my umbie and my boyfriend.... the umbie will whine at him while he's on his arm and then eventually try to bite him. this first happened when he was caged. my boyfriend reached in (normal) and went to pick him up. once the U2 was on his arm, he whined and lunged at my boyfriend's nose. he was quickly put down.

now, my boyfriend is the type that, when he experiences something unpleasant the situation will never be the same. if something stinks, it stinks forever. much like birds haha... every time he tries to pick up the umbie, he's nervous and holds him way out from his body or wont pick him up at all because the bird displays much of the same behavior. they never used to interact this way.. something's changed. i'm not sure if it's because i handle the birds the most or because of the cage incident.

i'm really not thrilled with the umbie attacking my boyfriend... if i'm ever away with friends or family for a weekend, i DO NOT want my bird caged all the time... do you guys have any idea what might be going on here??

i want to nip this in the butt before it becomes an obviously severe problem. we've had the umbie for a pretty short amount of time, maybe 4 months.

[jtbirds]

Fawn were on the east coast do you live? You can pm me if you'd like as I live on the east coast too.. Ok now back on topic;)

Id like to stress cockatoos love to test the waters and will do it more then once just because they can, my m2 goes through days where he still comes after me for no reason but he thinks he can win this time, unlike your boyfriend I don't let him win, he kinda has. I'd suggest if this happens for your boyfriend to out the bird in a timeout like situation and he be the one to go back and let the umbrella know that everything is ok and the timeout is over and he can come back with the family. I stress your boyfriend because these behaviors are towards him not you, he must work with them. If he is not dedicated to doing it and is afraid or nervous then it will not work as the bird will know this and keep up its behaviors.

It sounds like your bird has gotten comfortable finally and is showing his true side. Many people say ooo a birds honeymoon period is about a week, I disagree I've had birds that have easily honeymooned for six months before showing there true side.. So it sounds he may have just now completely settled in and is now showing his true colors. Your right nip this in the butt right now or it can become a big issue.

If the whining is a key that he is going to attack then take that as body language and immediately say no! And remove yourself from his range of attack keeping direct eye contact on him, do not give him the chance if you can avoid it. Body language can exists without it being bodily and this is a case of a soun associated with a behavior, my greenwing will say ow! Before he bites, that's means if you hear Reuben say ow! You put him down right away if that means the ground then ok... He means ow!

I have to go to a home call with a pet I need to babysit and give shots, if you need more help I am right here and will help you along the way for sure! My explanation was veige compared to what I'd like so ask questions as needed!

[Blancaej]

Fawn - Sorry to hear about the incident. I am not familiar with toos but Justin is always great with advice. I agree, if the whinning is a sign of a bite coming, use it for him to prevent future attacks. Good luck and I hope you work this out!

[jtbirds]

Haha Blanca you give me to much credit -blush-, thank you. I am here if you need me for any questions and if you are close enough I am sure I could arrange to come out and help if it got to that point.

[Turquoise]

Hi Fawn, I'm not experienced with Cockatoos either never having owned one. I can tell you my macaws are like that with my hubby. They see him everyday as much as they see me, we work the same hours at the same place. My hubby wanted them to accept him & when they first came home they did until each one chose me as their best bud. He could pick them up & hold them. I feed them, clean the enclosures, take them out to their play perches & cuddle them. He doesn't put the time into the relationship so they merely tolerate him now.

I've observed that most birds seem to chose one person to accept & maybe your Umbrella has decided it is you. There should be some other too owners who can give you better info on living with one than I can. I hope you & your boyfriend can get this worked out & your Too is just going through the 'honeymoon' stage.:th_hug8:

[JLcribber]

I agree with Jason that your just now starting to see the true bird and that the honeymoon is now over.

If the bird has been forming a strong bond with you then that makes your husband a threat/intruder/competition. If he's in a hormonal cycle it will just intensify everything for as long as the cycle lasts (could be as long as 12 weeks).

If you are showing any kind of affection towards your husband in the birds presence, that's a big no no in bird world and your only going to fuel the situation. Keep thing very platonic in front of the bird.

If your husband is now fearful, his body language and energy is going to speak that loud and clear no matter how he "acts". The bird can see/smell that like stink on poo.

If its a case of mate bonding (to you) the common advice is for the other person to take on a more substantial role in the care and interaction of the bird while you take a step back. Easier said than done I know when the other person is not the bird brain.

You'll get something out of reading this.

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[Bokkapooh]

Will whine before biting?

How old is your new U2?

[Blancaej]

I've read the article that John posted before. It is very informative and worth the read!

[jtbirds]

Bokka I am thinking it may be more of the whistle some cockatoos do, my m2 makes a sound similar to what I think she is describing and it usually is sound he makes when he is over excited with himself.

[Fawn]

thank you all so much for your help with this!!

he's definitely coming out of his shell. the bird, that is. :p

building off of what's been said and after talking to my partner about it, i'm curious to try something. we talked about how our umbie views us individually, and the possibilities that he may have chosen me. since it's still somewhat early in his development (my U2 is 14 months old), i'd like to see if we might be able to train him to accept us both. of course you can never force an animal or human to love, but i would like to see if the umbie will at least tolerate like in turquoise's situation.

do you guys think maybe.. instead of me gathering the birds from the bird room ect., if my partner does it instead, the umbie will view him in a more positive light? same would go with handling, using treats and i'd put them away or back onto perches (kind of put myself in the bad cop role and he can play good cop c:) i've told my boyfriend that the more he retreats, the more of an upper hand he's dealing to the umbie. there'll be a shift in "dominance", so to speak.

thoughts?

[Fawn]

the whine does sound like a whistle.. although his body language is that like begging to be fed. puffed feathers and crouching. sometimes he does it while standing too. there's just NO telling when he'll strike which makes my boyfriend understandably nervous.

[Fawn]

yeesh... i keep forgetting other thoughts before pressing post lol sorry

i wanted to say thank you JLcribber for the article!! i'll have to read it when i grab a quiet moment later tonight lol

and JT thank you so much for the support and offer!! i'll inbox you eventually, as i'm NJ. not sure if you said you're near there or not. i really should read back but i'm posting now while the little feathered demons are out and about :P hard to focus

[Fawn]

Ack! Sorry JL, you did mention him taking on more handling with my U2.. so i guess we can take that route and see what happens from there!

i really need to post/read when it's quieter around here :topsy_turvy:

[Pinkbirdy]

He needs to have the no fear approach and win him over {where a sweatshirt] :) When my RB2 was alive she loved me [was a big brat to Dave ] . Well Dave decided he didn't care [if he got bit ] and was consistent[made a super big deal about her] and she learned to love him.

[spiritbird]

Think of your maturing bird as a rebellious teenager who may refuse to conform to the standards you formally set. He will need ways to express his independence as he grows into adulthood . Try to give him choices in the little and big things. Does he want to come out of the cage when a hand reaches in to get him? This is important because this is the age when they can become biters. Try not to dominate in your day to day activities with him. Enforce the core behaviors (step-up, down,) while allowing him to mature into an adult with your guidance and love.

I think Sally Blanchard writes very gooarticleses about birds and specializes in toos. Here is a link to her pages:

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[Bokkapooh]

He's only 14 mos old. He shouldn't be having any real behavioral issues such as aggression or territorial behavior.

From your first post, the umbie only lunged at your bf's nose once. Right?

[Bokkapooh]

I've reread your posts several times now and the more I re read it the more I've come to these two conclusion: He (U2) is hissing at your boyfriend. He's nervous of your boyfriend.

Your boyfriend reached into his cage and probably scared him and now your baby boy U2 is scared of your bf. Which explains the poofing up and hissing with possible mild lunging.

Or 2: Your baby U2 (at 14mos they're pretty much babies still) is asking to be handfed. My U2s don't whistle. They cry though! If he is crying he is asking your bf to handfeed him! The lunge was a mere way to get food.

[Fawn]

so since posting a month ago, the behavior has stopped. he is whining, but for what i call "feel good feedings" (he doesn't get anything for whinging) not because of aggression. he is VERY MUCH still a baby.. and i think it's more a sign of over-excitement/fear than anything else. i've noticed he is generally a little unsure of everything that goes on around him that might be unfamiliar. he gets like this once in a blue when he's out with everyone else.

because of that, i've since started overlapping the out of cage time with the other birds and alone. he seems to be doing much better, aside from his insecurities. i noticed an attraction to my goffin for "feedings". they bee-line it for each other but i'm too afraid to have them together for extended periods of time. i really would rather he not get used to being so close to my goffin anyway while he's still young.

other than that, i'm treat training. in the beginning (and still now most of the time), my boyfriend and i are playing good cop, bad cop with the birds. i put the birds away and he takes them out. i place them on stands and he takes them off. BUT with my umbie, i've still made it a positive for me to place him in places he doesn't want to be by offering almonds as a reward. he's a SUCKER for almonds... it's just like giving a bottle or pacifier to a baby lol. he's my mush.

my favorite is when he's feeling SUPER cuddly and will shove his head into my chest, lift my arms with his head, and put bury his face under them. these are the moments i adore and remember every detail, as i'm sure things will be veerrrryyy different in a few years. le sigh.

i went off-track but.. yeah. that's what's been going on. anything else anyone wants to add, please by all means!

i hope you guys are all well!! :D

[Minamommy]

Fawn I have a 19 month old U2 and boy oh boy have we been tested. I have been bitten on the nose twice and I'm her favorite. Mina didn't like my husband till recently till I made him a treat. Every time she saw him after lunging and trying to full out attack him at first. We decided to devide and concor. He only saw her alone and always with a favorite treat. Then would tell her how pretty she was la la la and I would come take her away. Finally we worked up to being in the same room with treats. Now no treats and she says she loves him all the time and NOT me. Wait how did that happen!! So now she literally flirts with him. I hope this helped a little. Any questions give a holer. I've been through it all in the last 16 months.