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I am a nine year old umbrella cockatoo with a history of abuse. At my first home, I was given excess affection by my mom for the first two years. Then mom got busy with work, and my human sister stepped in for two years, but then she went off to college and I was left with a huge void. I have not been taught any skills except how to be a human love doll. I have started to develop displaced abnormal behaviors like self-mutilation, overly grooming, and screaming. It was then that I began to be abused. At my second home I stayed for four years. I ended up there when my "Dad" completed a home renovation some 4 years ago when the client asked "Hey you want a bird?". By that I was being abused at the original home with people shouting at me and throwing things at my cage. My second family thought they could provide a much better home for me, so they took me home, to rescue me from further abuse. I have had such a bad experience with men that I've started to generalize my dislike for them. I guess I'd had just enough negative punishment. You see even timeouts, i.e. negative punishment, can result in typical punishment side effects like increased aggression. So recently, when my Dad walked by my cage I reached out for him with my beak, and then when he told me to get back in my cage I bit him. Now I've been asked to leave. Sigh! My bird behaviorist has some recommendations for me. Given that I have had access to shredding material, a high fat/calorie diet, and long daylight hours, I am possibly experiencing hormonal effects. He says I need a change of diet, environment, and training. With these changes, he's confident that I will learn to thrive in captivity. That, along with positive reinforcement, I should be on the road to recovery soon. Do you think you can provide all that for me? I really want to be a good companion parrot- but I'll need just the right type of family. Could that be you? Notice: Due to the notoriously difficult nature of cockatoos, Mickaboo prefers that cockatoos not be a households' first parrot. If you intend to house a cockatoo, please research the following websites: Wikipedia: Cockatoos My Toos Print this page |
