Hi! I have an Umbrella Cockatoo and I noticed she tries to dig in the corners of our couch or against someone’s leg. I originally thought this might be burrowing or hormonal but I have also seen information on the internet that it could be digging and not hormonal. We only pet her on her head and she does not show any other reproductive signs (nor has she laid an egg before).
Hi Justin,
Digging behavior is common in African Greys and some Cockatoo species. It’s not fully understood why they do it, and it may have more than one purpose. It’s clearly a wild instinct. It may be a nesting type behavior for adult birds. But even chicks being hand fed will do this. I wouldn’t be too worried about it. You can divert her attention to a toy whenever she does this. Another good diversion is behavior modification or trick training. We will be having a webinar on that topic very soon, being presented by Dr. Stephanie Lamb. Generally some type of diversion is the best way to handle unwanted or possibly unhealthy behaviors.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
