We’ve had Cleo as part of our lives for roughly 25 yrs. She acts like she needs a mate and has pulled some feathers on herself. Cleo sees us as part of her flock and always wants a taste of what we eat. She is very loving with my husband and I, but is selective with whom she befriends of anyone who visits us. Do you have a list of foods, veggies etc she can/can’t eat? Thank you.
Hi Barbara,
One thing that may be going on is you & your husband may be inadvertently triggering her hormones. Cockatoos can be very loving, but we have to limit contact to only petting them on the head & neck. If you pet her on the body or cuddle with her, this is something only a mate would do, so it triggers her hormones. Feeding too many fresh foods and table foods during the spring can also be a trigger. And when she is out, it is important that you not let her get into dark cozy places, or roam around the house, especially on the floor, because this mimic searching for a nesting area. Do not let her have any type of bird hut or nest, box, or anything she might try to use as a nest.
We offer free webinars on most Fridays, and recently we have featured hormone issues. I would recommend watching some of those to better understand triggers. She doesn’t need a mate, because she has to and your husband as companions. And she’s a bit old for breeding. It’s also hard to keep a male and female cockatoo, because the males have a tendency to kill the females without warning. So working on avoiding hormone triggers is the best solution. I’ll give you the link to our nutrition webinars and our feeding guide, too.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
