What Are Bad Behaviors In A Cockatoo

Cockatoos are recognized as very intelligent and playful birds that have a strong personality. They could also display bad behavior that is not always due to instincts or bad habits; they could be due to other reasons also. Once we know what is troubling our pet bird, we could do everything possible to turn him/her into a well behaved pet.

Some of the bad behaviors in cockatoos are: 

Screaming and screeching: This is one of the most natural behaviors of these pet birds that are otherwise friendly and loving; most cockatoos tend to scream and screech especially at dawn and dusk. 

It would help to reduce screaming and screeching by keeping the cockatoo in a room where there are other people; most isolated cockatoos instinctively call out to their flock. It would also help to make a calmer and quieter bird by providing flapping exercise sessions, easy access to chewable branches and giving frequent long showers that relaxes the pet bird.

Feather plucking: Quite common in cockatoos, feather plucking could range from occasional pulling of a bothersome tail feather to full-on mutilation that could also leave bloody scabs on the pet bird’s body. 

One of the common reasons for feather plucking could be boredom; stimulating the bird with plenty of toys would help. It would also help to rotate the toys, so they enjoy and find the activity stimulating. Spending some extra quality time with the pet bird would also help to make the pet bird feel wanted and loved. It is however wrong to ascribe feather plucking purely to boredom; it could also be due to mites or skin allergies and a vet is to be consulted to rule out these possibilities.

Biting: Birds in the wild like cockatoos rarely use their beaks; but cockatoos may bite just for fun. 

Yelling at a cockatoo when he bites would only encourage him as cockatoos associate a screaming behavior for fun. You could discourage your pet bird from biting by calmly but firmly saying, “No” with a frown; the cockatoo would sense your displeasure. Then calmly make him walk from one hand to the other; known as laddering, this is a negative experience for the pet bird and he will stop biting.

Dominant and recalcitrant behavior: This misbehavior is not truly dominance, but the cockatoo’s way of not obeying you.

You could effectively get what you want by gently persuading your pet bird and making the action more fun; it is futile to force your cockatoo. If your cockatoo resists leaving a high perch to return to the cage, you could show him special attention and put a special treat in the cage for him when he returns. He would be tempted to come back to the cage. You could practice this behavior even at ordinary times; your pet cockatoo will then learn to obey you with the least stress in a reward rich environment.  

Hope you are well equipped to tackle the bad behavior of your cockatoo?