# Cockatoo



## aban (May 28, 2008)

Hi I recently aquired a cockatoo and I thought he was a lesser sulfur but now im not so sure after looking at pics he has a much more orange crest so was wondering what others think he is a lesser sulfur or citron crested??
heres a pic of him












Thanks


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

He isnt a lesser, lessers have yellow thats very pale, hes a citron


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Thanks I thought he was he's very orange on his crest, he came from a family with very active kids and they were throwing things at his cage and upsetting him and he started feather plucking, also he was in a very small cage he now has a huge cage loads of toys and loads of attention. He hasn't been trained very well although he is very friendly hopefully now he's getting everything he needs he will stop plucking


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Yes, he does look like a Citron Crested Cockatoo. Citron Cresteds are a sub-species of the Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, so they are closely related.


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

aban said:


> Thanks I thought he was he's very orange on his crest, he came from a family with very active kids and they were throwing things at his cage and upsetting him and he started feather plucking, also he was in a very small cage he now has a huge cage loads of toys and loads of attention. He hasn't been trained very well although he is very friendly hopefully now he's getting everything he needs he will stop plucking


Poor thing, he wont take long to settle and then his behaviour will improve. Took our girl nearly 2 years but she came to us with only her primarys and her head feathers and was v badly neglected.

Just be patient and it will fit into place


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Snoopy84 said:


> Poor thing, he wont take long to settle and then his behaviour will improve. Took our girl nearly 2 years but she came to us with only her primarys and her head feathers and was v badly neglected.
> 
> Just be patient and it will fit into place


Yeah he already seems so much more happy asking for tickles and this morning he even came onto me and snuggled into my neck, its just trying to break the habit of stripping his feathers. He's such a softy I'm pretty confident he will stop plucking everything takes time and now he's in a better environment I have no doubts he will be a much happier birdy. 
Your poor bird its terrible how ppl neglect such wonderful birds stick them in a cage and forget about them glad she is better now and happy.


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## red foot marg (Feb 19, 2008)

aban said:


> Yeah he already seems so much more happy asking for tickles and this morning he even came onto me and snuggled into my neck, its just trying to break the habit of stripping his feathers. He's such a softy I'm pretty confident he will stop plucking everything takes time and now he's in a better environment I have no doubts he will be a much happier birdy.
> Your poor bird its terrible how ppl neglect such wonderful birds stick them in a cage and forget about them glad she is better now and happy.


 when your not there try leaving him with fresh willow branches to chew


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

Cockatoos do best in groups. I'd advise getting him a friend! Good luck!


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

red foot marg said:


> when your not there try leaving him with fresh willow branches to chew


Thanks I will do didn't think of that, luckly work from home so he won't be alone very much but I will get some willow branches for wen I'm out


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Wolflore said:


> Cockatoos do best in groups. I'd advise getting him a friend! Good luck!


I've read that too but if he has me here most of the time I'm hoping that will be enough for him to be happy, just like my african grey who came on holiday and out in the car he even came on dog walks so my plan is to eventually take him out with me too if I can get him harness trained he 5yrs old so even if I did get him a friend I would be worried they wouldn't get on and then I'd have to seperate them.
With every passing day he is trusting me more and more trying to teach him step up step down at the moment, all he has been taught is to talk a little, he also doesn't know what to do with his toys yet he's keeping away from them at the moment.


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## duffey (Mar 1, 2012)

Aban

Sorry, but you should ignore Wolflore's comment. Whilst nature programmes show Cockatoos in flocks, they can be murderous in close confinement - cocks of established pairs are quite capable of killing the hen before you can get into the aviary to part them!

Many 'pet' Cockatoos have been badly hand-reared and they SCREAM! If your Citron Crest hasn't screamed yet, you may be lucky!

Because Cockatoos (and the larger Macaws) are so intelligent they need to be kept interested. If you 'let things slide' it's like a having a very spoilt child!

A friend had a superb Cockatoo - a Moluccan - that was so attached to her it didn't need a cage. She could take it down the street or in a car (with the window open) without using anything to restrain it. But when she fell pregnant and decided to rehome it with a friend of mine who kept (and bred) a wide variety of Cockatoos, including Black Palms, all hell broke loose! It had to be returned to it's original owner within the week before divorce (or worse!) took place! 

You're doing everything right so far - keep it up!


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

i wouldnt recommend getting a second cockatoo, that is bad advice!!!

With our too we were advised similar and we took on another on a trial basis and it undid many many months of work, she simply preferred being a lone bird with people attention.

Forraging/puzzle and toys to destroy are a god send, we even had success with a feather duster that she would take her frustrations out on instead of herself.

The puzzle and foragers, even a cardboard box with some shredded paper inside and some nuts will keep his/her mind busy and away from mutilation.

they are such intellegant animals, they need a LOT of mental stimulation, the more toys to trash, fiddle with, investigate the better, as it keeps their mind active and away from wanting to mutilate


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

duffey said:


> Aban
> 
> Sorry, but you should ignore Wolflore's comment. Whilst nature programmes show Cockatoos in flocks, they can be murderous in close confinement - cocks of established pairs are quite capable of killing the hen before you can get into the aviary to part them!
> 
> ...


Thankyou for your comment he hasn't screamed yet just a couple of low screeches when I leave the room, but won't go back in the room untill he stops so hoping he will relise screeching won't get him attention. He already seems quite taken with me although ivyet to get him to step up on to my arm but I will keep going with the treat training.

I think because he gets so much attention here he is starting to relise its not like his last home no mad kids bashing his cage and screaming at him, loads of toys and good food plus he's out the cage most of the time whereas at his last home he was only in a cage 2ft square. He only goes in at night when I go to bed, have noticed that when I put him in his cage he starts feather chewing again but hardly ever seems to when he's out, my last bird was a big part of the family and ihoping he will be too.


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Snoopy84 said:


> i wouldnt recommend getting a second cockatoo, that is bad advice!!!
> 
> With our too we were advised similar and we took on another on a trial basis and it undid many many months of work, she simply preferred being a lone bird with people attention.
> 
> ...



I am hoping that all his toys, blocks, perches and everything else will stop the plucking when he goes back in his cage. He will go in and out all day but heyet to play with anything just goes in for a bit of food and a drink then comes back out and asks for a tickle I didn't thing of cardbord boxes with shredded paper and nuts in I will do that tomorrow for him. He loves to chuck his food all over the place looking for the best bits lol and dances at the top of the cage lol. He is very very clever the pic I put up of him with the frog I gave him cos he was plucking at the time he made a hole in it carried it over to his water bowl and used it as a cup to drink from it was great to watch


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

I'd certainly not advise you to get a companion for this CCC. If he is a hand-reared bird, he will already be mentally damaged. He doesn't need more unsettlement right now.


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

We also found that changing the cage from one that ours originally came from made ours more safe in it. we do not move toys inside of it or do anything inside of it while shes in the room, that way its kept as her safe area.

We also dont place her back in her cage, she free roams all day and in the evening she takes herself away and thenw e close the door, its all on her terms.


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Snoopy84 said:


> We also found that changing the cage from one that ours originally came from made ours more safe in it. we do not move toys inside of it or do anything inside of it while shes in the room, that way its kept as her safe area.
> 
> We also dont place her back in her cage, she free roams all day and in the evening she takes herself away and thenw e close the door, its all on her terms.


 
Yeah I dont go in his cage when hes around he doesnt seem to like it much, he is free to roam most of the time he just goes in and out as he pleases, he seems happier doing that than being in it.
Because he is out 99% of the time only staying in at night I think I might have to get some more toys for him to play with whilst hes out.


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

aban said:


> Yeah I dont go in his cage when hes around he doesnt seem to like it much, he is free to roam most of the time he just goes in and out as he pleases, he seems happier doing that than being in it.
> Because he is out 99% of the time only staying in at night I think I might have to get some more toys for him to play with whilst hes out.


scarletts parrot essencials is a fab site

*scarlettsparrot*essentials.co.uk/

We got the peanut pantry from there, filled with shredded tissue paper and put treats in for her and she would spend aggges pulling out the tissue looking for the treats, toos adore trashing stuff! though widget would dance with the shredded paper in his beak :lol2:


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Snoopy84 said:


> scarletts parrot essencials is a fab site
> 
> *scarlettsparrot*essentials.co.uk/
> 
> We got the peanut pantry from there, filled with shredded tissue paper and put treats in for her and she would spend aggges pulling out the tissue looking for the treats, toos adore trashing stuff! though widget would dance with the shredded paper in his beak :lol2:


Just been onto that site its brilliant the pricea are really good too I can see me ordering loads of toys for him lol

I put a little cardboard box with some shredded paper and treats inside he has made a proper mess ripping it all out looking for them, love when cockatoos dance joey has only had a little bouncy dance so far must be a funny sight when yours has a beakful of paper dancing lol

There is so much I want to teach him although he did a half stepup for me this morning, what sort of treats do you give yours? my grey used to love things like brazil nuts,fruit especially grapes dried bananas and prunes he also used to nick my cup of tea if left it on the table too long lol


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

aban said:


> Just been onto that site its brilliant the pricea are really good too I can see me ordering loads of toys for him lol
> 
> I put a little cardboard box with some shredded paper and treats inside he has made a proper mess ripping it all out looking for them, love when cockatoos dance joey has only had a little bouncy dance so far must be a funny sight when yours has a beakful of paper dancing lol
> 
> There is so much I want to teach him although he did a half stepup for me this morning, what sort of treats do you give yours? my grey used to love things like brazil nuts,fruit especially grapes dried bananas and prunes he also used to nick my cup of tea if left it on the table too long lol


lol we have a treat tin, full of mixed nuts and they adore banana chips, they only get the treats in moderation though and they have to work for it via forraging toys, however there is one exception and thats when we have visitors over the visitors give the cockatoo a treat, that way we are trying to associate strangers as a good thing and something to be happy about as she can be quite nervy.

Took us a very very long time to be able to get ours to step up or even let us touch her so you have good progress already!!!

Scarletts is amazing, they have always given great customer service over the years of using them, we even went to see them and their birds once and they are lovely people. We never use anyone else for our bird stuff!


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Here's another pic of him and you can see where he mostly plucks, he doesn't seem to be doing it too much but I do see him every so often and I walk out of the room when I catch him he doesn't like that and calls me to come back so hopefully he will get the hint if I pluck she dissappears when I don't she talks to me, herehoping he gets it soon


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

awww hes gorgeous and yes, thats a good thing, i do highly recommend toys that he can trash, gives him something to destroy instead of his feathers


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## aban (May 28, 2008)

Snoopy84 said:


> awww hes gorgeous and yes, thats a good thing, i do highly recommend toys that he can trash, gives him something to destroy instead of his feathers


Yeah he's hopefully getting the messege he's finally started to destroy some toys he has a box with some shredded paper in it and he likes that, currently he loves an abacus got him he's always fiddling with it. He so desperatly wants to fly over to me on the sofa keeps doing the begging dance as I call it but he just hasn't got the confidence yet, I got him a ladder from his cage down to the table so he could come to me that way but doesn't use it yet.

And I was so pleased the other day he flew over to the window sill I went over and he actually stepped onto me. Even if it was only till I got near his cage then he wanted off lol:2thumb:


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## Snoopy84 (May 15, 2010)

aban said:


> Yeah he's hopefully getting the messege he's finally started to destroy some toys he has a box with some shredded paper in it and he likes that, currently he loves an abacus got him he's always fiddling with it. He so desperatly wants to fly over to me on the sofa keeps doing the begging dance as I call it but he just hasn't got the confidence yet, I got him a ladder from his cage down to the table so he could come to me that way but doesn't use it yet.
> 
> And I was so pleased the other day he flew over to the window sill I went over and he actually stepped onto me. Even if it was only till I got near his cage then he wanted off lol:2thumb:




awww just give him time and he will have you trained how he wants you :2thumb:


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