r/cockatoos

Hey guys I really need help, for anyone that doesn't know, I adopted a 14 year old, male (i believe) yellow crested cockatoo named dandy lu about 4 months ago (he is my first ever bird so im not very knowledgeable on birds and their behaviour), he was from a rough situation, fed the wrong food (kit kats EVERYDAY) plucked all his feathers, was used to being handled but was violent with everyone that wasnt his owner ( especially women), the whole shebang.

Didn't help that I got him during mateing season, as I learnt the hard way lol 😅

He was mean at first (nearly took out my eye) but after 2 months of just us he calmed right down, he started to play with me, talk to me, came up to me when I came home and let me pet him and gave me kisses, he became a complete sweetheart of a bird (aside from committing complet irreparably property damage 😆)

But then the last couple of months I noticed he was getting sick (sneezing, inability to fly, slight tail bod and obviously still plucking his feathers) so i took him to the vets that I was planning on waiting for a little bit to introduce him to, as we were still not completely bonded yet and I wanted to be sure before taking him, but needs must and all that jazz.

After 2 trips to the vets where we had initial consultation and the bloods and x-rays, we have found out that he has a small liver (that we are testing antibiotics on to see if it is a treatable infection through them before more invasive stuff) completely healthy lungs and weak wing muscles due to inability to fly (caused by being kept in a budgie cage for the first 10 years of his life) and arthritis in his left knee and right hip which he is on painkiller for from now on(due to how he purches to sleep the goober), he is getting better, he doesn't pluck his feathers now and he has so many new keratin feathers sheaths for new growths and its nice to know that its unlikely that anything else is not a major issue (as told by vet).

But he stopped being him.

He doesn't like being off his purch, he doesn't talk unless he is covered up and only if he thinks hes alone, he still let's me hold and stroke him, unless I go near his head then he turns away, but he shakes whenever i move or go close to him, he doesn't give me kisses but he'll sit on my shoulder if I pull him down off his purch, its like he is scared of my hands but not me? He doesn't play with anything anymore and he just sleeps all the time or screeches when I go out the room, the only time I have seen him leave his cage has been when my mum is here and its to attack her (after giving her a false sense of security by being cute and giving little kisses and going for cuddles the little menace 🤣)

I've brought this to my vets attention but they have said it will just take time and he will be fine in a couple of days, but its been a month and a half since his last visit, and hes still scared of me, I dont know if im over-reacting or not but im seriously worried that the constant need for meds and the vet visits (that, unfortunately, now need to happen every 3 months) have made him irreparably scared of me.

Im so sorry for the long post but I thought it best to get everything straight here before opinions where given.

I just want my baby back 😥😭

(The photos are before everything went to sh*t)

Big brained goober also knows how to turn off the lights when she wants to nap. Scared the heck out of me the first time I came home seeing the lights were off.

I thought smarts were exclusively a Goofin Cockatoos thing.

Dig

(vest picture for example; pepto pigeon picture for tax)

The title explains it all really, does anyone have any insight on these full vest/inescapable flightsuit things I've seen around? I would have no intention of buying an "Amazon special" like this but my question comes from a place of concern.

I have a 4 y.o. Galah who I'd love to start taking into the garden however the standard webbing harnesses just look so flimsy and easy to escape, I realise loads of owners use them and this is probably just a *me* thing but I feel like something more substantial that she can't easily slip loose from would put my mind at ease.

Obviously if she seemed at all freaked out by it then I'm not forcing her to endure it and I'd just need to adjust to a standard harness, but I thought I'd check around the community and see if anyone's got any advice, suggestions, etc. I'm not fussed about the cost if there is a solid option but obviously the internet is full of junk and I'd take someone's recommendation over random 5* reviews on Amazon etc.

TIA!

Mine is a Major Mitchell’s (Leadbeater’s) Cockatoo. I absolutely adore these guys! I will have a Cockatoo again at some point soon. I DO NOT recommend these guys unless you are a very experienced bird owner. I have scars from an extremely friendly Cockatoo.

Hi all, odd request but I'm looking for suggestions on a cockatoo resistant wooden tray i can have as a topper for my black shoulder chickens play-gym while i work.

Pictured is the space that I have for him. His lack of head is temporary I have spares on hand whenever he loses one, which is often.

Anyway... I want this tray to simply sit on the top of the folding table. He has taken to waddling around on the table itself lately and chewing on it. The waddling is fine, but the chewing the table is not. Though since its thick and hardened (salvage piece from a former family 4x4) he's struggling with it, but hasn't stopped him from cutting gouges into the sides.

Main criteria:

• Something that is solid enough that it's relatively cockatoo-beak resistant, so hardwoods would be ideal, or smooth metal/stainless steel
• Raised sides to keep the mess contained. Handles optional.
• If wood, thick enough that it can ideally last around 6 months or so before I need to replace it, and cut up the old one into scrap pieces for him to shred further
• Heavy enough that it wont tip over if a 650g (potentially 950g when he's matured) fluffy burnt dumpling stands on the edge of it, but I have means to fix it into place regardless.
• Wide and long enough to entirely cover the table. approx 800mm x 400mm?

Context: I set this up every day for him when I WFH so I have an easy space to put foraging foods and toys to keep him occupied and distracted, allowing him to be near me without actually being on me physically to dull some of the clinginess tendencies.

In particular, to prevent him from reaching to valuable things on my PC desk. A momentary lapse in supervision as I was changing cables under my desk meant his curious exploration bites resulted in him busting one of my OLED panels. I was fast enough to catch him in the act but not fast enough to prevent the damage.

My fault yes, but I have revoked his desk roaming privileges 🫠

Anyone here seen some good candidates out there for what can fulfil this? Doesn't need to be something purpose made for birds, any kind of tray that's a good size and thickness will work and ideally is something fellow cockatoo owners have already used for a bird-related purpose.