What should owner do about fearful cockatoo?

Question: I recently adopted a female umbrella cockatoo. She seems very sweet and does not bite, but she’s terrified of people. I think she was scared in the previous household by a caretaker while the owner was away. She eats and drinks fine, but she goes right to the bottom of her cage in fear whenever I walk by or try to talk to her. What can I do to win her over?

Answer: Fear-related behavioral disorders are very common in birds. Who knows what this bird has been through or if she has had any experience with people outside of her original owner. The key will be to take it slow and teach her that you won’t hurt her. Follow the steps below and you will be on your way to helping your bird be more confident.

1. Enrich your bird’s environment. Birds need to have their toys rotated frequently (for some birds, that means every other day). Simple enrichment decreases stress allowing the bird to be more open to change.

2. Let your bird forage for her food. Many fearful birds are reluctant to approach novel things so introduce foraging slowly. You can find lots of information on foraging for birds on the internet. Just as with environmental enrichment, this is a big stress reducer for birds.

3. Clicker train your bird. You will find information on this topic at www.clickertraining.com. Clicker training allows you to work from afar to increase her confidence. It doesn’t matter what you teach her to do. You are simply setting up structured interactions with her so that you are predictable. These types of interactions lessen anxiety and fear in many animals.

4. Do not force your bird to be with the you.

5. Give your bird a place to hide or move her cage off the beaten path. This will give her a safe place, decreasing her hypervigilance.

6. Call out to her as you pass by the cage so that she will know that you are coming. As you are walking by, drop a tasty treat into her bowl. Do this every time that you go by her cage. Soon, your voice and your entry into the room will be paired with food, changing the meaning of your presence from frightening to rewarding.

It will take some time, but before too long, she will be stepping up and calling to you without any fear at all.

Dr. Radosta

Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com
Read more articles by Dr. Radosta | Ask her a question

Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2010/12/22/what-should-owner-do-about-fearful-cockatoo/

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