sulphur Crested Cockatoo

[Maria]

Hello, I'm new to this forum
I recently got a male Sulphur Crested Cockie, he will be 6 months on the 3rd or 4th of September. I've had him for nearly three weeks now and he has started to trust me. The problem is he won't let me put my hand near him without any food in my hand. If i have a treat for him he will let me get really close to his beak without biting me. He will hiss at me and his crest will rise up. He will also try and lunge at me, but only sometimes.
How can i gain his trust? Thank you

[avinet]

Patience, patience and more patience.

Basically he is still scared of you, however the fact that he will accept food treats is a good sign and basically you will have to spend time gently talking to him, giving little food treats and just generally let him know that no harm is going to come to him. Just don't try to ruch it - it may take weeks or even months to completely gain his trust but it should happen eventually.

DO you know anything about his background? Is he aviary bred or wild caught? Legally wild caught Sulphurs get a steel wire leg ring put on - it would look basically like a bit of fencing wire around the lower leg - and have a split in it.

The reason I ask is that 6 months old means he would have hatched in early March - the breeding season for Sulphurs is normally over by January. Not impossible but very unlikely.

Oh, and welcome to the Forum Maria, hope you find it useful for you. And photos are always welcome,

cheers,

Mike

[Maria]

Thank you for replying!
I went and had a look he doesn't have a wire on. The person I got it from got it from his friend who moved overseas. I have met the mother and father of my bird and they seem healthy and happy. He has mentioned that charlies sister already talks. I'm guessing they are parent raised because he is not used to humans. The guy I got him from said he was hatched either 3rd or 4th of march? Is that possible?

So by calmly sitting there talking to him would gain his trust?

[avinet]

Just a few more questions I'm afraid.

Firstly where do you live? A March date is possible but very unlikely in Eastern and Southern Australia. However it sounds like the previous owners were quite definite, so it is likely you will have to believe them. And it would appear that he is aviary bred and likely not hand reared.

Secondly how is he housed - large cage in the house, on a verandah, in an aviary?

Finally what do you feed him on a daily basis?

cheers,

Mike

[Maria]

I live in South Australia, so according to the dates that he gave us, the egg would have been laid early February? Does that sound likely?

He is housed under the verandah in a large cage. He gets fed half a small cup of quality bird seeds twice a day morning and dinner time (this is what he was brought up on) and i also include fresh fruits and vegetables daily, what ever fruits and veggies we're eating during the day he will usually get some as well.

[avinet]

A March hatch is possible but very unlikely - in SA egg laying is normally completed by the end of the year which means hatching could be in January. My guess is that early March might be the time he left the nest and he hatched about two months before that.

I think to gain his confidence quickly you would be best having the bird in a cage inside - family room is ideal - where he is constantly being talked to and where he can see people and better relate to the people around him. On a verandah, in most households, the time spent interacting with the bird is going to be significantly less. In a family room, every time someone walks past they can stop and talk to him for a minute of two, maybe give him a titbit etc.

Birds like a cockatoo, which in the wild belong to a large flock, want to feel that they do belong to a flock, and the humans around him are going to form that flock. Being where the humans are helps to develop that sense of being in a (human) flock and hence helps to gain his trust. If the young bird is outside, even under a verandah, while his "flock" is inside, it is much harder for him to develop that flock mentality with the humans in the household.

If he has to stay outside, you will eventually, likely, gain that trust, but it would happen quicker and better if he has more constant and closer contact

cheers,

Mike

[Maria]

Even if he was born a bit earlier he is still pretty young then I guess I'll have to take his word on his age.

It's bot possible to put him inside unfortunately, our family room is so small the cage would take up half the room haha. But where the cage is just outside the screen door so he can still see inside and we are constantly out there even for five minutes at a time just sitting there talking to him. He seems to have taken to me more than my brother or parents, I'm glad about this because he is my bird. Would you be opposed to using gloves when trying to handle him so if he bites he won't take part of my hand off? I want to be able to play with him and bring him inside but I'm too scared to get close to him. Or does this just take time?

Thank you for all your help!

[avinet]

Yes it just takes time - as I said at the start, patience, patience and patience are the three key ingredients!

Don't rush things, and I would not recommend wearing gloves if it can at all be avoided. When you have your hand near to him move slowly and deliberately, and always keep watching his face - eye contact. Get used to reading body language, if they are likely to bite the warning signs are there. A good DVD about body language in larger birds is the one at www.birdkeeper.com.au/bird-dvds/dvd90-understanding-parrot-body-language-dvd - and all of Barbara Heidenreich's DVD's are a fantastic aid to parrot behaviour and training.

You will no doubt be the one who spends most time interacting with him but it is also important that others in the house also spend some time as well - helps to develop that flock feeling and hopefully you will end up with a bird that is bonded to you but is also accepting of the others.

cheers,

Mike