So you brought home a new pet cockatoo days or weeks ago. It seemed so friendly when you picked it up. You love him no matter what, but it really worries you that he’s so scared of you. You’ve tried everything you can think of. Now what?

You had such high expectations, but now you wonder what went wrong and if you can fix it. Well, don’t despair, help has arrived. This is one of the most common scenarios that I see on the bird forums forum. The common factors are:

1. The bird is a new addition
2. The bird is afraid of the hands in the cage.
3. The bird flees from you
4. The bird flies away from you out of the cage.

If you look at the fact that the bird is a new addition, this explains that it does not know you. The surroundings are new. The cage is new. The food is new. You are new Any questions?

Cockatoos take time to acclimate to their environment. 2-5 days to acclimatize is not uncommon. But they still have no reason to trust their surroundings. Confidence takes longer than acclimatization. Now let’s get your little one out of the cage. While your bird needs readily available food and water, don’t give it treats in its cage just yet. Keep the treats out of the cage. Cockatoos like to perch in an area and hang out there most of the day. You should have an area for them to do just that. You may want to set up a bird gym or something that is clearly a place for them. A common area is above his cage. This should be where they want to go when they want to get out of the cage.

Now that you have a gym / perch area (which they fear), how do you chase them there? Put treats. Cockatoos love millet spray above all else and they love sunflower seeds too. No, we also know that cockatoos are foragers, so leave some seed for them to scratch.

Remember, they are scared of new items, so wait for them to acclimate. Now let’s talk about the second element. You try to convince him to come out, but he’s scared of your hands. I tell them “That’s right.” Cockatoos don’t like you in their space. Period. Get over. They are territorial. Over time, he will understand when it is necessary to clean the cage or put food and water, but right now he does not care. I offer to take my birds out of the cage, but I don’t force it. They love me very much, but it is their cage. I don’t even force them out when I clean.

Now I didn’t say you couldn’t convince them to leave. My birds would kill me and then ask me for a potato chip (I know they’re not good for them, but we’re talking about building trust here). They will be trampled all the way to the door by a chip. Why should I eject them when I need to clean? So let’s review that concept for a minute to clarify it. Do not put treats in the cage. Put them where you want them to go. It may take some time. You may need to start in the cage, move it to the door, then to your hand, then to the gym. But they will follow you and find a reason to trust you.

Now let’s look at the third and fourth elements. The bird flees. Building trust like the one above is good. But if the bird likes treats and still runs away or flies, you have a new problem. Now is the time to clip the wings. Much has been written about the pros and cons of wing clipping. Many feel that it is not “natural”. What is natural about having a wild bird in your home?

Let’s start with the premise that feathers grow back. If you don’t know how to trim, find someone who does. Pay the $ 10- $ 15 and learn how. Some people worry that their bird will hate them if they cut them. They don’t, they get over it in about 5 seconds. Plus, I guarantee you will see an immediate change in attitude. In a few minutes they will understand that they cannot fly and will gladly accept their help to get from one place to another. Although the attitude will change instantly, confidence may take a few days or weeks but it will happen and quickly.