In May of 2023, my husband and I adopted a 25-year-old, sex unknown, umbrella cockatoo named Rocky. The only feather’s left on his body were on his head. Like a baby chick, he also had fluffy down feathers on his body. Rocky came from a deplorable environmental situation and the former owner was an older gentleman who passed away.
Because I was naive, I was convinced with the proper environment and a loving family, Rocky would soon stop picking at his feathers. I envisioned a happy bird who would become the next YouTube star, dancing and singing and entertaining people all over the world. If not, he could at least entertain us.
Maybe not…
Rocky’s feathers started growing in beautifully. Both my husband and I were very excited. Things started moving in the right direction and suddenly, tips of Rocky’s feathers were on the bottom of his cage. I was crushed! Feeling defeated, I wondered if we had made the right choice to bring him home. Maybe Rocky should be with another family who could help him. Then I thought again. What family could help him better than we are? What can we do to figure out this problem?
Diagnosing the problem…
This is what we know about Rocky. Rocky has a very good diet. He mainly eats organic pellets, grains, and vegetables. He is on a regular sleep schedule providing him with 10 to 12 hours a sleep every night. Rocky is out of his cage frequently and gets plenty of exercise. Both my husband and I spend a lot of time with him since we are at home all day.
Although this sounds good, we also know he has issues. Rocky is very hormonal. This is common in cockatoos because they are very affectionate birds. Unfortunately, this behavior is not seasonal for him but all the time. His mate of choice is my husband who he calls Lala. When Lala is around, I am very careful in his presence. He has been known to chase me up onto the kitchen counter. (He bites hard.)
We also know that he fears almost everything. He must have not been introduced to much in the first 25 years of his life. This poor bird gets scared when I clean his cage. Bath time is torture for him. Toys hanging in his cage are stressful. New food items scare him. Yes, he is scared of a banana.
Also, Rocky had never been trained to step-up which makes it difficult to do everyday husbandry with him. He doesn’t understand what we want from him. We are still trying to figure out what to reward Rocky with because he is not exactly food or toy motivated.
Making the next step…
In August of 2023, I called the avian veterinarian to find out what we could do to make things better for Rocky. After a long conversation, we all decided we should try a hormone implant. We also added Metformin to help with the discomfort of growing his feather’s back. Once we get these two things under control, we will contact a parrot behavioralist for training.
What we learned…
The decisions we made were not taken lightly. We worked hard for months, and the situation was not getting better. Although implants and medication seemed to be a scary step. It was something that needed to be done so that we could move forward. Adopting a bird with issues is not for the weak. It takes a lot of patience, commitment, and money. But if you really want to succeed and are passionate, you have to trust that you can make things better.
It’s been a few weeks since Rocky has had his implant and started taking his pain medication. These are not overnight fixes, but we are seeing small changes that have encouraged us to keep going. Rocky has become an important part of our family. Adopting him was one of the best things we have ever done.
** If you are having any behavioral issues with you parrot, please feel free to contact the rescue. You can also reach out to your avian veterinarian for help.