Kleptomaniac Cockatoo
Cockatoos are intriguing to everyone. Their personality, their beauty, they’re comical personality. But social media only covers 2% of life with a cockatoo.
Cockatoos are the worst roommates. Alfie, my moluccan, has kleptomaniac tendencies by stealing some medical cream that was on my end table. Then, he wouldn’t give it back. Because I know I have a thief in my house, I taught him to trade (drop what you have to take this) and usually pens are rewarding for him. But with this jar, he’s never interacted with it before, so he’s extra jazzed and unwilling to give it up.
The only reason he gave it up was because I made the experience with the object unpleasant. When I stick the pen cap in his beak, you’ll see me rotate it slightly at the end. That was to put pressure further down his tongue for him to drop it, which he did. Do I like doing that? No. But what would have happened next is he would have easily opened the jar and ate it, causing a lot more issues than him being uncomfortable for two seconds. Sometimes you have do what you have do and take it as a learning situation. I’ll know to hide this object as it’s too stimulating for him to focus so we don’t get into this situation again when I have to do something unpleasant.
Then, in true cockatoo nature, I give him an appropriate thing to handle and he throws it
I always say if you cannot handle financially and time wise a bipolar toddler on crack, then don’t get a cockatoo. If you like your house and don’t want it chewed to splinters, don’t get a cockatoo. If you want to keep your hearing, don’t get a cockatoo. If you like to breathe or have lung problems, don’t get a cockatoo. If you don’t have the patience and sense of humor to handle their mischievous ways, then don’t get one. They’re not for most people. The good thing is there are thousands in rescues all over, so you can get your “cockatoo fix” at a rescue rather than having one in your home. Plus, volunteering is always a big help, even if it is just interacting with the birds to increase their socialization