#cockatoo
Over the years I have found distraction to be the number one best way to get Benji to stop screaming. He doesn’t do it often – mostly when he’s bored – but when he does, it is ear-splitting. So I find ways to make him stop. The best distraction is to reach into one of his boxes – he highly prizes them, and their contents. So he *must* stop what he’s doing, and investigate why on earth Mom is reaching into his property… I also find that whispering to him always calms him down, so I sometimes add that in the mix.
*** As a rescue bird who lived through stressful times before finding happiness, Benjamin would like anyone considering the adoption of a U2, to think about it long and hard before doing so. U2s are extremely intelligent, emotional creatures, who require several dedicated hours of attention each and every day (watching tv in the same room where the bird is sitting in a cage does not count). They hate cages, love to chew on furniture, are chainsaw-next-to-your-ear LOUD, easily stressed, and most are re-homed 3x by the age of 2 – and they live to be 60+.
They are quickly adopted because of their adorable appearance, but many people are surprised to learn that caring for them well is difficult and time consuming. The bird is then stressed when it does not get what it needs, so it self-mutilates by chewing on, and plucking its feathers, over and over again. In most cases, as in Benjamin’s, the feathers do not grow back. Benji was only 2 when we adopted him, and he had already plucked out half of his total feathers – never to return. And while he no longer plucks, he will forever carry with him the evidence of 2 years of neglect. Most birds live in difficult homes far longer than Benji did, and many pluck until they are entirely bald. Even more dramatic than the plucking, or the merciless screaming, some birds dig holes in their skin, creating pain and deep massive wounds. These are habits they develop that sometimes stay with them for the entirety of their lives, even after they find good, caring forever homes.
If you adopt, please know what you’re getting into beforehand. Provide them with boundless entertainment and as much space as possible, be prepared to give the time and attention they need to be happy, and be a forever home for your bird.
If you are the best you can be for the bird, the bird will be the best it can be for you. Believe me, the effort pays off a million times over.
