Angry Bird

I have a 3 year old Umbrella Cockatoo who lately has been very naughty. In the past she has been very destructive while learning to use the power of her strong beak. She would shred her perches and all of her toys and eventually broke the lock off her door. We have found some options!

-We decided to make a PVC pipe perch. At first it was a little slippery for her so we kept one wooden one in there with her. This is probably the best thing we did for her, she cannot destroy this one and she learned how to not slip off it. It definitely has also saved us some money in the long run!

-Home made toys, rubber toys, cheap dollar store toys, and chains! These work for the "destructo-birds" like cockatoos and macaws. I will include later posts of the toys we have made for her using household items. The rubber toys have lasted a long time and provide an obstacle course around her cage (they are giant rubber rings she goes through to get to her food and water, providing extra fun for her). Cockatoos LOVE to destroy things. We found a pack of baby spoons at the dollar store (probably 15 or so per pack) and we just give them to her every so often so she can learn more dexterity and use her beak power to destroy them! She also loves blocks, any type of blocks from leggos to wooden stack blocks. She tends to play with these when she plays on the floor, and doesnt tend to destroy them as much. Chains! Go to your local hardware store and get a small grade chain with small loops and you can put anything around them like giant beads, toilet paper rolls, newspaper, or even treats for the birds. They will play and play with these until they are destroyed (not the chain of course).

-To solve an escape artist bird, like ours is, we got padlocks for all of her food doors, and her main door. Use a chain for the main door and lock it with the padlock... it may look a little weird but it keeps her in. With the food doors and water doors, just small padlocks that can go around the latch and the main part of the cage. Definitely a plus with a bird who knows how to escape out of any situation.