Home · Natural History · Socialization & Taming · Nutrition · DNA Testing · Basic Care Types of Cockatoos · Biting · Our Outdoor Aviary · About Us · Links Socialization and Taming of the Umbrella Cockatoo Socialization is one of the most important things necessary for a balanced bird personality. The term 'socialization' doesn't mean playtime with the owner. Rather it means getting out to see other people and explore new places. It also helps the bird to see other birds, even if there isn't direct contact between birds. A good way to take your bird to new places is to put a harness and leash on the bird. That way you can take your bird for a 'walk'. It may be fun to hide little treats here and there before you take your bird out so he can search out the treats. Make it fun for both you and the bird. Your bird should be exposed to new people or new situations at least once a week. Socializing your bird will also help to eliminate biting and 'hormone' aggression problems. Be sure that you clip your birds wings if you plan to take him outside so you don't lose control of your bird! Taming is different than socialization. Taming is the bond between the bird and it's owner. The first thing you need to do is to earn the birds trust, and this takes patience! To do this, you must walk and/or sit close to the cage and talk to the bird in a soft voice. Whatever you do, don't force yourself on the bird, and you also shouldn't ignore the bird. After you gain the birds trust, you should move to the next step - handling the bird. If you have a bird that bites, you should use a hand held perch and work on getting the bird to step up. I've seen trainers use a clicker with food rewards that seems to work quite well. (For more information, search the web for 'Bird Clicker Training'.)Before the bird steps up, you may just try feeding it by hand. Spray millet seems to work quite well for this if your bird tends to bite. For a non-biter, you may be able to use smaller treats like sunflower seeds. Many people say that you should never disipline your bird. You should always use positive reinforcement. Never scold your bird! Every time you take your bird out, you should provide some form of entertainment. Either practice teaching a new trick or have some type of toy or play thing. Don't take your bird out and sit there and watch TV and expect your bird to behave. What usually happens is that the bird gets bored, gets into trouble, and the owner scolds the bird. The bird then associates the owner with scolding, which causes more problems. There are many sources of information about taming and socialization of cockatoos and parrots on the Internet and at your library. I would suggest watching as many bird training videos as you can. There are quite a few available via interlibrary loans through Worldcat. Click on the links below the banner at the top of the page for more info! "So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good!" Genesis 1:21 Copyright 2007 Site Posted on March 31, 2007 Site Designed and Constructed by Chris Hardwick All photographs on this site are protected by copyright law. Do not copy any photographs from this site without permission of the owner of the photograph.