Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I have a friend who is trying to re-home/sell her Cockatoo, she said its a Goffin.. I don't think so.. it looks like a Sulfur Crested Cockatoo/Eleanora to me, but I'm just going by pictures online. He is 8 yrs old and has an old injury to his left wing.. it was broken and never repaired by his previous owner, so I guess that means he can never fly. Can anyone tell me anything about these birds? I wouldn't mind taking him in until a suitable owner is found. I am wondering how loud or aggressive they are. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The goffins does not have the yellow crest you can see in the picture below. That one is definitely in the sulfur crested family. I would guess a triton but without know the size and seeing it up close it is sometimes hard to tell.

As far as loudness. They can be very loud and very demanding. Yes there are some exceptions where they are quiet but that is not the norm. They have an ear piercing scream that is enough to send many people running LOL! They can be aggressive but if treated well and spent time with they will usually be more of a snuggler. Some seem to develop an aversion to certain people and will chace them, trying to bite or attack them but usually there has been a reason in the past for this behavior. They have a tendency to bite or give a really hard nip when overly excited. Many people get them really excited through play and then the cockatoo will bite them with eyes flashing thinking it is still part of the game. We have had several come in for that reason.

Since this bird is already plucking, if it hasn't already it needs an immediate full blood workup and gram stain done to rule out fungal, bacterial and viral infections. Sometimes they do pluck from boredom but much of the time it is due to a medical reason, sometimes even something as simple as a vitamin deficiency and a change of diet can help them stop plucking.

Where is she located at that she needs to find a home for her bird. There are many wonderful (and some not so wonderful) rescues around as well as bird clubs and avian vets who may be able to help with the placement of the bird if it needs a new home.

I am still trying to find out what the deal is with this bird, we do have a rescue here in VA, but there's a reason why I wanted to take the bird.. my friend is also the mother of my niece and the bird loves my niece, who is 16 years old. I did find out that the bird is a biter, except for my niece, so I guess he has chosen her. I hope to find out more tomorrow, I am going to meet the bird and spend some time with my niece. I want to know why my friend wants to sell him. I also found out that he hates being toweled to get his nails and wings done, which may have something to do with the injury he had to his left wing. I am going to try and get some pics of him too. I know my niece loves him.. and I want to try an help for the sake of the both of them.

I hope everything works out. It is always great if a bird that is attached to one person can be able to stay with that person or at least have time with that person. Let us know how it goes.

Here is a pic I took of him today during my visit. From the info I was given he broke his wing and the vet advised to just leave it to heal on its own.. sounds funny to me. Anyway, I was given the go ahead to take him. While I was there (after toweling him) I clipped his nails, he did pretty well while I was clipping them, but when I got to his left foot, he seemed uneasy and clenched his little foot into a fist, so I just kept talking to him and when we were done, he stepped up onto my hand and climbed up to my shoulder and stood there for a few mins while he collected himself. He didn't bite me thankfully, he even let me scratch his head and preen some of his feathers several times. I so want to help him. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I should go about all this.. will he need special items as far as his cage to deal with his handicap? I asked if he ever falls off his perches due to the slight imbalance and was told he does well, but you never know what's really true. He has some range of motion in his injured wing and does try to exercise, but its limited. I was told I could come get him tomorrow, but I want to be prepared to bring him to my house as to ease the situation. It's a shame they don't have books or more info on rehabilition for birds. If anyone can be of help here I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much!