Anonymous - 2008-06-24 Jennifer, you sound like someone who will make a great bird mom! Your concerns are what makes you a potentially great parrot owner. Just make sure that you give him tons of toys, huge cage (best by the window, no drafty areas), great food like dried fruit mixes (human), bird pellets, safe vegies, cooked pasta, and read read read everything you can so you can't make a mistake. You'll be fine! Talk to your bird and handle him tons, and when your not home he can watch TV. I wouldn't change buying my bird for anything in this world! He looks like the world's happiest bird! Everyone who meets him says that and has to laugh, because no one expects him to be as awesome as he is. So go and get your Goffin's and just remember love, hygiene, diet, entertainment, and absolutely no ignorance at all! They are smart-bums! Hahaha, all the best!
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jennifer - 2012-03-12 Hi. My name is Jennnifer. I have a goffin cockatoo. He puts his food out of the cage and when I leave he start to make loud noise. What can I do
marshall - 2012-02-14 I have a goffin, and I can say a real sweetheart, but lately she wants to keep picking at her chest till it start to bleed. what can I do to stop this. Need help
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Charlie Roche - 2012-02-14 You or actually your little feathered guy has a feather plucking problem. There are so many - lots - of opinions on why this occcurs. If you have a competent avian vet in the area, then have some blood drawn (there is no way the bird needs to be put to sleep for this) and run a baseline to make sure there are no underlying medical problems. There probably aren't. Things you can do in the interim is really everyday spritz your bird down - really soak him but gently with water or aloe based bird bath. You can put him in the shower and turn the shower on. Just do this as gently as possible as he may not like it at first but they usually learn to love it. That's why there are parrot shower perches. Dry skin itches and we want to soak the skin and cockatoos are difficult to do that to as they have so much powder. Second, most say this happens because the bird is bored or not challenged. So we are down to more out time, more toys, and getting creative. Paper cups with a little peanut butter or honey and a nut in the bottom keep a parrot occupied. Paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls as they like to chew things up. Get a 6 foot 2 x 4 of un treated pine and cut it up in blocks and put a hole in the block and a chain through the hole and there is a chew toy that will keep him busy for awhile. Let him be out on a perch and watch TV - there are good kids shows they like (sounds nuts) but they like the cartoons and music. Just think of things they can chew up and on instead of their feathers. Some have used a collar that goes around the birds neck and that prevents the plucking but doesn't really solve the problem. I am sorry and this is one of those parrot owners nightmares but it does happen and not anybody's fault. Some are just prone to it but usually more activity, things to do and commotion help.
Anonymous - 2012-02-01 I have a 10 month old goffin and I was told to start teaching her tricks and how to speak. She is very hyper most of the time and I really don't know how to teach her to talk or do tricks. I've gotten her favorite seeds as treats, but she will either just go for the seeds or lose interest and do her own thing. Help?
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Charlie Roche - 2012-02-01 AHH it is sooo very ,much easier to let the goffin train the human - honest. Let's start with some really easy stuff. When your feathered one comes up on your hand say 'UP'. When you just sorta grab her beak and plant a kiss on the beak say 'Kiss' When you tickle scratch under her wing - just gently pull it out (extend it) and say 'PRETTY' I would say 'I am a bird I fly high, I am a bat I lay down' and I would raise my bird really high above my head and then lower it down on its back. Put words to the things your feathered companion does naturally. You can bop 'UP and DOWN' in a beat and she will learn to bop 'UP and DOWN' in rhythm - think country with a good bass works best for this. Start just putting words to the things she does naturally, then show her new behaviors. Remember, she is just 10 months - still really a baby. I found that most birds aren't all that receptive to actually training before 1 - 1/2 years but putting words to their actions just like you would a human child - works great. Let them train you - definitely works best. You will learn. She also does not associated her treats wityh a behavior. It is too soon - just put the words to her actions first. (NO TREAT) and when you know she has that one thing down - then say the 'Command' and give her a treat. No treats for regular obediance though such as 'UP' 'DOWN' 'POTTY' You wouldn't give a child a treat for those things - right. A feathered friend is a 3 year old human dressed in feathers but yours is just 10 months old.
kim - 2011-11-29 Please tell me how to get my one year old cocktoo to stop picking her fathers. She is a very loveable bird. I love her so much.
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Charlie Roche - 2011-11-29 You need many toys and much stimulation to keep a cockatoo from picking his feathers. You also need to spritz him with water or a bird bath mixture. A cockatoo needs a lot of attention, many toys, a lot of time outside the cage, stimulation to keep them busy - cartoons on the TV, music and they do watch TV - cartoons with singing Kung Fu Panda, Rio, Surfs Up etc. It is one of the hardest things to prevent and almost impossible to get it stopped. You can also speak to your vet about a collar which sometimes helps but you don't want to do that if it completely upsets the bird. A cockatoo needs to be with you and are not content on their own and so they pluck.
Rose - 2012-01-27 I have had great luck using foraging techniques recommended by Dr Speer. Our goffin went from picking and destroying almost all her feathers except tail feathers, to almost completely feathered for 80% of the year. I cut paper towel tubes in half and place all over her cage and then wrap small pieces of food (Harrisons, roudy, and fruits and veggies) in paper towels and then place in the tubes all around her cage. I also place paper towels without food in the tubes, so not every attempt gets food. It is easy and inexpensive way of foraging. She barely plays with toys anymore, but she will do puzzles, pen boxes, and hang upside down to try to get food. Also, we feed her no seeds, and all food must be foraged for. Foraging also reduced her constant craving for attention. Now after being out of her cage for a short time, she will want to go and back to her cage and "do stuff". Good Luck! Foraging is fun!
Eileen - 2011-11-17 Hi. I watched the 'Petkeeping with Marc Marrone' and he mentioned of Goffin Cockatoo. When I was watching it, it made me wonder if I am too old to get this bird and what is its life span will be. Because I am in my 40's and I do not know if I can still get one and also not sure if it can be a service animal due to my Aspergers and I am also deaf as well. Just curious as I already have three animals, two dogs and a rabbit. :-)
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Charlie Roche - 2011-11-18 Goffins life span is around 50 - 60 years and they (as most cockatoos) require a lot of attention. Without attention, a great deal of toys and much companionship, they have a tendency to pluck. I have never heard of a parrot being trained as a service animal and although they are extremely intelligent and can be trained to do many things - I don't think they would be as dependable as many of the service animals need to be. Possibly their size and dexterity would be a good reason.
Eileen - 2011-11-21 Ok. Thanks for your input. Your information really helps.
kacyliew - 2011-10-13 I had a goffin too. Three years ago I moved out of my landed property where it was allowed to move along a long bamboo placed in the garden to an apartment. At the apartment, it was left unchained on the balcony on a T shaped clothes bamboo holder that allows it to look out on to the greenery and tree tops as its 12th storey high. One day, it was attracted by some other wild parrot and later flew down to the tree top. As it was captive for sometime, it could not fly very steadily but landed on the tree below. We went down to the car park where the tree was grown to try to persuade it to come down but to no avail. It spent the night perched on the tree. Next morning, we went down to check and that poor fella, hungry and lonely flew down to land on my maids head. The maid regularly fed her and there was this bond established so it chose to return to her. Goffins are affectionate towards their handlers and its a pity that I had to give it away because I felt unreasonable to keep it at a limited space environment. Now I want to buy a yellow crested cockatoo. Any suggestions where I can get one baby bird at a reasonable price??
kristin - 2011-09-19 I recently got a female goffin named cookie. I was told she was under 10 and I wanted to get a male for her I've heard that if I had a pair that they would get mean and unsociable. I don't want that so does anyone maybe have a pair that could shed some light onto that rumor or keeping them in sperate cages or the odds that they would bond and not hate each other.
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Toby Jungle - 2011-09-19 Most birds in the wild become very territorial during breeding season. They stay pretty close to their mate, away from other birds. At the end of breeding season they re join the flock with their off spring. Some species of parrots are way more social than others. Cockatoos are one of those species. A friend of mine (breeder) has an Umbrella cockatoo and he goes out in the aviary every spring and stays with his gal pal and they have babies. When the babies are brought in then the dad comes back in the house - he is such a pet. Unless he comes back in - he won't eat. Another woman I know had a pair of scarlet macaws and they remained totally tame and you could always hold them except if they were on eggs. Pair of moluccans that freinds have had for years and they have babies right in the living room and stay 100% pets even while on eggs. It depends on the birds, the species of the bird, how tame and sociable the bird is and the personality of the bird. Most breeders would tell you that the parrots do not remain as tame as they were prior to selecting a mate. There are exceptions. I look at it like when your child/bird decides it is time to get married and have babies, they get pretty independent. If you want to keep your gal strictly as a pet - then I wouldn't suggest getting a male goffin. However, if you get a male, you will probably have babies and then have a pet again. There is no odds. Sorry.
anna - 2011-09-17 I have had my one goffin cockatoo for 36 years, and one for 25 years, very funny birds they do flips, they are fun to watch, as they get older,they get a beautiful peach color, but i never thought i would have them this many year's, if you have alot of year's, i would get one, they are alot of fun, just make sure the one you want is young, and it make's good eye contact with you, a bird that wont look you in the eye is alot harder to train, you can tell how old it is by the color, baby's are white, it take's time to get that color in them. hope this helps you. anna
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krauss51@yahoo.com - 2011-09-17 P.S. they are great escape artist,mine have a very heavy lock on there cage, if i leave the key in it, they can unlock it, that's why her name is houdini. anna
Jennifer Randall - 2011-05-29 I have been thinking about getting a Goffin's cockatoo for sometime. However i work 8 hours a day from one pm to ten pm. i would be more then willing to give this bird all of my time before work and after work. But i am not certain with the hours that i work if this will be enough. has anyone else worked these kinds of hours and been able to maintain a healthy relationship with there bird?
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Charlie Roche - 2011-05-29 Yes, you can have a cockatoo - a little goffin. I have had birds for a long long time and I know they know sunrise and sunset. However, my birds think sunrise is when I get up and sunset is when I watch the last TV program. I had a moluccan and I worked. I had breakfast with my Sam and I left him lunch - human food and I got home about 7 pm. He knew when I got home that it was dinner and we would eat, then he would sit outside the shower and then we would watch the Equalizer that came on at 11 pm. Then he knew it was bedtime. It isn't the hour of the day but the time you spend with them. Today, my Czar (another cockatoo) knows when late night Law and Order goes on (at 11 pm) and he will holler till I get him to play and watch the program. They adjust to your routine. You have the morning and I am sure a little time in the evening. Get one and enjoy and they will love you. Just do plenty of toys and leave music (preferably a TV) on for them during the day. I buy movies for my guys so they can watch Surf's Up or Nemo or whatever. They learn talking that way also and they love the movies.
Karen Stevenson - 2011-07-10 Hi Jennifer! I've had my Goffin Cockatoo for four months now. His name is Casper. He is fun, loveable and very playful. I felt like you too. I was worried about not being able to give him enough attention, but he gets plenty. My hushand and I work the 2nd shift and are away from home 9 hours a day and Casper does pretty good. He is so happy when we get home, he even dances. I'm always so happy to get home and hold my bird. He is a great tv buddy, he will even watch tv with me. I don't regret buying him at all. Casper has been such a delight to our family. Good luck picking out your new bird. Make sure you get your Goffin a lot of toys, it helps out a lot, especially when you go to work. My bird even likes to chew on straws and peel the paper off.
Tammie - 2011-08-29 Hello Jennifer, Obviously several months after your posting. I have a 6 yr old Goffin also named Molly. I work a day job 8-9 hours and I leave a radio playing for Molly and I change out her toys often. She knows when I get home and will start bouncing up and down and if I don't acknowledge her within approx. 20-30 min after I get home she will yell. I give her a little food and fresh water and pet her and then she is fine. On weekends she loves having coffee with me. When I first got her she did bite and hard but we went thru that for awhile and then she was great - now with others if she's out she will walk up to them and get on their arm, but just for a few minutes then I take her back just in case. She loves attention and because my children yell "mom" and I answer "what" Molly will yell "mom" so I will always answer her back to with "what". She is really a good bird - I cover her at night and she's quiet now since I get up by 7:00 any later she will put out a scream. I think they get use to your schedule and they stay on it. At night she will actually start screaming around 8:30-9 if I don't cover her to put her to bed.
anna - 2011-09-17 I have had my one goffin cockatoo for 36 years, and one for 25 years, very funny birds they do flips, they are fun to watch, as they get older,they get a beautiful peach color, but i never thought i would have them this many year's, if you have alot of year's, i would get one, they are alot of fun, just make sure the one you want is young, and it make's good eye contact with you, a bird that wont look you in the eye is alot harder to train, you can tell how old it is by the color, baby's are white, it take's time to get that color in them. hope this helps you. anna ps they are also escape artist and can pick locks,mine have a very heavy lock on there cage, and dont leave the key in it, they can unlock it.
Jennifer Arckivy - 2008-04-12 I am about to purchase a Goffin Cockatoo and I am very scared because of all the different things I keep reading. I have been wanting a Goffin for so long and have read up on them so much. When I read great stuff I get all excited and then I read bad and get nervous again. I think that he would get enough attention with our big family. I work from 6:30 am to 2:30pm and will be home the rest of the time as so will my husband, 4yr old daughter, and twin boys 13yrs. We also have a cat and a dog. I would do what ever I needed to make sure the baby is happy. Please if anyone can write me back and let me know what you think, PLEASE. Jennifer
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Donna Throckmorton - 2011-05-02 Hi Jen, our Goffin girl Shera, gets along with our 17 year old Shelitie. Our Collie Dora died a year ago. Shera really misses Dora. I also have Persian cats and they get along well together. But I never totally trust the cats, They are afraid of my amazon Max because he bites them. So I gues that's why they respect Shera.She likes kids as long as they aren't jumping around being crazy. She likes quiet kids. She also likes to chew the lamp shades. Or her favorite is the key board on the computer. You can't do anything about the chewing except kept an eye on it, and give it lots of toys. Small foot toys. Encourage independent play . That way it knows how to amuse its self when you can't be there to amuse it. Try if you can to get a young one. Easier to train. Good luck
Lisa - 2011-09-06 A Goffin loves to chew. Buy a box of popcicle stix at any craft store like A.C. Moore for about $4.00/ 1000 stiz and put them in a bowl in his cage with other wooden blocks.Mine likes to ring his bell and chew on the wooden blocks. You can get these pieces in any bird catalog like Foster and Smith in the (make your own toys) section.Yoy don't have to spend lots to entertain your buddy.
Toby Jungle - 2011-09-06 You are fine. They like attention but they don't require your whole life. Many people don't realize with a goffin - actually I think all cockatoos - that the cockatoo believes with all its heart that the humans are its flock. You are their flock. I think they blieve that when they grow up they will be like us. You are the only flock they know. It does not mean they don't play by themselves or eat by themselves or like to preen by themselves. It means when you sit down to dinner, give them some. Don't put him in his cage and sit down and eat where he can see you. He will adjust to your routine. If you watch Dancing with the Stars every Tues or whatever and he is used to watching it with you as soon as he hears the music he will want to be out. Cockatoos are extremely easy birds to have. The goffin is proably one of the easiest and least demanding. They rarely play favoirtes (too much) in the family. If you are busy, he will go to your husband or one of the kids. But he is a 3 year old dressed in feathers. He is 3 - just a 3 year old. Mentally he is 3. You don't just sit down to eat in front of a 3 year old hman without feeding them. You don't exclude them from the family gathering. He is going to want to be in bed by 9 or when the sun goes down so just include him - if only with a taste of your peanut butter sandwich. Don't worry. if you can handle your human chilren - you won't have any problem with a feathered. Just think regardless of this birds age - is that you have a perpetual 3 year old. Toys - yes they like to chew. Buy a pine 2 X 4 and cut it up in blocks and drill a hole through it. Put several pieces together and there you have a toy. Again a non treated piece of oak and just put a large piece in his cage - you have a toy. A kong is a toy. No strings, ropes, or things they can get tied up on. But there is no reason to spend $50.00 for a toy he will eat in 1/2 hour. They aren't that bad but they do like to chew. There is a lava rock out that is maybe $5.00 for birds that helps them file their beak. Those last forever. Those stainlness steel bells. My cockatoo has had his for 27 years. A concrete perch - as the highest perch in the cage works great cuz they file their nails and their beak and you won't have to do it or take him to the vet to do it. They always sleep at the highest point in the cage. I usually hang a favorite toy up there also. Don't worry about people who write in with problems. It is sort of like when all the moms get together at the bus stop. We vent. Out of the many many people that write in - sometimes for whatever reason - they are having a probelm. This is true -- My macaw is driving me nuts lately. I have no idea why and I am telling it honest. Seriously, I have had birds for over 30 years and this one is going to make me drink. But it will pass. I know it will pass. Don't worry - just think perpetual 3 year old human dressed permanently in feathers.
The Goffin's Cockatoo are known to be clowns, and are extremely playful!
Jennifer, you sound like someone who will make a great bird mom! Your concerns are what makes you a potentially great parrot owner. Just make sure that you give him tons of toys, huge cage (best by the window, no drafty areas), great food like dried fruit mixes (human), bird pellets, safe vegies, cooked pasta, and read read read everything you can so you can't make a mistake. You'll be fine! Talk to your bird and handle him tons, and when your not home he can watch TV. I wouldn't change buying my bird for anything in this world! He looks like the world's happiest bird! Everyone who meets him says that and has to laugh, because no one expects him to be as awesome as he is. So go and get your Goffin's and just remember love, hygiene, diet, entertainment, and absolutely no ignorance at all! They are smart-bums! Hahaha, all the best!
Hi. My name is Jennnifer. I have a goffin cockatoo. He puts his food out of the cage and when I leave he start to make loud noise. What can I do
I have a goffin, and I can say a real sweetheart, but lately she wants to keep picking at her chest till it start to bleed. what can I do to stop this. Need help
You or actually your little feathered guy has a feather plucking problem. There are so many - lots - of opinions on why this occcurs. If you have a competent avian vet in the area, then have some blood drawn (there is no way the bird needs to be put to sleep for this) and run a baseline to make sure there are no underlying medical problems. There probably aren't. Things you can do in the interim is really everyday spritz your bird down - really soak him but gently with water or aloe based bird bath. You can put him in the shower and turn the shower on. Just do this as gently as possible as he may not like it at first but they usually learn to love it. That's why there are parrot shower perches. Dry skin itches and we want to soak the skin and cockatoos are difficult to do that to as they have so much powder. Second, most say this happens because the bird is bored or not challenged. So we are down to more out time, more toys, and getting creative. Paper cups with a little peanut butter or honey and a nut in the bottom keep a parrot occupied. Paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls as they like to chew things up. Get a 6 foot 2 x 4 of un treated pine and cut it up in blocks and put a hole in the block and a chain through the hole and there is a chew toy that will keep him busy for awhile. Let him be out on a perch and watch TV - there are good kids shows they like (sounds nuts) but they like the cartoons and music. Just think of things they can chew up and on instead of their feathers. Some have used a collar that goes around the birds neck and that prevents the plucking but doesn't really solve the problem. I am sorry and this is one of those parrot owners nightmares but it does happen and not anybody's fault. Some are just prone to it but usually more activity, things to do and commotion help.
I have a 10 month old goffin and I was told to start teaching her tricks and how to speak. She is very hyper most of the time and I really don't know how to teach her to talk or do tricks. I've gotten her favorite seeds as treats, but she will either just go for the seeds or lose interest and do her own thing. Help?
AHH it is sooo very ,much easier to let the goffin train the human - honest. Let's start with some really easy stuff. When your feathered one comes up on your hand say 'UP'. When you just sorta grab her beak and plant a kiss on the beak say 'Kiss' When you tickle scratch under her wing - just gently pull it out (extend it) and say 'PRETTY' I would say 'I am a bird I fly high, I am a bat I lay down' and I would raise my bird really high above my head and then lower it down on its back. Put words to the things your feathered companion does naturally. You can bop 'UP and DOWN' in a beat and she will learn to bop 'UP and DOWN' in rhythm - think country with a good bass works best for this. Start just putting words to the things she does naturally, then show her new behaviors. Remember, she is just 10 months - still really a baby. I found that most birds aren't all that receptive to actually training before 1 - 1/2 years but putting words to their actions just like you would a human child - works great. Let them train you - definitely works best. You will learn. She also does not associated her treats wityh a behavior. It is too soon - just put the words to her actions first. (NO TREAT) and when you know she has that one thing down - then say the 'Command' and give her a treat. No treats for regular obediance though such as 'UP' 'DOWN' 'POTTY' You wouldn't give a child a treat for those things - right. A feathered friend is a 3 year old human dressed in feathers but yours is just 10 months old.
Please tell me how to get my one year old cocktoo to stop picking her fathers. She is a very loveable bird. I love her so much.
You need many toys and much stimulation to keep a cockatoo from picking his feathers. You also need to spritz him with water or a bird bath mixture. A cockatoo needs a lot of attention, many toys, a lot of time outside the cage, stimulation to keep them busy - cartoons on the TV, music and they do watch TV - cartoons with singing Kung Fu Panda, Rio, Surfs Up etc. It is one of the hardest things to prevent and almost impossible to get it stopped. You can also speak to your vet about a collar which sometimes helps but you don't want to do that if it completely upsets the bird. A cockatoo needs to be with you and are not content on their own and so they pluck.
I have had great luck using foraging techniques recommended by Dr Speer. Our goffin went from picking and destroying almost all her feathers except tail feathers, to almost completely feathered for 80% of the year. I cut paper towel tubes in half and place all over her cage and then wrap small pieces of food (Harrisons, roudy, and fruits and veggies) in paper towels and then place in the tubes all around her cage. I also place paper towels without food in the tubes, so not every attempt gets food. It is easy and inexpensive way of foraging. She barely plays with toys anymore, but she will do puzzles, pen boxes, and hang upside down to try to get food. Also, we feed her no seeds, and all food must be foraged for. Foraging also reduced her constant craving for attention. Now after being out of her cage for a short time, she will want to go and back to her cage and "do stuff". Good Luck! Foraging is fun!
Hi. I watched the 'Petkeeping with Marc Marrone' and he mentioned of Goffin Cockatoo. When I was watching it, it made me wonder if I am too old to get this bird and what is its life span will be. Because I am in my 40's and I do not know if I can still get one and also not sure if it can be a service animal due to my Aspergers and I am also deaf as well. Just curious as I already have three animals, two dogs and a rabbit. :-)
Goffins life span is around 50 - 60 years and they (as most cockatoos) require a lot of attention. Without attention, a great deal of toys and much companionship, they have a tendency to pluck. I have never heard of a parrot being trained as a service animal and although they are extremely intelligent and can be trained to do many things - I don't think they would be as dependable as many of the service animals need to be. Possibly their size and dexterity would be a good reason.
Ok. Thanks for your input. Your information really helps.
I had a goffin too. Three years ago I moved out of my landed property where it was allowed to move along a long bamboo placed in the garden to an apartment. At the apartment, it was left unchained on the balcony on a T shaped clothes bamboo holder that allows it to look out on to the greenery and tree tops as its 12th storey high. One day, it was attracted by some other wild parrot and later flew down to the tree top. As it was captive for sometime, it could not fly very steadily but landed on the tree below. We went down to the car park where the tree was grown to try to
persuade it to come down but to no avail. It spent the night perched on the tree. Next morning, we went down to check and that poor fella, hungry and
lonely flew down to land on my maids head. The maid regularly fed her and there was this bond established so it chose to return to her.
Goffins are affectionate towards their handlers and its a pity that I had to give it away because I felt unreasonable to keep it at a limited space environment. Now I want to buy a yellow crested cockatoo. Any suggestions where I can get one baby bird at a reasonable price??
I recently got a female goffin named cookie. I was told she was under 10 and I wanted to get a male for her I've heard that if I had a pair that they would get mean and unsociable. I don't want that so does anyone maybe have a pair that could shed some light onto that rumor or keeping them in sperate cages or the odds that they would bond and not hate each other.
Most birds in the wild become very territorial during breeding season. They stay pretty close to their mate, away from other birds. At the end of breeding season they re join the flock with their off spring. Some species of parrots are way more social than others. Cockatoos are one of those species. A friend of mine (breeder) has an Umbrella cockatoo and he goes out in the aviary every spring and stays with his gal pal and they have babies. When the babies are brought in then the dad comes back in the house - he is such a pet. Unless he comes back in - he won't eat. Another woman I know had a pair of scarlet macaws and they remained totally tame and you could always hold them except if they were on eggs. Pair of moluccans that freinds have had for years and they have babies right in the living room and stay 100% pets even while on eggs. It depends on the birds, the species of the bird, how tame and sociable the bird is and the personality of the bird. Most breeders would tell you that the parrots do not remain as tame as they were prior to selecting a mate. There are exceptions. I look at it like when your child/bird decides it is time to get married and have babies, they get pretty independent. If you want to keep your gal strictly as a pet - then I wouldn't suggest getting a male goffin. However, if you get a male, you will probably have babies and then have a pet again. There is no odds. Sorry.
I have had my one goffin cockatoo for 36 years, and one for 25 years, very funny birds they do flips, they are fun to watch, as they get older,they get a beautiful peach color, but i never thought i would have them this many year's, if you have alot of year's, i would get one, they are alot of fun, just make sure the one you want is young, and it make's good eye contact with you, a bird that wont look you in the eye is alot harder to train, you can tell how old it is by the color, baby's are white, it take's time to get that color in them. hope this helps you. anna
P.S. they are great escape artist,mine have a very heavy lock on there cage, if i leave the key in it, they can unlock it, that's why her name is houdini. anna
I have been thinking about getting a Goffin's cockatoo for sometime. However i work 8 hours a day from one pm to ten pm. i would be more then willing to give this bird all of my time before work and after work. But i am not certain with the hours that i work if this will be enough. has anyone else worked these kinds of hours and been able to maintain a healthy relationship with there bird?
Yes, you can have a cockatoo - a little goffin. I have had birds for a long long time and I know they know sunrise and sunset. However, my birds think sunrise is when I get up and sunset is when I watch the last TV program. I had a moluccan and I worked. I had breakfast with my Sam and I left him lunch - human food and I got home about 7 pm. He knew when I got home that it was dinner and we would eat, then he would sit outside the shower and then we would watch the Equalizer that came on at 11 pm. Then he knew it was bedtime. It isn't the hour of the day but the time you spend with them. Today, my Czar (another cockatoo) knows when late night Law and Order goes on (at 11 pm) and he will holler till I get him to play and watch the program. They adjust to your routine. You have the morning and I am sure a little time in the evening. Get one and enjoy and they will love you. Just do plenty of toys and leave music (preferably a TV) on for them during the day. I buy movies for my guys so they can watch Surf's Up or Nemo or whatever. They learn talking that way also and they love the movies.
Hi Jennifer! I've had my Goffin Cockatoo for four months now. His name is Casper. He is fun, loveable and very playful. I felt like you too. I was worried about not being able to give him enough attention, but he gets plenty. My hushand and I work the 2nd shift and are away from home 9 hours a day and Casper does pretty good. He is so happy when we get home, he even dances. I'm always so happy to get home and hold my bird. He is a great tv buddy, he will even watch tv with me. I don't regret buying him at all. Casper has been such a delight to our family. Good luck picking out your new bird. Make sure you get your Goffin a lot of toys, it helps out a lot, especially when you go to work. My bird even likes to chew on straws and peel the paper off.
Hello Jennifer,
Obviously several months after your posting. I have a 6 yr old Goffin also named Molly. I work a day job 8-9 hours and I leave a radio playing for Molly and I change out her toys often. She knows when I get home and will start bouncing up and down and if I don't acknowledge her within approx. 20-30 min after I get home she will yell. I give her a little food and fresh water and pet her and then she is fine. On weekends she loves having coffee with me. When I first got her she did bite and hard but we went thru that for awhile and then she was great - now with others if she's out she will walk up to them and get on their arm, but just for a few minutes then I take her back just in case. She loves attention and because my children yell "mom" and I answer "what" Molly will yell "mom" so I will always answer her back to with "what". She is really a good bird - I cover her at night and she's quiet now since I get up by 7:00 any later she will put out a scream. I think they get use to your schedule and they stay on it. At night she will actually start screaming around 8:30-9 if I don't cover her to put her to bed.
I have had my one goffin cockatoo for 36 years, and one for 25 years, very funny birds they do flips, they are fun to watch, as they get older,they get a beautiful peach color, but i never thought i would have them this many year's, if you have alot of year's, i would get one, they are alot of fun, just make sure the one you want is young, and it make's good eye contact with you, a bird that wont look you in the eye is alot harder to train, you can tell how old it is by the color, baby's are white, it take's time to get that color in them. hope this helps you. anna ps they are also escape artist and can pick locks,mine have a very heavy lock on there cage, and dont leave the key in it, they can unlock it.
I am about to purchase a Goffin Cockatoo and I am very scared because of all the different things I keep reading. I have been wanting a Goffin for so long and have read up on them so much. When I read great stuff I get all excited and then I read bad and get nervous again. I think that he would get enough attention with our big family. I work from 6:30 am to 2:30pm and will be home the rest of the time as so will my husband, 4yr old daughter, and twin boys 13yrs. We also have a cat and a dog. I would do what ever I needed to make sure the baby is happy. Please if anyone can write me back and let me know what you think, PLEASE. Jennifer
Hi Jen, our Goffin girl Shera, gets along with our 17 year old Shelitie. Our Collie Dora died a year ago. Shera really misses Dora. I also have Persian cats and they get along well together. But I never totally trust the cats, They are afraid of my amazon Max because he bites them. So I gues that's why they respect Shera.She likes kids as long as they aren't jumping around being crazy. She likes quiet kids.
She also likes to chew the lamp shades. Or her favorite is the key board on the computer. You can't do anything about the chewing except kept an eye on it, and give it lots of toys. Small foot toys. Encourage independent play .
That way it knows how to amuse its self when you can't be there to amuse it. Try if you can to get a young one. Easier to train. Good luck
A Goffin loves to chew. Buy a box of popcicle stix at any craft store like A.C. Moore for about $4.00/ 1000 stiz and put them in a bowl in his cage with other wooden blocks.Mine likes to ring his bell and chew on the wooden blocks. You can get these pieces in any bird catalog like Foster and Smith in the (make your own toys) section.Yoy don't have to spend lots to entertain your buddy.
You are fine. They like attention but they don't require your whole life. Many people don't realize with a goffin - actually I think all cockatoos - that the cockatoo believes with all its heart that the humans are its flock. You are their flock. I think they blieve that when they grow up they will be like us. You are the only flock they know. It does not mean they don't play by themselves or eat by themselves or like to preen by themselves. It means when you sit down to dinner, give them some. Don't put him in his cage and sit down and eat where he can see you. He will adjust to your routine. If you watch Dancing with the Stars every Tues or whatever and he is used to watching it with you as soon as he hears the music he will want to be out. Cockatoos are extremely easy birds to have. The goffin is proably one of the easiest and least demanding. They rarely play favoirtes (too much) in the family. If you are busy, he will go to your husband or one of the kids. But he is a 3 year old dressed in feathers. He is 3 - just a 3 year old. Mentally he is 3. You don't just sit down to eat in front of a 3 year old hman without feeding them. You don't exclude them from the family gathering. He is going to want to be in bed by 9 or when the sun goes down so just include him - if only with a taste of your peanut butter sandwich. Don't worry. if you can handle your human chilren - you won't have any problem with a feathered. Just think regardless of this birds age - is that you have a perpetual 3 year old.
Toys - yes they like to chew. Buy a pine 2 X 4 and cut it up in blocks and drill a hole through it. Put several pieces together and there you have a toy. Again a non treated piece of oak and just put a large piece in his cage - you have a toy. A kong is a toy. No strings, ropes, or things they can get tied up on. But there is no reason to spend $50.00 for a toy he will eat in 1/2 hour. They aren't that bad but they do like to chew. There is a lava rock out that is maybe $5.00 for birds that helps them file their beak. Those last forever. Those stainlness steel bells. My cockatoo has had his for 27 years.
A concrete perch - as the highest perch in the cage works great cuz they file their nails and their beak and you won't have to do it or take him to the vet to do it. They always sleep at the highest point in the cage. I usually hang a favorite toy up there also.
Don't worry about people who write in with problems. It is sort of like when all the moms get together at the bus stop. We vent. Out of the many many people that write in - sometimes for whatever reason - they are having a probelm. This is true -- My macaw is driving me nuts lately. I have no idea why and I am telling it honest. Seriously, I have had birds for over 30 years and this one is going to make me drink. But it will pass. I know it will pass. Don't worry - just think perpetual 3 year old human dressed permanently in feathers.