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We have only had a goffin for about 2 years now. He was a re homed bird and is going on 19. He is very affectionate, but is known to give a good bite now and then. I want to tell you a bit about cockatoos in general. Yes they can be love sponges, but there are ones that would just as soon bite you as look at you. Lots of people assume that these guys stay cuddly for life, but not all do, ands some can be flat out ornery. They can become screamers, bite the heck out of you especially once they turn hormonal. they are escape artists, and will eat your furniture if given the chance. They are also feather pluckers and for reasons we dont really understand That being said they can also be the sweetest birds on earth, and they certainly are some of the most beautiful. I am not trying to scare you off but trying to give you an accurate picture of what they can do. Here are a couple of my little friends... |
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| | From:  momnoah | Sent: 1/6/2007 7:51 AM |
Ok, back.. a little later than I planned, but migraines tend to upset the best intentions... Anyway, I'll try not to get off track and keep this shorter than book length. (No snickering from those who know me!!!) Nearly 3 years ago, 3/04, we adopted 2 Goffins that were unwanted due to their plucking. I'll start with the first one, an 8 year old female named Baby Bug. The worse plucker of the two, she was a very sweet bird most of the time. She stayed on her cage unless you asked her to step up or she asked to be picked up. She was somewhat shy and timid at first. She was supposed to be "my" bird, but it became clear very quickly that she prefered my non-bird loving hubby over everyone else. Don't get me wrong, he liked birds as he does other animals, but he wasn't "a bird lover". Bug would call for him every time he left the room saying "hello", "Baby Bug", "com'ere", and something else that wasn't very clear. Then she'd bark like a small dog... if he didn't come back, she'd scream. She seemed fairly nervous and defensive around Goffin #2, (Kit- more about him later) so we decided to move Bug into our bedroom. That's where hubby spends most of his time since his computer is in there and he needs to lay down frequently due to his back. He cared for her and they formed a strong bond. She loved to cuddle and get scritches. Due to her near nakedness, in cool weather I'd make dresses for her to help keep her warm as we have a drafty house. She didn't like them, but would tolerate them. She would chew them up, but it was taking her longer and longer each time. That was ok with me, I figured better the dress than her feathers. She was terrified of most cats. Funny though, our cat 'Monkey' she didn't pay much attention to... The little orange tabby we fostered for a month or she sent her into a fright. (picture below). She was a clown, and a character, but like any individual, she wasn't perfect. She'd nip if you startled her, and although most of the time she was good, she gave my boys a pretty good bite a few times. She was a little cage territorial if the boys or another bird were near it. She bit me pretty hard once when I was trimming her nails and she didn't want to hold still. She was demanding of attention- which she usually got- and was a major mooch. She loved junk food and Pepsi- this she very rarely got, and then only got a nibble. She was very picky at first, but eventually she got to where she'd at least try stuff. I think her favorite thing of all was the hand feeding formula I'd give her in a peanutbutter lid daily. She could also be unbelievably loud for so small a bird. It wasn't often, but when she took a notion to... plug your ears! She was also afraid of the dark and afraid of having the cage totally covered. She'd pace and scream until the light came on and/or the front of the cage uncovered. Slowly, she became less timid, plucked less, started playing with toys, tearing up phonebooks or other paper etc. And somewhat sadly, more adventurous, brave and self-assured. I say that because that led to her walking around on the floor for the first time on her own and our not expecting it and what can only be described as a tragic accident. We lost her 10/05. In the 20 months we had her she became so fully entwined in our lives that she has left a huge hole in our hearts. We still miss her very much. Here she is in a dress I made her, and here, playing tarzan on the mini blinds' rod. Well I did say "I'll try to get keep this shorter than book length.", and I did stay fairly well on track for once! lol. But I think I'll take a break for now, take a few deep breaths and come back and talk about this goof Kit in a while. |
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aww we never got to hear about kit :( my best friend got some goffins, she knows about them, but i was reading a bit too just for the fun of learning about them lol i get to meet hers tomorrow *excited* |
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| | | From: momnoah | Sent: 6/1/2007 2:07 AM |
Ok, I admit, I forgot all about this thread. I'll correct my oversight now... but where to start??? He was the bigger one of the two. Definitely the more vocal. He doesn't say many words, and more often they are not very clear. He is a plucker as previously mentioned, and I believe he will always have a very smooth, naked patch on his breast where no feathers, even down, will grow. He is loud, noisy, messy, demanding, pushy, jealous, semi-territorial, destructive, annoying and a smart aleck & a pest ... He is also sweet, gentle, empathetic, funny, loving and helpful. He whistles, calls and squawks almost every time I leave the room without him. If I'm not watching him he will open all the cockatiel cages he can reach and let them out. He also bends up their cage's wires, dumps food dishes, takes out the cage papers and throws them on the floor. He' will "help" change te papers in his and Rica's cages too. He plays with his food and wastes it by dropping or tossing it all over. His way of playing with toys is going to Rica's or a tiel's cage and unhooking or chewing off their toys. The ones in his cage he seldom touches. He won't chew up his toys, but he'll chew up the door casings, drywall and occasionally the places on the furniture that Rica gnawed on. He loves getting on my desk and throwing anything he can to the floor. He's a Pepsi-holic and will try to knab mine any time he thinks I'm not looking- more than once he yanked on the can as I was trying to take a drink, drenching me. He will also try to swipe cans out of the bin we save them in to recycle to try and get the very last drop. He is possessive of me and my desk & chair. If anyone else sits here, I have to cage him (then he hollers) or take him from the room. He isn't really mean- he will get in the way and stare.. if the offender doesn't move he will take a finger in his beak and push it away, if allowed to I think he's probably nip harder then really bite but I've never let it get that far. I try and stop it at the staring stage. I can do anything to his cage even if he isn't crazy about it, but if the boys or Michael tries to he has to be out of sight of it although he is getting better if they are feeding/watering.. they just have to do it quickly. If he sees the cat under the cage he tries to "bomb" her. To the dog he tosses food. If Michael and I try to snuggle and sit and watch a movie with him in the room, he tries to get between us. He's been known to grab Michael's shirt and tug on it, and sometimes the hair or skin under it too.Again, he isn't really mean about it, and sometimes I'm not sure if he is trying to get Michael to go away or trying to get his attention. He is a major mooch and thinks what I give him is his and what's mine is his too. He is one of the nosiest birds I've ever seen. He feels he has to be in the middle of everything I do. This includes when I hand-feed the baby tiels. He helps feed them, preens them, and generally "mothers" them. Very protective and has nipped Joshua for getting too close. (He went to his cage then). He has a fetish about helping with the laundry... all of it. sorting, washing, drying, folding.. or in his case, "helping" by un-folding! He tried so hard to get my Downey softener ball that I finally gave in... and bought him his own. I think he's on his 4th or 5th now. He loves playing with the ring on top, kicking and tossing it about. He loves to snuggle, and if I have been gone or asleep he'll come snuggle down on my right shoulder against my neck and press tight up against me. He'll put his face on mine and rub it across my cheek. If I'm hurt or sad, he will look at my face and say "huh?" then does the snuggling and moans and whines while he's doing this with "ooohhh's" and "aaawww's" There is alot more I could say, but I'll stop here.. Can't get much better than that. |
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| | | From: momnoah | Sent: 6/1/2007 4:58 AM |
I lied, after chatting in IM I remembered a few other things... Like if Kit knows I'm mad, he will come with head down and a sheepish look.. and gives me kisses. I just can't stay mad at him. Neither can Mr. Grumpy (aka Michael) and that's saying alot! What Kit lacks in vocabulary, he more than mkes up for in little sounds, gestures, expressions and body language. Like when he wants his bed time almond... he will sit on my left shoulder. First comes the foot on the cheek.. as he mumbles "nut?" the whole time. If I ignore him, next comes the dragging of his top beak across my cheek from just before the corner of my mouth back towards my ear. If this fails to get an almond, he will climb down to the middle of my chest, tips his head sideways and looks at my mouth. Last, he will take his beak and nudge my mouth. He's very persistant. He does say several things, but the clarity of them depends on his mood. He says nut, come on, step up, hello, let's go, wanna go?, want apple, rah-ruh-a (Joshua), aat-hue (Matthew), rah-rah (Sarah), Rica, and some others. 2 are less than choice that he came here saying and I'm afraid we inadvertantly reinforced one the first time we heard it because it was so unexpected. And appropriately used. Not long after we got him, Michael was having a bad day with his back and had been telling him to hush, and getting after the boys for who knows what... I had just come home from the store and let him out. The first thing he did was hop over to Michael from couch to recliner & hopped on his chest. He got up right in Michael's face and piped up, clear as a bell with : "Hello, a$$****". I have to admit, I was tired, achy, and it just struck me funny. So I laughed, long and out loud. Thankfully, he rarely says it any more. |
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Kit sounds like such a hoot to live with, Erika!!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about him, even though I've known him through you for as long as I have! He's another one of the bundles of feathers on this board that I feel is part of my family. Thanks for sharing, Erika! Now, laughing my butt off thanks to you, I'm going to try to get an early night! |
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HAHA HAAA I knew i wanted to hear the story of Kit, after the buildup for it, but i didn't know it would be this good!!! I remember now seeing the post about the bird with his own downy ball, and a picture, but i didn't realize it was this bird :) I'm so glad i begged for the rest of the story! I got to meet my friends too's. I'd been wanting to see a goffin's in person other than the one at the petstore for quite some time, they are cuties :) |
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Oh, Erika, I loved reading all about Kit...but I really didn't know he knew Michael's nickname!  |
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| | | From: momnoah | Sent: 6/3/2007 9:58 PM |
Thank you. He is such a character I don't know what I'd do without him (God forbid!) and it's hard to remember what it was like before he & Bug came here. Bug is sorely missed. Kit said a new word today, and I'm not sure where he got it.  The neighbor boy was here and wanted to hold Kit, who lunged at him. Terry jumped back, then left the room... As he was leaving, Kit piped up with "jacka**". What a stinker bird! |
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My delete I tried to delete the duplicate message and left a mess,,,,,,sorry di |
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