Baubo Does Play Sometimes

Baubo the cockatoo was bred in the US to be a companion bird. And she is, to my wife and me. Mean as hell to everyone else. But for all of her faults she is meant to be a companion and she does a pretty good job of that. Demanding yes, but we knew that going in. Baubo requires the same attention that any bred cockatoo would. She also rewards us with unconditional love and lavishes attention on us, if we wish it or not.

After all of these years she is still fascinating to watch. I love birds, especially cockatoos, and especially Baubo. She keeps me company when I shower. Yes indeed she hangs out in the shower with us as well as the bath tub. She is fun to watch as she eats or drinks. Her beak has mechanical crushing power of many feet per inch of pressure. Enough to crack open an almond. Her leathery black tongue is used to manipulate food in her mouth as well as liquids. She holds objects with her talons somewhat as people do with their hands. All of this is fascinating to watch. I can, and have, been mesmerized by her for hours at a time.  

One never knows it until living with an exotic but birds have expressions. They do not have the facial expressions of many animals but of stance and actions. I can tell when she is hungry, scared, playful, and nervous. She has playful periods during the day and can be very loud during these times. It’s my understanding that she needs this to release anxiety, that the loud playfulness is just part of her makeup as a cockatoo.

So taking the good with the bad, all part of loving an animal. In the long run, for her companionship, it’s worth it.

Dear Dr. Demanes

My name is David Seaman. My wife and I have been bringing our animals to your clinic for many years. We have brought our cockatoo Baubo for check ups and for housing purposes when we go away from home. She is having a rough time over the past few years and this winter has been especially hard on her. She picks her feathers still, and is becoming meaner and meaner toward family members. The only people in our family she has not bitten is my wife Bonnie and myself. We've thought about finding her a companion bird but do not wish to do anything to exacerbate her situation.

My thoughts lately have been to see if there is a cockatoo owner in the area who may be willing to let their bird spend some time with Baubo for the sake of companionship. I would like your feed back on this idea and if possible your help with getting into contact with just such a cockatoo owner.

Thanks,
Dave Seaman

Where's Baubo?!

Baubo has been in a strange mood lately. But so have I. It's this whole below freezing temps not going out or getting sun thing that's going on. I think we will both do better when we can sit out in the back yard again.

Baubo is fully flighted. Which means she has all of her wing feathers.But she has never even made an attempt to ever fly. In fact she can hardly stand to be more than ten yards away from either of us. She is just to plain scared to fly away. And unfortunately she probably would not survive long on her own if she did.

Which raises another concern about exotic bird ownership. These fragile creatures thrive in warmer weather, and die in cold weather. Baubo was born and bred in Chicago, Illinois; not exactly known for its hospitable weather. There is very little keeping her alive beyond the shelter of the house. I can't imagine she feels much better than I do about being trapped inside by the frigid temps.

monday

IF("DayOfTheWeek"=monday) goto <complaint>
I'm a morning person. I love waking up!
<complaint>My knees hurt </complaint>

Sunday Lunch

Makin lunch for the fam. Spaghetti sauce that will cook for six hours. Got started before her highness woke up, but Baubo eventually squawked for me to get her out of her cage.

Self Mutilation

We love Baubo. By we I mean my wife and me. She is a mean as hell bitch to everyone else. The only people she has not bitten in the family is my wife and myself. She is mean because she doesn't feel well. And she is emotionally distressed. This can be caused by a few things. One being that she is at her sexual maturity and frustrated. The only mates she has are the two of us and we are not birds. Not even good substitutes for birds. She squawks very loudly. She can be heard for blocks around the house, in the winter, with the windows closed and doors shut. Most of the time she does this when she is alone in a room. If we both leave she wants us back immediately. She is destructive and becomes so when she is having a temper tantrum.

Baubo also has a sweet side. She loves us as much as we love her. She can be cuddly, and at times, downright fun. She dances and bobs as she plays or displays exuberance.  Her disposition, for the most part, is fairly relaxed and friendly, unless there are other people in the house. Then she becomes a nervous nut wanting to approach them for acceptance and validation. But, she bites. Everyone. So we either have to cage her when people are over, or struggle continuously to keep her from jumping off of our shoulder and attacking. Before reaching sexual maturity she was very friendly and completely safe around strangers, friends, and family.

From the above picture it is clear that Baubo picks her feathers. She plucks them out the same way some people cut themselves, and most likely for the same reasons. My wife claims the bird has borderline personality disorder. This is most likely caused by her diet, but I believe her frustration also contributes to her self mutilation. We have thought about getting a second cockatoo, but that is something that could go terribly wrong. And we might get stuck with two nutters instead of just the one. We have tried a cone, but she is so destructive that she can rip through the plastic with her beak in a matter of hours. We try. We do love her, and it is apparent she feels the same toward us. We can hope that someday soon Baubo will emotionally mature to the point that she is less of a bitch and more like the cuddly lover we brought home from the rescue. And that she will learn to like herself enough to stop hurting herself.

Baubo for Dinner

Baubo wants to help...

Oven roasted skillet chicken is what Baubo and I are preparing for dinner tonight. This bird likes to eat and is forever hopeful that I will create something pleasing to her palate. This is why she has such an interest in what I am cooking. I enjoy her company, while at the same time I worry about her diet. She does not receive the right amount of nutrients so vital to a birds existence. Exotic birds, for the most part, are fragile creatures. The wrong food, weather, disease, or gas can kill them very easily.In order to fool Baubo into getting the nutrients she so desperately needs I devised a recipe for bird bread.

I don't remember when I discovered, or the circumstances of my discovery, that most birds like cornbread. In fact, all of the birds that have been sheltered in our household have eaten and enjoyed cornbread. And often veiled by the bread can be found a number of nutrients. From prescription by veterinarians, to vegetables, to grains and healthy seeds. Seeds are the enemy of exotic birds yet most enter a household hooked on bird seed when they should be eating nutrition pellets. Seeds are bad for the liver of most all birds. A steady diet of nothing but bird seed will shorten the lifespan of a bird considerably. Fortunately I've found cornbread has the ability to help with the transition from seeds to pellets.

Coffee time!!

Having a cockatoo, or any big bird for that matter, is not unlike having a small child. There is very little of a person’s life that does not revolve around a child. It can be hectic at times, chaotic at others. The same is true for a cockatoo. The difference is that a child will grow up and become more self-sufficient. The cockatoo will not. The cockatoo will be demanding of your time forever. And I say forever because the chances are good that the cockatoo will outlive you.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I hear so often how wonderful my bird is and how people would like to own one themselves. I have to repeat myself often and ask, do you really? Children grow and leave the nest. Dogs and cats are fairly self-sufficient. But a bird, and especially the high strung needy cockatoo species, will always be demanding of your time. They need constant stimulation, validation, reassurance, and good ol’ TLC.

They need constant variety in their diet. Don’t let the store employee fool you. They won’t live long on a bag of bird seed from the pet store. In fact that is the worst thing for them. Nutritional pellets are a must. But more importantly are nuts, fresh fruit and vegetables that you need to cut up, and a variety of healthy starches. That’s not bad. In fact it rewarding. We have three birds all together and one of my first morning chores is food prep. Two of our birds are very appreciative and eat very well. Baubo eats like shit.

I don’t know how to get her out of her bad eating habits. She is offered good food every day but throws it from her food dish to the ground, thus making my dogs into bottom feeders. Yes, we have dogs too, four of them. Baubo turns her beak up at fresh cut fruits and veggies in favor of corn bread, peanut butter, and some nuts like almonds. The majority of her food comes from our dinner plate. She eats when we eat, and when it’s not to her liking then she is SOL. Its pellets and water for her.