LITTLE ORPHAN OLIVER
“Surprises, like misfortunes, seldom come alone.” – Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist
An orphan? We don’t know this little fellow’s past, but he arrived on our doorstep an orphan. This is the story of a very special delivery:
On Monday, August 31, it was business as usual when Rick, Karen and Brenda arrived at our Acoma Street location first thing in the morning. It was warming up to be another beautiful and sunny hot summer’s day. As the clock neared 10:00 AM, Karen went to the store’s front door to unlock and open for business. But she spotted something most unusual and called out loud for Rick who responded straight away, alarmed by Karen’s tone. Surprise number one was right there on the wall at the front of the building: A cardboard box was duct-taped to the wall with a Wal-Mart plastic bag filled with 2 baggies of black oil sunflower seed draped from it. Surprise number two waited as they approached the box and opened it carefully. Startled, they found a feather picked Goffin’s cockatoo wearing a bubble acrylic collar around its neck, crouched inside the cardboard carton. Disbelief was the reaction of the moment that soon gave way to shock. The temperature was already at 81°F as they wondered how long this bird had been without food and water, how long the bird and box had been there and who had abandoned this little fellow? That history remains a mystery to us despite pursuing the mysterious origin of the bird. Nothing to identify the bird was found in the box with the new arrival. Because the bird was wearing the collar, we called all veterinary clinics within a 50-mile radius to get information about this mystery bird with no band, no microchip and still no name. Our search was fruitless so he was named Oliver, inspired by the Dickens novel, Oliver Twist.
Oliver is male, and all diagnostic testing has been within normal. He seems to be mostly comfortable with people and his new environment. We have learned that showers are a real favorite of this little guy, and that he has a great appetite and is very food motivated. He has been in quarantine since his unexpected arrival. We hope he is able to provide us some clues about his former life as he becomes more familiar with his new caregivers.
Someone must have cared enough about this bird to bring him directly to TGF. We’ll never know if the bird was left with us because they were embarrassed, under great hardship, or simply no longer wanted the feather picked cockatoo.
Please take Oliver under your wing and become his sponsor. To see Oliver and some of the other birds in need of your support, please click here.
More about the Goffin's Cockatoo or Tanimbar Cockatoo:
Cacatua goffini, is one of the smaller cockatoo species. They are native to Tanimbar Islands (Maluku province) in Indonesia. Wild populations of this bird are threatened due to habitat loss and illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade.
Description:
They weigh, on average, 350 grams - but the weight range of this species is 220 to 390 grams. They measure about 31 centimeters from head to tail. Goffin's Cockatoos are the smallest of all Cacatuidae. Males and females are identical in appearance.
Like all members of the Cacatuidae, the Goffin's Cockatoo is crested, meaning it has a collection of feathers on its head that it can raise or lower. Its body is mainly covered with white feathers, with salmon/peachy/pink colored feathers between the beak and eyes and also on the underside of the crest feathers. The underside of its wing and tail feathers exhibit a yellowish tinge. The eyes range from brown to black. The Goffin's Cockatoo is quite graceful in flight.
Goffin’s are not known to be the best talkers in the parrot world, but many of them will learn a few words and imitate sounds they are exposed to on a daily basis, such as phones, doorbells, etc. They are energetic and outgoing birds with big personalities alongside their small size. Active, intelligent, agile and extremely social, Goffin’s cockatoos can be a marvelous companion parrot for the family that is well prepared to add this species to their flock. A roomy cage, plenty of play areas, physical exercise and a creatively enriched environment are mandatory to the long term success of living with this bird. Their attention span can be short, as they jump from one exciting adventure to another. Though physically much smaller than its white cockatoo cousins, its high pitched call can be quite a startling interruption to a calm and quiet atmosphere. The best time for a Goffin’s to get into trouble is when it’s bored and living with a family unprepared for a potentially demanding bird. Goffin’s cockatoos are captivating, wonderfully engaging and eager to learn many new behaviors. Learning and reinforcing wanted behaviors is the challenge that faces any Goffin’s caregiver. Being prepared, focusing time and energy on positive reinforcement, enrichment, learning and behavior are critical ingredients to a life well lived with a Goffin’s.
CLICK HERE TO READ TGF'S POSITION STATEMENT ON BREEDING
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