What's the best way to learn a 1year old Cockatoo how to speak? And to teach him to behave?

He is a male cockatoo and he is very naughty and he's only 1 yr old. His b-day was on january 3rd... when people pass by he wants to "play" by "biting"...he destroys everything..cloths..chairs etc etc.Don't get me wrong.. I loooovveee my cockatoo...i was just wondering if there was a way to deal with him beig naughty sometimes...but i will never give him away...I do love him.. but i just wanted him to be nice to other people

Did you do ANY research before you bought the bird? Cockatoos chew. Everything. All their lives. He will never stop destroying things, and there's no way to teach him not to. He'll learn how to speak if and when he chooses to, the only real way to work with him on that is to repeat the same word or phrase over and over again in his presence. Cockatoos are not huge talkers, most will only learn 5-10 words or phrases in their lifetime. Nipping can be trained out of them by saying 'no bite', putting them in a cage, and leaving the room for a while. Go back and let him out again, if he nips, back in time out. Be consistent and he'll get the message. Never, EVER hit a bird! That will just get you bitten even harder out of defense.You should know, this baby behavior is NOTHING compared to what a cockatoo does when he hits puberty at 5-7 years- he will spend at least a year being VERY grumpy, biting everyone, destroying everything, and screaming a lot. If you can't handle him the way he is now, you'll never be able to handle him through his puberty stage. You should reconsider the reasons you bought this bird, and consider finding him a home that is better prepared to handle a cockatoo, and maybe find yourself a pet that is more consistent with the traits you're looking for. I've owned many cockatoos, and most of them came to my family after their first owners realized they couldn't get them to stop chewing and being noisy all the time, and didn't want them anymore. Cockatoos can live up to 80 years, and like I said, the behaviors won't change. Are you sure you want that kind of committment? There are plenty of parrot rescues around that can help find him a home that understands him.

I have to admit, Alyssa J, is completely right. Cockatoos love nothing more than to bite. Alot. Make sure he has a lot of chew toys and vary them everynow and then but to be honest, they best think to have is a hand reared bird, since they have been handled ever since they were born. They are used to it and dont become afraid of humans so wont bite them, unless they're feeling particuallry threatened. But your Cockatoo is still quite young and has a hell of alot of growing up to do, and considering the life expectancy of captive birds, if you dont get him sorted out when he's young, you'll have a naughty bird for a VERY long time. Make sure to seriously consider your motives.

Lets retrain this bird. Make him foraging toys and thinking toys. You can get empty toilet rolls and put a few treats in it and stuff the ends with paper so when he opens it he gets a present. Pine cones are great to chew and dip sunflower seeds in peanut butter and hide in the crevices. Get a small medication bottle, put a toy inside, put the cap on partially and he will need to think to get the toy out. Some like adding machine refills to pull the paper and shred it. There are dog toys that can hold treats and he will have to figure out how to get to them. When he bites, give him a firm "No!" push towards the bite and put him in his cage covered for 5 minutes covered. After 3 days he will figure out that good behaviour means more play time. When he chews on something he shouldn't tell him "No!" and give him a foraging toy.Tell him "Good Boy!" You are the alpha bird and he must learn how to live in his human flock. I bet in 2 months, your bird will be reformed and both of you will enjoy each other more than ever. To talk repeat one phrase over and over. You can use those tapes or cd's if you like. Repetition and enthusiasm is the key. If you are happy and excited, he will be more motivated to speak. Have a tweet year.