Cockatoos are so crazy, and that’s the best thing about them. Cockatoos love to cause as much chaos as possible, and when you’re an intelligent creature with wings who can talk, it’s really not that hard. They become masters of the craft pretty quickly.

One Cockatoo officially earned his gold star in chaos after he discovered what feet are. He really doesn’t know how to feel about them, but he’s not about to let anyone know that. He’s getting serious, fast:

Carmen and Friends all have differing opinions about feet. He’s still trying to decide how he feels about them, and the circumstances didn’t make it any easier. The person whose feet he’s just discovered is wearing flip flops. Even humans feel weird about flip flops!

Someone in the comments did mention the fact that hatchling Cockatoos look a little bit like toes: they’re very pink. They wonder if that’s why Cockatoos might target toes sometimes, and honestly, that makes sense.

Related: Cockatoo Turns Hoodie String Into Pasta and Can’t Stop Snacking

Carmen is a rescue, and a fairly recent one at that. Like many Cockatoos are, he was re-homed by his previous family for being aggressive. He had just experienced a loss and was grieving, and they just didn’t mesh well. He was a biter there.

Luckily, since he got to his new home, he seems to be really thriving. He gets along well with all of his new forever humans, and they let him be himself. Most of the time, this sweet bird is so happy he just can’t stop dancing:

Just keep your toes away from him, because they make him lose his temper. A lesson a lot of people need to learn, apparently.

Cockatoos Love to Bite

Cockatoos navigate much of the world with their beaks. They nibble on pretty much anything they can, and they will nibble on you, too. It’s just part of having these birds. If you want to prevent yourself from getting bit, you can try:

Wearing shoes and gloves around your Cockatoo.

Making sure they’ve eaten before you try to pick them up.

Use positive reinforcement.

Your Cockatoo deserves the same patience, love, and respect as your dog. Redirecting them when they go after your toes is important… But for Carmen, they’re so new. He’ll get bored of them eventually!

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This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Jan 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.