U2 in Apartment. Possible?

Hi everybody!

Just curious, has anybody managed to live with their Cockatoo in an apartment? My girlfriend and I recently got an apartment together and Kruger, my U2, is back at home with my Mom. I'd love to take him into the apartment but I'm afraid of getting kicked out. Are there any tips or tricks to living with Cockatoos in the apartment life? Or is it really not possible because of how loud they can be? I miss my buddy.

Thanks!

Well.....common sense would suggest that an apartment isn't a good place for any parrot.

ToMang07 said:

Well.....common sense would suggest that an apartment isn't a good place for any parrot.

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Kiwi has lived with us in a studio, 1 bedroom, basement sublet and now a condo. Not a single noise complaint or issues with damages in 9 years, but many neighbors along the way who have been absolutely fascinated with and enjoyed seeing him. Proper training/supervision/bird proofing has prevented any damages. My moms male amazon would have been a good apartment bird too, he was quiet and well behaved. It may be the exception to the rule, but that's an awfully blanket statement that no parrot does well in an apartment.

To the OP: Is your cockatoo the "typical too" who likes to scream and holler? If he is, then you're probably right that he wouldn't be a suitable apartment bird but depending on if he's a quiet individual or not, it's possible he could adapt well like our amazon did. You also have to consider whether your landlord would allow a bird (if so, can you afford the pet deposit and pet insurance?). Then there is the issue of if your bird is a particularly destructive individual. Homeowners can decide if they're ok with that stuff, but a landlord is going to be pretty pissed if a bird chews up their unit even if it was quiet the whole time you lived there. All it takes is for one time you're in a rush and forget to lock the cage and your bird could do extensive damages while you're out (my dads cockatoo once escaped and by the time my dad got home, he thought he'd been burglarized and the house ransacked). Not every bird is hell bent on destruction, but cockatoos certainly have a reputation for being more prone to that kind of behavior. You know your bird best and need to be honest with yourself about whether or not he's suited to apartment life. It's kind of a rare trait in larger parrots to find an individual who's quiet and obedient enough to live in a rental with shared walls.

Krueger said:

Hi everybody!

Just curious, has anybody managed to live with their Cockatoo in an apartment? My girlfriend and I recently got an apartment together and Kruger, my U2, is back at home with my Mom. I'd love to take him into the apartment but I'm afraid of getting kicked out. Are there any tips or tricks to living with Cockatoos in the apartment life? Or is it really not possible because of how loud they can be? I miss my buddy.

Thanks!

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Since most apartment complexes, do not allow testing of jet engines in their facilities, it is rare to find one open to a U2. That said, you are likely one of the very few people who by great chance just moved into the only Apartment Complex is the World in which all the apartments are rented to mid to large Parrot owners.

Sorry for the attempt at humor, as I can see that you would love to have your Parrot with you!

What to do:

- Much of this comes down to whether there is anything more than two sheets of 1/2" (13 mm) drywall between you and the other apartments. Also, the number of apartments in your building and how close other apartment buildings or other buildings /homes are to you apartment.
- Read your Renter's Agreement with detail! Look for segments regarding noise and disruption of others and whether Pets are allowed. If Pets are allowed, what kind and under what restrictions.
- Even if your complex allows Pets. I would highly recommend that prior to moving your U2 into your apartment, you visit each and every apartment in your building (yes everyone) and talk to them regarding your Parrot and the possible noise that could come from your apartment. The second visit, would be with your Parrot. During that visit, tell each and every person that if your Parrot happens to be louder than normal, please contact you!!! And, make it easy for them to contact you!
- If all the stars align and a blue moon rises, still have a Plan 'B' ready if /when you receive the eviction notice.

We have a very vocal Amazon and during the Summer months we have our windows open. Since, we live in a Site Condominium we took the time to visit every home around us to let them know that we have an Amazon.

People tend to complain less when they are aware and that we are open to hearing any issues or concerns that they have. The only complaint we have received is that there isn't enough room for them to watch our Amazon complain to the Turkey and Deer about being in his backyard.

How noisy is Kruger? While most cockatoos are screamers, some are less vocal than others. The odds of maintaining peace with your neighbors and landlord are not great, but perhaps Kruger is an exceptionally quiet bird?

At the very least, you could attempt a trial to see if he is compliant? However, even if he is quiet in your presence, he might become very vocal in your absence.

We live in a house, but I don't have any doubts that Sunny could live in an apartment. She screams maybe 1-2 times a day, and even that is rare when it happens. She just is a chatterbox and likes to talk, but mostly whispering and saying "step up" over and over. I think it is just like everyone else has said: depends on the bird.

The other thing too, is you could work with Krueger at your mom's house. I know U2s tend to be noisier, but figuring out some of his triggers could definitely help tone the noise down. During the day if I'm going to be going in and out of the bedroom, I'll cover the side of Sunny's cage with a sheet, but only the side facing the door so she can still see into the room. When I go back and forth or try to clean, she gets upset, and with the sheet, she doesn't even notice. I also keep the door closed during the day if I'm going to be in the other room for a bit. She flock calls if I leave the door open, but when it's closed she just goes to sleep or waits patiently for me to come back.

There's a million small things I do, but they all contribute. My bf has a weird schedule, so oftentimes he is sleeping in the middle of the day and up very late, so I have found ways for them both to get what they need. I don't know if any of that will help, but there's some ideas at least.

I would not advise it. Cockatoos are individuals, and some may scream less than others, but when a 'too wants to scream, they can hear him on Mars. That will not go over in an apartment. We live in a house and the neighbors' house isn't right on top of us by any means, yet even with doors and windows closed, they can hear him over their TV when he lets go. They're nice about it, but it must be annoying. Imagine if it were just on the other side of the wall.

Typically, no.
But YOU know how loud your individual is.
Could you hear him in different rooms of your last home?
Were you ever woken by him?
Did he call in the morning and evening?
In an apartment, you are sharing walls, so if you were affected by his sounds when in another room, at home, you know your answer.

Before I got Remi, I trialled a parrot in the apartment I lived in - and while she was super quiet there were a whole host of reasons that after that, I'd not have a parrot in an apartment.

* The bird couldn't have their own room, and without a break from the parrot occasionally I'd probably go a bit nuts. I love that Remi can fly to her room in my house now and we don't have to be constantly *on* each other.
* There wasn't enough room in the parts of the apartment with hard floors to have a cage. This meant that the place the bird cage sat was over carpet. The area is OK to protect, but after seeing mashed vegies flung several meters by Remi I know now that mess would inevitably work its' way into the carpet. That's no good in a rental, unless you were willing to pay to rip up the carpet at the end of the lease.
* Remi doesn't make much noise, but she has moments (which I have yet to understand) where she zooms to the back of the house screaming at 100dB (I think it's 'I'm going out here to play, come with me!') - In an apartment she couldn't get away to do this. So we'd have her zooming about screeching at the top of her lungs...I'd probably go bonkers. For me it wasn't about constant noise, but she does have once or twice a day (for less than a minute) where she is ear-splitting. Butted up against neighbours on all sides it'd hard to tell if they would consider her disrupting their peace.
* For all the above ^^ reasons, I'd not be able to get away with innocently informing the landlord that I have a 'small bird' - (which seems much better received than 'I have a large exotic parrot')

So for me, a parrot is not suitable for an apartment. Or rather, I don't think MY parrot is suitable for an apartment. We rent our house - but Remi doesn't show much interest in destroying the house (aside from wanting to chew on the cord for the blinds) - but I know cockatoos love to chew on everything (I know - we have hundreds of wild ones chewing on houses from the outside here!)

Yipes,Soyajam, I never , ever considered wild cockatoos chewing their way INTO a house !!! What the heck do ya do then??

OP, you know the answer already. Parrots are loud, some are REALLY loud, and some defy belief at how loud and persistent they are.

wrench13 said:

Yipes,Soyajam, I never, ever considered wild cockatoos chewing their way INTO a house !!! What the heck do ya do then??

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I made it sound worse than it was - what I mean is I've observed bored cockatoos chewing wooden exteriors (like cladding, eaves, etc) - or having fun destroying gardens (shredded tomato plants, anybody?)

At my own apartment complex (this is a few years ago now) we lived with an gregarious bunch of sulphur crested cockatoos - and when they weren't tossing my plants off my balcony (with me watching, mind you!), dive-bombing off the roof of the building, or throwing rocks off the roof onto the cars below - they would have a great 'ol time chewing on the insect screens on the exterior of the windows.

Landlord couldn't do anything since it was out of both our control - we were on the 4th floor so not much we could do to discourage them.
"Oy! Giddout!" Was not successful I'm afraid.

I kind of liked them even though they were mischievous little sods - which I suppose is where I began to suspect I was a crazy bird lady...

Err, sorry - I de-railed the thread. Carry on!

just got done rehoming Sammy and Sunny Ricky due to an Apt move coming up.
not even willing to take the chance, they where both very vocal and did their screaming.
i am however moving the Eclectus,and the Amazon along to Iowa with us. as they are both well mannered parrots and to be honest if they did not talk you would not even notice them here much. i think this might be the difference in buying eggs and being involved in their weaning vs rescue parrots and not knowing what their lives may have been like.

im also disabled and putting a move together is not an easy thing this one will take the better part of a year to get all the details ironed out and relocated, and i don't feel like doing more then 1 time for now.lol

I would equate a U2 in an apartment to a game of russian roulette, except 4 of the 6 chambers are loaded. Even if you were to have an extremely rare never make noise too you have the space to worry about. Even then you can easily have a neighbour that doesn't like birds and they decide that your Too is causing allergies or is too noisy all day or they smell or whatever. There's some real crazies out there who will do anything to get rid of "pests"

LordTriggs said:

I would equate a U2 in an apartment to a game of russian roulette, except 4 of the 6 chambers are loaded.

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I almost spewed hot tea on my monitor!

:jumping40

Thank you everyone for the responses! Krueger tends to be on the louder side, as he isn't a 'too out of the ordinary. So it's probably best not to bring him into an apartment, it might be more trouble than it's worth.

I originally thought that my apartment complex didn't allow birds, but then somebody moved in on the first floor with an African Grey. I was hoping a may be able to get Krueger in, but then again--Cockatoos are much much louder and persistent than African Greys

yeah I would stick away from a 'Too in that case. Like you say a Grey and 'Too are very different in terms of noise and let's be fair even if pets are allowed, building management gets complaints then suddenly no pets are allowed

well in my apt hunt i was able to find a management company in Omaha,Ne
who will be helping in my relocation process as they have property's in Council Bluff's Iowa
which is where im moving to. in my chat with them about the pet situation. was told parrots are ok all cept cockatoo's and McCaw's due to their screaming and past destruction that had been done. big deposit though 500.00 bucks and another 200.00 for the dog.

so putting a 2 in an apt is almost a no win, i hate to say

It sounds as though you have family willing to take care of your cockatoo until you have a suitable space to have him correct? If that's the case, that's wonderful you don't have to give him up. When your lease is up, if you aren't able/willing to buy a home, it may be a good idea to look for a rental house instead of an apartment, which would be much more likely to allow you to have your noisy buddy back with you

I don't see U2's Bono in an apartment, he seems like more of a Ireland mansion kind of guy....

I would think it would depend on the individual bird. Is he loud? Not all toos are created equal when it comes to their squawks. One of my friends, years ago, had a wild caught Triton Cockatoo that she kept in her apartment. I stayed with her for four months and that bird never let out a sound.