Future Cockatoo Owner Questions

[gotham]

Fair enough too. Back to the holidays thing - you need to find your 'person'. A dedicated high school kid willing to learn will gets heaps out of the hands on experience with your parrot, and then when you are away you have a house sitter. Then eventually - they can babysit the human kid too We have a couple of local responsible teen girls who are confident with the animals and they all know the girls well.

When you have a babe, routines will go out of the window, but having the 'person' come in for an hour a day will allow the bird a familiar face, time out, clean cage etc or what not. That will help stabilise that period. We've just started having much younger children in the house again. I dedicated the office to a bird room. There are stands and gyms in various places. When it's just too much, the birds are in their room, with their foraging/engagement/sometimes just in the cage with door shut! But the little ones get exposure by having the birds on their gyms, and the kids on my knee/in my arms/ right 100% attentive. A bit of room organisation and strategising can help that work. It's the strategising you need to work though in terms of children and holidays - I think, given you're used to macaws and enrichment theories, you'll be okay in terms of ability and skill. Don't get yourself into the whole 'analysis paralysis' thing....a cockatoo would be lucky to have you!

Exposure exposure exposure. Invite anyone over with kids and babies. Harness train young, and take the fid out about about with you. Again the more they know, the more flexible they'll be. Marley (Galah's) biggest thing is change. Henry doesn't care about change....Henry's cage is changes around often, and he's on my shoulder loads. Species and personalities obviously come into it but I do think if you don't want it to be an issue - don't let it be a habit.

Don't board. Get a person. It'll put you at ease, knowing they know your animals, the animals can stay in their own environment and keep their routines.

As they say in NZ, 'you'll be right!'.

Hi! I wanted to thank you for all of your responses and answer my questions about cockatoos. I just feel everyone is so negative but of course I understand the cockatoos are such a big commitment you don't want to go suggesting everybody get cockatoo. I've been reading a lot of the subjects in these forums and really nobody ever suggest getting a cockatoo...even though THEY love their baby and " wouldn't trade them for anything" lol. We haven't decided still although I feel my husband is getting scared out of it!

Thank you for the support!

 

[ToMang07]

Hi! I wanted to thank you for all of your responses and answer my questions about cockatoos. I just feel everyone is so negative but of course I understand the cockatoos are such a big commitment you don't want to go suggesting everybody get cockatoo. I've been reading a lot of the subjects in these forums and really nobody ever suggest getting a cockatoo...even though THEY love their baby and " wouldn't trade them for anything" lol. We haven't decided still although I feel my husband is getting scared out of it!

Thank you for the support!

Well, being one of the most difficult breeds...they ARE the most "rehomed" of the parrot family. A lot of people can't/chose not to handle them long term.

 

[Birdman666]

Hi! I wanted to thank you for all of your responses and answer my questions about cockatoos. I just feel everyone is so negative but of course I understand the cockatoos are such a big commitment you don't want to go suggesting everybody get cockatoo. I've been reading a lot of the subjects in these forums and really nobody ever suggest getting a cockatoo...even though THEY love their baby and " wouldn't trade them for anything" lol. We haven't decided still although I feel my husband is getting scared out of it!

Thank you for the support!

The thing about toos is they need structure. They need to be taught to self entertain.

You can't hold them too much. (Like a baby that gets held too much, and then cries to be held every single time it gets set down, only THESE babies don't grow up or grow out of it.)

They can be quite emotionally needy. The average large too gets rehomed 5 to 7 times in it's lifetime... THAT'S A GRIM STATISTIC...

They can go through a period where they are "hormonally challenged." And during those times they can be moody, and they can bite. (Hard! LIKE GO DIRECTLY TO THE ER FOR STITCHES HARD!)

They can be screamers. Like JET ENGINE NOISE LOUD and they can keep it up for many hours at a time, quite literally driving the entire neighborhood mad...

They can also be pluckers. And it's gut wrenching to see them multilate themselves.

CAN doesn't mean WILL. IT MEANS CAN...

We would be steering you wrong if we didn't tell you all these things. Because when toos go wrong, they can go very, very wrong. And it's the birds that end up suffering the most.... I've seen it first hand.

PERSONALLY, THE TOO I RECOMMEND THAT HAS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS ARE THE RB2'S (GALLAH)

These are absolutely wonderful birds, with SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER of the "usual problems" associated with large toos. IN FACT, I THINK THEY'RE ONE OF THE BETTER PET QUALITY BIRDS OUT THERE PERIOD!!!

I'd stay away from the big white ones, especially if you've never raised one, and I'd avoid those giant salmon pink ones too! (M2's are often the neediest of the bunch!)

THE SAME THINGS ARE SAID ABOUT MANY OF THE LARGE MACAW SPECIES. I'VE SEEN GREENWINGS TAKE OVER A HOUSE, AND CHASE PEOPLE AROUND THE ROOM... Again, most folks don't raise them correctly, and it's a reciepe for disaster, with a bird that large and powerful. THAT BEING SAID, I WOULDN'T TRADE MY GREENWING FOR ALL THE TEA IN CHINA...

WHAT I RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE CONTEMPLATING GETTING ONE OF THESE LARGER/NEEDIER SPECIES IS TO GO AND VISIT A LOCAL RESCUE, AND WORK WITH THEM. READING ABOUT IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU ANY REAL PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE. HANDS ON HANDLING THEM GIVES YOU THE UNDERSTANDING OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS RIGHT FOR YOU.

 

[Christinenc2000]

I don't think everyone means to be negative . There are forums you can go and they will sugar coat it. This forum is very honest. They just want to make sure you know what you are / might be in for.

There is a Too that the owner shows a lot of his video's on FB . Such a goof ball. I mean one of those crack me up Too's he is so sweet and funny. Several people posted to his site that after seeing him they went out and bought one . Few posted back weeks later they already re-homed there TOO . The owner of the video said no one ever see's behind the camera. The nights the bird bit him. The police coming to his apartment because his bird kept yelling. I know I will never own one because of the dust they put off.
And NOW for some humor
Then there is this
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0z-0ZyQ-48"]Harley and cups[/ame]
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRsfOGJ5lZg"]Harley[/ame]

 

[ToMang07]

They can be fun, especially when you're watching a movie, lol

http://vid752.photobucket.com/album...ella Cockatoo/20151231_222858_zpslez9noxz.mp4

Of course, she has her quiet moments, Too...

http://vid752.photobucket.com/album...0151016_132418_49340164698007_zpsg5d9mdr0.mp4

 

[Siobhan]

We aren't trying to be negative. We are trying to give you a complete picture of life with a 'too. Yes, the other side of the screaming, the destruction, etc. is that they are love sponges. They want to spend every minute with their favorite person. They coo and grunt and moan and mumble their love into your shirt front as they're snuggling. You can actually hug and kiss a 'too, unlike most parrots, and they eat it up. They can be ridiculously funny and entertaining. They don't talk particularly well, but they want to, and they try. They dance to music they like. They hang upside down from the ceiling of their cage and spin around to make you laugh. You can play games with them that other parrots wouldn't play. They delight in doing silly things. But ... they demand so much time and attention and home remodeling to keep them from destroying things, or to replace things they've already destroyed, and vigilance to keep them safe, and the people in the home, whether visitors or residents, that are not their favorite person, and the noise and the mess and the feather dust are enormous considerations, that a person should know what they're getting into and be prepared to live with that before even considering a 'too. And this is for the bird's sake I say this, not yours. You get to make a choice. The bird does not. Our Rocky has had any number of homes. We don't even know how many. He has been abused. He was visibly underweight and partially plucked when he came to us. He's gained weight and grown the feathers back now, but he is afraid of things he shouldn't have to be afraid of. He jumps at every sound. He recoils when he sees a broom. If we drop something accidentally, or our elderly dog goes "thump" when she lies down, he jumps and alerts. When you rehome a parrot, no matter how much you try to find a good home, you don't know what might happen after that. They might rehome him with less care than you did. He could go from hand to hand for years, maybe the rest of his life. He could be shut into a dark room and ignored and not properly taken care of. He could be hit, or have things thrown at him for making noise. We just want you to think of everything before getting a 'too, and make a considered, informed decision.

 

[ToMang07]

As to re-homing.... Willow was (estimated) 4 years old when I got her... and I am at a minimum her 3rd home, I have reason to expect I'm her 4th home.

 

[Sucre]

Supposedly, Sucre had one home prior to coming to live with us. I'm pretty sure that home caused most of the problems we're dealing with now, and the rest of the problems are just typical 'too personality traits.

He was a rescue. Had I known before what I know now, I would probably gotten him with the intent to find him a good home - he had to be removed from the home he was in. Now, my husband is madly in love with him, and even though Sucre wants to kill me at times, I cannot bring myself to rehome him. As frustrated as I get with him, I do not know one soul personally who would put up with him for 24 hours. So, he's here to stay, and we're trying to make the best of it.

I applaud you for doing your homework. I do small animal rescue on a small scale, have kept birds all of my life. Sucre is my first large bird, and nothing anyone would have said to me could have prepared me for this! Sucre has some special problems we're dealing with (drug / meth exposure over a long period of time, being allowed free roam of the house 24/7) so I don't really feel qualified to advise on this, but even with his extra problems, he does exhibit all of the negative behaviors mentioned. And because of his attacks on me, I don't trust him around anyone else uncaged, so sometimes, I am not so certain that I have done the best thing for him, but we keep working on it.

I can't help but wonder if behavior is different in one that was raised from a baby, rather than shuffled from home to home, or neglected, or abused.

 

[gotham]

So I want to apologize! In my earlier post I did not mean everyone on this thread is negative I meant people in general...a general "everyone." I've read through other forums and the consensus is the same. I do truly appreciate you guys taking the time to explain things to me and trying to give me a complete picture! Being rehomed 3-4 times is tragic and It makes me very very mad when people don't think about the life of the animal before they get it. It's extremely selfish, they just think I want and it can't be that hard...even with something that is a bit more simple like a rabbit. I have an uncle who tried to sell his rabbit in a garage sale ...it side me very upset. There are legit reasons to rehome animals but too often people take the easy way out claiming it's just better for the animal when what is best is really that person taking the time and effort they have an obligation to when they decided to get the animal in the first place!---end rant

I just think sometimes the negativity surround the cockatoos can scare away people who would be able To provide a great home/life. For me it was deciding the time issue. I have the time (I don't work so I'm home most of the day). If the bird required 99.9999% of my time to be happy, I'm the type of person who will give it because I made that commitment. But thinking about that before I get the cockatoo and talking to you lovely people has made me hesitant.
We went to see the Goffin we've been thinking about today...he was sitting out on a perch In This busy bird store. He was playing by himself and people were randomly petting him. He wasn't seeking out attention and really behaving pretty great but I was looking around the store at the action he is used to and the different people coming and going I just thought....I can't compete with this. Being at home with me and 2 dogs all day is no match for The stimulation he is used to. I feel like getting himself be a step down for him. Meanwhile my husband is terrified of the night screaming that can start when he's a couple years old. So I finally let go of the prospect of getting him today and I'd be lying if it didn't make me shed a few tears.


So now...my husband is driving the African grey train...thoughts?

 

[Scott]

I can't help but wonder if behavior is different in one that was raised from a baby, rather than shuffled from home to home, or neglected, or abused.

I believe stability can make a huge difference. The three Goffins born in my home are very well adjusted and are just as capable of autonomy as they are cuddly and loving. My hunch is also that cockatoos are best kept in some sort of flock situation, whether same species or with compatible partners. I've had them with a Moluccan and Citron over the years, though they are with an uncaged Timneh and there is no real interaction between those radically different species.

 

[itchyfeet]

So I want to apologize! In my earlier post I did not mean everyone on this thread is negative I meant people in general...a general "everyone." I've read through other forums and the consensus is the same. I do truly appreciate you guys taking the time to explain things to me and trying to give me a complete picture! Being rehomed 3-4 times is tragic and It makes me very very mad when people don't think about the life of the animal before they get it. It's extremely selfish, they just think I want and it can't be that hard...even with something that is a bit more simple like a rabbit. I have an uncle who tried to sell his rabbit in a garage sale ...it side me very upset. There are legit reasons to rehome animals but too often people take the easy way out claiming it's just better for the animal when what is best is really that person taking the time and effort they have an obligation to when they decided to get the animal in the first place!---end rant

I just think sometimes the negativity surround the cockatoos can scare away people who would be able To provide a great home/life. For me it was deciding the time issue. I have the time (I don't work so I'm home most of the day). If the bird required 99.9999% of my time to be happy, I'm the type of person who will give it because I made that commitment. But thinking about that before I get the cockatoo and talking to you lovely people has made me hesitant.
We went to see the Goffin we've been thinking about today...he was sitting out on a perch In This busy bird store. He was playing by himself and people were randomly petting him. He wasn't seeking out attention and really behaving pretty great but I was looking around the store at the action he is used to and the different people coming and going I just thought....I can't compete with this. Being at home with me and 2 dogs all day is no match for The stimulation he is used to. I feel like getting himself be a step down for him. Meanwhile my husband is terrified of the night screaming that can start when he's a couple years old. So I finally let go of the prospect of getting him today and I'd be lying if it didn't make me shed a few tears.


So now...my husband is driving the African grey train...thoughts?

I did think Grey's were my dream bird - and I'd still love one one day, but my flock seems to be growing just fine by association at the moment! Def. worth considering the greys - and if you're going to do that, then also consider the ringnecks. They can be finicky but with your experience you'll be right. Henry talks non stop, is easy to teach, highly intelligent, quite independent, not neurotic and the IRN's come in some great colours! He can go to anyone and he's not an intimidating bird size wise.

Lol it might be time to just hang out with various breeders/shelters. Any of us could sell you on nearly any breed you're keen on

 

[Iholm5]

My wife's first choice was a grey, for the same reason most folks want them, and that's for their talking ability. After meeting several greys, cockatoos, Amazons, and many other birds (including our biggest fid, Tiki), we jointly decided that a cockatoo was 'right' for us because of the companionship aspect, IE because of the fact that the cockatoos we spent time with all wanted to be part of everything. Greys, while not aloof, were (to our experience) not as friendly or attached as the cockatoos were. In fact, when we got Tiki what sold him to my wife was him being the first bird to cuddle up to us. And he is extremely needy, but that's something we like. You can't even go to the bathroom without hearing him click-clacking behind you.

I would agree that a rose-breasted/Galah is one of the friendliest and least troublesome cockatoos you can get. We almost adopted a plucked RB2 named Rosie who was talking to my wife before we picked/were picked by Tiki. We would still like to get an Amazon or Grey at some point, but our 'too is more than enough to handle for now.