Moluccan's; Give me the good, the bad and the loud

[KatherineI]

I've read about them, I've met several and have a good friend who owns one. But aside from that, my experience is very limited.

Hubs and I came across a twelve-year-old Moluccan in need of a new, good home. His previous owner had him since he was a baby, and he's lived with a B&G and an Amazon, but his owners new partner is allergic and since he causes the most reactions due to the dust, well.. yeah. Trust me, if I ever met this lady, she'd get an earful!!

Anyway, my daughter and I met him and thought he was adorable and left it at that. Then my husband went back with us and I swear, there is not a Moluccan on this planet that doesn't love my darling husband. The two of them were thick as thieves from the moment they laid eyes on each other.

Anyway, no decisions have been made, we're just researching. If someone comes along and gives him a really great home while we're debating, awesome! If not, well, we're still debating. So, I want it. All of it. The god, the bad, the ugly and the loud!!

 

[MikeyTN]

U2 is very much like a M2 and I can tell you he can be a handful.....such a sweet angel before we brought him home and during the beginning he was good then he wants to make me his and attacks anyone that comes too close. He bites me too if he don't get his ways. Very dangerous around children because of his fly attacks. He screams all the time none stop until we put him into the spare bedroom, now bird room. He is much better then he was but still have his moments.

 

[Molcan2]

Well, an M2 huh? Its hard to describe what life is like with them. I love mine. It is difficult at times though. Some M2s can be absolute angels (mine) and some can be down right wicked. They are like a U2 but times 10. They are more demanding, they are more emotionally unstable, they have bigger temper tantrums, they are extremely complex, and can push you to you limits like nothing else can. As far as large parrots go, I think that they are arguably the hardest to have. With that said though, we are getting ready to get a second one. We go to look at him this sat, yes I said him. Males are more difficult to keep than the females but not all males are aggressive, there are some sweet ones out there.

If you are looking at getting a re-home, I'm all for it. I would like to see them not be bred in captivity anymore. They don't do well in captivity and I don't think its fair that they are here.

As far as keeping them: loads of mental stimulation, they need tons of space, they need to be mentally challenged, they need to be encouraged to be independent, they thrive off of a routine (they like knowing what to expect), they need limits set (and you have to be firm on enforcing those limits). Its a misnomer that they 'need' more attention than other birds, they really don't. What they do is 'demand' more attention constantly, if you give in every time they want it then they will become spoiled. A spoiled M2 is a very dangerous and hard to live with Too. As long as you set the routine that you want from day one you should be fine.

It sounds like he is a sweet bird and is already comfortable with you. Keep in mind that if he loves his current family, then you may be in for a ride for a while. Rome loved her last home, she was there for 14 years. For 8months she refused to touch a toy, also for that 8 months we had non stop screaming. She was heart broken, she was like an abandoned 5yr old child looking out the window waiting for her mommy to come back. We've had her for 1 1/2yrs now. Shes really only been settled and accepted us for the last 6-8months now. It was a very difficult transition period but it was worth it. If you do decide to bring him home, please give him a year to adjust before deciding whether hes going to work or not. It may be a really rough year but these guys are ultra sensitive and don't handle change well.

It sounds like he likes you guys, which is good. If you think your ready for a big Too, they can be awesome birds to have. If you have more specific questions just ask Good luck with your decision

 

[KatherineI]

Well, an M2 huh? Its hard to describe what life is like with them. I love mine. It is difficult at times though. Some M2s can be absolute angels (mine) and some can be down right wicked. They are like a U2 but times 10. They are more demanding, they are more emotionally unstable, they have bigger temper tantrums, they are extremely complex, and can push you to you limits like nothing else can. As far as large parrots go, I think that they are arguably the hardest to have. With that said though, we are getting ready to get a second one. We go to look at him this sat, yes I said him. Males are more difficult to keep than the females but not all males are aggressive, there are some sweet ones out there.

If you are looking at getting a re-home, I'm all for it. I would like to see them not be bred in captivity anymore. They don't do well in captivity and I don't think its fair that they are here.

As far as keeping them: loads of mental stimulation, they need tons of space, they need to be mentally challenged, they need to be encouraged to be independent, they thrive off of a routine (they like knowing what to expect), they need limits set (and you have to be firm on enforcing those limits). Its a misnomer that they 'need' more attention than other birds, they really don't. What they do is 'demand' more attention constantly, if you give in every time they want it then they will become spoiled. A spoiled M2 is a very dangerous and hard to live with Too. As long as you set the routine that you want from day one you should be fine.

It sounds like he is a sweet bird and is already comfortable with you. Keep in mind that if he loves his current family, then you may be in for a ride for a while. Rome loved her last home, she was there for 14 years. For 8months she refused to touch a toy, also for that 8 months we had non stop screaming. She was heart broken, she was like an abandoned 5yr old child looking out the window waiting for her mommy to come back. We've had her for 1 1/2yrs now. Shes really only been settled and accepted us for the last 6-8months now. It was a very difficult transition period but it was worth it. If you do decide to bring him home, please give him a year to adjust before deciding whether hes going to work or not. It may be a really rough year but these guys are ultra sensitive and don't handle change well.

It sounds like he likes you guys, which is good. If you think your ready for a big Too, they can be awesome birds to have. If you have more specific questions just ask Good luck with your decision

Sam is 12, and he's currently already out of his former home and on "consignment". So, while not a rescue, he's definitely a re-home. It's the same place we found Sugar and honestly, while some people might have issues with places that take birds on consignment, this place has been nothing but a dream to work with. Considering that he's there and no longer in a home environment, putting him into the routine we want for him will be somewhat easier than if he was going from his former home with a set routine to our home, IMO.

He seems uber sweet, but we know that things can be deceiving. It's a lot to consider and we are definitely being cautious and haven't made a decision either way. We're going tomorrow to visit him again.

Thank you for your honesty. I had considered an M2 prior to Sugar, but that female was sold, then unsold (looong story) and after seeing her behavior, I'm glad things worked out the way they did. I'm prepared for screaming; I'm also loving his clown-like nature. He barks like a chihuahua, hops around in a circle with his crest up and talks with a woman's voice. He's hilarious, cautious, sweet, cuddly and LOUD I think I'm in love (again!)

 

[Mare Miller]

The pet store that I visit, for supplies, had a Moluccan 'too, for awhile. It's a rather large store and when I walked in, there was a sound like nothing I had ever heard! Not in volume but in tone. I'm walking through this store and wondering, WHAT THE HECK? He was in the corner sounding like an old time radio station! Static and all! So weird! Beautiful bird, his owner was old and trying to find a good home for him, her health was failing. I asked about him and the person that worked there said that she comes in at least once a week to be with him. Broke my heart, knowing how much my U2 depends on attention, how can this bird in the store not have a broken heart.

If you can give a loving, forever, if possible, home, please do so.

 

[KatherineI]

We went to visit Sam again today (we also saw him on Friday). I have a couple of concerns, nothing that has me going "Oh god, NO!!" and running away in fear quite yet. I wanted some other opinions, however, on some of the behaviors I've been seeing.

On Friday,Sam was out with my husband was holding him (no shoulder!) and our (almost) 8yo daughter really wanted to pet him. She was on her super best behavior, and hubs decided Sam was being docile enough to try. Unfortunately, she showed fear right before she tried to pet him and he picked up on that. He grabbed her arm with his foot, then placed his beak around her forearm. He did not, however, even leave a single mark on her and when we took his beak off, he didn't fight us at all. It was simply a warning. Her arm is so so tiny (She's 8 in a month and barely weights 50#'s, she's lanky with tiny tiny thin arms and legs). We've come to the conclusion that he just doesn't like kids, after observing his behavior when other children were around. Thankfully, we're only having the one (all our babies are feathered, furry or scaly from now on), so it's much easier to manage a non-child-friendly bird than it would be if we had 2, 3 or more.

Today we went to visit him again and it was chaos. It's the only thing I don't like about this place; it's not large enough for all the people that show up on the weekends, all at once. Between all the chaos, noise and such, I could tell that Sam was overstimulated. He was just not comfortable with all the strange people coming near him. I get that; Sugar doesn't like strangers either and I'm not big on crowds myself. Anyway, after talking to him a bit, he made it known that he wanted some head rubs. As best I could through the cage bars (oh, and for those wondering, we have FULL permission from the shop owner to touch him, and take him out of his cage whenever we visit, I don't make it a habit of touching 'strange' birds), but a few times he tried to bite me. Once was when he had a floofie (that's what we all the down feathers that are randomly shed) and I think it scared him, and my hand was simply a good target. Another time was when there were a lot of people around and i think something startled him. I'm not sure my reaction was correct, I removed my hand and told him "no bite. That's not nice" and waited a while before resuming any interactions. We all here know that birds don't just bite to bite; there's almost always a reason. I did not handle him other than some head scritches, when he was out of the cage. My husband did all of that. I will, however, have to handle him if we're going to live with him. I can see him giving me some trouble, as he did on Friday. He wanted my shoulder, but that just is not going to happen He's crazy if he thinks I'll let him up there! So I can see a battle of wills in that territory.

However, on Friday he was already mimicking my voice. The voice we heard him use on and prior to Wednesday was much more gruff than my own. Then Friday, he started to say "Hi Sam!" just like I do. After only meeting me 4 times. He absolutely adores my husband, snuggles into him as soon as Hubs gets him to step up out of the cage.

My concern is if I'm biting off more than I can chew here, or am I just getting a bird in need of a home who, at 12 is still young and could be a very nice bird with some diligence? His cage is also smaller in width and length than I think is proper for a Too his size and he doesn't have enough toys, IMO. I also think the fact that he's not getting a lot of attention because he doesn't like the shop owner, is obviously affecting him. Unlike the M2 you saw at the store Mare, I do not believe his former owner has come in to visit. Maybe with a quieter environment (we don't have a lot of house guests and only one child who tends to do a lot of reading), a larger cage, more toys and some actually attention, the majority of his aggression will go away? It's also breeding season, so he could have been having a majorly hormonal day.

 

[MikeyTN]

Like I've said before, a M2 is very much like a U2 and I stand by my word on that. When we went to visit Java in his previous home, he was the most loving bird there is. We were both able to handle him just fine and I can see in the owner's face that something is up but she seem surprised how well Java was reacting with my partner and I. But I know it's the calm before the storm. He was sooooooo well behaved and we were both able to hold him just fine then one day he decided he only wanted me and flew towards my partner to attack. I was sitting in a chair when that happened. He flew back to me then I got up to get him to stop, that's when he first bit me to bleed. I would be terrified to have a child here in the house if he was loose. ANY visitor we've had in the house, they ALL wanted to hold him and he always acts his best self. But I know better then that, he wanted on my shoulders too and I block him from going on my shoulders, that's the second time he bit me good cause he did not get to do what he want. This time the bite was really bad as he proceed to bit me multiple times on different parts of my body and my arm. While he was biting away, I was able to run to his cage and place him within. By this time I was drenching with blood all over my arms and hands. On occasions he'll be good when he comes out to play, but I started using the perch method on him cause I can not have deep bite marks all over me all the time. At one point he bit through my finger nail and it took many months to grow it back to normal. My partner have asked me to give him up but I'm persistent thinking he'll come around one day and stop the biting. Clicker training him? Forget it, he'll eat the clicker, the moment he sees it, he stop accepting any treat period. He fight me for the clicker. It's been over a year since we brought him home, he does bring joy in my life as he can be really cute as he does his little dance for me. My partner knows how much I love him, one day my partner stood out in the hall way while observing me and Java interact and he started his little dance for me, my partner says he can be so cute sometimes. But I am still being real careful around him cause he is absolutely unpredictable. I can read all his body language, but he changes in a split second. For example, one day I was telling my partner, hey honey, Java is being sooooo sweet today and I think he's coming around. Then I go to see him again shortly, he's being his evil self trying to bite. So if your really serious about having one around your daughter, just please do understand your taking a chance. I've mentioned this before, a lady friend I know have multiple M2 and U2's in her house as she loves them to pieces. She post some wounds not long ago on facebook and they were pretty nasty....They bit her on her back, neck, arm, finger, leg, etc.