Soon to be cockatoo owner *hopefully*

[Sharaharris]

Hi there! I have had several cockatiels as pets and currently have one. I’m not sure that he got the memo about cockatiels being an “easy” bird as he is quite demanding and needy. But I love him dearly. I’ve recently decided to add a larger parrot to my home. Against all advice, my hearts desire is a citron cockatoo. I’ve done lots and lots of research so I know how much of a challenge they can be. Rather than buy a baby I decided to keep my eye out for one in need of a home, if it’s meant to be it will be right? I dont Have any local bird rescues near me so I’ve been checking Craigslist, vets, local pet stores, etc for the last several months. Well I found a 28 year old male citron just a town over from me. I’ve spoke to his current owner a good bit and asked a lot of questions. She’s had him a year and says other than being a typical cockatoo there are not any major behavior flaws. She feeds him healthy but does not have the time to spend with him due to work. But his past prior to her is a bit unknown. I am Going to meet him Saturday and absolutely can’t wait! I’m hoping we click but am prepared for anything. I’ve asked her about price and she didn’t really give me an answer just said she wants him in the best home possible. But my question is this...if I meet him and everything is well appearing and we get it off, how much should I be prepared to pay? I know What they cost as babies but can’t seem to find any advice for this age. Thanks in advance!

 

[noodles123]

You have no idea what you are getting into....
I love mine (an Umbrella Cockatoo, age 10), but PLEASE....MYTOOS.COM
They are THE HARDEST parrot and no human can really do right by them. I have one and SHE IS MY LIFE...ALL OF IT...EVERY SPARE MINUTE.

She is also "the most well-adjusted" my vets have ever seen (2 vets said this...I am her 4th home)...SERIOUSLY, DON'T (or at least consider other options). THEY ARE THE MOST RE-HOMED PARROT OF ALL TIME!!!
THERE IS NO GOING BACK AND COCKATOOS ARE SOOOO SWEET BUT SOOO INSANELY DIFFICULT COMPARED TO ANY OTHER BIRD.....This has nothing to do with "what is meant to be, and everything to do with the fact that ALMOST NO ONE can handle these birds. That is why you can find them in any rescue....and what you see is NOT what you get.

I grew up with a wild-caught Grey (yeah, unethical, it was the 80s)...The point is, that was EAAAAASY. Cockatoos are NOT EVEN CLOSE to other birds and they are sooo much harder than kids (I work with kids with extreme behavioral issues....my "TOO" is the biggest challenge yet). PLEASE, take me seriously....I am so worried you are making a huge mistake and I do care so much for these birds. It isn't due to a lack of faith in you, but it's like trying to explain the pain of an amputation to someone with all 4 limbs..YES, again, I love mine, but if I could do it again.....ehhhhhh.....Even though I would walk into traffic for her...It's a lot like Stockholm Syndrome. Cockatiels (whom you described as needy) are TRULY some of the easiest birds...multiply that level of neediness and annoyance by 100...maybe more...then add extreme capacity for self-mutilation and a beak with 1000lbs of bite force + the potential noise of a military jet engine that never tires when motivated. please please please please please....do NOT do go through with this. These birds have EXTREME behaviors if not stimulated and enriched constantly and you will NOT SEE THESE behaviors at a breeder / pet store /rescue (due to the stimulation therein). My heart goes out to you and your future bird...
Even people who have owned 10 large birds should be warned...cockatoos are like a whole different animal.


Read this thread also;
http://www.parrotforums.com/cockatoos/77453-possible-new-rescue.html

 

[Sharaharris]

I know, I know. But like I said I’ve done my research. I’ve read And researched and talked to lots of people. I know What I’m getting into! Just want to make sure I’m prepared price wise.

 

[noodles123]

Here is a quote from a respected member, EllenD--IN REFERENCE TO A DIFFERENT RE-HOMING SITUATION in which the owner had owned many large parrots and wondered if she should get a cockatoo:

"I don't know if this OP decided to adopt the U2 or not, but either way I hope he found a loving, responsible home...It's sounds like he's in good health overall, and was apparently well cared for in his prior home (at 29 years old who knows how many homes he's already had, it may have been just the one, or it may have been 20). I too was both surprised and horrified that this U2 was living in an Automotive Paint Shop and is still in good health, or even alive for that matter...His prior owner must have kept him completely separate from any area that was exposed to the fumes; anyone who has ever spent any time in a Body Shop knows that you're not only dealing with paint fumes, but also fumes from all the different fillers and epoxies that they use (Bondo, fiberglass resin, etc.), as well as from paint thinners, turpentine, mineral spirits, etc. We're talking extremely lethal fumes for birds, so it's quite obvious that his prior owners knew what they were doing and kept him in a safe area that had to have been totally separate and away from the actual "shop". So that's good.

I don't know if the OP currently has this U2, but if not, or if you're still thinking about it, or for the future, as someone who interacts with all kinds of Cockatoos on a regular basis at an Avian Rescue but who owns only small parrots herself, and who also grew-up with a Congo African Gray, I can tell you with assurance that dealing with any species of Cockatoo is an entirely different experience than having ANY OTHER SPECIES of parrot in your home, and that includes African Grays, Macaws, Amazons, and any other species of large parrot. Cockatoos are probably the most overall-intelligent parrots, they have every bit the intelligence of a 5 year-old child...

However, the difference that I've noticed with every single Umbrella and Moluccan Cockatoo that I've ever spent time with on a long-term basis at the Rescue (and in a few cases actually formed a bond with, as most Cockatoos spend a longer amount of time at the Rescue than other species) is that the Umbrellas and the Moluccans actually perceive things on a higher-level than other species do. It's like they can actually understand what is "going on" in a situation without actually seeing it or hearing someone talking about it, just like we as humans can perceive things...They are more emotionally, psychologically, and mentally similar to human beings than any other type of animal/bird that I've ever had contact with, to the point that sometimes it can be a bit weird, if not frightening, lol...I would think that the same would go for keeping any type of primate as a pet, such as a Capuchin Monkey, Spider Monkey, a Marmoset, a Lemur, etc. I actually had a professor in graduate school who had a pet Ringtail Lemur that he often brought with him to work. He had a large enclosure in his office/lab where he kept him, but usually he was on a harness/leash and on his shoulder. That Lemur was very much the same way as the U2's and the M2's are, he could understand not only the words that were being said, but also the context of the words and the underlying situation that was going on.

So I guess the best way to sum-up what it's like keeping an Umbrella or Moluccan Cockatoo (as well as other Cockatoo species), or most species of Primates, is that it's pretty much like having a 4-5 year-old child in your family, your home, and your life for decades and decades. The only difference between bringing home a baby Umbrella Cockatoo and bringing home a human baby is that the human baby is going to grow-up and eventually be able to take care of itself, and move-out, and not rely upon you anymore. In the case of an Umbrella or Moluccan Cockatoo they simply never grow-up, and really are like having a perpetual 5 year-old child for the rest of your life that you are totally responsible for. And at only 29 years-old, this particular U2 has a long life ahead of it, and this is why there are so many of them in-need of homes, people just don't understand what they are getting themselves into.

That all being said, you're an experienced parrot-owner, so you're not the typical new bird owner who decides it's a good idea to adopt an Umbrella or Moluccan Cockatoo as their very first bird, when they've never even owned a Canary or a Finch, lol...The main issue that I see in the larger Cockatoos that are surrendered to the Rescue that makes their cases so heartbreaking is that they have a very, very difficult time getting over the loss of their "person", more so than most other species of parrots; while all parrots are very intelligent and form very close bonds to their people, and they all take it very hard when they lose their person, the large Cockatoos suffer this loss in the way we as people feel the loss of a loved one; this is one of the main reason that so many of the larger Cockatoos in Rescues/Shelters and that are re-homed to a new person suffer from Feather-Destructive Behavior and self-mutilate...

***As long as you are an experienced parrot owner and you not only understand the personalized care that an Umbrella Cockatoo is going to require, including their dietary needs and their regular medical/health care, but you also understand the daily amount of direct interaction, mental stimulation, and just plain love that these guys require, and you're ready, willing, and able to provide them all of this for the rest of your life, then I say go for it! Your home is the type of home that these guys need to be in..."


HERE IS MY (Noodles' addition to her post):
"AND, 5 year olds can't bite and fly like a cockatoo. Taking typical kid out of the house is easy (aside from behavior)--but on top of that, cockatoos have to be harness trained...Additionally, they can't use verbal communication as well as a child. Finally, upset kids don't often self-mutilate until they are much older...cockatoos do, and it doesn't help that changes upset them more than a typical child + everything can kill them (a scented candle won't hurt a child's lungs significantly). Finally, people (as a rule) are not truly TERRIFIED of kids. The same cannot be said for Toos. Not to mention the dust/allergens and noise capacity.."

 

[noodles123]

Research can't convey the reality. There is NOTHING that compares..I haven't had a Citron, but all I can say is, research isn't the same as daily life with a cracked out toddler who can tear off your face for 80+ years..AND GET YOU EVICTED...lovingly, again...but honestly, not the best choice (coming from the owner of a "happy" and LOVED "U2"..and then there is the INSANE cost... easily $60,000 over a lifetime, probably more. Also- the people selling them will ALWAYS downplay the issues, as cockatoos are a good profit and pet-industries thrive on selling. The statistics speak...
A TYPICAL COCKATOO COULD REMOVE AN ADULT HUMAN FINGER IF PROPERLY MOTIVATED...AND, THEY HAVE A UNIQUE TRI-POINT BITE(YOU BLEED 3 PLACES).. Your cockatiels couldn't do any of this even if they tried...let alone scream at the volume level of a "TOO"...Then there is the added "craziness" that is more associated with cockatoos than other birds (a Macaw could also remove a finger when motivated, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE MOST RE-HOMED BIRD because, while "crazy" they are not as "CRAZY")..and it isn't their fault. Humans are not meant to keep cockatoos...
All of this is coming from someone with a "HAPPY" cockatoo...imagine if you don't know as much as you need to know about shaping behavior, or your screams ALL day, or bites your children.....mine is "GOOD" AND SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY COMPARED TO ALL OTHER BIRDS...The majority of these birds spend their says plucking etc ...the effort is EXHAUSTING...
If you wouldn't adopt a wild gorilla or an orangutan-- do not do this...If you do, there is no going back, as these birds live for a VERY long time.
AT THE VERY LEAST, YOU NEED MORE EXPERIENCE THAN COCKATIELS...All birds are hard, but cockatiels are like 1+1=2, whereas cockatoos are like advanced college calculus with a spin on physics...

 

[TiredOldMan]

Yes most people who go into this do research. Cockatoos are a whole different ballgame. Listen to noodles also go to MYTOOS.com.

We are not trying to sway you from bird ownership. We are trying to help the bird. Rescues are clogged with 2s from people who "knew" what they were getting into. It's not all cuddles and kisses as most 2s suffer from S.A.D.(Sudden A**hole Disorder). Plus everything noodles pointed out.

If you insist on being owned by a cockatoo please adopt one from a rescue and give an already unwanted bird another chance.

 

[Sharaharris]

As long as there are domesticated cockatoos in the world, people will have to keep cockatoos. I understand and respect what you’re saying 100%. However the fact of the matter is that there are still many out there that NEED good homes. I understand that they are not the best birds to have, but I do believe that I can give one a good home that he deserves.

 

[Sharaharris]

Adopting from a shelter was my first choice. But like I stated above, I live in a remote area and do not have rescues nearby. This bird I’m discussion IS in need of a home. This is a 28 year old bird that is currently left alone for the majority of the time and not getting the life or time he deserves. I want To help this situation, not make it worse.

 

[TiredOldMan]

My U2 is on his fourth owner.

I rescued him from a person that had him for three days and was going to have him euthanized. She couldn't handle the noise and didn't have the time required.

 

[TiredOldMan]

Thank you for going the adoption/rescue route.

 

[noodles123]

cockatoos are NOT domesticated!
Domestication takes a LONG time.

Any bird (even if captive for 3-4-5 generations is NOT domesticated, which means they retain ALL wild traits.....ALL OF THE WILD TRAITS ARE JUST SITTING THERE...WAITING..)

Again, I am my bird's 4th home and that means that 3 people before me thought like you...and all of those people HAD LARGE PARROTS PRIOR. I know that you want to do the right thing and I know that you are confident, but statistically, you may not be able to manage this bird.

I know I have an Umbrella Cockatoo and that Citrons are not the same, but they are still cockatoos.

Consider the worst case scenario (because many people do have bad experiences): Will you forgo family, children, a husband and boyfriend + a social life to support a bird? Or hire an in-house nanny? You can't safely drop it off daily with other birds at a pet-shop due to tricky diseases (asymptomatic)-e.g., ABV/PDD...SO, lets say your bird tears a hole in its chest or mutilates your family, or literally screams louder than your alarm clock ALL night....what will you do?
THIS IS WHY so many people re-home them. They are super smart and they can hurt you. Even people with other trained, large parrots have re-homed them.

Also,the $60,000 + lifetime cost excluded pet-sitting and/or special lifestyle modifications.
If your area is remote, how will you acquire a certified avian vet? That is an absolute must...
I am not some cockatoo saint. It is very hard to keep these birds healthy and happy...for anyone! A cockatiel is a totally different ballgame...

If I seem overly enthusiastic about dissuading you it is because I do really care about this. Time and time again it goes badly for well-intentioned adopters (despite research). I just wish I could put my experiences in your brain (the good, the bad, the expensive)... I mean no disrespect, but research can only take you so far without hands-on-experience.

Re-homing rates prove that there are very few scenarios in which people are able to provide truly happy homes for these birds. Yes, people will have them as long as they need homes, but you shouldn't probably learn to "swim" by jumping into a tsunami either....Experience is very important here (real-life, authentic, outside of a pet-store experience with parrots and cockatoos).

 

[Terry57]

Welcome to the forum!
Thank you for wanting to take in a bird who needs a home, there are far too many out there.
Have you ever been around a Too? I have a Greater Sulphur Crested who was rescued from a meth house, and after he detoxed he is a really good boy. However, he still has screaming fits in the middle of the night that shake the house. The screams can be nerve wracking. There are so many toos who need a home, and I applaud anyone who is thinking about taking one in. I would suggest spending some time with one beforehand, and talking to many people who have one.
As far as price, I don't know where you are located, but here in Alberta the rehomed toos go for between $500-$1200. Sadly, they are rehomed quite often.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, great respect for researching the bird of your dreams.

Allow me to share a different POV, in praise of cockatoos. They are not a species for everyone, and success requires striking the hybrid of a close bond with a knack for socialization and independence. I currently live with 6 cockatoos; not long ago the count was 8, consisting of Goffins/Citrons/Moluccan.

While my greatest experience is with Goffins, I currently have 1 Citron while 2 have passed on. My first family parrot was a BFA, but it was a Citron that was my "gateway bird". He, in effect, chose me and we grew close. All 3 proved relatively quiet with minimal biting. I've oft stated the best living arrangement for cockatoos is with multiples. They can adapt well to a binary relationship with their humans and similar species. If they are going to be the only bird, offer lavish attention (within reason) and provide an oversized cage loaded with toys to self-entertain. Work hard to instill a routine and reward good behavior.

First step is to meet this Citron and spend quality time. If you have doubts, hold off and arrange a second meeting. Objectivity is key, please avoid an impulsive choice.

While many and perhaps a majority of cockatoo adoptions are problematic, there are success stories. I simply cannot imagine life without cockatoos!

 

[noodles123]

If you can find a place that rescues them, please consider volunteering long-term BEFORE taking the plunge from cockatiel to cockatoo...Although I maintain that cockatoos are completely unique, working closely with other large birds ahead of time (even if they aren't cockatoos) would at least provide you with some skills that you will need if you take this route.

A bird in a pet-store or a bird in an environment with a lot of other people birds/stimulation will not be the same bird when you bring it home (due to the change in stimulation and transition therein).I want to clarify that I love cockatoos dearly but that experience with large parrots and other cockatoos is invaluable when owning one.

I can't imagine life without my U2 but 80 years is a long time...

Of course there are positives to having her, but the experience of actually owning a cockatoo is very different from meeting one at someone's home, reading about one online or hanging out with one within a pet store. I am glad I had experience with large birds, or I think mine would have ended up turning into a terror.

 

[Terry57]

Welcome to the forums, great respect for researching the bird of your dreams.

Allow me to share a different POV, in praise of cockatoos. They are not a species for everyone, and success requires striking the hybrid of a close bond with a knack for socialization and independence. I currently live with 6 cockatoos; not long ago the count was 8, consisting of Goffins/Citrons/Moluccan.

While my greatest experience is with Goffins, I currently have 1 Citron while 2 have passed on. My first family parrot was a BFA, but it was a Citron that was my "gateway bird". He, in effect, chose me and we grew close. All 3 proved relatively quiet with minimal biting. I've oft stated the best living arrangement for cockatoos is with multiples. They can adapt well to a binary relationship with their humans and similar species. If they are going to be the only bird, offer lavish attention (within reason) and provide an oversized cage loaded with toys to self-entertain. Work hard to instill a routine and reward good behavior.

First step is to meet this Citron and spend quality time. If you have doubts, hold off and arrange a second meeting. Objectivity is key, please avoid an impulsive choice.

While many and perhaps a majority of cockatoo adoptions are problematic, there are success stories. I simply cannot imagine life without cockatoos!

Thank you for this post, Scott! I completely agree, there are many wonderful success stories that deserve to be heard. Great tips as well from someone who has enjoyed making it work with multiple toos.

 

[sweetpeamusic]

My question to you is, why do you have your heart set on a cockatoo? I agree they are totally awesome, beautiful, smart, funny, etc... but any other parrot can be those things, too! My Nico is a green cheeked conure and he is the best, but he is also a lot of work. I can’t imagine what having a cockatoo would be like! I got a tiny nip from one and that was enough to convince me I don’t have the pain tolerance to own a cockatoo, haha (Nico can also give nasty bites if he feels like it but it’s way easier for a cockatoo to give one). I’m super happy with having just one GCC. Although some people consider him to be an “easy” or “beginner” bird, that doesn’t mean he’s any less fun and amazing.