Awesome post by Allee, she is definitely the person you need to talk to about owning a U2. I'd ask many questions often! If you've never owned a cockatoo of any species, let alone a U2, I'd absolutely take the advise already given above and BEFORE you bring this U2 home I'd definitely go and spend several sessions over several weeks with this bird. You need to pick a day during the week, like Sunday, and go and spend 3-4 hours with this bird every Sunday for several weeks. This will do a couple of things, it will let you get to know what this bird is really like when you spend hours at a time with it, which is very different than just seeing the bird or talking to it briefly when stopping in to this friend's aunt's house, if you've even spent much time with it at all. After spending this amount of time you may decide you really love the bird, the bird loves you, and you're a great fit. Or you may decide that this bird is just not the bird for you, it may be too loud, too energetic, too aggressive, or the opposite, either way it just may not fit your personality or lifestyle. Or more importantly it may become very apparent that the bird just doesn't like you. This happens quite a bit, where a rehomed bird is just purchased or adopted by someone that means well, they may have tons of bird experience and may have owned many cockatoos before, may even have rescued rehomed Toos before, but they just bring the bird home without spending any long periods of time with the bird, and the bird absolutely hates the person. It doesn't matter if you love everything about the bird if the bird hates you. And really the only way to find that out is to spend long periods of time with him over many weeks.
Spending a few hours a day with the bird over several weeks will also serve a purpose that may be even more important than discovering whether or not you like the bird and whether the bird likes you: it will allow this poor bird that is going to lose his family time to get to know you. I don't know how many owners this U2 has had, maybe your friend's aunt has been his only owner, having him since he was a baby. Either way, in my experience and honestly if you have much bird experience at all you should already know that unfortunately once a cockatoo is rehomed once, his chances of being rehomed over and over again are pretty high. I try to put myself in the shoes of the bird, and I certainly cannot imagine living with my family all my life, as most people do, having my mom, the only mom I've ever known, take care of me every day all my life, being in the same home and around the same people, the same sounds, the same smells, the same animals, all of my comfortable surroundings the same all of my life, and then one day, out of nowhere, my mom is gone and I'm in a new home. There are new people everywhere, my cage is different, a few of my toys are here but they're in different places in this different cage and some are missing, where did my toys go? My dishes are different. Who is this person that keeps talking to me? What is that smell? That sound? Where's my mom? I want my mom! I want my mom!
This just breaks my heart and brings a tear to my eye whenever I think about it and think about ever having to rehome my own pets. No matter what this will be very hard on this U2, but if you spend several hours a day over several weeks getting to know the bird and letting him get to know you, as long as he doesn't dislike you (that won't work), then at least when the day does come when everything changes for him and his world is flipped upside down, when he's sitting in that new cage with new possessions in a new home with new people, you'll be a very welcomed familiar face to him. You taking the time and putting forth the effort to do this instead of just picking him up one day and taking him away from his home may be the difference between him having a good, healthy transition to your home and the two of you building a strong, loving bond, and him developing psychological issues, behavioral issues, health issues, becoming aggressive and threatening, and basically becoming the (unfortunately) very, very common, typical plucked U2 that has been passed from home to home and owner to owner that we see all the time, in every bird rescue across the country.
You also need to spend a lot of time with your friend's aunt, asking her every question you can possibly think of, learning about his entire past life, what he has been through, what he likes and what he loves, what he dislikes and what he hates, his daily routine and his nightly routine, what she personally does with him on a daily basis, how much time he spends out of his cage, in his cage, what toys he uses, where does he like to be when he's out of his cage (you're absolutely going to need large play stands, mobile perches, etc. in addition to a very large, high quality steel cage with very thick bars he can't bend; look at Allee's in her photos), where does he like to be scratched, and on and on and on. Ask her every question you can, make a huge list of questions before you go and speak to her, and then every week when you go to spend your time with him (hopefully) you can ask her more questions and have her educate you. Do not be afraid to say "I'm very sorry but I can't take him home. He's just not the bird for me", because this will save him from going to your house, staying there as long as the two of you can stand it, you spending lots of money, and then ending up in a rescue or shelter, and then into the endless cycle that is the large parrot rehoming carousel.
Also, please make sure you calculate the financial cost of not only owning and providing for a cockatoo, but the financial cost of being a completely responsible cockatoo owner that is providing an above average life for his bird. The up-front costs that you'll need to spend before you bring a cockatoo home, such as the large, high-quality steel cage, at least one but preferably multiple play stands and mobile perches, toys for chewing, toys for foraging, toys that will keep this highly intelligent bird occupied and keep him from becoming bored, high-quality pellet food, seed mix to add to the pellet diet, treats, bird-safe cage cleaners, BIRD-SAFE POTS AND PANS THAT ARE NOT NON-STICK TEFLON COATED (everyone forgets to buy these before getting the bird), etc. These up-front costs are just the start. Cockatoo vet bills, especially if he has any medical issues or if he develops any issues as a result of being rehomed (god forbid), can cost a small fortune.
I realize you have other birds, so I'm sure you know a lot of this, you already own a lot of the supplies you'll need, and hopefully you already have a certified avian vet that you use and are aware of the financial cost to owning a cockatoo. I'm really not lecturing, I'm just stressing how important it is to make sure this is going to work for both you and the U2 BEFORE you bring him home. Hopefully you'll have the option to both spend a great amount of time with him prior to actually adopting him, as well as the ability to bring him back to her if any major issues arise as a result of him leaving her home. Hopefully she will also be sure to make you aware of any current issues he has and the costs that they incur.
I've been volunteering at an animal rescue for many years, we take in and adopt out all types of animals, any animal that is brought to us. No particular type of animal, bird, reptile, amphibian, rodent, etc. is ever rejected. But we must have either space for the animal or a certified foster home available and willing to immediately take the animal in, otherwise we have to try to find another rescue or shelter for placement. I'm a certified foster for all birds, all dogs, and all reptiles. (This is based on my own personal pet/animal experience and education, but also the endless training and education I have to attend on a regular basis). I'm one of only two foster homes certified for birds in my area, and the other woman that is a bird foster is only certified for small birds. So I get all of the medium to large parrots that we take in. It's basically my decision to make as far as will we take them, will it stay at the main rescue center or will it come to my home, what type and how much medical care, training, etc. will it need, etc. And unfortunately cockatoos are the bird species that are rehomed the most and also the bird species with highest number (and risk) of being rehomed multiple times, and to develop behavioral issues as a result of being rehomed. You have to remember that this bird you are considering bringing into your home is the equivalent of adopting a 4 year old toddler. Truly. There is a much larger bird rescue an hour away from me that is always full, and I bet 60%+ of the rescues they have at any given time are some type of Cockatoo, followed by Macaws and Amazons.
So I'm passionate about this topic, and I believe that the best way to remedy the homeless Cockatoo epidemic we have in the United States is through educating people about these birds BEFORE they are not only adopted by or rehomed to an individual, but also BEFORE an individual purchases a Cockatoo from a breeder or bird shop. I feel like many people who have either purchased or adopted a Cockatoo would never have gotten one had they been properly educated about what it takes to properly keep one, the amount of time they must spend with the bird every day, the amount of money they cost over their lifetimes, the behavioral, psychological, and medical issues they commonly develop, and the fact that most Cockatoos live to be between 50-100.
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Having said all of that, it is hard to find a cage that is wide and not tall. No matter what cage my 2s were in they were always difficult to get out. If that doesn't bother you then get the tallest and widest and deepest cage you can find.
