What to Think About

[2314b1c1]

Hi everyone
I'm new here, and I figured I'd get right into asking questions :$
Basically, I'm looking at getting a Moluccan Cockatoo.
I have been through every page of mytoos.com.
The one I'm looking at is 3 years old (good age? Bad age?), and so far, here is what I have learned to expect.

• LOUDNESS. I expect screaming in the morning in the evening. I do not have close neighbors, and I live beside an airport so houses are pretty soundproof.
• Clingyness. I expect my too to want to be in the middle of the action all the time, and tell me when he's not.
• Lots of dust. Nobody in my family has any allergy problems.
• Lots of cleaning.
• Destruction. I expect the bird to savage anything it can, and thus am prepared to get 20+ toys, rotate them every week, as well as make a multitude of my own foraging toys to keep its brilliant mind occupied, always.
• I expect my life to rotate around this bird. It is what I am looking for.

If I am getting one of these birds, It will be half way through the summer holidays. I will use this time to set up a routine for the bird- NOT going to snuggle it and carry it around non stop for the first few weeks (or after that, but you get the idea). I want to teach my bird how to entertain itself.
As far as preparation goes, Im going to get a cage that I can fit myself in. Lots of toys. Lots.
Hopefully get myself an aviator harness, I believe cockatoos love to fly and should be allowed to do so.
I'm going to be making several laminated lists to store by the birds cage, such as allowed foods, disallowed foods, allowed treetypes/ plants, disallowed treetypes/plants, treats (Ie should not be given too often) and a basic instructions list (Only pet around head, 'ask' before petting, do not force yourself on the bird, IGNORE screaming, give treat when quiet etc.)
I will be going to school, but before and after school time will be devoted to the bird, and there will always be someone home with the bird.
Sorry for the long post.
What do you think? Is there anything else I should expect or do? Or do you think another bird type would be more suitable?
(One request- please be nice. If you do not think I am going to be a suitable cockatoo person, say so, say why but please be civil about it )
Thank you!

 

[wenz2712]

Hello and welcome the the forum

You will find we are all very civil people on here

You seem to have done all your Homework and worked out all the pros and cons of owning a M2..

There are alot of Too Owners on here, that will be able to help you more!

 

[Safira]

You did do your homework which is good! Mytoos.com is not an easy site to look at.

I do have to ask, do you live at home with your parents, or on your own?

When you say school, do you mean college? Or are you still in high school?

The reason I ask those questions is after school your life is going to change drastically, to include moving and beginning a life of your own. That will seriously inturrupt your Cockatoo's routine and could cause problems.

At 3, the bird would still be young.. but old enough that he's already beginning to get his own personality. And is it male or female?

 

[IcyWolf]

I don't say this often to potential new too parents but I think you have yourself pretty well prepared. The only thing I can add is that it may be very helpful for you to volunteer at a local bird rescue or breeder that has some 'toos. Spend some time getting to know a few before you make this lifelong commitment and then decide. It really sounds like you're taking all of the necessary steps to prepare, I think some good hands on experience is all you need. You didn't mention if you have any prior parrot experience or not, M2's are big birds and can be quite intimidating, I think if you take some time to get yourself comfortable with handling them with the help from more experienced bird people it will be you just one more step ahead of the game.

You also said you are going to school, not sure if you mean high school or college but what are your plans when you graduate, do you own your own house or do you have stable living arrangements that will accommodate such a large, noisy bird? It will be practically impossible to live in a dorm, apartment or any dwelling that is close proximity to others. We had a goffin too(one of the smallest species) and even in a brick house you could clearly hear her outside with the doors and windows closed

 

[2314b1c1]

The bird is male. I have had several smaller parrots, and last year I took care of a neighbors sulphur crested for about 4 months. I loved her, but she hated me. Loved my dad though .
It is a really difficult site to look at- especially the cruelty page. I figured it needed to be done though, nothing worse than badly informed animal owners
I'm still in high school, will very very likely not be going anywhere for uni (Well, I'll be going to uni but staying in the area, and in the house).
If anything should happen, I know a very nice, bird experienced lady who would be willing to 'adopt' until things got more settled, I guess you could say.
The walls are double layered, thick leca block walls, and our close neighbors are very friendly.

 

[Safira]

I honestly would say to wait until you're out of high school. Besides the fact that life can change, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better, you need to focus on yourself more than a bird like that. It would be like you having a child at your current age to put it in perspective. I agree with Icy, volunteer and get some real hands on experiance for your 'bird fix' for now. M2's and U2's are an entirely different ballgame than most of the other cockatoos.

 

[KatherineI]

I'd have to agree with Safira. It's not that I don't think you'd make a good Too owner - on the contrary! However, you are in High School. Too many things change between High School and Adult Life. And you want to avoid having your bird live with someone else, even temporarily, if at all possible. You may end up in an Apartment (I'm assuming you're in Europe, and they refer to those as Flats) and large Too's are not birds that do well in Apartments/Flats.

It's just, in my opinion, better to wait to get something as large of a commitment as a large bird (particularly Too's) until you're more settled in your life. No one is settled in their life in High School, no offense.

 

[mtdoramike]

I say go for it, since you have done your home work. BUT, I have noticed in your original post it was all about me me me and I I I, but how does the rest of your family feel about a noisy bird that has the ability to not only be constantly noisy no matter what you do, but they can also remove a finger if they feel like it. You have to consider everyone's feelings here even your neighbors unless your living on a farm with acres of land around you.

I know your stuck on Cockatoo's, but there is a reason why they are the most rehomed bird and the rescue centyers are full of them. They are NOISY, LOUD, can be sweet as sugar to the right person or down right cruel to others that they don't bond with. They are ONE PERSON BIRDS more often than any other species. You also must realize eventhough YOU might plan on this bird being YOUR bird, but the bird might have other ideas. Like the Too that you recently cared for that took up with your dad and hated you. This could very well be the same circumstances with the new bird as well. It's not like your living alone, the bird has the option to choose someone else to be affectionate with.

I'm not wanting to be negative here, I'm just pointing out things for you to ponder until the time comes to make the decision. There are other species that are easier to own and are more open to associating with more than just one person in the family. I most also add here that Cockatoo's are very flock oriented meaning that they don't like to be alone and require a lot, I MEAN A LOT of attention or they will raise a ruckus, start to pluck and can even self mutilate or hurt themselves.

 

[terry52449]

I also have to agree. I own two U2s and they are a life style not just a pet you have to take care of. They demand alot of your attention,patience and love. Being in high school yet you can expect to go through several major changes. Leaving home is just a first step. You will have several more along the way. If you feel this way about cockatoos now you will also later in life when you are settled. Being able to afford to maintain, feed and house a cockatoo is not always cheap.
My story is simple. I got my first U2 when I was young married with children.I loved that parrot. But eventually learned that just buying a parrot doesn`t mean the bird is yours. Trixie became my daughters bird and I had to give her up when my daughter married and moved out. So let the bird pick you and you will find you will have a very special relationship many of us have found later. I waited 30 years tofind another U2. Waited for the kids to be gone and made sure we would be able to give Cameo hat she needs.
Cameo picked me and even though I adopted her, Cameo made the decision not me. She is the greatest friend to both my wife and I. You can enjoy many birds now but I suggest waiting for your dream bird.
Good luck on your choice and don`t be selfish. You`ll have many many years to get the bird you want.

 

[Oedipussrex]

Everyone here has said what needs to be said i think. But really it does come down to you. really these days some people never settle down, and then i know some people in the second year out of high school who are already being offered a management position in their chosen trade, and are having a baby. So we cant tell you whether you will handle it well or not. but it does look like you have done your homework.

I would definitely stop to think about what has been said about them being one-person birds. i have heard this a lot, you should make sure you family is also fully prepared. Cockies will run the house, it is not something you can tell your parents "ill do all the work, ill clean the cage, and train him, and feed him, you wont even notice."
the responsibility for the resident parrots health and so******ation belongs to everyone in a household.

So******ation is imperative, because if it does bond with you, you dont want your own personal attack bird, who will gouge the eyes of any human who gets in your personal space.

on another note

Pickle pulls his feathers because we went away for one week in the summer. and he was still at my house being taken care of by my family - familiar people in familiar surroundings with a familiar routine, it was just that i wasn't there.
my point is, he has a pretty steady routine, and this still really threw him...

and absolutely all the vets i have taken him to, have compared him to a cocky, simply because cockies are their most frequent feather picking patients.

we aren't trying to scare you. we just want to make sure you think thoroughly to make sure that if you do get a parrot, that you will be as prepared as possible to meet his needs. good luck!

 

[2314b1c1]

Thank you all for the replies- I really appreciate the honesty-I'm not going to get one unless I feel to 200% that I will be a great owner to the bird.
Family members agree- the cockatoo I took care of was really really spoiled and we were good with that, and I already knew she liked men more- her main caretaker was a guy.
I'm not in Europe though. I come from sweden, but I live in the middle east. This makes the choice of bird super limited as nobody sees the point in taming smaller birds such as cockatiels, budgies or even- only the really big ones such as macaws etc are tame. However, suggestions are welcome and I can always look around.
Again, thank you all.

 

[mtdoramike]

Since you already have a limited experience with birds, I would get what you want as long as you can find one in your area.

 

[SuperandZhana]

I also agree with every one. I have kids already so fitting in a too was easy for me. What if you get a big too then get a girl/boy freind then kids and a job to boot will you still have time for the bird? Your just starting out in life a bird will just tie you down.

 

[2314b1c1]

Again, thanks for the replies.
I havent decided anything yet, but I'm looking at other options. The only problem is, that nobody bothers to hand tame smaller birds.
So I could try again by getting a 6 month old cockatiel or the like, but I have serious, serious doubts that it would ever be even close to friendly- and If I wanted a bird for decorational purposes, I'd be looking at finches and the like.
Maybe its just not meant to be

 

[PortaPerch]

We have had several cockatiels, and none of them were what you would call wild. Our last one was bonded to wifey, and would draw blood from me whenever he could, but he was a good pet.

Maybe you need to read a good book:

 

[Molcan2]

Toos are a lot of work, really not going to give you my opinion on them right now - I dont think that would be fair.

When I was in high school my mom got a U2 for herself, well he only bonded to me out of everyone in the house. He was a dream for me but no one else in the house could tolerate him. I had him for a few years before I went to school one day and came home to no bird. They re-homed him while I was gone (they did the same to a horse I used to have to). I have always had a very deep commitment to my animals. I am 26yrs old right now. From my childhood I still have two horses that I have had for 12 1/2yrs (even though everyone told me that when I 'grew up' I'd have to get rid of them), and one lab that I've had for 13 1/2 years (just put down my other lab that I had for 12yrs). I have lived sometimes off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and when couldn't afford that - ramen noodles (by sometimes I mean for years at a time). I have moved five times and have always kept the animals. I have had to work two full time jobs at times to be able to afford them and put my own needs on the back burner.

If you are going to take on a parrot (of any kind) it has to come first, before yourself, ALWAYS. Remember that they live for 80yrs. Toos are like having a 2-3yr old child for the rest of your life, a child that never grows up. You must plan on keeping it for the rest of its life, anything less than that isn't fair to the bird. If you already have a 'backup' planned then I would advise against it. You have to be 100% committed. To me there is no other option, I am responsible for my animals care and always will be. If a situation puts them in less than ideal living conditions then I change the situation, I find a way to accommodate them, not house them some where else. To me that would be like sending my child to live with someone else for a while, how fair is that? I would sell a kidney in order to keep them. For me there was never a time where I had a 'backup' my only plan was to keep them and I did because of that mentality.

 

[melissasparrots]

My very first bird was a parent raised female cockatiel. She was not easy to tame, but she turned into a remarkable friend and companion. She was very pettable, she sat and did a ot of homework with me. Cockatiels are just about the perfect bird. See if there is a local bird club in your area. They might know someone that hand-feeds. Personally considering the changes likely to happen in your life soon, get a cockatiel. If in another 5 years or so once you've graduated, dated, got a job and you know what your adult life is going to look like a little more, then I think you will be an awesome cockatoo owner. Just remember, if you treat it like a co-dependent animal, it will become a co-dependent animal. Make the bird a priority in your life and commit no matter what. But then teach it to be a bird not a baby. That is I think where the mytoos.com site fails.