Cockatoo

[Cookiee]

Hey all, a lady I work with at the hospital has come into poor health and has offered to give me a Cockatoo. I currently keep budgies quail and soon to add ducks to my family. My question is I have been told that a Cockatoo can get hyper agressive and be a nightmare bird to keep, does anyone know if this is true? I have asked in other forums but got a mixture of answers. I am not new to keeping parrots and have even had good luck with them but I don't want to get myself into something I regret. Any advice appreciated

 

[SilverBirds]

Welcome to BYC!

I know @Pampered chicken girl has a cockatoo.

The larger parrots. have have a lot more intelligence and personality then the smaller parrot/keets. Personalities can very greatly from bird to bird. I've heard of Cockatoos (and other large birds) being absolute sweet hearts and others being living terrors.

My great grandfather had a Cockatoo for years. That bird was a nightmare. He would scream bloody murder and curse the living daylights out of anyone he did not know if they approached him. He bonded very close with my great grandfather and my great grandmother. Everyone else he practically hated. When my great grandparents passed away, my grandmother inherited him. She had to give him away because he was too aggressive towards people and she couldn't deal with the noise he made.

Now, this is just one Cockatoo. Just like with every other animal each bird has it's own temperament. I'd see what Pampered has to say (since she actually owns one). From what I've heard, Cookie sounds like a very sweet bird.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Hey all, a lady I work with at the hospital has come into poor health and has offered to give me a Cockatoo. I currently keep budgies quail and soon to add ducks to my family. My question is I have been told that a Cockatoo can get hyper agressive and be a nightmare bird to keep, does anyone know if this is true? I have asked in other forums but got a mixture of answers. I am not new to keeping parrots and have even had good luck with them but I don't want to get myself into something I regret. Any advice appreciated

Is it a girl or boy? The issue with cockatoos is they can become very hormonal, but this CAN be managed. First don't pet them on the back as it causes their hormones to surge making them totally crazy, second limit cuddle time, it's OK to cuddle a little but over cuddling can make them have terrible separation anxiety. The next thing with cockatoos is they LOVE TO CHEW mine has chewed up my dresser, they are like teething puppies. If they can get their beak on it they will chew it. They need plenty of toys that they can mutilate. They are also VERY LOUD they scream and scream for attention and as said this can be managed by not over cuddling and also not giving attention when they scream.
So here are the cons:
Loud
Chew everything
May become hormonal
Need a large cage
Pros:
Very lovable
Long life (so be sure your willing to make a long term commitment, they can live 60-80 years)
Love to be around you
Beautiful
How old is the cockatoo, as I said they live a long time. Mine is 23. I love cockatoos but you will hear alot of bad because people don't want someone to get one then realize they have to take care of a 2 year old child for a very long time. They are needy birds BUT if you can comment the time, money and effort into they they are definitely worth it! Be prepared to spend at least 3 hours a day socializing with the bird

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

If you have ANY other questions PLEASE ask, I am here to help!

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Welcome to BYC!

I know @Pampered chicken girl has a cockatoo.

The larger parrots. have have a lot more intelligence and personality then the smaller parrot/keets. Personalities can very greatly from bird to bird. I've heard of Cockatoos (and other large birds) being absolute sweet hearts and others being living terrors.

They are basically children, they have tantrums and lovey moments. They are very smart, mine talks, and she know what she says. If she's cuddling she'll say I love you or give me a kiss but if she's in trouble and I come in the room she knows knock it off. She also dances and has incredible beat.

My great grandfather had a Cockatoo for years. That bird was a nightmare. He would scream bloody murder and curse the living daylights out of anyone he did not know if they approached him. He bonded very close with my great grandfather and my great grandmother. Everyone else he practically hated. When my great grandparents passed away, my grandmother inherited him. She had to give him away because he was too aggressive towards people and she couldn't deal with the noise he made.

This is odd, my cockatoo doesn't like my dad but is great with everyone else.

Now, this is just one Cockatoo. Just like with every other animal each bird has it's own temperament. I'd see what Pampered has to say (since she actually owns one). From what I've heard, Cookie sounds like a very sweet bird.

Exactly every bird is different I've known cockatoos from rescues that were extremely aggressive and then once like my cookie who are super sweet. It all depends on the individual bird and how it has been treated. Sometimes like you stated they will become overly attached to one person and be aggressive to others like your great grandfathers was.

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

@Cookiee do you have any prior parrot experience? I would not recommend cockatoos for a first time bird owner if you do want a parrot type bird and are a first-timer I recommend Conures or cockatiels (quieter then conures). I had a son conure and enjoyed him very much my mom has had three cockatiels including the one we have right now and they are also wonderful.

 

[Cookiee]

@Cookiee do you have any prior parrot experience? I would not recommend cockatoos for a first time bird owner if you do want a parrot type bird and are a first-timer I recommend Conures or cockatiels (quieter then conures). I had a son conure and enjoyed him very much my mom has had three cockatiels including the one we have right now and they are also wonderful.

Sorry for the slow reply was just after a 2 hour call to the lady that is giving me the bird. She is 3 years old and apparently very chilled but makes a huge amount of noise. I have lots of experience with parrots but not big parrots like Africans and Macaws and the bird I am talking about. The lady has terminal cancer and wants me to come and get her tomorrow! She said she will give me everything I need but will rehome them to the sanctuary if I don't collect by the weekend and a multitude of other birds like Conures etc. I have told her I don't have the space to take any more birds but besides the cockatoo. I have two young children is this viable?

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

Sorry for the slow reply was just after a 2 hour call to the lady that is giving me the bird. She is 3 years old and apparently very chilled but makes a huge amount of noise. I have lots of experience with parrots but not big parrots like Africans and Macaws and the bird I am talking about. The lady has terminal cancer and wants me to come and get her tomorrow! She said she will give me everything I need but will rehome them to the sanctuary if I don't collect by the weekend and a multitude of other birds like Conures etc. I have told her I don't have the space to take any more birds but besides the cockatoo. I have two young children is this viable?

How old are your children? And what room will you be keeping the cockatoo in? What parrot experience do you have like with Conures or parakeets? If she is 3 years old you will likely have her for a very long time so are you prepared to make this very long-term commitment? As I said cockatoos need a lot of time and if you cannot give her this time it is probably not a good idea to take her in. Will you be taking the Conures? If I didn't have cookie I would take a conure

 

[Pampered chicken girl]

I have been to many of sanctuaries and many of the birds are cockatoos because people don't realize how loud and destructive they are. They loudness you said that the lady said she had is typical of cockatoos so I wouldn't worry about that unless a lot of loud noise bothers you. I feel very bad for the lady having to give up her birds and with her cancer

 

[Cookiee]

How old are your children? And what room will you be keeping the cockatoo in? What parrot experience do you have like with Conures or parakeets? If she is 3 years old you will likely have her for a very long time so are you prepared to make this very long-term commitment? As I said cockatoos need a lot of time and if you cannot give her this time it is probably not a good idea to take her in. Will you be taking the Conures? If I didn't have cookie I would take a conure

My son is 16 and my daughter 10 and I have kept budgies for years and I feel I know a lot about them. I have a good amount of free time but maybe they would need to be alone some hours when I work shifts. My daughter loves the birds and I have told her when I go on to the next life she will need to care for them as I am 42 now (We joke about it) but it's likely reality