Are all cockatoos THAT terrible?

[paper_lantern]

When I first started wanting a bird, I looked into cockatoos. I was entranced by Muloccan and Umbrella cockatoos, especially after I had seen an adult at a pet store. I held him, he was super cuddly and sweet. I instantly decided I would get a cockatoo. Well, I changed my mind, and although they still are my favorite bird I don't think I will ever get one based on what I've read.

I went to a site called mytoos.com and the entire site just made the cockatoo seem like a monster. Do they really scream incessantly at all times? Do they really become that destructive and aggressive? Are there any acceptions.

Does anyone have ANYTHING redeeming to say about these birds?

Sometimes I still think "when I'm older and more experience, maybe." but then I think about all I've read and it scares me away. Its sad.

[GlassOnion]

What you read is in fact the reality. Just like human toddlers and adults are two complete creatures, baby Cockatoos and sexually mature Cockatoos are worlds apart.

Cheek out this website: iamcockatoo.com It's written by a very knowledgeable Cockatoo owner.

[Zanizaila]

No, not all cockatoos turn to hormonal monsters that pluck themselves and attack people. But many, MANY do. More individuals per species I would say, than with other psittacines. (I say psittacines instead of parrots because cockatoos are not true parrots.)

I had two Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. Neither of them (one I got as a chick, the other was a plucked eighteen year old rehome) were "problem birds". But both were demanding as hell, the older one screamed every single night (something my non-cockatoos have NEVER done), the younger one couldn't go to sleep either (he didn't scream at night, but did not want to sleep after I turned off the lights and only climbed around in his cage like a maniac, again, completely unlike my other birds), and he also attacked people.
He almost never bit me, but if he was loose and someone else came into the room - fly and attack.

There is a reason I have a macaw now and not cockatoos. He is bigger, but oh-so-much-easier.
I will definitely have cockatoos again in the future, but only (only) in large outdoor aviaries where they can live with their own kind. No parrot is a true pet, but cockatoos fit that role worse than any other psittacine.
It's not just me or Mytoos that sais so either, white cockatoos are extremely difficult to handle and it's no accident that parrot experts all over the world agree that the Moluccan Cockatoo is the most difficult of all birds to keep as a "pet".

I was entranced by Muloccan and Umbrella cockatoos, especially after I had seen an adult at a pet store. I held him, he was super cuddly and sweet.

I went to a site called mytoos.com and the entire site just made the cockatoo seem like a monster. Do they really scream incessantly at all times?

Does anyone have ANYTHING redeeming to say about these birds?

...but then I think about all I've read and it scares me away. Its sad.

You have to realize that birds at pet stores, zoos etc. - cockatoos that you just visit for a short moment - will most often be complete snugglebugs (did I just invent a new word?) that want nothing more than to be close to you. This especially applies to young chicks. But living with them is a COMPLETELY different matter. They are the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the bird world.

Something more you have to realize is that people like me and Mytoos, if it sounds like we're making these birds look like "monsters" - that's your interpretation of reading about them, and we only write it because it is the truth. And to protect the birds. Cockatoos are the number #1 bird to be surrendered to rescues, because they are so very difficult to cope with. They can't take captivity, and most of us just can't take living with them.

It would be best for the birds to just not be bred, to not be pets. That's why some of us are so harsh, especially about cockatoos, because we love the birds and want to protect them.
What's sad is this, that I suppose you've seen: http://mytoos.com/chained.shtml

"Even a bird that's loved may not be able to survive being caged."
That is so true. You don't need to abuse them, you don't need to be completely ignorant and neglect them, the problem with cockatoos (and many other large psittacines, but especially cockatoos) is that no matter how well you take care of the bird, it may still pluck and suffer, because it was never meant to be anyones "pet".

But there are many, many cockatoos out there that need knowledgeable owners. If you one day feel you really can take care of one (or two, since they are flock animals, and remember that they need a HUGE cage, bigger than anything you see on the market), take care of the rescues that need a better life. Don't promote the breeding of these poor creatures.

[KiwiMango]

Thanks for asking that question, I've been wondering the EXACT same thing. When I was looking for a parrot friend, I was thinking of getting either a rose-breasted or umbrella cockatoo. But, after reading mytoos.com I changed my mind and went for a quaker and sun conure instead. All of the things I read while researching cockatoo's make them seem like horrible nightmares! Which is really sad because I really do love those birds and wanted one (still do, but too scared now to take one on). They seem soooo sweet and loving when I visit them at the breeder's. I would love to hear personal experiences from cockatoo owners.