New Cockatoo

[lkupham]

We had decided to get a bird and into our laps came a rescue baby. His family could not afford to keep him, he was living in a basement bedroom with no light, eating a seed-only diet, and the house was an absolute mess. I felt bad for him- and even though a cockatoo wasn't what we were looking to buy, now we have Ziggy.

He is the sweetest bird I've ever seen- and my grey I had years ago was a sweetie. He lifts his wings to be scratched, lowers his head, kisses, and cuddles. His one bad habit is shoulders. He really likes to be the highest guy in the room and once he is on a shoulder, the only way to get him off is to kneel down and make it look like he has better options. Anyone know how to work with him on this?

Other than that, I am working on converting him to a pelleted diet. I mixed seeds with pellets to see how it goes, and he does like the pellets- just prefers to grab the old usual first.

Only having experience with cockatiels and an African grey, what do I really need to know about the sulpher crested cockatoo?

I am new to the group but can't wait to share and learn.

: )
Lisa

[pennyandrocky]

it's good that he's taken to pellots but toos need to be cooked for i cook steamed veggies, some pasta or brown rice, some plain oatmeal not microwave but the stovetop and i throw some fruit in my too will not eat fruit unless it's warm.last night at dinner mya hopped over to check my plate to make sure it looked like her bowl.go to mytoos. if you don't want him on your shoulder put him in your lap for cuddles.

[marie83]

Why on earth do toos 'need' to be cooked for? They don't at all, you just prefer to cook for your bird they wouldn't find cooked food in the wild.

Definitely not saying you shouldn't do it but bear in mind cooking destroys natural enzymes and vitamin content - even steaming does although to a lesser extent so they need plenty of raw too.

If your too is already eating pellets then I would just give him that as his base diet and forget slowly converting him unless he won't eat many of them even if he is hungry.

[pennyandrocky]

i cook for her because she won't eat raw, it's also on mytoos.

[liz]

Mine only get cooked food when I am cooking for us. Not only does it add variety to their diet but it is a bonding thing to eat together.

Mom shared her scrambled eggs and toast with Myrtle. It is very hard to tell them no. Rambo waited to be served on his play patio.

[lkupham]

Thanks guys for the advice so far!

Can anyone tell me anything positive about these birds? I keep reading awful, negative things to the point that I had awful anxiety about him last night. We went from super excited to total anxiety in a few hours. Seriously though- this bird is already 7 (don't know the birth date, could be closer to 8 now), and the friendliest bird I've ever seen. I have three kids that are petting him, feeding them from their hands, etc- and he loves the attention. They even had him dancing this morning to "Call Me Maybe". He will lay in my arms like a baby and offers his head and wing to be petted.

Could the perfect bird for our family have been dropped into our laps? I would like to think so- given how he came to us...now I find myself doubting the "goodness" of our baby....even though he has been nothing but sweet. There have got to be some happy cockatoo owners out there with great birds who do not bite, scream, and feather pluck, right? There are some good ones?

He is loving his pellets this morning- which I am happy about. I've also given him strawberries, carrots, and grapes. Not so much a fan of the fresh fruit/veggies, but I am hoping with time he changes his mind about these things. I will offer him some cooked rice later to see how he likes it. I do agree that they need to eat a variety of foods to be healthy- that is one of the reasons I could not leave him where he was being fed a seed-only diet.

Thanks!

[liz]

I have only seen Toos in pet shops. They were noisy but loving. Each one would put his head down and want preened. It seems odd that I have only found the loving ones.

[paper_lantern]

I had a short three week experience with an abused and neglected Umbrella Cockatoo. It was...uhm...quite the experience, I would say. Their screaming can be extremely loud. Just make sure your sulphur crested has a LARGE cage as well as plenty of wood toys to chew. If not she could self mutilate or chew all of your furniture and walls.

Just be careful with the amounts of attention you are giving her, make sure you only give her as much attention as you can realistically keep giving her for the rest of her life. I know its hard because when something is new we tend to over spoil it.

Cockatoos can be wonderful birds, you just have to be prepared for the mess, the dust, the screaming, and you really have to respect them...watch their body language, their bites can be terrible. Make sure you supervise any kids when they play with her.

If she is 7 years old she has already gone through her hormonal changes, so what you see is pretty much what you get. Once she is completely settled in (give it a few weeks) you should see what she is really like. But it is a lot safer to get a rescue 'too versus a baby.

Good luck!

Oh I also wanted to add that the 'too I took care of is now at a sanctuary where she can live out her life

[marie83]

Seems like alot of what I say on here gets taken the wrong way, I never said your shouldn't cook for your birds, simply that it not a requirement, birds simply do not 'need' cooked foods but we may choose to add them. Of course it adds variety and cooked is definitely better than none at all.

[pennyandrocky]

i wanted a too for many years but was put off by people telling me they were nightmres(no one who actually had one).then the rescue told me about mya as soon as i met her i fell in love and have been happy with her for over a year she was 7 too.if your prepared for the demands of toos and i hope you went to mytoo.com then they are lovely birds.be very careful with your kids though they do have mood swings and can turn if not able to fly away.body language of a too who's about to attack is with mine and others that i've heard from is bobbing up and down it looks playful and cute but i keep my distance. mya hasn't attacked since she gained flight.don't ever let your children touch anything that belongs to the too they are very possessive of what they feel belongs to them no one touches mya's except me.don't be afraid they can be very sweet if handled correctly and the older age is a plus.