Any cockatoo owners around here?

[pchela]

Just like all birds, there are some Cockatoos that would make great pets. But for the majority, a Cockatoo is not a good choice. Cockatoos can be very loving and sweet and playful and adorable and if you find a rescue that you connect with and that you can commit to, go for it. A cockatoo can be a wonderful companion. But, I wouldn't suggest getting a baby Cockatoo. With a rescue, it's an adult and you can see what you're in for. I've seen too many people fall in love with the sweet, cuddly baby cockatoo that is bobbing it's head and just adorable. Then they take it home and find out it's a loud, furniture destroying machine. Then it's on Craigslist or stuck in a rescue. Cockatoos are loud and destructive, much more so than other parrots. There are more Cockatoos in rescues than any other type of bird and a lot of them pluck. They are very social and need a lot of attention. If you happen to find one, Goffin's and Galahs are the two I'd recommend most. (or a Parasol, which would be difficult to find)

[Julsiebean]

Dude, Burlington is not near Charlotte. I live in NC.

[hannahbird]

Yeah I figured that out.. I'm from Oregon I have no idea! I got Charlotte and Durham confused.

[Julsiebean]

Haha, okay. I was thinking if you want to live outside of Charlotte, Burlington ain't the place to be!

[hannahbird]

Haha yeah, oh man ! I am excited to move. Everyone I have talked to from the area is super nice!

[StBernard]

I have an Umbrella Cockatoo. I've had her since she was 7 weeks old.

She is an absolute pleasure and I cannot fault her in any way. She is the easiest animal I've ever had. and I've had horses, ponies, dogs, cats, snakes, tortoises...and managed a game reserve!

We brought Bean home at 7wks. She was still feathering and was full of attitude. Fluffing up everytime we went near her for the first few days. After the first 3-4 days she realised we weren't going to hurt her, and over the next few weeks she became more sure on her feet, and feathered out etc. She would fall asleep in the crook of my arm every evening. Such a sweet baby. She doesnt even know HOW to bite, she has never bitten anyone, even now as an adult.
I was very careful when she was small not to spend too much time with her. she got an hour a few times a day. The biggest mistake people with Too's make is spoiling them, because they are so cuddly. Then when the novelty wears off, the Too can't understand why they aren't being showered with love and kisses, and the noise starts.

Bean is VERY quiet. I don't keep her in a cage, I don't like caging birds. she has her own bedroom. She never makes a sound in her bedroom, at all. Just chills, plays, looks out of the window and sleeps in 'her' wardrobe. She chats when she is out of her room. If we are talking between us she will join in, but she never screams or shouts. Ever. she talks too but only knows a few words. She is very obedient...and yes I'm using that word for a bird. If she tries to play with something she shouldn't. I just say no, and she immediately drops it and walks away from it. She also comes to call.

I was very strict with Bean as a baby. Ie she wasn't allowed on me unless I gave her permission, nothing worse than a clingy Too. As a result of this she has excellent manners. she is good as gold with strangers, just being very quiet at first, but she will let anyone touch her and pick her up.

I am her favourite person though and she will always come to me over my boyfriend, however she loves him too. He does get in 'trouble' though, where she puts up her feathers and runs around him, pretending to fight with him, but its all show, she has never bitten anyone or even tried to. She is just hilarious.

Her favourite thing to do is go under the duvet, she actually lifts it up so she can get under. and she goes to sleep under there. She also likes to sleep in my arms if I let her. I do the odd day, but not often. I don't have a strict routine with Bean, so she is never left 'waiting' to be let out at he exact same time everyday. This also helps as if your day changes, you don't come back to a stressed destructive, plucking cockatoo.

I usually open Bean's bedroom door at about 8am and she cruises around the house all morning. I'm home all day. She either chills on the bed or comes in the lounge and sits next to me. She is more like a dog than a person.

So long as you don't spoil them, and its tempting, and your strict about personal boundaries...they are called velcro birds for a reason, you will be fine.

As I said Bean is very loving, very quiet, not destructive at all, just a joy to be around.

Good luck if you decide to go ahead! I love Greys too and have just got my second, and have also had Eclectus, but nothing compares to a Too if you want a bird that is much more than a bird.

I will definitely getting another U2 in the near future. I adore them!

[Zanizaila]

I've had two Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, and they are just not pets, period.
Of course, no parrot is, but there is a reason many breeders that have their senses with them simply stop breeding cockatoos, and a reason that white cockatoos are the most common birds in rescue centers.

I don't have the time or energy to write everything down now, instead I recommend the site http://www.mytoos.com , and say that many (if not all) of the good qualities you can find in cockatoos, you can also find in other birds. However, they have MANY negative qualities that other birds simply don't have. (Like the dust, the special temperament which can be incredibly difficult and frustrating to handle, the screaming in the dark, the extreme sensitivity, the unpredictability, etc.)

It sounds as if I hate cockatoos, but I don't. I love them more than most things on our round Earth and hate seeing them go from home to home. (Hypocrite? Perhaps, but my cockatoos live in more of a zoo-like setting now, and won't ever have to be passed from home to home.)
Regardless of how good a heart you have, the vast majority of parrot people simply cannot cope with a cockatoo for more than a couple of years.

And one that is as young as you can simply not understand the level of commitment involved and how difficult it will be, regardless of how good you are with animals and regardless of how knowledgeable you are about birds. (Speaking from my own experience, and lots of examples I've come across. I really thought I knew what I was doing, but boy was I in for a huge surprise.)

StBernard - How old is your cockatoo? For the first few years, many toos seem like the ultimate snugglebug, until they grow up into the wild animals they are. There are of course rare exceptions, like the young U2 bought by a nine year old boy, and who then lived with him for eight years until she died in an accident. She was the "ultimate" bird that everyone wanted to bird sit when her owner was on vacation.
But as one other cockatoo owner once said... "how many of you have lived with your cockatoo for 15 years or more? If you've only had your too for ten years (or less), you don't know what to expect."