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Senegals vs Cockatoos

Lydia Deetz

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Per the advice of a fellow Avenue-er I have decided to start this new thread. I'm not actually looking into getting a bird but I am very curious about parrots and would like to build up knowledge so I could maybe work with parrots one day. I've read that Senegals are generally one-person birds that form an intense bond with their owners, but I hear the same thing with cockatoos. Now I know, there's multiple species of cockatoo but only one species of Senegal, so this can't be an easy question to answer. The general consensus that I've gathered is that Senegals tend to be much quieter and (supposedly) not as unstable. Does anyone here have experience with both? How do they compare?
 

alshgs

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I had a sennie growing up and she was sweet as pie, and very quiet. I've never owned a cockatoo but have met a goffins, umbrella and galah in person. The galah and goffins were relatively easy going, sweet and somewhat loud at that point in time. The umbrella was very loud, and he lovedddd to mimic my laugh (local petstore we visited a lot). Like I said though, I've never owned one, and I only met the galah and the goffins once, but saw the umbrella every week. You could hear him from the store before we turned down the road that the store was located on, lol. More will chime in, but you could also check out "The good, the bad and the ugly" about each species in "Cockatoo Causeway" & "Poicephalus place"
 

lupe

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Hi Lydia. I've never had a sennie for a companion. I DO have an Umbrella Too. I brought him home in Oct.2012. Yes! they are very loud, very possessive of the"favorite person" and extremely difficult to care for. Actually, there is no comparison between the two.;)
 

hrafn

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Compared to a cockatoo, a Senegal is definitely quiet! 'Toos of any species can break the sound barrier. :D

They're very different parrots altogether.
 

JLcribber

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Hi Lydia. I've never had a sennie for a companion. I DO have an Umbrella Too. I brought him home in Oct.2012. Yes! they are very loud, very possessive of the"favorite person" and extremely difficult to care for. Actually, there is no comparison between the two.;)

I'll second that. A Senegal is like free lunch compared to a cockatoo.
 

iamwhoiam

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I have a Senegal and two Cockatoos. My Senegal, of course, is much quieter than my 'toos although my 'toos don't scream that much throughout the day but when they do it can go on for 15 mins. or more and is VERY loud.
Senegal Jake is a friendly guy and doesn't bug the other birds. As for being a one person bird I never felt Jake was like that. He liked my mom and some of my friends. He's become a bit grouchy as he has aged but he's 32 years old so if he wants to be grouchy sometimes that's OK with me. Goffin's Keno is generally sweet towards me but can be aggressive towards the other birds except she generally likes and gets along with Casey, BFA. She likes to entertain people by talking, dancing and bouncing up and down. She is very mechanical, opening quick links, unscrewing parts of toys, figuring out how to open her cage doors. She can be destructive if left out of her cage unsupervised. Bare-eyed Cody is shy and backs away from most people except me. She is very loving towards me. She is also mechanical but not as much as Keno. She took apart the play top of her cage but she has never let herself out of the cage. She is willing to hang out with me whereas Keno will leave and either seek out Casey or do something mischievous.
All 3 of them are fairly independent and do their own thing and all 3 can also be frightened by new people and objects although Cody is prone to stress seizures so have to be very careful with her.

If you are considering a Senegal vs a Cockatoo best to go out and visit with a few if you have somewhere you can do that. My Senegal doesn't have as many needs as my 'toos and if left out he doesn't bother any of the other birds and isn't destructive. Can read through generalizations about species but each bird is an individual. However, IMO, you need a pair of eyes in the back of your head when it comes to Cockatoos.
Also if you have any allergies/asthma Cockatoos are quite dusty whereas Senegals are not.

 

Love My Zons

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I have no experience with the Sennies, but they are said to be very smart and social birds. I do have an Umbrella Cockatoo and can say that ours is not a one Person bird. Our previous U2 was also a great bird with both of us too. Maybe it's a female Too thing? I have no idea, but yes they can be loud but having two, completely different personalities, I can say that they both are sweet birds, never bite and are total cuddle bugs.

:)
 

Shade

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I've lived with cockatoos as my parents have a few. While they can be intensely sweet and adorable looking, they are not for me. I have issues with the dust (allergies) and they are too loud for my liking.

I have a number of Poicephalus parrot, including a Senegal (Shade). She is an awesome companion, and much more suited to my personality. She is very quiet and she's great with everyone. She's far from a one person bird, but I did make a point of getting her introduced to many people and situations. For some time, she wasn't fond of my spouse (which I met after getting Shade). When my spouse and I moved in together, Shade would mostly ignore him, but that was much better than her attacking him. She would also cooperate with him eventually. And now, she'll even go and see him and will happily perch on his shoulder (I guess she saw that he wasn't going anywhere...).
 
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