Can a young person own a cockatoo? If so. What one would you recommend?

[Rhysilius]

Sorry if this is the wrong area to post this in. But as a young person with a fascination for the more “experienced” parrots (amazons, macaws, cockatoos and African greys) I have been curious if getting one of these birds (especially cockatoos) is a good idea. I a, aware of how hard and irritating the care for these guys are and how demanding they are for attention. But I am willing to do the research, build an aviary for a cockatoo and socialise with it after school. Any thoughts on which one I should get? (My dad doesnt like a lot of noise) and if cockatoos are plain bad for my situation, could you point me in the right direction to one that’s more suitable?

 

[Xoetix]

Honestly, if your dad isn't cool with noise, I would absolutely not at all recommend a cockatoo. They're loud. LOUD. I can hear mine from the room she's in all the way to the end of my driveway.

The problem you're going to run into though is all birds are noisy. Amazons, cockatoos, macaws - all the way down to finches and budgies. There are just different types of noise, and different pitches. Budgies (I have two) never stop making noise. On a 1 to 10 scale of volume, they're maybe... A 3 at the loudest? But it's all the time. It's a constant noise. My cockatoo (a Sulphur crested) is probably around a 7 or 8. Then you've got conure, which to me aren't super loud, but they hit a pitch that is like a nail through my eyeball. But, some people are fine with that noise and not with a cockatoo. @Emma&pico and I go back and forth a lot about it

Other things to look at - How much space for the cage do you have? Who is paying for the bird/cage/food/vet/toys/etc? If you go somewhere overnight, who will be taking care of the bird and making sure it's entertained? If your family goes on a vacation for a few days, are you responsible for finding lodging for the bird? If not, who would?

I don't say all of this to dissuade you. Birds are freaking hard. They're smart, they're emotional, they're like a toddler with built in bolt cutters. If you want to do that, then good for you! It's incredibly rewarding. But there are so many things that I think people forget to look at when getting a bird. I think it's detrimental to owners not to hear the horror stories and what makes having one as difficult as it is.

 

[flyzipper]

Possibly a message from your future self...

Considering Rehoming My Feathered Friends

Hello everyone, I am new to the forums and joined so I could share my thoughts with others on this topic. This is going to be a long post and a bit of a ramble, so apologies in advance. :( For the past year and a half or so I have been considering rehoming my three birds. I have my...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[Sparkles99]

I’d not recommend one for these reasons:

• Lifespan
• Most now are hand raised (imprinted)
• Dust
• Noise
• Space to really fly

If by more “experienced” parrots you mean more rare/costly, you should seriously examine why you want those species.

I am curious as to why lovebirds, budgies, cockatiels, linnies, quakers, parrotlets didn’t make the cut. Edited to add conures - I always forget about them!

 

[Pixiebeak]

Thing is your life point and the rapid changes ahead of you.
Could and would you do right, right now , I'm sure you would .

But it's down the road, the dating, hobbies, travel, internships, School, working, housing..
Parrots and dating, or room mates , renting don't mix very well . There are so many struggles and absolute horrible things that room mates, neighbors, significant others have done .

One of my parrots was given to me by a college guy. He loved her dearly , and cared for her wonderfully. But his room mates threatened his bird safety , he couldn't get another living situation fast enough, plus he admitted overwhelmed with college, dating and simply couldn't care fir st this time in his life. She's pretty quiet fit her species but it's still annoying especially early morning. Plus there are the friends and room mates friends and significant otgers who do not want to put up with, or don't want to make all the special safety precautions needed . Like all the cleaning and cooking materials that are deadly to birds .

If you are on forums long enough you hear of so many being re homed , by parents being left with the bird or the younger person who got them thinking they would be able to handle it . But there is so much change at this life stage ,

Parrots need a lot of time ever day . It's like adopting a kid . Unlike dogs sbd cats who sleep many hours a day , parrots are active all day plus their intellectual like a primate a d highly social. So messy, going to. Be loud d at some point, hormonal season, behavior challenges .

I love that you are interested and starting to research . I think if you can work a job with them , or foster .wait until you finish school and have your job and ien place . Then get your dream species after even more research

 

[Rhysilius]

T

Honestly, if your dad isn't cool with noise, I would absolutely not at all recommend a cockatoo. They're loud. LOUD. I can hear mine from the room she's in all the way to the end of my driveway.

The problem you're going to run into though is all birds are noisy. Amazons, cockatoos, macaws - all the way down to finches and budgies. There are just different types of noise, and different pitches. Budgies (I have two) never stop making noise. On a 1 to 10 scale of volume, they're maybe... A 3 at the loudest? But it's all the time. It's a constant noise. My cockatoo (a Sulphur crested) is probably around a 7 or 8. Then you've got conure, which to me aren't super loud, but they hit a pitch that is like a nail through my eyeball. But, some people are fine with that noise and not with a cockatoo. @Emma&pico and I go back and forth a lot about it

Other things to look at - How much space for the cage do you have? Who is paying for the bird/cage/food/vet/toys/etc? If you go somewhere overnight, who will be taking care of the bird and making sure it's entertained? If your family goes on a vacation for a few days, are you responsible for finding lodging for the bird? If not, who would?

I don't say all of this to dissuade you. Birds are freaking hard. They're smart, they're emotional, they're like a toddler with built in bolt cutters. If you want to do that, then good for you! It's incredibly rewarding. But there are so many things that I think people forget to look at when getting a bird. I think it's detrimental to owners not to hear the horror stories and what makes having one as difficult as it is.

thank you so much for this reply! I am aware that birds are tough and they are noisy. My dad said if I was going to get a noisy bird (ie cockatoo or macaw) he’d rather it at least be colourful or able to use the noise making for speech mimicry. He likes the idea of an African grey and so do I. if it were as simple as getting 1 bird to give you experience before diving into a more experienced bird, I would. But fortunately I’m not a person that buys one bird to help the person get accustomed to parrots and then ditch it for the one I want. I am willing to put in the hours of research and we’re most likely gonna put the aviary outside. to let it see natural light. Though I do have a dog and a cat, so precautions are an absolute MUST to take into consideration. Again I thank you so much for your assistance and you didn’t dissuade me at all!

 

[Rhysilius]

Thank

Thing is your life point and the rapid changes ahead of you.
Could and would you do right, right now , I'm sure you would .

But it's down the road, the dating, hobbies, travel, internships, School, working, housing..
Parrots and dating, or room mates , renting don't mix very well . There are so many struggles and absolute horrible things that room mates, neighbors, significant others have done .

One of my parrots was given to me by a college guy. He loved her dearly , and cared for her wonderfully. But his room mates threatened his bird safety , he couldn't get another living situation fast enough, plus he admitted overwhelmed with college, dating and simply couldn't care fir st this time in his life. She's pretty quiet fit her species but it's still annoying especially early morning. Plus there are the friends and room mates friends and significant otgers who do not want to put up with, or don't want to make all the special safety precautions needed . Like all the cleaning and cooking materials that are deadly to birds .

If you are on forums long enough you hear of so many being re homed , by parents being left with the bird or the younger person who got them thinking they would be able to handle it . But there is so much change at this life stage ,

Parrots need a lot of time ever day . It's like adopting a kid . Unlike dogs sbd cats who sleep many hours a day , parrots are active all day plus their intellectual like a primate a d highly social. So messy, going to. Be loud d at some point, hormonal season, behavior challenges .

I love that you are interested and starting to research . I think if you can work a job with them , or foster .wait until you finish school and have your job and ien place . Then get your dream species after even more research

you so much for your reply. I will remember to take this into consideration!

 

[Spearmint]

(not rlly a teen anymore but..) teen to teen, I would say no. I got Spearmint when I was a teenager.
In the nicest way possible, Spearmint was the worst pet i've gotten . I love him, of course, but he interferes with my day to day to the point i'm struggling to get through classes and homework- and nearly failing at this point.

Not sure if you've already gone through college, or planning to, but consider who will give your bird the 6+ hours out the cage daily then, especially if you decide to stay on campus.
BUT, if the bird will be a family effort, I don't think it's a bad idea. Having house members learn how to train and handle a big bird, and whatnot, can help loads.

You say an aviary outside, which is great, but also remember cleaning, consider how you will take your bird out from there to handle.

This however is just my opinion, don't let this discourage you! It's totally possible.

 

[Rhysilius]

I

(not rlly a teen anymore but..) teen to teen, I would say no. I got Spearmint when I was a teenager.
In the nicest way possible, Spearmint was the worst pet i've gotten . I love him, of course, but he interferes with my day to day to the point i'm struggling to get through classes and homework- and nearly failing at this point.

Not sure if you've already gone through college, or planning to, but consider who will give your bird the 6+ hours out the cage daily then, especially if you decide to stay on campus.
BUT, if the bird will be a family effort, I don't think it's a bad idea. Having house members learn how to train and handle a big bird, and whatnot, can help loads.

You say an aviary outside, which is great, but also remember cleaning, consider how you will take your bird out from there to handle.

This however is just my opinion, don't let this discourage you! It's totally possible.

i have a plan when it comes to a future birds relationship with my family, and also cleaning, so what my plan is (not sure if it’d work) is to make my family members help clean the aviary. That way the bird get used to their presence and sees them as part of the flock. So If I’m away for extended periods of time my bird won’t go haywire when my parents appear to feed and clean. I still have a few years till I’d get one, so I’ve began to try locate a specific species that would work for me and my family and research a bunch of possible candidates early

 

[Nala92]

Nope. My dream parrot has always been a RB2. I loved those birds. They are magnificent! But I felt I was too young to give a toddler (thats what they are) the amount of attention and training that they deserved. Nala is my first one, and I got her when I was around 21. Still living at my parents but, I felt the time was right. And it kinda was, but at the same time it wasn't.

I was hoping my family would help me with my birds. But they didn't. Nala is a great bird. I even do volunteerwork in an elderly home with her! But at home she is a pain. I need to get her out when my boyfriend isn't allowed. And when I was still at home, she attacked my mom.

Anyways. It is a great idea to ask your parents to have a relationship with a future bird. But you cannot depend on it. It will be your responsibility.