I think I hit the Cockatoo lottery. He’s a moody boy like any cockatoo, but he doesn’t mind most people. He’s not overly aggressive, but obviously has his moments. The key is trying your best to read when he’s prone to having a moment and let him have his space at that point.
He’s LOUD, but that’s a given with any cockatoo. Especially an Umbrella or Moluccan (Mine is a U2)
He also doesn’t have a HUGE personality like a lot so. He doesn’t dance or hop around throwing toys. We are working with him, but I believe his previous homes expected him to stay on his cage all the time, and he doesn’t know what to do with his freedom. 13 years is a lot of years of habit to break.
One thing I’m not to keen on for the article is generalizing cockatoos as these opportunistic attack dogs. While some cockatoos certainly can be extremely aggressive and unpredictable, there are just as many that while still a complete handful for many reasons, are simply not unpredictable and willing to destroy flesh if any opportunity presents itself.
I completely realize why cockatoo owners scare people from owning them. It’s done with good intentions, we hate seeing unprepared owners get these birds and realize they can’t handle them, and they’re suddenly on their 6th home. I get that. One thing people rarely do is talk about how for the right person they can make wonderful pets. Explaining that is extremely hard, and I’m not most efficient with using language to get my points across. I’m certainly no English major. However, a point even this article mentioned was the fact so many need homes. Since people continue to breed these birds for profit, and they’re here, they need loving homes that can take them in and deal with their craziness. I think fear articles like that while keeping potentially unfit owners away, also unintentionally keep good owners away too.
