Gang Gang Cockatoos

[jmfleish]

This was brought over from another thread and the biggest question was whether or not these birds make good pets. From what I understand there is a lot we still need to understand about these little birds, especially about their diet. I'm in the US, so we have very few pairs here and yes, they are very expensive. Since importation of birds is no longer possible outside of co-ops, these birds don't tend to be sold as pets here in the US and most breeders will highly suggest that they stay in breeding programs until we have sustainable populations. We learn about rare species by breeding them and that's truly the bottom line, so I'm not against this. In the last several decades, we have breeders to thank for the Black Palm, the Major Mitchell, the Rose Breasted, the Ducorps', the Slender Bill, and the Bare Eyed here in this country and that's just the Cockatoos. All of these birds are no longer as *rare* in the US as they once were and aren't as expensive as they once were and all make great pets for the right person. Do all of them have picking issues? Yes. Every single one of them can end up with picking issues. Absolutely no bird is immune to picking issues. There is more to a pet parrot than whether or not it picks. Do Gang Gangs in general almost always pick in captivity? For now? Yes, it does seem to be the general issue but we don't know enough about their diet and other things to know why this happens and the only way to figure this out is to keep trying. There are a lot of thoughts on why they pick in captivity and just because they have picking issues doesn't mean they don't make good pets otherwise. If every parrot who picked was deemed bad parrot material, we'd have a lot less birds to pick from wouldn't we? No pun intended.

 

[Abby]

Thanks for bringing this over Jen so the other thread wasn't getting quite so hi-jacked.

I'll be honest, I have very strong views on certain species of parrots as pets. Just because one can have them (a particular species) doesn't always mean one should. Now please keep in mind this is my view and I'm not going to judge anyone or carry on. I'm too old, been around the bird "game" too long and quite frankly when it comes down to it I don't care what others do. I'm also very aware of glass houses. If my comments and knowledge make someone think then I'm a happy little vegemite.

Anyways...one of the main things we were commenting on with gang gangs is the plucking. Thoughts on why these little guys are so prone comes down to their need to be busy busy busy all the time.

Being able to forage through a variety of foods. Not just pellets and a few fruit and veg but a variety of nuts, hawthorn and pyracantha berries, seed laden casuarina and wattle branches, other native Australian foods and flowers like banksia, grevillea, hakea and eucalypt. (cited A Guide to...Black cockatoos as Pet and Aviary Birds 2005). I will be citing more from this book so if you see cited that's the publication.

Next aspect is keeping stress down low. These guys are little stress heads and you'll know something is out of kilt when those feathers start coming out. Simply being next door to an annoying neighbour is enough to make one want to pull their hair, err...feathers out. Neighbours dog comes to visit, out with those feathers, kids mates drop in with that rotten soccer ball, oops there go a few more. (cited)

Quite simply if stressed (and you can work out the stressor) or unoccupied for a time and these guys (with no underlying medical condition) are likely to go at themselves or even better, drum roll....each other. Hey what's a bit of sharing and caring to reduce the boredom and/or stress.(cited)

At this stage I think we need to work out how we can keep these active little stress heads occupied in an artificial environment. We're getting better with some of the fabulous foraging stuff that is coming out with a number of our other notorious plucker species and I know there's a few things on my list before the old girl gets here. I do think with these guys we need to investigate more on the aviary level before bringing it into the single companion parrot area. We have a tendency to fail our birds by pushing too quickly for what we want rather then what is right for them.

I'm lucky being in Australia that I have access to many of the local wild foods that gang gangs eat. I've had many years experience with cockatoos ( and I love my ditzy little RB2s) plus have dealt with working with some feather pluckers. For this reason I am willing to take on an older GG2 that has already been doing a number on herself. However, if we hadn't clicked there is no way I'd be doing this. Wouldn't be fair on her. What I am saying is I have experience in the double header, triple if you want to look at stereotypical "plucker species" as I am also owned by a 3yo CAG.

My belief is that these guys can be pet aviary birds quite successfully. In a large aviary with plenty of room for flight, foraging stations and room for the "owner" be in with the birds I think it is possible to have successful, psychologically healthy relationship and bird. I don't feel they are suited to a cage inside. The whole flight thing which is so much part of this species psyche and well being is impeded. (No I'm not an anti wing clipper, yet again I don't care, just do it properly if you need to).

Well, done well here, 2nd post after being off for a while and written a mini essay. For those still awake, cheers, I appreciate it. Hope some of this makes sense and it doesn't come off as preachy.

 

[Renae]

^ Great post, Mary!

I know someone who has a pair of Gang Gangs (and shouldn't), they're actually selling them at the moment, but not cheap.. and need a license!


I've not seen them in person, but from being told about them, they do make great aviary birds rather then "pets". This is only coming from the person that I know that's selling their pair.

 

[jmfleish]

Mary, thanks for all the info. I would LOVE to hear how this goes for you and hopefully you can get this little girl to grow her feathers back. I knew that they did better in an a larger aviary situation as well and had to be busy. I did not know that they were so nervous. Here in the states, I've heard that some feed mice and that diet is very misunderstood. Can you comment on that at all. Everything everyone has said about them is that they are terribly sweet though other than the picking issues.

On a side note, I'm stunned that you have a grey! Very rare in Australia! You must really enjoy the little grey fluffball a lot! I have two and they are the light of my life.

 

[Abby]

I have read about extra protein sources with them. Things like cooked chicken, cooked chop bones and meal worms. I've heard stories of keeping teeny finches in aviaries to give them something to do (use your imagination here) and for the umm, well protein. Whilst I haven't heard of humanely euthanased mice being given doesn't mean anything. I imagine pinkies would be quite good for the above reason.

However, feral vermin are likely to upset these guys, big surprise. Well you know what they annoy me and I'm not a gang gang.

I think we get it drilled into us to restricts nuts, however with gang gangs they do require more of the nut proteins their diet. Almonds, pecans and walnuts. I do wonder if these guys do require some of natural properties (can't think of the correct word) that they can get from some of the native flowers, nuts and leaves. Just thinking because of the micro nutrients present in eucalypt.

With the gang gangs you really are looking at a smorgasbord dietary wise. Just a bit of this and that and this and that.

There aren't alot of greys in Australia (compared to say the US) which kinda sucks for the gene pool but easy enough for me to find several potential breeders to talk to about a grey hen (companion first, breeding with Arthur possibility, icing on the cake - side issue) if Arthurs breeder doesn't have any unrelated hens when we're ready. It's just knowing the right people. Funny, found it really hard when I was first looking for a breeder with Arthur, now I can get choosey just because doors have opened wider. Hmm, getting tired, babbling, need coffee or sleep.

 

[chompie_puppy]

I work with a pair of Gang Gangs at the sanctuary. They really are very sweet birds.

The two I work with don't pluck unless they get too stressed. These two actually handle stress a lot better than most Gang Gangs as they were raised in a public environment with LOADS of visitors and NOISE!

Having said this... we tried to train them for the free flight show and they got very stressed and started exhibiting some plucking behaviour.

Taking them in for their annual vet exam is a total nightmare! Talk about a stressful situation! If you separate the one from the other then they want to pluck. If you take them out of their aviary for too long then they want to pluck. Vet exams are therefore usually done inside their aviary with the vet coming to visit them not the other way around.

Their diets do need to contain way more protien than your average Cockatoo. I know that Gang Gangs spend a lot of time digging out grubs from trees and soil.

We do feed them pinkie mice every now and then (once a fortnight). We give them the chance to forage for mealworms and crickets daily.

We provide them with 5-10 big fresh native leafy branches daily. They spend a lot of time chewing on this and going through every single nut and pod on there.

Then, of course, we give them a foraging activity every day as well. This is usually foraging boxes, pinecones, ice blocks and corn pockets.

To keep their minds occupied even more, we do clicker training with them as well.

So yes, these little dudes are pretty full on birds! As much as I love them, I never want to own one myself. They do require a lot of work and a special touch to keep happy.

 

[chompie_puppy]

Oh yes, they do adore their showers! We hose them every day in the summer and they just love it!

 

[Bokkapooh]

Gang Gangs are very neat cockatoos. I have only met 3, so I can only share my experience about these three.

One thing we were discussing on gang gangs in another thread was how they are a "great pet" or not.

I personally disagree. A 'too is still a cockatoo, and not meant for a newbie or someone who isnt familiar with them. I would say no matter what, that cockatoos should be left to people who have done a lot of research and have past big bird experiences, and 100% know and are prepared for a 'too in there life. Whether a black cockatoo or a whitey.

But I have been told they are not like white 'toos because they are not so needy? I think that depends. The little boy I met was such a clown, and would contact call whenever we left. The 2 females were shy and would prefer not to be touched or handled, but this little boy was so cute and really wanted to be handled and loved I would LOVE to see Gang Gangs in there wild state in Australia!

 

[Abby]

Thanks for that heads up with the showers Kelsey. I've got a sprayer system on the cockatoo area so will try to introduce madam to the idea once it warms up down here.

 

[Bokkapooh]

^ Great post, Mary!

I know someone who has a pair of Gang Gangs (and shouldn't), they're actually selling them at the moment, but not cheap.. and need a license!

So in Australia do you need a license for a Gang Gang? Or to be a breeder of Gang Gangs?

Are Gang Gangs incredibly rare and endangered?

How many are left out in the wild??

 

[chompie_puppy]

One thing we were discussing on gang gangs in another thread was how they are a "perfect pet" or not.

I haven't seen this other thread, but oh my! In my experience (I've been working with these Gang Gangs for over 18 months now) they do not make a perfect pet at all!

Yes, Cockatoos in general are tricky birds to keep, but Gang Gangs deserve a special category all to themselves!

At the sanctuary we actively discourage people from getting Gang Gangs as pets. They just have too many fiddly "problems" that your average person wouldn't be able to deal with.

Having said that, I've chatted with Jim McKendry (.arrot Behaviour & Enrichment Consultations:.) and attended a couple of his workshops and seen him do WONDERS with Gang Gangs. He really knows his stuff and has been very successful with these Cockatoos. So there are people out there that can have these special birds and keep them in good feather and health.

I'm very glad this Gang Gang is going to your house Mary!

 

[chompie_puppy]

I think the bird and reptile license system here is a joke. All you have to do is send money to the government and they send you a license. You don't need to pass a test or anything.

It's just so that they can keep track of native wildlife.

I have my license so that I can legally keep Beanie, a Musk Lorikeet. It is just native birds (not exotics) that you need a license for, and even then some are excluded from this list.

 

[JLcribber]

There are a lot of thoughts on why they pick in captivity and just because they have picking issues doesn't mean they don't make good pets otherwise.

I suppose if we only looked at it from a humans perspective of pure "want" and not the birds perspective then they would. None of these points are considering what's good for the bird who has no voice to tell its side of the argument. JMHO

If every parrot who picked was deemed bad parrot material, we'd have a lot less birds to pick from wouldn't we?

So true. And there wouldn't be such a huge plucking problem with so many species.

 

[Bokkapooh]

I haven't seen this other thread, but oh my! In my experience (I've been working with these Gang Gangs for over 18 months now) they do not make a perfect pet at all!

I think I need to edit my post. I dont think "perfect" was said but rather a "good pet bird", or "great pet birds". But still, I do not agree with it.

The little male I knew was going into a breeding program. He was human raised, but right now, as he gets his red mask, they are not handling him much anymore. And he is so depserate to have people contact. The 2 females were also human raised, but havent been handled in 2-3 years, so they are a bit shy. But still very curious!

Having said that, I've chatted with Jim McKendry (.arrot Behaviour & Enrichment Consultations:.) and attended a couple of his workshops and seen him do WONDERS with Gang Gangs. He really knows his stuff and has been very successful with these Cockatoos. So there are people out there that can have these special birds and keep them in good feather and health.

See this is how I kind of saw it when I experienced the three I met. They seem to have a lot of personality and truly need a lot of care and love and attention. Which is why I said "boy they remind me awefully a lot like an umbrella cockatoo" (as I loved up on the boy). And when he just went berserk and started pacing and screaming as we left.

Originally Posted by jmfleish
If every parrot who picked was deemed bad parrot material, we'd have a lot less birds to pick from wouldn't we?

I do not think there should be any parrot deemed "bad". I do believe there are people who should be deemed "bad" owners, or would make bad owners for certain parrot species. No parrot is bad if its in the right hands

 

[Abby]

So in Australia do you need a license for a Gang Gang? Or to be a breeder of Gang Gangs?

Are Gang Gangs incredibly rare and endangered?

How many are left out in the wild??

The licence thing depends on what state you're in as to what you need for what. It's really screwy and no state has the same rules. For me to have any black 'too in my state (South Australia) I have to have a specialist permit. Now in theory I should have my basic before I apply however as I do have other cockatoos, a grey & amazon (who are class one exotic here requiring annual paperwork in theory) and can get references for my plucking experience (sounds great ) then I should be able to hit up for the specialist given missys circumstances and the fact that I have the required theoretical aviary area for her.

Once that's done I then need to get an import permit for her to come into the state. Where she's from she's on a different type of licence. Makes buying native animals and birds between states just that extra bit more interesting.

Apparently we South Aussies are allowed way more in the way of keeping native animals/birds/reptiles then most of the other states.

 

[Abby]

We do have to jump through hoops a bit down here for the specialist. At 3.5metres long my aviaries are .7 metres too short to be considered for red tail black cockatoo housing. We can get checked and the permit only applies to the species it's been granted for. Basic has much more freedom but obviously by definition less species.

Galahs, sulphers and the corella species are all off the list down here. Can't remember whether majors (leadbeaters) are on basic or not. I think they are off the top of my head.

 

[chompie_puppy]

Mmmm, I'm not sure now since Mary just taught me something new! I thought all the states in Australia had the same licencing system and requirements!

I know it was exceptionally easy to get my licence. I didn't need any paperwork - I did it all online and paid my fees with a credit card.

I don't think you need a licence for Galahs and Sulfur Cresteds. I see them for sale all over the place and no-one ever mentions that you need one.

 

[Abby]

The rules on what licence/permit seem to vary state to state with natives and some of those websites are a nightmare to negotiate. Keep in mind that we also have a couple of states that will not let certain species of non native parrots in such as WA and Tassie.

Note to Aussies, if you are buying a native from interstate check out both yours and the other parties laws. If in Tassie or WA check whether the bird (especially a non Aussie) can even come into the state to save heart break down the track.