How did you end up with a cockatoo?

[BirdEE]

If you read the horror stories before owning one, most people never would. So what’s the story behind how YOU became a cockatoo owner and why you love them? Since they are almost never a first bird.

My personal story is most of my life I’ve had birds. I had budgies when I was a young child and my mom had finches. As I got older it grew to a bonded pair of cockatiels, and I have a plumb headed parakeet. I left for the military when I graduated high school and my mom gave the cockatiels to someone who could give them more time since I wasn’t there anymore. There was a period of time where I didn’t have any birds after I got back home. This is because I was in a rental. Once I finished college and bought a house though I was able to get another bird. I ended up with a young plumb headed parakeet that is absolutely beautiful. Our cockatoo kind of fell into our lap. Cockatoos have always been my favorite bird, but I’ve always known how much work they are and how demanding they can be, so I never really thought one would ever be in the cards for me, nor did I necessarily want one to be after what I thought I knew about them.

My wife started working at a pet store that had had a cockatoo dropped off 4 years prior from a couple that could no longer care for it. Over the course of a year I saw him all the time and played with him and visited him frequently as I saw my wife at work. Pretty soon they said “Why don’t you take that bird home with you”. I said, “Uhhhhh. Let me think about that one”. We thought it over long and hard and finally brought him home. I was terrified, having read probably every horror story online about adult mature male cockatoos (he’s 12).

I can safely say now I wouldn’t change him for the world. He’s fickle, he has fits, he screams, he’s moody. But he’s the most loving animal I’ve had besides a few dogs. He is a family member. He loves nothing more than to just be involved in daily life. If we are playing a board game he loves to just sit and watch and babble during it. He’s out 100% of the time we are home and he just loves every minute of it. They have such huge personalities. And that’s what I love about them. I can TOTALLY see why people warn you out of owning one though. I find myself doing the same now. I would never recommend one as a pet. There’s so few people they actually would make good pets for, but for those that they do, they’re amazing pets. Or should I say, amazing family members. Because if you think of them as a pet and not a member of the family, you probably won’t have a good time living with a cockatoo haha.

 

[aooratrix]

Thanks for taking him in and accepting him as he is. He hit the jackpot.

 

[Blindwolfxing]

My mother had a Moluccan when I was a teen. I said I would never have another one as Skipper was nothing but cuddles and Chaos lol. My dad always wanted a "baretta bird". Every time we would go to the pet store he would stay for hours interacting with the toos. (My parents are divorced) Finally dad bought a young U2. He hand fed her and spoiled her rotten. He followed everything I told him on how to care for her. About a month before he passed (January 2018, he passed Feb 20) I had a dream about Tater coming to live with me. I went to visit a week later. For this first time ever dad put her on my hand (tater would go to no one but him). He smiled and told me to take her home. I was floored, she was his baby he loved that bird as much as he loved me. That night Tater made 2 hr journey to my house and she's here for life.

 

[Just-passn-thru]

My mother had a Moluccan when I was a teen. I said I would never have another one as Skipper was nothing but cuddles and Chaos lol. My dad always wanted a "baretta bird". Every time we would go to the pet store he would stay for hours interacting with the toos. (My parents are divorced) Finally dad bought a young U2. He hand fed her and spoiled her rotten. He followed everything I told him on how to care for her. About a month before he passed (January 2018, he passed Feb 20) I had a dream about Tater coming to live with me. I went to visit a week later. For this first time ever dad put her on my hand (tater would go to no one but him). He smiled and told me to take her home. I was floored, she was his baby he loved that bird as much as he loved me. That night Tater made 2 hr journey to my house and she's here for life.

What a beautiful story, warms my heart to hear that your father's Too, had a soft place to land and a loving safe home.

 

[Just-passn-thru]

If you read the horror stories before owning one, most people never would. So what’s the story behind how YOU became a cockatoo owner and why you love them? Since they are almost never a first bird.

My personal story is most of my life I’ve had birds. I had budgies when I was a young child and my mom had finches. As I got older it grew to a bonded pair of cockatiels, and I have a plumb headed parakeet. I left for the military when I graduated high school and my mom gave the cockatiels to someone who could give them more time since I wasn’t there anymore. There was a period of time where I didn’t have any birds after I got back home. This is because I was in a rental. Once I finished college and bought a house though I was able to get another bird. I ended up with a young plumb headed parakeet that is absolutely beautiful. Our cockatoo kind of fell into our lap. Cockatoos have always been my favorite bird, but I’ve always known how much work they are and how demanding they can be, so I never really thought one would ever be in the cards for me, nor did I necessarily want one to be after what I thought I knew about them.

My wife started working at a pet store that had had a cockatoo dropped off 4 years prior from a couple that could no longer care for it. Over the course of a year I saw him all the time and played with him and visited him frequently as I saw my wife at work. Pretty soon they said “Why don’t you take that bird home with you”. I said, “Uhhhhh. Let me think about that one”. We thought it over long and hard and finally brought him home. I was terrified, having read probably every horror story online about adult mature male cockatoos (he’s 12).

I can safely say now I wouldn’t change him for the world. He’s fickle, he has fits, he screams, he’s moody. But he’s the most loving animal I’ve had besides a few dogs. He is a family member. He loves nothing more than to just be involved in daily life. If we are playing a board game he loves to just sit and watch and babble during it. He’s out 100% of the time we are home and he just loves every minute of it. They have such huge personalities. And that’s what I love about them. I can TOTALLY see why people warn you out of owning one though. I find myself doing the same now. I would never recommend one as a pet. There’s so few people they actually would make good pets for, but for those that they do, they’re amazing pets. Or should I say, amazing family members. Because if you think of them as a pet and not a member of the family, you probably won’t have a good time living with a cockatoo haha.

Beautiful story, thank you for sharing your journey.

 

[Feather]

I always knew I'd have a cockatoo. I wanted one back when I first got Zyda, but read all the same things you did and decided I wasn't quite up to the task. I was only 16 at the time and my plan was to get a smaller bird with an life expectancy of ~30 years. Once Zyda had lived out her life with me, I would revisit my dream of a cockatoo.

But that changed some years later when someone surrendered an 18-year-old umbrella cockatoo at my place of work. She'd been dropped off late the night before and I was very surprised when I went to clock in and ran face-to-face with an absolutely terrified bird in a small rusted cage near the computer. I was in love immediately.
The poor thing was ratty and dirty with a bloody hole in her chest. She was suffering from e.coli and zinc poisoning that was causing her to pluck and rip the scales from her feet. I took charge of her right away and completely dedicated myself to bringing her back to full health. She healed. She blossomed. I've never felt such an intense connection with any animal as I did with that bird... Losing her completely gutted me. I'd struggled with depression for a very long time even before I'd met her, but that was the closest I've ever come to giving up entirely. But I made a promise to Zyda to be her only home for all her years. I had to keep going.

Last year, in an effort to move on, I got in contact with a breeder and freeflight trainer. I didn't want another rescue cockatoo. I didn't want to find myself constantly comparing the new bird against my soulmate. I put together a timeline and started a new savings just for this new future bird. It wasn't going to happen for at least another couple years, but it was something to look forward to and store hope in. But I never could help but question - was I being selfish for wanting a baby instead of a rescue? Especially when I already know I have what it takes to rehabilitate a used parrot?

This year has been really rough. My mom died very suddenly in January, among other things which all seem really pale in comparison but still bring heavy stress and heartache. So when I saw Monster Truck's ad on Craigslist... honestly I didn't even intend to bring her home. I just wanted to pretend for a moment that the bird I loved so dearly was back in my arms. I set up the meeting. I sat with MT in my lap for a good hour and mostly just closed my eyes and told myself she was the one I knew. But she wasn't.

She was a bird without a name. A thing left in a cage with no toys or good food or clean water. And my heart broke for her, but still I thanked the owner and left.

After a night of internal arguments with myself, I went back the next morning and paid her ransom.

I don't know how long she will be with me, but for here and for now, we can heal together.

 

[Fia Baby]

I got mine as a baby when I was in college, 28 years ago. I read about 3 years worth of "Bird Talks" and made my decision based on that and on my experiences with them in all the bird shops I could get to (there were quite a few in the late '80's and 90's). I really liked the macaws as well, but many of them tended to be wild-caught and weren't as quick to warm up to strangers as the cockatoos, so they seemed so much more intimidating. (But I have a green wing now!) The breeder I got her from raised umbrellas, moluccans and medium sulfur crests, and she kind of steered me toward the sulfur crests. I met Beaker sort of accidently, as I was walking through her aviary. She had been injured as a chick by the heater in the incubator, and was missing a portion of her beak. She wasn't for sale. As my boyfriend and I got ready to leave that day, I remarked about how cute I thought Beaker was, and her husband gave her a look and said, "Chris I think you should think about letting her have Beaker. This is the situation you've been looking for, someone who likes her...) And that was that. She trimmed her nails, talked a lot about her beak and the special accommodations she'd need, and I took her home. After I got her, I told another bird store owner (who never sold cockatoos) about her and she sneered at my choice, "why did you get one of THEM??" Such an ignorant response, on so many levels. She's been with me ever since - she's flown with me, camped with me, went on cross country trips with me. She's been around to see me get married, get a master's degree, move across the country and have 3 kids. That day was my lucky day!!

 

[melissasparrots]

My parents had a wild caught cockatoo when I was a kid. I always wanted one of my own, so as soon as I got my own house when I was 23 years old, I found a breeder that I liked who had the species I wanted and drove about 10 hours each way to go get her. I saw the mytoos page and still knew I could be a good cockatoo owner. My experience with the wild caught LSC2 let me know what parts of the mytoos website were valid and likely problems and what parts had the potential to be exaggerated risks. My goffin's was a rehome that I got from an internet friend.
Cockatoos are a very good match for me. I do not regret getting mine and I just can't fathom why people have so many problems. My galerita had some major phobic problems after medical treatment for several years. But we worked through and have been in a good place for quite some time. Mine don't have major biting or screaming problems. They pluck a little but are both gorgeous. I'll post pictures to prove it sometime next week. I've had my galerita for about 17-18 years. The goffins for maybe 5-7 years although he's about 13 years old. Time slips by and he has fit in pretty well.

 

[Fia Baby]

I feel the same way - I love mine dearly, don't see her as difficult at all, and have never regretted having her. She doesn't pluck or scream. I wouldn't hesitate to add another (a greater, umbrella or moluccan!!) if I had the time and space. Beaker has fit into my life so easily. When my kids were babies, she enjoyed more ambient attention without complaint. Now she's back to being more of a focal point, and she's enjoying that again. If I had to choose only one species of parrots, it would be cockatoos. I love my green wing too, but she's requires more "finesse" to handle. She lunges, like all macaws, can be moody, can scare most people, and uses her beak to try to persuade you to see her side of things. Beaker is so much easier, in so many ways (though she does have her moments when she let's me know she disagrees with me).

 

[cassiesdad]

After I was "retired" due to disability in 2008, I found I had a lot more free time on my hands. We had been owned by birds for years beforehand...and I decided that I wanted to go "up the food chain"...to bring one of the Big 4 (cockatoo, grey, macaw, amazon)

I saw an ad in our newspaper..."Cockatoo for sale"...I called to find out about the bird...and then we went to see the bird. In a very nice house, we were taken downstairs, and in a very large cage, sat a very sad looking LSC. She was naked from the chest down. I came over, and she grabbed on to my offered finger...and wouldn't let go. Finally I told the bird I had to go, wiggled my finger away...just as she bit it...hard. I was immediately smitten, as I knew it wasn't in nastiness that she bit..it was that she didn't want me to go. Then and there, I KNEW she was coming home with us.

Cassie ended up as my bird...and I was completely heartbroken when she passed in January of 2011. We contacted a rescue to adopt a G2 in February...but while they were vetting us, the adopted out the G2. It was like we lost another bird, even though we never actually "had" her.

I was then going to give up on the idea of a cockatoo when my wife went behind my back and contacted our AV in Buffalo, NY...who referred us to a rescue in Rochester, NY. They had an adult male Umbrella 'too that needed a home...and because of our AV's high praise in the care of Cassie, offered us the chance to adopt the U2..sight unseen.

Now, to be honest, I was hesitant. After all an LSC is NOT an Umbrella 'too...we did have a long talk...and decided to take a leap of faith. Milton was that 'too, of course...

 

[Nancy B]

That's a wonderful story and that bird really did hit the flock jackpot with you!!

I had two budgies as a young child they were I think won as prizes at a fair! Which I am glad they don't do that anymore. Peter and Tippy killed each other fighting and that left such a hole in my life that I never forgotten it. That was 52 years ago and I was 5 or 6 yrs old. I had always wanted birds and over the years had many other pets but no birds. Years passed and my now late husband had a coworker who's boyfriend owned a pet store specializing mostly in birds and fish. I saw the lovebirds and practically begged for those! My late husband believed birds do not belong in cages, they belong outside, so it took some convincing. We brought home my little green Fischer lovebird, Rascal who I spoiled rotten and got absolutely nothing done in the house! I had no experience with birds and find lovebirds very easy to train, handle, and play with. He would come when I called him, step up, play hide and seek! We got him a mate because my husband was actually jealous! Lol even though he wouldn't admit it. Fast forward 12 yrs my husband passed away and I had been reading books and visiting macaws at my friends pet store. My son at the time of my husbands passing was 12, not a good fit for a macaw! I lost touch with my pet store friends as he lost his store in a fire. I found him in a new location by chance, he told me he is now concentrating mostly on fish and instead of selling birds he mostly rehomes! Over the years he found people buy birds they know nothing about and he gets them back damaged because of mishandling. My Fred he had for 7 yrs and was tragically thrown at a wall as a baby by an employee attempting to steal him. The bird was physically fine, but psychologically hurt. When I started visiting Fred, he started interacting in ways he didn't do with people and over several weeks started eating the birdie cookies I made for him. I guess you could say it was love at first sight! Knowing nothing about cockatoos at all, I brought him home after I started worrying about whether he was going to end up with someone else! My fiancee is a bird lover too as well so that helps!
He does require more time than I thought but is not a velcro bird. He loves to cuddle for short periods of time, sometimes actually less than I want, but he keeps me in line with a firm squeeze and I say OKAY I'M STOPPING then he chirps lol! I love him to death! When I joined the forum and started reading I thought UH OH WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO, but it's all good. We have a routine that works!

 

[JLcribber]

I was a bird in a previous life. My punishment was to come back as a human (demotion) and have to look after them for most of my life. They found me.

I am rather sad these days but I am blessed.

 

[Sylvester]

My story starts out on a rather weird note.

In my teens I had a female friend whose parents owned a wild caught Triton Cockatoo. He hated males, especially me. My friend would work with him and she gradually got him to take grapes from her hand. She insisted that he would like me once he got to know me, and then proceeded to try to 'introduce' us to one another.She picked the smallest room in the house for this introduction, one of the bathrooms. Big Mistake, since there was no way he could escape, except for going through me, as I stood nervously in the doorway. He started to act real agitated when I entered the room, pacing back and forth on the tub, and then he went for me. Luckily, she was faster and caught his legs as he was midway to giving me the biggest a s s kicking of my life.

I buried the memory, but anytime I would see the image of a cockatoo I would become physically ill.

I eventually set out to conquer my unique phobia. I decided the best way to do this was to volunteer at bird shelters. The big parrots and myself did quite well together, as long as I watched their body language and didn't push anything with them. I met FRED, a U2, when his family called to re-home him. He belonged to an elderly couple who came to the conclusion that they weren't able to give him the attention he craved.

Yes, Fred now belongs to my family, for better or worse. He is the most obnoxious little being I have ever met, but when he buries his little head in my shoulders, I realize he is worth the aggravation.

Best yet, unlike my friend's bird, he likes me.

 

[Fia Baby]

So there are 2 Fred's!!

 

[Sweet Louise]

I feel the same way - I love mine dearly, don't see her as difficult at all, and have never regretted having her. She doesn't pluck or scream. I wouldn't hesitate to add another (a greater, umbrella or moluccan!!) if I had the time and space. Beaker has fit into my life so easily. When my kids were babies, she enjoyed more ambient attention without complaint. Now she's back to being more of a focal point, and she's enjoying that again. If I had to choose only one species of parrots, it would be cockatoos. I love my green wing too, but she's requires more "finesse" to handle. She lunges, like all macaws, can be moody, can scare most people, and uses her beak to try to persuade you to see her side of things. Beaker is so much easier, in so many ways (though she does have her moments when she let's me know she disagrees with me).

Pictures?

 

[BirdEE]

Pictures?

Here’s a picture of my guy showing off yesterday

 

[cassiesdad]

Here’s a picture of my guy showing off yesterday
View attachment 292743

He's so handsome!

...reminds me of Milton...before his plucking started...

 

[Just-passn-thru]

Here’s a picture of my guy showing off yesterday
View attachment 292743

Handsome boy

 

[Sweet Louise]

Awesome pic, he is very cute!

 

[jmfleish]

Wow! These stories are amazing! I was going to be obnoxious and say Reggie came into my life because I was stupid! It’s probably true! I was waiting for Tuchis TAG to wean and was shopping at all the local pet stores for stuff when I met him and immediately fell in love. I visited him every week for six months and did tons of research on D2s before I finally decided to take him home. I went to get him with a friend and was going to meet her at the pet store but she got there first. When I arrived, her and one of the pet store workers were chasing Reggiei around as he hopped around on top of all the cages the had for sale yelling, “Step up! Step up!” gleefully! We finally got him in his travel cage and took him to my friend’s house where he was going to do his quarantine and as soon as we took him out of his travel cage, he took the biggest, greenest poop I have ever seen right in the middle of the foyer! We set up this huge 30”x40”x60” cage for him and stuffed it with toys and perches and put him on top of it and the bird that never once screamed in the six months that I visited him let out the most horrible noise I had ever heard in my life! I couldn’t believe my ears and looked at my friend and told her there was no way I could ever take him home to my apartment!. That was nearly 16 years ago!